omarphillips.net Year in Review - Part I: Don't believe the hype
"I wanted to say that seems like everyone is having a milestone these few weeks... is this like how there's an increase in births 9 months after a blackout?" -Syar
I had been wondering the same thing over the past month or so, as most of the blogs I read have turned 1. Any guess of what caused this blog boom in Feb/March 2005 would be just that, a guess. The most believable explanations that I've heard so far have involved older, more established blogs having lots of sex with each other.
Anyway, this very site will be turning one on April 1. I had all kinds of plans for how I would celebrate the occasion, but then I realized that the date fell on a Saturday. StatCounter, one of the top five loves of my life, tells me that Saturday is regularly the day with the least amount of visitors here. So that, combined with the fact that I can't resist the opportunity to talk about myself for several consecutive days, has prompted me to go with the three-part celebration. This here is part 1.
For the heck of it, I went through the archives of omarphillips.net to find the post(s) that had the most comments. As I went through them, I was very much surprised. I expected maybe one of the vole posts or Madlib posts to be among the most commented on. It turns out that they really aren't. Not even close. I was really surprised when I figured out which post had the most comments. It was way back on June 15th of last year, the post about my name. Or more specifically, common reactions to my name.
It should be noted that if you go back and read comments on any posts before mid-July (when I switched from Blogger to MT), comments don't have proper line breaks and are harder to read clearly.At best, it was moderately funny. There was no Photoshop, there were no animated heads or rodents. I started going through my own favorite posts, and most of those (to be revealed in Part II) have no more than half of the comments this one received. I guess the post does have more of a "real" feel, but it's not like this site's otherwise all fiction. (I'll embelish stories occasionally, but I try to make those situations obvious.)
If I were to have guessed the top five most commented-on posts, I would have picked five posts that in actuality, got relatively few comments. I know there are a lot of factors that influence the number of comments a post gets, but I would have generally assumed that the posts that are most liked are the ones that are most commented on. In reality, that's not at all true.
Or perhaps it is, and after all this time, I continue to have no idea what you people like.
When I think of other blogs I read, in most cases, one particular post sticks out in my mind from each site. Off the top of your head, do you have a "favorite" omarphillips.net post, or a specific post that sticks in your mind? (No is an acceptable answer, by the way.) I guess I'm curious to see how the readers' favorites compare to the writer's.



Comments
Jackie said:
I always liked the Pemmican Man post. I could just envision the boy being a tough guy for his daddy. Congrats on the 1 year coming up Omar. I've sure enjoyed following ya.
X said:
Your gadget-assisted wife acquisition post was pretty awesome. If you ask me tomorrow, it'll probably be different, though.
---X
Zoe said:
i didn't think i had a favourite, love 'em all, but i must say, the mtfp ones are the funniest. actually, i have one in particular 'nuh' just thinking aout it now is making me start up with a belly chuckle, - i can feel it coming... there's the laugh
happy anniversary
I said:
Someone I know in person read this post and asked me, "isn't that a bit egotistical?"
My response is that I'm a guy named Omar Phillips who chose to name his website omarphillips.net. Of course it's egotistical.
Radioactive Parts said:
Is it cheating if I check through the archives? It's a serious question; 'favorite' might not be the most memorable, right?
Katie said:
I can't say that I have a favorite, there are so many. The photoshop of the goldfish boxes gets me every time, and the pemmican man too. Though X also choose a favorite... and, well, I can't choose.
I said:
I guess I was sort of unclear on the memorable vs. favorite. When I think of other people's sites, their most memorable posts are not necessarily the ones I think are the best.
Favorite is what I had in mind, but now I'm also curious about what would be considered memorable. In any case, don't spend too much time on it! An off the top of your head answer is plenty good enough for me.
Syar said:
I think that post about your name may be one of the first of your posts I commented on.
When I introduce friends to this blog, I usually ask them to read the vole entries. I really do love those.
but no, I don't have a favourite. There's always one element in your posts that'll make me love it. The Boy's escapades come tops, The Wife cameos are cool too and most of the time, I like reading about you doing stuff.
I'm easily amused.
although as of now, this post will be my favourite because it has my name in it. :-)
cadiz12 said:
i went through something similar taking inventory for my year-end, too. the stuff i slap together seems to get the most play and things i really take time to think out get less of a reaction. i don't get it.
in the case of op.net, it's tricky to choose a favorite. i especially enjoy your MTFPs, but i'd have to say the vole series is tops. however, i do recall one of the first posts that really stuck out was the 'jesus loves you' post, and i'm not even sure why.
happy 1 year!
Becky said:
my favorites? in no particular order, the list is as follows:
1) the week of cell-phone hating - just read 'em, and it's like an echo of the narrative in my head...
2)vole - i like the episodic nature of these posts
3)madlibs - always inventive
4)pies - i love that you put yourself out there. it's not like you're attempting brain surgery or something, but you are trying your hand at something new - and outside your societally-defined, gender-appropriate set of hobbies, no less - and you document the whole process, whether you succeed or fail. it's fearless, in a small, carbohydrate-laden way
jasmine said:
i remember that post with your name. we all thought you were puerto rican or something...aahh, those were the days...
you really are my favorite blogger. consistenly funny without being dirty or foul at all. i've laughed out loud at more of your posts than most anyone elses. your first pie did bring me close to tears. and i did meet the love of my live (note that vole is love with the letters scrambled), and we all love the boy...damn omar. its just too hard to pick...
I said:
If my flowing testosterone and tough demeanor allowed me to outwardly show emotion, I'd blush while reading these comments. You all are too nice.
X said:
You've learnt well. Real men beat their chests.
---X
Glo said:
Hobo Bob is part of my everyday vernacular thanks to OmarPhillips.net.
Radioactive Waffle said:
Can't say a favorite stands out, though your whinings about PageRank were memorable, I think because until that point I thought their algorithm had a clue.
Okay enough sucking-up. You've already noted the "egotistical" aspect, but I don't remember seeing anything on your Post / Category numbers. The top three, in ascending order:
3. omarphillips.net
2. Nonsense
1. Omar
I'm not one to invent trends and patterns, but I can't help seeing a progression here.
Viking said:
Gelatinous poo sticks out in my mind. At least I'm pretty sure that was here...
I've noticed the comment issue on my site too. The more time I put into a post, the less comments it receives. And that's twice as true on my photo site...
I said:
The gelatinous baby poo was most definitely on this site, yes.
Cate said:
I love everything at omarphillips.net - but especially anything to do with the boy and adventures in parenting. The polls are really great too. And the vole posts. And any references to "cutting edge" - I try to keep bandaids on hand for those.
wendela said:
The vole posts, of course, are what made me come back for more. I loved the too-much-reality kids book (Hobo Bob), and thought Pimp My Grill was great. So many good things.