Today is the eighth anniversary of when I started the webpage PassiontoKnowMore!
I've published 243 articles in 8 years!
And so I'm reminiscing. I'll let you in on a little secret. I didn't know what I was doing then in creating a webpage and after eight years I still don't. Ha. My webpage isn't fancy and I don't know how to make it fancy. Any technology glitches it has probably still exist as technology and I aren't friends. Sometimes I try to fix things, but that eats up so much time and I get very frustrated and usually give up. Passion to Know More website greatly needs a facelift, but I just don't have the energy to do it. So it is what it is.
But the purpose for the website hasn't changed in all of these years. I'm kind of a nerd and I like to read and research and dig deep for answers. As I learn something, I share it on here. I truly have a passion to know more about the Bible and I hope I'm passing that on to you.
That first year I wrote and wrote and wrote! I originally set up social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. People were so mean on Twitter (not to me, but just in general) that I quit using it. I tried to make a go of Instagram, and I still do occasionally post a picture or a story, but I never really could figure out how to do cool videos and have a real presence on there - that whole technology thing gets me. I never did the Pinterest thing although many have told me I should. Most of what I post about is on my Passion to Know More Facebook page. I post a lot on there - at least two to three times a day on average. Last Spring I posted a lot about Luke as we studied it and now I'm posting a lot about Acts as we study it. I keep meaning to make those posts on my Facebook page into articles, but I never seem to find the time.
I just don't check analytics on my webpage any more. Frankly, I really don't care how many people are reading what I write. In the online world someone is valued by how many followers, likes, comments, shares, hits,... That is the goal for most; to have a wide audience. And they turn that endeavor into a money making enterprise with advertisements. Nothing annoys me more than to go to a Christian website and have a lot of ads and pop-ups. I don't like Christians trying to sell me things. So that has never been my intention to garner a lot of readers to make money. My website has an outflow of money, not an inflow. And I never cared about the recognition. I've tried very hard to keep the "me" out of this.
At first I really did want to reach a lot of people though. And I became a bit obsessed with checking the analytics. I was spending a tremendous amount of time in researching and writing and I thought a lot of readers would justify the time I spent. I really wanted something I wrote to pique peoples' interest and for them to begin reading their Bible.
At some point I realized I'm not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Perhaps I'm boring. Perhaps I'm too scholarly. I like to think of myself as vanilla ice cream. Just kind of plain. Plain is good though. Normal is good. Ha. People that are interested will read. Those who aren't interested, won't. I always thought if God wants people to find Passion to Know More, He will bring them to the site.
But if I'm just in my own little corner reading and researching and sharing; then who am I accountable to? I've thought about that a lot. It is kind of freeing to not have to answer to anyone. I can write about what I'm interested in. No one tells me what to write about - the latest cultural trend or what the next series at church is on - or how often to write. But what if I say something that isn't true or is harsh or not worded correctly? I have no accountability on this website. All I can say to that is my heart is in the right place. I don't want anything from you. I'm making no money off of you. I have no agenda except to share what I'm learning about Scripture. I promise you I do my due diligence and read and do considerable research on a topic before I write anything. Have I made mistakes? Oh yes. I guess I expect others to point out if I do make a mistake. And when I've found something later that is not worded clearly or is a mistake; I immediately correct it. And at times I sound harsh and perhaps convicting. I'm not really a touchy-feely kind of person. I think very analytically. So sometimes I'll read something I wrote awhile ago and think, boy that sounds unkind. And I'll try to reword it softer and kinder. I guess I'm asking you to trust I am being truthful to the best of my ability. You need to have discernment when reading any Christian article anyone writes though. I do welcome feedback and I've received some in the past.
Because it is the eighth anniversary I did go look at my analytics for Passion to Know More. They have changed how they do my analytics. It used to be they told me what percentage were male readers and female readers and age of my readers. (It used to be predominantly male and young people in their 30's.) Now I can't find that information. It might be there, but I couldn't locate it. Most of my readers are in the United States and most read from their mobile device. It told me what articles were the most read. That always surprises me because they aren't the ones I would think would be popular. I checked and in the past 365 days I've had 17,379 site sessions. That sounds really good to me! But maybe those are mostly bots bouncing off my site. I can't find the bounce rate in my analytics anymore.
I have been going back in and trying to tag my 243 articles so they are easier to find.
If you want to read what I've written about Christmas just type that in the search on my blog page. Or type in Easter and see the many articles on it. Or type in "books" or any other key word. I am still working on it though and I don't have them all tagged.
And what is the agenda for this website? The same as it was on day one. For us to grow.
Thank you for joining me!
Blessings to you.
