Are you motivated by visuals?

If you're the type who, like me, is motivated by visuals, then you will appreciate this post. On the Google listserv, some bloggers participating in this year's Blogathon were discussing how many hits their posts or blogs are getting. One of us was so excited that a controversial post she wrote netted 1,000 hits in a single day. That's so amazing! I would be thrilled as well. One thousand hits for a single post! Need to spark some controversy, don't I? LOL.

No, seriously. I'm happy to get my 230, more or less, hits per day here. It's consistent, and consistently growing, as you can see from the graphic above. My readership (or at least site hits) has grown considerably since May of 2008, the year the WordCount Blogathon challenge began. The graphic shows me I am capable of taking nothing and turning it into something. The picture shows me what success looks like, and I like that. It motivates me to keep at it.

But are you also motivated by visuals? Would it help for you to see your stats in picture form? Do you use graphics to chart your success? In the early days of my blog, which I started in 2007, when I wasn't posting regularly, I wasn't tracking anything, either. I didn't understand how to add the analytics. It's only something I started maybe two years ago or less. But it's something I learned how to do because of the Blogathon. When I embedded the plug-in for analytics, the total number of hits for all-time here was recorded at 0. That number, which is calculating as we speak on my home page, said 75,000 when I started typing today's post. I'm finishing up with this post, and the calculator has already recorded 12 more clicks. That's exciting! The amped up activity that surrounds the Blogathon is exciting.

I hope you're feeling it just as much as I am, because we're in Week 2 now. If you're in need of motivation to keep going, to keep posting your daily thoughts and pictures, think about what that might be and pull those tools out. If it's a graphic, consider posting one from your stats. If it's participating more in the listserv, by all means, ask your questions. If it's spending more time than you have been updating your social media with links to your blog updates, do that as well. Whatever you need to push yourself through this next week, I hope you'll do it. If you do, post a comment here. Let us know how it's working for you.