The End of an Era -or- My 15 Minutes Are Up

Hi there everyone.

I don't know if anyone out there witnessed it - or really cares, for that matter - but recently we were honored to be a part of an expose Nightline did on some friends of ours. Through that short, 3 seconds of airtime, our travel site has experience far more significant traffic than Effortlessly Average ever has.

Let's put it into perspective. Just prior to leaving for our month-long odyssey all over the freakin' country, I recorded visitor traffic to all the blogs and sites we manage. Now, about 8 weeks later, EA has recorded a scant 6.7% or so more visitors.

The travle site, however, has experienced a 40% increase in visitors and a whopping 40% of those stick around for more than a half an hour. And of the 60% who stay only a short time, more than half are using the travel site as a step into the travel blog. Amazingly, people are reaching the travel site by actually typing "[travel sites name]" into a search engine! In other words, they are seeking it out on the internet. Wow, go figure.

The reason I bring it up is because I think this is the swansong for Effortlessly Average. The only time EA receives high rank on a search engine is when someone types in "sex with my brother" or "sexy nurse shaves my balls."

So I need to face it: I'm just not one of the popular kids in the blogosphere. I've seen many, many newer blogs outpace EA in short order. And that's great for them. I know there are a few people who do read what I spew onto this blog and I truly, graciously, with hand on heart say thank you. But, like when Star Trek TNG went off air, it's just not worth it to continue for such a small audience. Not when I have another blog out there that puts this one to shame.

BUT ALL IS NOT LOST!

I am going to continue writing; it's just going to be on the travel blog instead of Effortlessly Average. That being said, I really hope those few of you who enjoy reading my comments will make the move with me. I sincerely hope to see you there.

Check it Out

While we were on the road, we were lucky enough to be a part of a Nightline taping for families on the road. It airs tomorrow on ABC, but a search by the all-knowing oracle, Google, didn't reveal when it airs. I think it's 11pm eastern, 10pm central. Come see the Barenaked Family, the Extreme Family, The Airstream of Consciousness, the Unplugged Family, and The Free Range Family.