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| "It's his tooth, again..." |
- Live From University Medical Center
- Blog Traffic In Slump
- New Harmonica On The Way...
Google has most likely changed their algorithm for their search engine, so that I am getting a lot fewer hits on this blog than in the past.
Usually by the end of a 30 day period, I would have an average of 40 hits on each post. This sort of accounts for those that check daily, to see that I'm alive (this would be my mother) and those that check once per week, with Monday morning seeing a spike in traffic.
The Lidgley's, who are in a time zone 8 hours away are a likely answer to the "who the hell looks at my blog at 3 in the morning?" inquiry...
But, I think Google has done something about people being directed here due to key words.
The post entitled "The Coldest Night Of The Year In New Orleans" is the leader in hits, and it stood to reason that people who are set to come here as tourists and are wondering should they pack a sweater, a light jacket or a parka complete with ski mask and goggles for a February visit, may have been led here by searching "What is the coldest it gets at night in New Orleans?"
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| Mike Lidgley (the happy-go-lucky one) and I in Ocala, Florida circa 2010, | |
| photo by Alyne Lidgley |
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| Alyne Lidgley (the serious one) and I in Ocala, Florida circa 2010, |
| photo by Mike Lidgley |
Before I had a camera, if I wanted to post a picture of something, I would Google that and use a picture that someone else posted. And, since I was grabbing the first one I found, I would be linking the blog to one that is near the top of the search results, for whatever reason.
Nathaniel said that he Googled "Uxi Duxi" just for the hell of it, and it led him to my blog.
That makes sense considering the uniqueness of that name, compounded by the fact that I have mentioned it probably 100 times, make that 101, now...
I probably need to go out in cyberspace and find groups of people with similar interests and link up to them.
But, if Alex in California is right that there are only 3 blogs in the world specifically about busking, then that would make for a pretty tiny busking "planet."
I might diversify and add the aspects of "juice fasting" and "short story writing" to my keywords and maybe "home studio recording," and why not "drawing with pencil and charcoal," and "spiritual guidance" too?
The catch 22 is that, while a totally unique term will draw anyone who Googles it to the blog, the reason that term is unique is probably that nobody knows or cares about whatever it is.
I can imagine someone teaching a course in "how to use a computer" at a community college somewhere and, as an illustrative example, telling the class "Ok, I want to show you what happens when you type in some gibberish...I don't know, try searching: 'skeezer' -what the heck-and see what you get..."
"Ok, that wasn't a good example; that appears almost three thousand times....mostly on just one blog...hmmm...that's peculiar..."
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| "I'm serious; and the same is true about semen!" |
Now, my friend Zen, whom I met at the Uxi Duxi (102) said that, once he started posting videos of himself, rather than just words, his traffic increased exponentially.
He sits in front of the place, doing a podcast, I guess. It sounds like he is lecturing most of the time, but he will occasionally say things like: "Good to hear from you, Jerry, I thought you fell off the face of the earth," before resuming his talk about the reason that women's vaginas smell like fish is because it attracts men at a primordial level because we evolved out of the sea. Now that's how you drive traffic to your podcast!
I'm at the University Medical Center of New Orleans, about my abscessed tooth.
I have just been given clove oil to deaden the pain of it, and will be given a prescription for antibiotics and Ibuprofen on the way out with my bottle of clove oil.
Nathaniel, at the Uxi Duxi, had told me Thursday to use clove oil. I am going to have to tell him he was spot-on with his recommended remedy; if the doctors at the University Medical Center are any measuring stick to go by. I didn't see them putting leaches on anybody, so perhaps they are coming up to speed.
I saw this as only a topical and temporary solution, when Nathaniel (below) recommended it, and so, didn't pursue it.
Uxi Duxi from lacinea on Vimeo.
I was in the Dollar General, though, and saw a one dollar jar of a generic "vapor rub," which I almost bought.
Something cosmic about the fact that koala bears had recently come up in a conversation that I had, with Rose, I think it was, and then seeing eucalyptus listed as an ingredient in that stuff; and remembering how when I was a kid, my mother would put towels in the oven and then rub Vicks Vapo Rub on my chest and then wrap me in the hot towels...
There is menthol oil in the stuff, also, listed as a "cough suppressant."
If I had to place a bet upon the next thing that mankind is going to discover, and begin to prize for its healing powers, I would lay my money on eucalyptus. They will probably have to heavily process it chemically but the key ingredient will be eucalyptus.
Mardi Gras Money Drained
I am drinking the last of the Mardi Gras money that I had socked away, in the form of a shot of kratom.
When I had the 169 dollar night, I told myself that I would definitely be getting a new harmonica, and I was just barely able to make that come to fruition, utilizing my "backstage pass" points, which are an 8% rebate on whatever you buy from them.
I lucked out there, because I had already used those points, but they were still available.
For some reason, I wasn't able to use them the first time through the website and so my Amex card was billed, as the default vehicle of payment.
There wasn't enough money on the card, and so I had called to inform them of this, before the transaction went through, and the guy on the phone, whom I became quite friendly with, said he applied my backstage pass points to cover the purchase. He must not have gone back and deleted them from the website, because I still had the same amount available.
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| Did I mention that kratom is a chick magnet? |
I'm not sure.
The same thing happened when I called American Express and wound up talking to a guy in Pakistan for like 45 minutes about all kinds of things, and then discovered that the $4.95 monthly fee has been waived on my account. I guess that is what you call social engineering; or plain old fashioned skeezing, if you're cynical.
It will take 2 days for the harmonica to get here. It is in the key of D, a key I've never played before. Maybe that will break up the monotony of all the key of C songs that I've been doing forever, it seems.
The Power Of Now
Now that I am reading Ekhart Tolle's book and living a more contemplative, yet less contemplative (because that is a function of the mind) life, I've been discovering that I have a lot of pent up resentment or anger or regret or fear.
The fact that skeezers annoy me so much, for instance, has its roots in my attachment to form, and my inflated ego. It appears that I have some work to do.
It seems like a tall mountain to climb before I am able to see myself as "one" with Jackie from apartment A109 in my building, to cite one glaring example.
She is the one who, her first night in our building knocked on my door, bent over and holding her stomach, telling me she was starving, and asking me if I had a pan that I could give her so she could cook her "patetti."
After I had first denied her, but then had a change of heart, I knocked on her door with the pan in my hand. It opened to reveal food everywhere; from pizza to peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese -boxes and cans and stacks of edibles everywhere. Starving, my ass. She was skeezing me. But, I am one with her; the same life force runs through the two of us, as it does rocks and trees, and my cat, Harold...
What would get you more readers is learning a little bit of "search engine optimization". Write about what people want to know about.
ReplyDeletePeople love the idea of being a busker, worry-free, cash money in the hat every day, how romantic yadda yadda. And they love the idea of New Orleans. Not the real New Orleans so much; the heat, the crime, the corruption, the skeezers and "where you got your shoes" guys. They want to hear about breakfast at the French market, chicory coffee and beignets, then a jam session with some guitar students visiting from Italy (with their attractive girl singer who knows every Greatful Dead song, no, wait, everything composes by Jelly Roll Morton). They want to hear about things they'd dream of doing, themselves.
Not so much about getting toothaches you try to cure with a needle you found on the street, buying a bike from an Israeli lady for $30 and Harold The Cat.
If I wanted to boost readership of my 1/3 of the world's busking blogs, I'd talk about how today I was on the light rail and there was a colorful Google bike hanging on one of the bike hangers and I looked out the window and saw a Chevy Volt and 2 Teslas. I'd write about things people who are interested in moving to, or visiting, "Silicon Valley" would be searching for. Or, I'd make it a pure busking blog, and write about nothing about busking.
Marvin Naylor, the owner of the remaining world's busking blogs after subtracting yours and mine, writes the most "pure" busking blog. He writs about the local characters, sure, and have given us the wonderful word "Drongo" for certain types, but he keeps it pretty strictly to busking. No amusing anecdotes about his guitar students, for instance.
I think you used to put a bit more blow-by-blow details about your daily busking sessions on here, a few years ago.
Now that I'm thinking about this, maybe your "search engine optimization" efforts should go more into being a busker, because while you're in New Orleans, you're not that much of a New Orleans guy. You've eaten maybe 1 po'boy in your life, hate chicory coffee, as a guitarist are just about the opposite of a brass/wind band, etc.
ReplyDeleteSo, make the things you go into, about busking. How neat it is to get up in the morning and have $50 earned before noon. How some gal smiled at you, etc. And equipment details, like what kind of guitar works best, what strings do, what styles of music or songs sound impressive but are really not that hard to do, etc.
It's OK to write about other buskers too. Everyone's got their "racket". Locally, one dresses really sharp and plays a sax (he's no Kenny G but he's a nice guy). One toots a recorder and looks like he needs about 10 good baths but he's cheerful and has signs with funny sayings out. One plays trumpet rather better than I do, is a sourpuss, but has a pet white rabbit with him and is capable of playing for hours on end.
You could put in more details about "Jay The Loud Singer", the guy who looks clean-cut like a pilot or an astronaut, and the mysterious trumpet player who plays stuff like "The Eentsy Weentsy Spider" and does well. Is he still around and doing well? You could even describe some of the quick-draw portrait artists and other performers of which New Orleans must have many: jugglers, fire-twirlers, etc.
I can now see that a smart phone should be near the top of my wish list, I could walk around the Quarter and then post little 30 second clips that would answer all the above questions in a way that seems to attract visitors "more than words" (to drop the name of one of those impressive but really not hard songs)would.
ReplyDeleteI walked by Jay the Really loud singer, who remains on friendly terms with me by giving me a wave or throwing "Daniel" into his lyrics as I walk by...he is a potential "crash for a 100 bucks a week on my couch" candidate...even though I have touched that stove 4 times already...
For some reason I thought you had a smart phone already? You have an Obama phone, and aren't those smart phones these days?
ReplyDeleteYour flip phone could become uhhh ... damaged ... and you'd need a new one.