I often wonder who is reading this blog, and what they make of my entries.  I tend to think most visitors drop in to see what’s here, and nine times out of ten leave without reading more than a few words–but come back often because once in a while they like what I have for them.

In particular, I wonder if anyone at all considers my thoughts on how the brain works, etc., worth reading about.  No one ever makes any comments on them.  Right now, for instance, I’m writing a continuation of my commentary on Jonah Goldberg’s thoughts on what integrity is, and after my opening paragraph am wondering who in the world would read it–and then go on to read the rest of what I have to say.  Since that paragraph seems to me, as much of my deepest writing often does, close to incoherent, I suspect no one is.  But I’m not sure.  And I really want to know.

Finding out I’m right would not make much difference to me. Or would it? Maybe it would make me concentrate more on accessibility. One thing it would definitely do is convince me not to publish essays-in-progress, but withhold them until I feel they are about as accessible as I can make them. They would never make me give up exploring the subjects I often do, the way I do., though.

On the other hand, if more than a handful let me know they got something of value from my Deep Insights into Important Matters, it  would spur me on, I have to admit.  And I would be spared the Horrid Guilt I too frequently feel about some of the scrambly-brained entries I post.

Anyway, as I was wondering today (again) about my audience, I had a sudden idea.  I am going to try it out in this entry, and future ones.  It is to ask the following question, and following it with links to a “NO” and a “YES,” with the hope that some of you will honestly click your answer to my question, a simple procedure which will be wholly anonymous:

Tell me, I implore thee, whether you have found this entry worth reading in full or not by clicking “NO” or “YES.”  You would help me a great deal, and might even get me to make my entries more reader-friendly.  (And for the love of Jayzuz, please don’t try to spare my feelings by politely declining to click NO in spite of finding my writing Vile Beyond Imagination: if I get no NOS, I will not trust this little experiment–well, unless I get tons of YESSES.  Note: what’s the plural of “NO?”  It should be “NOES,” I suspect.)

YES

NO

.

Gad, I do believe I’ve just invented the like/dislike buttons.  Maybe Facebook should hire me?  Seriously, the like/dislike choice can sometimes provide information that’s useful, even if it is to a thoughtful critique as a satyr to Hyperion.

I have to apologize to those of you who have sent me comments about this blog.  For some reason, I was not getting e.mail notification of them.  I also wasn’t aware of where I had to click to, to approve them (and apparently I have to approve them at this site for them to be posted).  So I didn’t know I was actually getting comments.

I hope they will now show up.  I hope, too, to get to them and reply.  I just glanced at them when I finally discovered them, unapproved, but noticed several very interesting ones.  Be patient with me, though.  I’m pretty bushed at the moment, and out of it because of unhappy family matters.  I’ll recover, though–always have.

–Bob