At 8:31 p.m. Eastern tonight we received the 100,000th comment, by Oregon Mike, who hasn’t been a frequent commenter here but has been commenting since July 2011.
100,000 isn’t a lot for many blogs, where the use of third-party software like Disqus encourages free-for-alls. I probably could up page views significantly with such software, but I like the comment section the way it is, so that’s not in the plans.
The pace of commenting is picking up. When we left Blogger in mid-June 2011, there were just over 32,000 comments in 2 1/2 years. We’re now running at about 7,000 comments a month.
We now have 4857 registered users, and have had to ban only 76 usernames (representing fewer people because a handful of banned people kept registering new usernames). Not using third-party comment software helps keep out the drive-by commenters, who usually are just on hit-and-run missions anyway.
I’m glad I upgraded the server package a month ago, because we survived the first and likely only and last Drudge link we’ll ever receive, at the peak 1,000 visits per minute. And the blog didn’t even hiccup. Thanks Ed for a great doomsday configuration.
What a year so far. Was able to change the national conversation for a day or two on the Newt-Reagan relationship, the phony Contraception War, and the Stop Rush effort. And the candidates, Mia B. Love and Richard Mourdock. And in a category all her own, Elizabeth Warren. And The Tweet.
Things are looking up. I think Anne has been a great addition, and hopefully she won’t succumb to blogger burnout.
Sleep well, the walls are guarded.
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