My time has been limited in the last days so I could not prepare the post I had in mind.
What I can say is that this blog is going better than I thought.
Despite the fact that – as I said – “our topics are too heavy for the common reader while too unsophisticated for the happy few” the number of hits has been greater than expected.
We have published 47 posts and received 395 comments (some of which very long) which means some discussion has arisen from the themes presented. The discussion has been international, which greatly pleases us: Indian, American, British, Chinese, Swedish, Italian readers have commented. It is our intention to dedicate a future post to readers’ feedback and ideas.
This is only a brief moment of pause and not a thorough overview of our activity, which might occur after 12 months of blogging have elapsed.
I have to say that it is a bit fatiguing to write in a foreign language but since some people from America and the UK have praised my way of writing, this means my English is decent enough and that I make myself understood.
ψ
The main point though being another one.
In a previous post I had said that this blog is ‘a man-in-the-street-of-Rome research on Roman-ness’.
Now I am asking myself: is this research going anywhere?
I do not know yet. I do not really know. I feel I am getting somewhere though I still don’t know where 😉
See you soon.
The Notebook 
It is funny to look at this Gorilla. It looks like he thinking about this topic lol~ It is the most intelligent animal in the world.
In fact, some of your topics are really too heavy for me to read because of the language and my background. I am pleased you wrote those posts which can help us to know more about western history and about Rome. Especially, I appreciate that you post in both English and Italian. It made us foreigners have chances to read your posts lol~ It’s interesting to read other comments from different nations, to know what they think and exchange ideas on those topics.
At last, though you said you don’t know where you are at the moment, i am sure you will know it exactly when time comes. 🙂
Thank you so much, Man of roma!
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@AutumnSnow
Thank you dear reader from the Far East. I am sorry if some topics are difficult to you. This blog is meant to be educational, in some way, but I realise that I take so many things for granted (i.e. known to all). And thank you for your wishes!
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Dear Man of Roma
I don’t know about others but As an Indian ..I have come to know more about “Roman-ess” than I ever did. The no of hits and a comments clearly indicate that others think likeways. Atleast I would like to think that ways…( I don’t want to be the biggest duffer around here lol)
I believe we all over here have learnt a lot due to free exchange of Ideas… And I really appreciate the way you have taken pains to respond to each and every comments that have been posted here. No matter how irrelevant they seem ( atleast mine were to a large extent)
So thank you so much for providing us with valuble education, and not mere knowledge!!!
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@Falcon
You and AutumnSnow make me very happy!! A person from China and one from India! I think I could not desire a better appreciation. If not profundity of knowledge, at least love for Far Eastern civilizations has been rewarded by these sweet readers!
Well, Falcon, I have tried to respond to each comment, but maybe I have failed with you lol because your comments are sometimes deeper than I can handle, irreverent (like Poonam said, something I adore), and they arrive … in clusters …. like waves.
Really my warmest regards
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Dear Man of Roma.
I continued reading your previous posts yesterday. You say that you were a bit worried “our topics are too heavy for the common reader while too unsophisticated for the happy few”. But I think your blogg is working so well because of the “in between”-factor of your topics. I don´t have to get a headache from reading them but at the same time they all have the substance that makes me keep on reading. In these days I´m a very busy girl. I would never, ever have the time to manage a blogg of my own, and I hardly ever get the time to read other´s. But reading your posts I really feel is both relaxing and educational, something we badly could use more of in our increasingly superficial society.
Two thumbs up, keep up the good work!
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Hey where’d you get my photo?!!! 😛
Congrats, btw! 🙂
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See you soon, Man of Roma, and keep up the good blogging!
Best
Rob
P.S. (OT) What do you think about Berlusconi’s huge victory in the Italian general election? My Viva Veltrusconi! post is awaiting your opinion … 😉
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@Isabel
Thank you Isabel. This “in-between” factor you are talking about, and the educational effect, which makes me happy as an ex teacher, really console me! I believe the in-between thing actually corresponds to what I really am, my knowledge being actually “at a medium level, with interfaces towards the upper and lower layers”, as I said in my first and introductory post. The fact that you are coming from Sweden is so interesting and helps me understand things from a different perspective altogether. I have always believed in cosmopolitism and internationality, and I am pretty idealistic about that!
Well, I advice you instead to start a blog whenever you can. It is a great experience, since writing and good thinking go together in my view, and we need good thinking for a better life, and a blog is better – since less solitary – than just writing.
All my best regards, dear Isabel
@Ashish
Hey dude, happy when you pop in, lol. I just wrote you an email, and you have replied. You have been my *commentator*, as the people who know my blog cannot but be aware of. I hope all is well with you!
PS
What the helluva photo is that lol?
@Wind Rose Hotel
Rob, you know I am not for Berlusconi, but since his victory is in fact huge, one must in fact think it over well. I quickly read your post and I knew your position couldn’t be trite and banal. I will comment as soon as I can. I have also something to say about Tibet and China, but it is a bit complicated, this being the reason why I didn’t comment so far.
Thanx and see u soon
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@manofroma: Of course, your blog is doing great!
I am a witness of its progess! and 35k hits for 47 posts is awesome. And discussion is the most important thing of all.
Best thing about your content is that despite its Roman-ness it has a global appeal. 🙂
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@Poonam
Hi Poonam! Thanx a lot for your appreciation. Well, it is not so awesome lol. I mean, I will not consider my blog successful unless I can keep up the ‘substance’ – as Isabel says, also in the interaction with readers, the more varied they are the better – for at least 2-3 years, while (this is also central) actually getting ‘somewhere’.
(To readers: Poonam is another nice Indian commentator and tremendously effective blogger).
You being more expert in blogs than me, pls tell me if u have time why some posts of mine, at first, receive very little hits, and only later on (even months later), and for no apparent reason, they suddenly start drawing hits.
One extreme example. ‘Experiencing all’, written on the 18th of September 2007, was practically unread until the 18th of February. Ok, from that date it reached almost 1000 hits in a few weeks. Weird, isn’t it?
Happy you popped in, dear Indian woman. It is interesting how the British used to drive all over the Raj with Land Rover and Jaguar cars, and now you Indians own them.
All my warmest regards
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Hi Manofroma,
your blog is appreciated even by a “Milanese”… Which is something pretty uncommon, isn’t it?
Sorry for last night, but I was really in the mud. Getting better now… 🙂
Milanese
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What the helluva photo is that lol?
Why the one on the top of the post! I look handsome don’t I? 😛
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@Milanese
Ah, really uncommon indeed, especially now that you people from northern Italy have won the elections and your egos must be so swollen ah ah ah. 😉
Do not worry, Milanese. Hope all is well now.
@Ashish
Well, in my (short) blogger’s life never seen anyone more inconstant than you as far as avatars. I much preferred the first one you had when we met … looked more like a real person (I actually thought it was you, btw) 🙂
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Haha, well the first was a wrestler called The Undertaker. The new one is a game character. Change is needed to remain fresh. 🙂
Btw, I was talking about the Ape/Gorilla/Monkey on the top of your post. 😛
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@Ashish
I confess I didn’t get it. I told you my mind is flat at the moment 😦
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““our topics are too heavy for the common reader while too unsophisticated for the happy few””
ManOfRoma: I followed the link from Poonam’s blog. You have company in your quandary. Guy Kawasaki, who is amongst the world’s most prolific bloggers, once wrote that he notices his flippant posts drive much traffic and his serious posts not so much. Indeed if you see the top-100 blogs, some of them are what you may euphemistically call ‘not very heavy’.
I suppose it may be reasonable to infer that choice of topics does not influence readership numbers as much as we would like to believe it does. That said, my science and technology posts get a much lower readership than my other social commentary type posts. So I am considering separating them out in the form of a (third) blog.
I am curious to see what you will write esp after your Dario Bernazza post. I have found your city to be amongst the two or three most stunning that have imprinted themselves firmly in the memory of my eyes (if there is such a thing). And I think it inspires creativity like few other places do.
Thanks. Hope to read more.
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@Shefaly
Thank you for your interesting and kind comment, providing me the opportunity btw to start exploring your blog(s). Your English seems impeccable in its ideas, choice of words and classical rhythm. Yes, I think too that flippant posts often receive more attention than more serious ones: not so much deep stuff around so I do hope that the surge of very ancient (and sage) countries like India and China might fuel some profundity (Indian blogs seem to me on average more interesting than many others).
I have read in Poonam’s blog that you have lived in 20 cities. Wow. It is a record. I have travelled a bit and, as I said, I believe a lot in exchange among cultures. The fact that my blog regards Roman cultural identity doesn’t contradict this point. As Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan wrote, the most unique is the most universal. What he meant, I think, is also this: if I am able to rediscover my heritage then I am able – when talking to people from different backgrounds – to bring some contribution. Same thing can happen at the other end of the dialogue: people interact with me bringing their own peculiar experiences, thus creating a fruitful exchange.
What will I write after the Bernazza post? Hard to say, this period being very busy. It needs some continuation in any case.
All my best regards
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