Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks

In the year or so I have been running this blog I never imagined that it would have achieved so much. It is at 8500 and climbing page-views.

In the late spring of 2015 I attended a workshop on WordPress blogging. I was impressed how a powerful blog tool it is. I had already had some experience blogging and still maintain my Blogspot site though it was always intended to be a general interest blog only. However, I had been collecting antique and vintage clocks for about 4 years and I wanted to narrow the focus to clock collecting / repair so this was a good time to start a brand new blog and explore something more in line with my current interests.

Like any blog the first 2-3 months was a little discouraging. I was getting very few page-views, struggled with the content and tried to improve my writing style. I am sure that many out there become frustrated to the point of quitting but I was determined to press on.

Things began to pick up in the fall of 2015 with a steady increase in daily page-views. Obviously someone out there in cyberspace was interested in what I had to say. It is a lot of work and I also discovered that to improve traction to the site I had to reach a wider audience and use social media more effectively. I slowly learned that I had to not only appeal to those with a modest interest in antique clocks but those with a deeper knowledge thereby striking what I think is a comfortable balance.

Because my own knowledge about clocks was expanding I was more at ease with the content and I was developing a writing style that felt more like me. I also learned that in writing one has to edit often to ensure that the message is exactly what you intend it to be. I often save up to 20+ drafts before I publish (yes, WordPress has a really nice “save draft” feature.

I have received many comments in the last few months. Some offer suggestions and advice on projects I am working on while others are looking for direction on their particular clock problem. As for for advice given to me, I do what I can within the limits of my knowledge. Even those readers with more extensive knowledge graciously comment which I appreciate. Suggestions and the critiquing my work is all part of my learning.

As for some of my stats. My best day was in February of this year when I hit 109 page-views. On a good day I receive 45 or more page-views while the average is 32 per day with roughly 257 per week. Monday is my most active day. I have 259 followers and a few who comment regularly. I have been viewed in 88 countries.  The top 6 are; USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Romania and South Africa. I am sure that there are a great many sites which do far better but I am encouraged by the steady rise in interest from those from around the world from month to month as I make continued improvements.

Since I am an amateur photographer, clocks and photography have become a happy marriage, especially the area of macro photography. Below is an example of a floating balance from a Dugena mantel clock taken with a 50mm Olympus Zuiko lens. I am using a 10 year old (old by digital standards) Olympus E330 as my go-to clock camera.

I am also producing short YouTube videos with a Panasonic G6 which you can see on this blog from time to time.

Is blogging fun? Of course it is, but it is also a lot of hard work.

Let me know what blog experiences you have had that have been positive or negative