All images from Pixabay
Andrea (acflory) from Meeka’s Mind and I were emailing about time zones relative to my launch. Our discussion made me think of this old post from the archives. I hope it gives you a smile. 🙂
+++
No stranger to discussions of the fluidity of perception, I’m often pondering the different ways we interpret events, places, and people. I include myself in the mix. Who I am is entirely based on a host of perspectives, mine and others, and it changes minute by minute.
Even the date and time of my birth is subject to interpretation depending where you and I live relative to the International Date Line. Time is real, I suppose, but it’s also invented. When my brother used to fly back from Guam, he would arrive in Seattle an hour before he left Guam. Weird, huh?
When I started blogging, I became more aware of the play of time zones. I’m closer to the time-flip than quite a few readers so while I’m posting over a coffee and buttered bagel, some of you are slipping into your pajamas after a long day. If I post in the afternoon, you’re snoozing or rushing off to work… tomorrow.
WordPress occasionally confuses me. My stats show views on Tuesday while here it’s still Monday. My posts are time-traveling into the future! You’re commenting into the past.
Then it gets more complicated…
According to Kiss Metrics timing is everything and knowing when to post is “mandatory” for any successful blogger.
- The highest percentage of bloggers read posts in the morning. Therefore, I should post occasionally at night?
- A higher percentage of men read blogs in the evening and at night. Oh, so perhaps I should post in the morning…
- The average blog gets the most traffic on Monday. So, now and then I should post on Sunday which is Monday in half of the world.
To be fair, these recommendations are based on Eastern Standard Time, so it shouldn’t be all that muddling to me. Yet I care about my readers across the oceans and continents, and I think about them and where they are in their “times,” so near and yet thousands of miles away.
To finish off the stats here are the rest (based on EST):
- The average blog gets the most traffic around 11 AM.
- The average blog gets the most comments on Saturday.
- The average blog gets the most clinks on Monday and Thursday.
- The average blog gets the most clicks at 7 AM.
According to that round up, the best time for me to post is just before 4 AM on Saturday morning. Not gonna happen.
I’d love to hear about your slice of agreed-upon time. What day and time is it for you? When you blog, do you pay attention to time zones?
Myths of the Mirror 
Hi. Real good essay. I happened to stumble upon it a little while ago. There are so many ways of looking at things, at conceptualizing them. The dynamics of the universe are so complex, I doubt if humans ever will get to the bottom of things fully. Anyway, enjoy the weekend!
LikeLike
Great question. I don’t know if we ever will truly understand the universe. It’s too vast for our itty bitty brains, and our emotions/perceptions get in the way. But it is fun to stretch and ponder. Thanks for the visit!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I usually post between 8 and 9 am because that’s what I’ve always done. I’m probably never going to be famous, but at least I can be predictable!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hee hee. Me too. I tend to post at 6 AM my time and I never check stats. But I love the idea that I’m talking with bloggers today who are already in tomorrow. I’m time-traveling!
LikeLike
Fun repost! I admit that I never think about what timing might be convenient for my readers and that I blog mostly on impulse and when I find the time, lol! But WP sure made me realise that it’s not always good timing to wish folks a lovely day when they actually prepare for bed. 😁 So I can say that blogging broadened my horizon in more than one way. 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t pay much attention to timing either, and I certainly don’t bother with stats. But I have that problem of wishing bloggers a lovely day at 7 PM. Or Happy Friday when it’s already Saturday for them. Lol. So… Happy midnight??
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hehe! Yes, it was late at night back then. 😉 Now it’s midday for me – you’re probably just waking up? LOL! 😀 Have a lovely day, Diana!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Midday for you is about 3 AM for me, I think. So, I’m 9 hours in your past? future? Lol
LikeLike
haha! Yes, very confusing. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
-giggles- timezones are murder, especially when you can’t remember whether you’re ahead or behind. And then there’s GMT and EST and a host of other acronyms depending on where you want to start counting time /from/. Oh and…daylight saving time too. 🙂
Glad the launch is going so well, all over the place! -hugs-
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Andrea. I just assume we’re on opposite sides of the world with a bit of overlap in the morning and evening. Lol. But I don’t even know honestly. Lol. It’s Sunday morning here. Is it already Monday in Australia? Am I communicating into the future? That’s the part of this that I find so interesting. Thanks for stopping by, my friend. Sweet dreams???
LikeLiked by 1 person
WP says this comment came through ten hours ago. It’s now 10:23 am, Monday the 14th so…I would have just gone to bed.
It really does do your head in, doesn’t it? Good afternoon to you, or is it evening already? Gah..
LikeLike
Great post, Diane. Time is a wonderful rabbit hole to go down. I have found I can expand or contract it according to my needs if I’m mindful. It’s a fun trick. Since it’s not real and definitely not linear, it’s ours to play with. It’s even possible we are living several lives at the same time but are only conscious of one.
As for stats, that’s not why I blog. I only blog if I have something worth thinking about. I don’t want to waste anyone’s precious ‘time’. I do love the connection with people all over the world. I send birthday cards a day early to those down under. It takes me so long to put a blog together that I am lucky to get any out there in the summer months. For a retired very old woman, I have always more to do in a day than hours to do it
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lovely comment. 🙂 I’ve also found that I can expand or contract time, but it takes me some effort. Mindfulness is a good way to describe it. And I agree about stats. I think I paid attention to them for about a month. The longer we blog, the less we seem to care about them. Occasionally, I’m curious, but I too blog for the friendships and connections. Have a lovely day and enjoy every moment of your time. Take Care. Hugs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing post
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank for reading, Shivi. I like the time travel aspects of time zones. Now it I can just figure out how to slow it down. 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!
LikeLike
Lol… I love this post – especially now that my son lives in L.A., so is 8 hours behind me… It means I have to think quite carefully as to when is the best time to talk to him:)). As for the blog – I’m afraid I press PUBLISH any old time. There are days when it’s a major achievement that I manage to get anything out there at all! Have a great day – whatever time zone you’re in:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m an inconsistent blogger too, Sarah. Usually 6 AM my time, but that’s not based on data. And there’s no daily schedule at all. Lol. As a speculative fiction writer, I love the time travel aspects of time zones. I honestly think jet lag is a result of time travel. 🙂 Have a great day and thanks for the visit!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think all we SFF writers are fascinated by the concept of time travel. I believe the time is utterly relative, ie that your version of time isn’t the same as mine… And that we don’t inhabit a span of time in the same way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve been trying to slow time down.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Do let me know how you do it if you are successful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes. I have to run some experiments and document. Lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I await to see the results of your hypotheses:)))
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very interesting observations, Diana. I paid attention to the stats when I started blogging. Then one day, after a week away from any online activity, I checked my stats page and was very surprised to learn that I ‘had been visiting’ my blog every day. One day it was 130 times! Come on WordPress! I have never opened the stats page again.
LikeLike
What a relevant post! I live in Guam, and I sometimes joke when I speak to family and friends stateside that I’m communicating from the future.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lol. Exactly! I think the whole time-travel aspect of this is fascinating. Yes, you’re a voice from the future. My brother LOVED Guam. He would have stayed there if given a choice, but the navy moved him to Hawaii. The poor guy has it tough, huh? But at least he’s still living in the future. 🙂 Thanks for the visit, Lisa. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
LikeLike
Well, that’s just a smidge confusing. But I had to chuckle in that I’m reading this on a Monday morning. I’m following the stats to some degree. I suppose you could always schedule a post to go out at 4 a.m. if you really wanted to. But, in the end, won’t people just read others’ blogs when they get to it? Who knows. How about we all just do what we do? 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
I don’t pay any attention to stats, Betsy. And I post when I post. I think the longer we blog, the less most of us care about that stuff. But I love the time-travel component of having time zones. To me, that’s pretty cool. Lol. Happy Monday!
LikeLike
That’s so true. I remember obsessing over stats in the beginning. Now I never look. And, yep, I post when I post. There’s no rhyme or reason. Happy Monday to you as well!
LikeLike
5 years later, this post still makes me smile 🙂 Thank you for that! I love the idea of you and your posts being time travellers… I blog even less now than I used to, so I really don’t pay attention to days or times!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for stopping by Dawn, 5 years later! I think the longer we blog, the less we care about stats. I pay no attention to them, but that time traveling still intrigues me. 🙂 Have a wonderful week, my friend. Be well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, you too! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
An interesting analysis! Personally, I only post on Sundays, and once in a while on Wednesdays, but I know the first day usually gets a ton of views, then it gradually peters off until the next Sunday. I could post more often to keep my stats high, but I just don’t have the time–maybe when I finally retire:-)
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’ve never paid attention to stats. It seems they become less and less important the longer someone posts. And I post on random days, though fairly consistently at 6 AM. I’d love to go to once a week. Maybe next year! Happy Blogging.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A most interesting post, Diana. I always schedule my blogs to go live at 4 AM Central time on whatever day I blog. I just like the number four. 🙂 That’s my logic. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I like the time-travel part of it, Jan. It seems that a lot of bloggers post at some point during the night or randomly. I post at 6 am PST, but think maybe I should post earlier based on all these comments. But then everyone seems used to my schedule. Hmmm. Something to ponder! 🙂 Thanks for the visit! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Admittedly, I don’t really look at stats. And I pre set my posts for 1am with the WP scheduler. But I do understand the confusion, lol 🙂 xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always post at 6 am, Debby. I’m surprised by how many night time posters there are! I never considered that since I like to catch comments right away. But it makes sense. Something to further ponder!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I find many post in the wee hours. Scheduling is easiest – set it and forget it lol 🙂 xx
LikeLike
WordPress says most of the visits to my blog come from the U.K. so I post at midnight.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s so interesting. You have a European flair, Robert. Most of my followers are in the US. I wonder if that would change if I posted when Europe was awake. 🙂 I’m most intrigued by the time-travel aspects. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a European flair? That’s cool. I like it. I’m just smiling. It’s all a mystery to me, like the new WordPress editor. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not on the new one yet, Robert. I’m resisting as long as I possibly can. Then I’m going to have a meltdown while the rest of you are zipping along. Lol. 🙂
LikeLike
I don’t know why I can’t have a toolbar, a reblog button, an easy way to resize my images with those blocks that make it easy to level up videos an images. I like the blocks. Why can’t I have it all?
LikeLike
Oh dear, don’t make me more nervous about this switch. I played with it a little today and struggled. Sigh.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is getting easier, and I think I found the toolbar but I can’t remember how. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tried it on another blog I manage. Not a happy camper. But you give me hope.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are features of the new editor that I like. At some point I hope to solve the mystery of using it to resize images.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s always nice to ponder with you, Diana. Even repondering. I hope to “bookize” Hullaba Lulu soon, so I’m also pondering launch ideas. Although I might forego any launch for the erstwhile serial and simply publish, for unique reasons. Wishing you huge success, my friend. Hugs on the wing.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Much pondering! It’s nice to have options 🙂
LikeLike
Such an interesting top, Diana. I’m surprised to read the average blog gets the most traffic on Monday. I guess it makes sense. People might be back at their day job and should be working. 🙂 I follow so many blogs, I have to read daily and periodically, otherwise I fee like I’m behind…like today with your post! Although I’ve kept a regular schedule with my day job during the pandemic, I haven’t had much concept of time. The days, weeks and months have passed in a blur. Have a great weekend! ❤
LikeLiked by 3 people
Time really has become much more spongy during this pandemic, hasn’t it? Someone posted that we’ve only had “agreed upon” time for 200 years. I think that’s pretty cool. 🙂 And good for you for even attempting to keep up. You’re a champ! Have a lovely restful weekend! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Who would have thought, that after aeons of time, it wasn’t entirely being established until 1847. In Britain to get trains to run on “time”.
Side note, I usually schedule my posts. Trying to tweak peak interest. Thanks for always stopping by. Regardless the “time”
LikeLiked by 3 people
I know! Time was all over the place until relatively recently! And somehow, most people managed. Thanks for the visit, Angelo. Have a wonderful weekend and take care.
LikeLike
What a magical post. Diana! It really makes one think of time travel…
I used to want to post strategically to capture all the goodies but now I post when my words are ready to be released into the world.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m laid back about it too, Kim. I just think its interesting and fun. Of all the comments, only one blogger actually schedules differently each day to hit different markets. I was impressed. Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely weekend. Be well. ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Diana! I hope you have a lovely weekend, too…the sun is shining again after a stormy morning, I think summer’s back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, rain today, which we needed to combat fires. But the sun will be back tomorrow. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just when I thought BC would be spared, we’ve got two large fires seething up country with almost 90 others caused by lightning and human activity. My heart goes out to California, we drove through that very area several times on road trips to San Francisco…
LikeLike
I try to get to bed before midnight, so my daughter set my blog to show a new post written before midnight (which I wanted to be dated the next day) posted to have the next day’s date. This worked well until she had to switch me to Firefox, and now I have to wait until midnight to post it.
Guess I’ll have to get back with her to return to the way it used to be!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my. I couldn’t stay up that late. I do notice that your posts are on my computer when I get up in the morning. I hope your daughter figures it out so you can catch up on your sleep. 🙂 Have a wonderful relaxing weekend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also noticed that some countries are not exactly behind or ahead by hours. Some are off by minutes.
I usually don’t pay attention to the time zones unless the matter is time sensitive. I have several time zones displayed on the clock of my phone and iPad for reference.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re so organized, Miriam with your references. Like you, I don’t pay much attention to time zones when blogging, but it’s something I should pay more attention too when there are time sensitive posts. I do think it’s an interesting thing to muse about. 🙂 Thanks for the visit and have a lovely weekend. ❤
LikeLike
Thank you, Diana. Have a wonderful weekend. I just at arrived at PDX. 💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome!! Have an amazing visit.
LikeLike
Thank you, Diana! Autumn made a list of things she wants to do with me. That’s cute.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s Adorable!
LikeLike
💖💖!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great topic. You can’t just say “9 a.m.” anymore. I’ve found in my online teaching, I always post time zone but because lots of people don’t really get that, I also post what that is in the time zones of my students.
The odd ones are somewhere in India where they’re a half hour off–not an hour. The first time I saw that, I didn’t believe it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I didn’t know that about India. For blogging it’s not a big deal, but for teaching and meetings, it must be really complicated! I didn’t even think of that. Thanks for stopping by, Jacqui. 😀 Have a good “time” today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely thoughts & analysis from your pov. I’m sure, number of clicks / likes / comments depends on geography….whether most of the followers are based in North / South America, Europe, Asia, African continent etc etc….plus from which part of the world, the writer is blogging….to me I publish my post when I feel I’m done….when I feel comfortable….it could be in the afternoon or very late at night….the rest is statistics….even though I’m in the process of building my network once again due to the huge issues with my old site, that I came across after the migration….I would add, the content will speak for itself….of course with some help from plugins
PLS READ THIS AS WELL….
Hey FYI,
I’ve shutdown my old site due to several issues after migration & have created this brand new site. I’m still in the process of updating it. But I wanted to update you with this new development.
Please click at:
https://navinspoetry.com/navinspoems-com-is-now-navinspoetry-com/
LikeLiked by 2 people
The article that I referenced said that most blog readers (about 80%) are from the US. Something to consider. But I’m like you and post when I feel like it and have time – usually the morning. But interesting to think about. Thanks for sharing you new site.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing your thoughts / views & thank you for visiting mine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Since moving, we operate on island time. In other words, it happens when it happens 🙂
LikeLiked by 4 people
LOL. We’ve been like that with the pandemic. I can’t tell you how many days, the husband and I look at each other and ask, “Is it Thursday, Friday or Saturday?” Thanks for the visit, Jacquie. 🙂 Enjoy your time today. ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
I pay attention to time zone only when I have to post a blog tour post otherwise I am flexible and relaxed. Time is a tyrant in my poetic works but now I’ve stopped caring for him. That doesn’t mean I am getting old! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
LOL Yes, time is a tyant. I’ve stopped paying attention to him too, especially these days. Sometimes I don’t know what day it is! Thanks for stopping by, Balroop. Have a lovely day…evening? Take care. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am in your time zone Diana, presently peeved by wildfires’ smoke.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’re raining here. I hope that comes your way too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve spent lots of time contemplating the concept time.😉 It’s mind blowing. Even though I’m trying to disengage myself from the constraints of time, I still obey it in “real” life for organization’s sake.
LikeLiked by 2 people
ps…in the quantum field, all times exist simultaneously. So it’s every hour everywhere . (Sorry if my comments seem odd. I’m in a mood. Haha.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. Isn’t that something to consider?! I used the concept of the akashic record in my book, Sunwielder as a basis for time-travel and destiny. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is interesting to contemplate. I actually do believe we have the ability to slow it down or speed it up. Every once in a while I work on slowing time, and then I forget and it speeds up again. This pandemic has definitely changed my perception of time. I often don’t know what day it is! Thanks for the visit, my friend. May time be plentiful today. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s six thirty in the afternoon here. In my mind it’s six thirty everywhere. Time differences are so confusing I can’t really be bothered. I don’t consider them when I post. I have noticed that if I post after midnight, I get my first and only views from America and Canada. The rest of the world follows later in the day. It’s always fun though to see these first views from so far away 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
I don’t actually pay attention either, Basilike. Though I do tend to post at the same time each morning. I get about half of my comments right away and the rest show up overnight. It’s interesting to think about. At 6:30 in the afternoon in your time, it’s 8:30 in the morning here. 🙂 Have a lovely… evening, my friend. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
At ten thirty I am already having one, with friends and drinks 🙂 Thank you very much, sweet lady! Have a great day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds lovely. I’m having lunch. Lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Enjoy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow Diana never knew so much about time differences. Your post was so informative and interesting. Thanks so much 👌👌👌👌👌👌
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is interesting, isn’t it? But so complicated! I don’t think there’s a perfect time, but probably being consistent is helpful. Thanks for the visit, Kamal. Wherever you are, have a wonderful day…night? Lol. Take care.
LikeLike
Yes there can never be a perfect time but if we lived in a proper way then life would be much simpler and better. You are welcome dear and I stay in India so we are at 9.00 p.m.right now. Stay safe and take care.😊😊😊😊😊😊
LikeLike
I’ve pondered over this recently, and tried posting at different times for a few weeks. This helped me find when people are more active and when they’re not, in my blog. Sunday afternoons have been the worst so far.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s so interesting that you tried different times. Did you end up picking a consistent time?
LikeLike
Yes. I have fixed consistent timings for different days now, such that the stats are almost equally distributed over a week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well done! Thanks for sharing your method. We can learn from you. 🙂 Have an awesome day…evening… night? Lol. Take care.
LikeLiked by 1 person
4 hours to midnight, here! 🙂
Have a great day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You blew my mind with all the time differences discussion 🤫. I used to try and hit during peak times then I gave up and just started scheduling my posts to go out just after midnight EST, when I am fast asleep. That way I am hitting the U.K. and similar time zones first thing in the morning and the rest just falls into place. I’ve read that consistency is key. I don’t know if it’s true or not but it is much easier to do.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Isn’t it crazy? I also read that 80% of blog readers are in the US, so in a way it makes sense to gear timing around EST. That said, I’m like you and just picked a consistent time. We all seem to adjust to each other’s blogging schedules anyway. It’s fun info, though. Have a great day, my friend. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very interesting. I’m in Australia, so we’re ahead in time. Nine eleven happened for us on 12 September. (We do our dates around the other way too.) Time is, and always will be, an abstract concept. Nobody really knows what time or date it is, but if we live in the moment and we make the most of our lives “when” it happened isn’t as important as “what” happened.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ruth, you are absolutely right that the “what” is most important. Time is abstract and I think it also changes speed (which we have some control over). But that’s for another post! Thanks for visiting.
LikeLike
Hi!
Look at all these comments! What an engaged community you have; you must be so proud.
In answer to your question: I’m in California. Are you?
I agree the whole time to post thing is confusing.
You should use Hootsuite so you don’t have to get up at 4:00 am.
I wanted to thank you so much for following my blog on Tuesday. Welcome!
Janice
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Janice. I’ve fallen in love with this blogging stuff, though my writing time has taken a nose dive. For now all is well. I’m in Oregon, so we share a time zone. Glad to connect!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
On my Insights page I see this:
Most popular day Monday
Most popular hour 9:00 PM
The other day it said Wednesday.
I have this same time/day issue when sending out a newsletter. I’ve read Tuesday through Thursday are the best days. It doesn’t look that way for blogs. I post randomly, but after reading your stats info, I might rethink this. By the way, I’m on New York time.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Hi Mary, I noticed recently that my Insights info changes. My most popular day is whatever day I post, regardless of what day of the week it is. That makes sense, right? So I give up. I’m going to float through the time zones and not worry about it. Thanks for commenting!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I enjoyed this and it does track with the stats on my minute blog. I can remember when all my communications had to be given in Greenwich mean time so all the global points responding to the dispatches could become a part of my illusion at the precise correct time relative to their position on the 24 hour clock. You can imagine the dismay when my leisure noon mission became a 0400 morning for others. Now at least, everyone can choose when they want to engage here on WordPress.
LikeLiked by 2 people
My brain loves to muse over this stuff, but trying to make sense of and organize all this illusion? That’s way too much work. Universal Time Coordination (according to Wikipedia) wasn’t formalized until 1960! How did the universe manage it before then!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL! I think we were late or too early a lot. It really gets hard on the noggin when we look at quantum theory of time. That’s when the limitations of our brain really challenge us. For the time being, I’ll stick to my Timex. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too. Though I love having my mind warped.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ve come to the right place 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing that – it’s very interesting stats. I schedule my posts way ahead of time (or I’d never be able to post every two days as I strive to). That allows me to specify the time, too/
I post them at 8 am GMT+2, which means it’s still the dark of the night over there. I’ve noticed a morning wave, as my European friends respond, then around noon, as people wake up in the States, a second wave that carries on well into the night (local time).
I’ve considered paying around with this, to make sure more of my American friends find my posts, but then I’m scared of losing my European ones… Sigh… 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Well, I’m at the opposite end of the world and I read your posts. So whatever you’re doing seems to work way over here. Since I’m behind everyone else’s clock, there are usually a bunch of posts waiting for me in the morning. Little comes in during my evening when most of you are sleeping. We all adapt to these international friendships. It’s interesting.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Indeed it is – and thanks for reading! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Diana, I appreciate the statistics you provided in this post. I am blogging daily this year – it never occurred to me that there are common blog reading habits and that the stats exist.
When it’s 7 am in New York, it’s 7 pm here in the Philippines. I’ve checked my stats and the map shows my readers are mostly from the US, Canada and Europe. Only a couple or so readers from my country.
Anyway, with a full time job and a schedule that varies from week to week, I blog according to availability of time. Some weeks I schedule blog posts; some weeks I blog daily.
This post got me thinking though if change is necessary
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Rosanna. If you read through the comments, you’ll see that most people post randomly, whenever they get the chance or complete a post. Personally, I don’t worry about timing. It was just fun to contemplate. If WP comes up with the stats feature that Dawn talked about, that might be helpful.
I think you are one of those people that is commenting from my future. Here it’s still the 19th, and your comment is posted tomorrow!
LikeLike
Commenting from the future…that made me think…how strange, when you put it that way. Oh yes indeed, and you will read this yesterday…haha…
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES! I am reading this yesterday. It’s still the 19th here!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eh, that explains why I don’t get many hits in my blog. At least part of the reason!
I live in Portugal, GMT timezone. It is almost 1pm here now on tuesday Mat 19th.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I don’t know, Ana. As Hugh pointed out, some of the stats don’t seem to apply. Your comment showed up here at midnight last night (according to my laptop) – but then Dawn pointed out that my internal clock is probably off, so no wonder I’m confused about time. Ha ha. Check out her comment about the new WP feature “insights” on the stats page. I think we must be about 9 hours or so apart. Have a great afternoon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes but it does make sense that there is more traffic during a specific time. However, as you pointed out, that time is in the middle of the night for some of us 🙂
I have thought about it before but I tend to post whenever I finish what I am writing, scheduling it does not make much sense to me *shrug*
Unfortunately I have no ‘Insights’ feature on my Stats page. Go figure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t seem to have that feature either (or I’m not finding it). I tend to post randomly too. I enjoy this part of my day and don’t need to mess it up with “rules.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep, I am also too lazy to try and figure out when the best time would be to post in my timezone xD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I went back to check… I guess it was a feature they were testing because I remember them asking me whether I found this page useful (yes!) and now it’s disappeared from my stats too
It will probably come back in a few weeks, once they’ve fine-tuned it 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
It sounds interesting. I’ll keep an eye out too. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hopefully, now I am intrigued!
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s a feature that used to be available more or less on the old stats page, even though not to that extent. They are trying to bring it back, in a better form, I guess 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
I did look in the old stats page but did not find it there either.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sorry, you are right. I only saw the insights page for a brief period. I vaguely remembered that I had seen things that reminded me of the old stats page. Looking at it now, I realise it was only the number of posts published, the total number of views and such things… Sorry
LikeLiked by 2 people
Eheh, it’s ok.
I did a google search of WordPress Insights yesterday but the only thing that came up was something that needed to be installed, so I did not look further into it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ana and Dawn, that Insight stat showed up today. In my stats, across a menu bar at the top, there’s a selection called Insights. It shows most views here on Fridays. Perhaps it’s in your stats too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you mean where it says Days Weeks Months Years nope, still nothing here 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is so odd. Yes, that’s where I mean. It just showed up yesterday. Maybe they are just testing it…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eh maybe one day I will get it too then 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey! I wanted to let you know I got it too. I only noticed it today, though.
MOST POPULAR DAY
Friday
20% of views
MOST POPULAR HOUR
2:00 PM
9% of views
Interesting O.o
Does this mean I should schedule my posts for 2pm? Hmm…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mine disappeared! Weird huh? When I had it, Friday was a good day for me too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So odd… Could they still be doing tests? O.o
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m no longer trying to guess:)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Probably the best option, eheh.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I noticed it today too. I think they found people liked it and decided to put it in 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Interesting stats in your post. I’ve always found that Saturday is the worse day for publishing a post. In fact I’ve also noticed that it’s the day when I see far more posts getting published form the blogs I follow.
I’m in the UK and tend to publish posts in the afternoon although, like a Saturday, anything published after 5pm on a Friday afternoon seems to also go unnoticed.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I also notice far fewer posts on the weekends. So much for stats, huh? I think the UK is about 9 hours ahead of me. Most of the bloggers I follow are ahead of me…in more ways than one. Have a wonderful evening.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course it also all comes down to where most of your followers live in the world. For example, many of mine live in your part of the World, so I get a lot of traffic in the middle of the night. However, I also get a lot in the morning when in Australia it is evening time.
It’s 15:37 here now, so not quite evening yet. We are five hours ahead of New York.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so right that it almost doesn’t matter when we post. Almost everyone is ahead of me – how much ahead varies quite a bit. We are 8 hours apart. In Sydney it’s already tomorrow, and I’m just having my coffee today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always wanted to see in the New Year and then travel back in time and see in the New Year again by crossing the International Date Line. Even better, doing that on my birthday. Would that make me two years older that year and would I get twice as many gifts?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay, now your playing with my brain. Isn’t it fun how specific and arbitrary time is? Seriously, I think time actually does go by at different speeds, and…we can control it…wha ha ha ha ha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That time zone stuff…hurts my head. I write and post in the early a.m. hours, EST. Once in a while, I post in the afternoon, it seems there is a different audience. I doubt that I will change my pattern, just sayin’. ☺ Van
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, I don’t plan to change anything either, Van. Just pondering. I like thinking about everyone as I read posts…where they are in their days. It makes me feel even more connected. Have a great day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Diana. We are about to be blessed with a Memorial day weekend in the 70’s !! Have a great day, yourself. ☺ Van
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well Diana, unless someone has on one.of those lovely big watches with the different time zones on, they have to do the math. I found an app for my laptop that shows times for four diferent places in the world. I put in EST for my son, CST for my daughter, our time here in Pune, India, and UTC for the Universal Time Converter which shows a stanard time for the world. I think that’s like Greenwich Mean Time. The app can also be found at http://www.worldtimebuddy.com or https://www.worldtimebuddy.com We’re about 10 1`/2 hours ahead of EST in the U.S. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh my, Suzanne. You have to keep a lot straight! I have trouble coordinating phone calls with family only 3 hours different. Because I’m 3 hours behind EST we are about 13-1/2 hours apart. (I didn’t know there were 1/2 hour increments). Good evening to you.
LikeLike
.I post my blog piece as soon as a write it, and that can vary as to time of day here in the Middle East…sometimes I do it early in my day, sometimes much later… however, as my posts are on WordPress, I have them linked to Twitter, Facebook, Pocket, Tumblr, Google+, LinkedIn, but I also ReTweet timing 12 hours after the post timing, so it captures Twitter twice, but on a 12 hour gap …hope that helps 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks Seumas. I also post when I post, but I’m not quite as linked up to other sites. I knew you had worked for a time in the Middle East from your bio (or from something you posted) but didn’t realize you are there now – on the other side of this small world:) Have a great day…um, evening.
LikeLike
It is 7:51 pm on May 18 here. I am not sure I could stick with all the planning involved in when to post. But I think you can write a post and schedule it to be published at a particular time. Has anybody tried it? Maybe that is the way to do it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
So you are 3 hours earlier than me.
I haven’t figured out how to pre-schedule a post. I’m still pretty clueless about the technical stuff. And my brain is already full:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are two things I think you need to do, based on what I read in this post and comments.
The first one is go to your site, click on WP admin (leads you to your dashboard). There, go to ‘settings’ (bottom left of the page), hover and click on ‘general’. This will take you to a page where you can set your clock right (the reason why, even though you’re saying Jane is only 3 hours ahead of you even though it shows 4 hours when you look at the time posted by her comment, or why you occasionally see stats showing you it’s Tuesday when it’s still Monday at yours (probably between 11pm and 12am, am I right?). So, once you’re on that page, make sure to change the time to match the actual time in your timezone. Based on what I see on my page and what I know of where you are, I think UTC-7 would be yours, but I may be mistaken.
Now, if you want to schedule a post, it’s easy. On the ‘new post’ page, on the left hand side, just underneath your blog’s name, there is a column with “change status” header. It is set on ‘publish immediately’ by default. If you want to schedule your post, just check the corresponding bax, enter the time (local time) when you wish to post and press the blue button at the bottom when you’re ready to publish. Notice it doesn’t read ‘publish’ any more, but ‘schedule’…
Hope this helps!
As for me… Most of my readers are in the States, spread over 4 timezones, almost half a day away from me, so I don’t pay attention to the times I post. I figure: if they want to read me, my post will be in their reader. I must say that I don’t really live for my stats though, so that must help me remain quite zen and caring very little about when is the best time to post.
This said, WP just introduced a new page in their stats today. It’s called insights and tells you when most people read, and when you most post.
It might help you decide when to schedule your posts for 😉
Good luck figuring it out!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Dawn. I’ll take a look at my clock. Though I sort of like the idea that my posts fly into the future – I’m a fantasy writer after all! I wonder if I can make it even more dramatic? Ha ha. Thanks for the tutorial too. I’m always learning new things about this stuff – and always from other bloggers. Where are you blogging from?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it’s a nice idea, to think your posts fly into the future!
Oh, don’t think I’m any kind of expert. I only know because I struggled with it myself! I’m usually quite bad with anything that has to do with IT, so when I can help someone with the little knowledge I have, I’m happy to do it!
I’m in Continental Europe. It’s 7:30 pm right now…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the tip. I’m always open to doing this better. I’m making lunch soon:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know 🙂 Hope you enjoyed your meal!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have often had the same thoughts as you on this subject. I figure this is just a losing battle, because we’re never going to be able to reach everyone at the average peak times. The key is to post frequently, but not so much that your followers will feel bombarded with too many things to read. For me, I find that posting once a day or every other day brings steady traffic, but definitely not the amount that some people have. I have been thinking of posting more photos or quotes, because I don’t think people get overwhelmed with those types of posts. I am in Wisconsin, 2 hours ahead of you. 🙂
LikeLiked by 4 people
Hi Wisconsin! Despite my musing, I can’t worry about time zones. I try to post twice a week and consider that a major improvement over a year ago when I struggled to post once a month:) Good for you for managing every day or every other day. Yay!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It can be hard to keep up with writing on WP when you are already so busy writing books. I think you are doing great, especially considering you have what, five published books out there? That’s awesome! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a balancing act, Michelle. I enjoy all the friends I’m making around the world.
LikeLiked by 1 person