Dear OOTOB readers,
2012 is coming to an end and we ring in 2013. Now, that actually means very little to me, other than my checks will all be wrong for awhile, but it’s a fun time to reflect back on where OOTOB has been this year – the highs, the lows, and the commenters – all of you!
My most popular post this year was my interview with Libby, my new Chassidish friend, back in July. At this moment the post has been viewed 4,197 times (for contrast, popular post #2, about what you need to know as a guest at an Orthodox Shabbat, from August 2011, has 3,608 hits). To this day the most frequent search terms that bring people to the blog involve Chassidish people and specifically “Hasidic” women. Libby is astonished at the interest, btw. She claims there are far more interesting posts here :).
My least popular post of 2012 was… surprise! An infomercial. And it was the very next post after Libby’s interview.
The post with the most comments was about whether Orthodox Jews consider Reform Jews to be Jewish – with 361 comments, back in April. That was exhilarating, even if we had to keep refreshing the page to continue the conversation.
For least amount of comments (excluding posts that link to guest posts elsewhere), a few of them only got one: in August, about how we manage to spend time with all our numerous relatives; in June, about how religious leadership must comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable (ironic, since it got almost 500 hits – and is also a very popular google search topic that brings people here); in March, some philosophical musings about wheels and windows; and this one really surprised me, my January post Half-Judaism (which also got a couple hundred hits).
Comments!
4,146 comments have been published on OOTOB since its inception in July 2011.
While most of my commenters are anonymous and using an alias, I know who most of them are…heh heh heh. Blogging has its perks, you see. And while I never reveal that which is confidential, I’d like to honor my most frequent commenters with some awards! Here goes:
1. The LINKING LIVING LIBRARY award goes to none other than Larry Lennhoff. A virtual storehouse of online info, he is also to be credited for using his real name. I know how scary that is. Thanks, Larry, for educating us and for always keeping the conversation fascinating.
2. The NON-ORTHODOX and BEST CONVERSATIONALIST award goes to…SBW (aka Should Be Working). SBW asks the questions many others are thinking and brings an awesome perspective to this blog. She (since she has outed herself as female) also hangs around even though rough evidence indicates this blog is 70% Orthodox. Not easy. Kudos!
3. The I AGREE WITH ALMOST EVERY SINGLE THING THIS PERSON SAYS EXCEPT S/HE SAYS IT BETTER THAN ME AND KNOWS MORE THAN ME award goes to DG!! DG also gets the award for NO ONE CAN FIGURE OUT IF DG IS MALE OR FEMALE. This is impressive. Thanks for joining the blog, DG!
4. And now, for the ALMOST USES HER REAL NAME AND ADDS SUCH BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS award goes to miriambyk. I just love her insights and braveness. Hey, miriambyk!
5. The MOST EXOTIC PERSPECTIVE award goes by far to Diplogeek, who resides in China (I think?) and, as a convert to Judaism, brings some great views to the table. Thanks for hanging with us, Diplogeek!
6. A newcomer to the blog, “Anonymous/Orthoprax,” at least from my perspective, wins for MOST INTRIGUING LIFE award. I would love to learn more about you, A/O! Thanks for adding your thoughts.
7. And finally, the award for I NEVER KNOW IF YOU’RE THE SAME PERSON WHEN YOU POST goes to “Sarah.” I always wonder: are you the same Sarah every time? Or are there multiple Sarahs here?
So that’s my 2012 round-up! Hope you enjoy the little click down memory lane. Once again, I’d like to express my gratitude to all of you, my readers, and to all of my commenters, for making this roller coaster worth it.
Happy 2013. May all your dreams come true.
What was your most favorite/least favorite post? Who’s your favorite commenter?
I also wonder how many Sarahs there are, and I'm one of them! When I comment I link to my Twitter account, so there is at least one other Sarah commenting. (I might have left out the Twitter link in one or two of my first comments on the blog, but I have always included it since, so any comments from Sarah without the link are not from me.)
Ah! This is helpful! Thanks, Sarah!
Thanks for the compliment and the award. (Am I supposed to make an acceptance speech?) Actually, I know different things, that's all. I'm tremendously impressed with your knowledge.
Yes for speech!
Ha ha ha, still not telling us if you are male or female. Ruchi, I loved this post. LOL
Actually, there was a clue once in one of my comments. I wasn't trying to keep it a secret. But now … Being mysterious sounds like more fun.
🙂 thanks Wendy!
Aw, shucks. Thanks, Ruchi- with the high caliber of the commentariat here on OOTOB, I take this as high praise, indeed. And yep, I live in China, although not for too much longer.
I think my least favorite post was the one about chosenness (no surprise there), and my favorite commenter is probably SBW, since she often conveys the point I'm trying to make before I manage to make it, and usually in a much more eloquent and diplomatic fashion (the irony of which hasn't gone unnoticed by yours truly).
In any case, even though I've been a bit of a crankypants in the comments section lately, this is one of my favorite blogs, and one of comparatively few places on the web where I read not only the posts but the entire comments section regularly.
🙂 aw shucks is right. I'm honored. Where you headed next, after China?
Back to the States for a while, then Germany. Should make for quite a change!
Oh, boy. You and SBW must go out for coffee and chat one day.
🙂 I'm ok with an off-blog contact, if she is interested.
Feel free to exchange email info through me if you wish. Ruchi@jewishfamilyexperience.org. But no talking lashon hara about me behind my back.
After reading the above I claim the prize for the dimmest reader – I thought DG and Diplogeek were the same person (as in Diplo-Geek) *bows her head in shame*
Happy 2013 Ruchi to you and yours. Thank you again for an amazing blog, and thanks to all the commenters – I agree with Diplogeek, it's one of the few blogs where the comments are worth reading!
Anyone who reads this blog is by definition not dim 🙂 I'm thrilled that you're here.
O, and W, you get the "reformed lurker" award!
Thanks for the mention. I am grateful for the readiness Ruchi and everyone shows to respond to my comments.
The 'awards' seem spot-on! Diplogeek makes me feel like I've got a 'fellow traveler' type here, although she (he?) is a lot more observant and Jewish-identified than I am. Miriambyk has such a friendly way, I have a feeling we would have a lot to discuss IRL. DG is thoughtful and constructive in every case, without fail. Larry knows soooo much, how do you do that? He kills me with all the obscure knowledge. And I am so glad Anon/Orthoprax showed up, what she says is really illuminating to me. I also like the droppers-by: Tesyaa, W, the Sarahs, and who knows how many anonymice.
Awwww, thank you! I like you too, which is excellent, as we are supposed to be crashing an O wedding together 🙂
Hey, yeah, what happened to that plan? 🙂
🙂 Sbw, you reminded me that I really want to acknowledge ALL my commenters: the frequent, the occasional, and the rare. You all enrich this blog immeasurably. Actually, it would not be much of a blog without you. And I want to thank all you readers that never comment. I know you're out there. Thanks for hanging around.
SBW, love "anonymice"! You always have a way with words.
I love OOTOB and all the contributors. With Ruchi's perspective as our starting point, you all make me think about Judaism, my beliefs, and my assumptions. Many thanks for enriching my life. Looking forward to many more scintillating conversations!
I am, last I checked, a she. Hopefully that hasn't changed at all!
It's funny, because I don't think of myself as particularly observant, especially with where I'm living now. My observance has dropped off a lot due to my current living situation, which makes me feel a bit Jewishly inadequate. Although I think I might try to keep a kosher kitchen while I'm back in the States, so there's that, I guess.
I also smile whenever RebbetzinRocks shows up–never met someone who knows that much about R Judaism. I have learned a lot from her.
She's as awesome in real life.
I love the clever idea of the comments awards! What a great year (a great few years) you've had on the blog. You have important and fascinating posts and discussions in the comments. Keep it up!
Thanks Nina! You actually taught me a lot about blogging. I'll always appreciate that.
And btw.. I've only been around for 17 months.
Ruchi, this was fun to read! BTW, one of the reasons I am among the "anonymice" is because I often mention that I am a convert, and that my husband and children are,too-and some of them live here. I don't want to make that public for them without their consent. I appreciate a forum where I can , anonymously, identify myself as a convert when sharing how an experience affects me.
There's a reason that I chose to enable anonymous comments – for the very reason you mention. Since I moderate (I have to approve any comment before they appear) I have had to delete certain nasty anonymous comments, but at this point most of my deleted comments are just spammers.
It seems that commenters on this blog have learned that it's just not the place for rude anonymous rants, and so the advantages of anonymity (such as those you mention) are available to my readers.
Thanks for sharing. If you could choose a consistent alias, as SBW suggested once, it would be great. But that's optional, of course.
Thanks to Ruchi and everyone else for the compliments. As I've said before I don't actually know as much as it appears, rather I know enough to be able to use that knowledge to leverage Google searches very well. However I certainly am intending to grow and knowledge, and one path to that is doing the research to answer many of the interesting posts and comments I see on this blog.
I also agree with the awards to other commentators. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the person reading this comment right now. :>)
Humble, too…
True confessions time, Anonymous/Orthoprax is me, tesyaa. I feel really bad since I know it's wrong to comment under multiple names, but the subject of the post that brought out Anonymous/Orthoprax was soooo touchy (and tesyaa is not 100% anonymous). So please forgive me and I will be tesyaa from now on.
BTW, I don't think my life is intriguing at all, or if it is, not for the reasons you might think. My life is ordinary. I'd like to hear more from the orthoprax rebbetzin, though.
It's wrong to comment under multiple names? I didn't realize there were rules for that. (I once commented under a different name, too.) If the Torah can call people by several different names in different places, why shouldn't anonymous commenters use different aliases?
Touche… I don't know, it seems to violate some internet etiquette, but sometimes it's just necessary.
I do like it when people use the same alias. That way I feel like I get to know them. But the fact that I like it doesn't put you under any obligation. I agree: sometimes it is necessary to switch.
I have commented under different names in another blog (not Jewish-related at all, but strangely similar to this blog in small-community feel). I felt a little bad there, too, but the point was to ask for advice for a messy problem and yet keep this pseudonym 'clean'. On this blog I have also modified a few biographical details from time to time. And your stakes are plenty higher than mine, I would guess.
DG: There is a difference between using a consistent pseudonym and having several identities, and even more between always using anonymous or picking a new pseudonym each time. Having a consistent pseudonym allows you the ups and downs of having a reputation. Even if I have no idea who Diplogeek is in the real world, the fact that she always uses that name means that I have an idea of what her posts are like.
I only use one identity, plus my real world name, as a disincentive to post negative comments. Other people may prefer to have multiple identities so they can say things they don't wish to take responsibility for. This can be positive as well as negative, btw – I know people who keep up multiple pseudonyms so that they can advance arguments from different perspectives without risking that people will read what they write and assume that they really believe it.
Larry, if I may ask, do you ever get weirdos tracking you down and bothering you? I am always a little surprised at real-name use on the wide-open internet. Apologies if mentioning this is somehow a taboo or evil-eye evocation or something.
Never so far. My wife may have had different experiences (another example of male privilege) – I'll ask her if she has anything she wants to say when she gets home, but there was certainly nothing that I'm aware of that knowing who she was in the real world facilitated.
I do get people tracking me down and not bothering me – i.e., figuring out my email address based on my name and sending me emails to say things they don't want displayed on public fora. And that happens a LOT to my wife.
tesyaa, I feel like that was a big revelation but I agree with DG (shocker) that it was kosher. However, I do appreciate that I will now "know" who you are and where you're coming from. It's important for me to understand your world, and if it must be done anonymously, or via an alias, fine.
Larry, is your wife a blogger?
I was pretty fearful to blog with my real name, but, like Larry, I wanted to take responsibility for my words. Also I'm a terrible faker and hate keeping secrets. So far the results have only been positive, such as people reaching out to me with questions about their Jewish journey and sending me fascinating articles and ideas to blog about. And sometimes they vent or kvetch to me, too. That's OK with me as well, if I can be helpful to someone going through a difficult time. When you publicly put yourself "out there" as God's salesman, people will ask you to be His spokesperson in marketing and customer service. I try.
Ruchi, I was trying to phrase my comment so that each person who read it could think they were my favorite commentator. Unfortunately you seem to have interpreted it to mean I am my own favorite commenter, which isn't the case. I'd rather read a comment from SBW (among others) than myself any day.
Actually, I understood you perfectly, and my comment was sincere.
I often wonder what would happen if we would all sit down in a room together and have a round-table discussion. Would it be anything similar to what we experience here on the blog?
We'd have to have lots of discussions. When people write, they keep it (fairly) short. When they talk, they never run out of things to say. But it would be amazing.
I think I'm shorter-winded in person because the social cues tell me it's time to STOP TALKING. I feel freer online. But it would be fascinating to see what live discussion is like.
Each comment might be shorter, but people would always have responses. (OK, I usually do anyway.) It would take MAJOR moderation to keep things on track.
I talk soo much IRL. And I have a bad tendency to interrupt (working on this). On the blog, no one gets interrupted.
If *any* of you ever want to join me for a Shabbat meal in Los Angeles, let me know (via Ruchi). I think it would be a blast. (That goes for our Mormon and other non-Jewish friends here as well.)