Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Lingwë is four years old today!

Not a proper post, but I didn’t want the day to pass entirely unheralded. I started Lingwë – Musings of a Fish four years ago today, with few clear ideas of what I would end up doing with it. Since then I’ve written some 340 posts, which have been collectively viewed more than 100,000 times by well over 30,000 visitors from more than 150 countries — including some of the most far-flung and alien places I could imagine. 23 visits from Kazakhstan? And not all of them from the same internet cafe either. Most were from the largest city, Almaty, but I’ve also had a few visits each from Astana, Atyrau, and Chimkent. Incredible!

Or to take a slightly more familiar case, there is Japan, with over 800 visits across 85 cities; Ireland, with more than 400 visits from 23 towns; Denmark, with more than 200 visit, from a whopping 78 different localities (most of them small villages, I would think). And many more. It’s a humbling reminder of both how small, and how large, our world really is. A geography lesson every time I dig into my site statistics.

I hope to be at this for years to come, and please keep your feedback coming as well. If there’s one thing I’ve learned doing this and reading all of your comments, always entertaining and insightful (and even sometimes inciteful, hahae), it’s that this is really your blog too.

14 comments:

  1. Not a proper comment, but I wanted to congratulate you ;-)

    Being responsible for at least some of the visits from Denmark (and probably a few from Finland as well), I'll just say that a new post on Lingwë always makes my day just a bit brighter.

    Thank you!

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  2. Congratulations and many thanks for your perseverance and flow of great posts (not to mention your examplary essays!).

    I have followed I don't know how many blogs these years, but Lingwë is the only one I still keep coming back to – always fresh, always inspiring – even if I seldom leave comments.

    Greetings from Sweden,
    Idher

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  3. I haven't regularly followed the blog lately, but I just wanted to congratulate you on everything you've achieved in those four years and I'm glad you've made a name of yourself among the Tolkien scholars out there. Well deserved. I do hope there are many visits from Bulgaria :)

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  4. Harm J. Schelhaas5/24/2011 8:36 PM

    Congratulations, Jason!

    I echo what Idher said: I may stop visiting your blog temporarily (as in the recent months, due to a computer persistently going on the blink), but I always come back in the end.

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  5. Congratulations Jason I learn from your posts, you are a talented writer presenting subjects in an interesting, and informative manner. You inspire me to keep reading, thinking, and writing. I hope to be able to enjoy Lingwë for years to come

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  6. Jason sorry about the anonymous post but for some reason it was the only way I could get it to go. Gerry Blair

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  7. The FishWife5/25/2011 11:02 AM

    Hi and a hearty congratulations to my husband and best friend, the brightest, most curious, most knowledgeable, most literate, most handsome, most hilarious, and most fascinating man I've ever known. I'm thrilled for all you've created in this world. You're amazing to me! May your head further grow in size with an ego fit to burst as I won't try to stop it as your tempered seesaw. Why? I'm too proud of you and your many worthy accomplishments! I love you and I'm your biggest fan. Yours, The FishWife :)

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  8. Congrats, Jase!

    I love FishWife's comment. :)

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  9. Congratulations! Have a post from Switzerland on me, I've been keeping up with Lingwe even while on vacation:). I can post you one from Paris tomorrow if you'd like......thanks for much entertainment, much imparted knowledge, and everything you write.

    Yours,

    Lillyput90

    (it wouldn't let me post as I usually do)

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  10. Happy blogiversary, Jason! Even though I have only a minor interest in Tolkien, I always enjoy popping by Lingwë to learn something new.

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  11. Wow, thank you all, and most especially my beloved FishWife. I hardly feel I deserve such sweet words! All of you actually owe her your thanks, too, since she has made many sacrifices in order to afford me all the time I spend writing for you people! ;)

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  12. Then I say thank Fish Wife I think his time is well spent.Gerry

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  13. Congratulations, Jason, we are much of a blog-age it seems. Many happy returns!

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