I always find it interesting to see how people end up at my weblog. One nice feature of WordPress is that they list the search terms people use to find this site (if those keywords are contained within the URL). Don’t worry: there isn’t any identifying information attached to them. I have no idea if the user using a particular search viewed more than one page, what pages he viewed, where he is located, and so forth. I just get a list of search terms.
Here are some of the more interesting terms people have used to find my weblog:
“polonium humor”
I wonder how they ended up here…I mean, polonium is such a naturally funny topic that there must be an abundance of polonium humor sites…
“message Al Gore is attempting to convey”
I should hope this searcher hasn’t already seen the movie and is still wondering what the message is.
“machines to help infants learn to walk”
Are there such things? I’m not sure what the searcher had in mind, but it’s the kind of thing I might write about.
“dr anderson solved the division of zero”
No he didn’t!
“puddle waking up”
What? I have no idea what the searcher was hoping to find. What would one write about a puddle waking up? And what’s even more mysterious is how this search led him here—I don’t even recall ever writing about puddles, and a search of my own weblog didn’t reveal it.
“how to administer Polonium 210”
Aw, come one now! Who wants to know? I don’t run that kind of place!
Posts
I think the “puddle waking up” search was entered by someone who read one of my comments on an earlier post of yours regarding global warming. Sorry, I’m not trying to steal the show, I really think that’s what happened. I was telling you about Douglas Adams’ analogy of the puddle in the pothole that keeps shrinking as the temperature rises.
Anyway, I once saw this whopper as a search string for someone who wound up on my blog: “is it legal to sh*t in public?” I have no idea how this led to me. No idea at all.
Comment by penseroso — 3 January 2007 @ 04:32 UTC
What the heck? I can’t believe that people are coming to my weblog just to read your comments!
Comment by Darmok — 3 January 2007 @ 06:27 UTC
I’m sure it was just a fluke.
Comment by penseroso — 3 January 2007 @ 06:51 UTC
Great idea! I’ll write a post on the same topic. Of course, I’ll link to your post as the original idea.
Comment by ncurse — 3 January 2007 @ 07:15 UTC
If it makes you feel any better, Darmok, another search string used to find my blog was “fear of triangles”. Guess who was talking about that one on my blog? You!
Comment by penseroso — 3 January 2007 @ 15:56 UTC
Hahahaha…but why would anyone be searching for “fear of triangles?” They must have been looking for my comment, no?
Comment by Darmok — 4 January 2007 @ 05:20 UTC
Precisely.
Comment by penseroso — 4 January 2007 @ 06:27 UTC
And now I see that the number one result on a Google search for “fear of triangles” is your comment on this entry! Man, Google is fast!
Comment by Darmok — 5 January 2007 @ 03:01 UTC
Just to add to this garage fight about who searches for what and the like, I think mine was the idea to post commented search terms in the first place (I have been doing for a year now), but you did not link me to give me recognition!
Cheers,
T.
Comment by dorigo — 10 January 2007 @ 11:30 UTC
I’m sorry, Dorigo; it seems like a rather straightforward idea and I didn’t think to search to see if any other weblogs had posted search terms before. I think it is likely that others done so long before it occurred to you or me.
Comment by Darmok — 10 January 2007 @ 18:35 UTC
Darmok – I find it quite interesting, too, to see what search terms bring people to my weblog. Sometimes I think some people must get quite a shock to read something I wrote!
Comment by pollyann — 16 January 2007 @ 20:23 UTC
I know; I can’t help but feel that some people must be quite disappointed when my site turns up in their search results.
Comment by Darmok — 17 January 2007 @ 09:13 UTC
True in my case as well, but at the same time there could be those moments when someone finds something at our weblogs which opens a door for them that would not have been opened otherwise.
Comment by pollyann — 18 January 2007 @ 20:26 UTC
Right, I hope to connect with those people who might share similar interests!
Comment by Darmok — 23 January 2007 @ 08:45 UTC
Someone clicked on my weblog today after using the search words — “polly pocket snow word.” Interesting search but makes no sense to me.
Comment by pollyann — 22 February 2007 @ 16:39 UTC
Well, as you may know, “Polly Pocket” is the name of a girl’s toy; I don’t know what the significance of “snow word” is, though…
Comment by Darmok — 26 February 2007 @ 08:55 UTC
Funnily enough, I have people visiting me when they are searching on “tamino and darmok”
Comment by inel — 26 February 2007 @ 14:40 UTC
I didn’t know Polly Pocket is a toy! There’s part of the mystery solved.
Comment by pollyann — 26 February 2007 @ 23:02 UTC
I am eternally grateful my daughter was interested in guinea pigs and art instead of Polly Pocket. Phew!
Comment by inel — 26 February 2007 @ 23:18 UTC
What?! Why would anyone be searching for “tamino and darmok”?
Polly, I think we’ll have to get you a Polly Pocket toy!
Comment by Darmok — 27 February 2007 @ 05:29 UTC
Thanks, inel, for the link to Polly Pocket. I went, I saw and I left. lol!
Darmok, that’s funny. I am touched.
Comment by pollyann — 28 February 2007 @ 02:11 UTC
Perhaps because I mentioned both of you in the same virtual breath? Plausible … now I am wondering what search serves up. Oh, my peculiar postcard!
Comment by inel — 28 February 2007 @ 10:28 UTC