Anyone who has been on the Interwebz for a while has probably come across the Slashdot Effect at some point. For those who haven't, it's basically when a whole bunch of people suddenly find out about something really cool or interesting online, and all of a sudden nearly everyone in the world seems to visit a particular website on the same day. So much so that it has been known to close down systems that can't handle the overload of people trying to all get onto the same web server. While certainly not on the scale of such global anarchy as I have just described, I've noticed my own little micro-"viral effect" occurring whenever I post a really well received answer to a question on one of my favorite Q/A sites.
I'm basically beginning to think that the Internet has turned us all into stalkers. You find something interesting, find a link to the author, and then find yourself trying to find out more about the author, more about what the author has contributed to and so on. Sometimes it's as simple as just being interested about what the person looks like, or whether the person has bothered to write anything else that might be interesting. Sometimes, it becomes a full blown obsession... in other people I'm sure!
It's one of the risks in filling out a profile on any website, and providing links to yourself elsewhere. If you use your real name, or the same pseudonym everywhere, or if you post a link to a blog or your linked in profile, or to your twitter account, etc... all of these provide others out there with an avenue to follow you about the Internet. Actually I've found it very interesting that I can predict to almost the hour when my other blog will get a jump in hits. I write these articles in part because it gives me something to do at the end of a week or two of busy life. It's a way to unwind or get an issue of my chest. Basically, my blogs are very new, and I don't expect more than a couple of hits per week. So when I do post a well received answer elsewhere, I find out not only that it was well received, but I also learn who all the "stalkers" are!!! Yes, people like myself who can't help but click the little link that lets you view the author's profile, and which invariably leads you back to a blog, or some other page which you end up sifting through and you either find yourself really interested and end up subscribing to a blog that you'll read once a month if that, or you'll end up a life-long reader of (yeah... i wish! LOL), or you'll simply go "meh!", and return to your point of origin and wait for the next person to stalk.
Still, as I say I've found it interesting that there is definitely a causal effect between a good post elsewhere, and a small but noticeable spike in my blog traffic. I joke about the stalkers, but I'm actually quite flattered that it has sparked someone's interest enough to follow the breadcrumbs to my blogs. Sure I do this for my own amusement, but it's also nice to be well received by one's peers.
So thanks to all those who find themselves tempted to visit me all the way here from wherever you linked from. I hope that whatever you've read has been of interest, made you laugh, got you mad, or just generally sparked at least a little emotion one way or another. Do feel free to subscribe to the feeds and visit me again from time to time, or leave a comment just to say hello. :-)
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