An Unexpected Surpise

[Editor's Posting]

Welcome All to the New Year at MrsBizzyB's blog!

As Editor, I thought I would share some information about what goes on behind the scenes with the blog and pass on some unexpected surprises. For those who send postings, my efforts are well known but to the readers and potential posters it might be surprising about what happens to get a story on the blog.

We have grown the number of family members who submit postings each year and last year we had more family members posting than ever! Each poster writes their own story and selects their own topics and writes their stories in their own way. Then, they send it to me for "editing and publishing".

I check the story for basic stuff, like spelling and for consistency. If I have questions about something, an email exchange with the author takes place until I am sure I understand what the story is about. I then pull out my "blue pencil" and decide where and how the story will be published on the blog. Some stories are long and get broken into multiple segments for multiple postings and sometimes I make a few changes to either enhance or clarify something being written. I try not to make many changes to the stories and to leave them in the "voice of the author".

Leaving as much of the author's voice as possible allows us to "hear" the stories as if we are sitting in the same room with our southern relatives or those from the north or west. I love to "sit on the divan" and listen to how family members "struck out on their own" and "war with gophers in the garden".

Once I am satisfied the story is ready, it gets scheduled for posting. All the stories get published but not all at the same time. I try to give each story its own time and space on the blog. Each story is a memory that has been selected by the author to share and I try to give it ample opportunity for everyone to read it.

So... who's reading it? You'd be surprised. Recently Blogger started providing some statistics about the blog and here's some of the information for 2010.

Countries where the blog is viewed.

• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• United Kingdom
• Netherlands
• Germany
• France
• Brazil
• Russia
• Finland
• Slovenia
• Poland

There are approximately 400 page views per month.

People are viewing from Windows, Macs, iPhones, iPads, Blackberry and more.

Top 10 Most Popular Posts:

1. Homemade Pies
   [Sept 10, 2008]
2. The Park on the Corner by KimB
   [Sept 10, 2010]
3. Green Tea
   [July 11, 2007]
4. A Trip to Scotland part 4 of 6 by KimB
   [July 24, 2010]
5. Theater Backwards in High Heels by Richard
   [Dec 7, 2010]
6. Things Forgotten and Visit Remembered by Loretta
   [Jun 22, 2010]
7. Memories of Jerry by Esther
   [Aug 17, 2010]
8. Thanksgiving
   [Nov 20, 2010]
9. Keyboards
   [Oct 27, 2010]
10. Substitutes
    [Jan 27, 2007]

So there's more to the blog than meets the eye and more eyes reading it than you'd think!

So here's to a New Year and to more posters and to more postings.  And especially to MrsB who wanted to start the blog in the first place!

KimB Editor