WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE ON MY BLOGIVERSERY?

I’ll get back to more serious fare, including the Combating Autism Act soon. But it’s my blogiversery: one year since my first post. On special ocasions, I often take a few moments to reflect or maybe look at old family photographs. I thought about looking back at some of my favorite posts, but instead decided to share a few gems that come courtesy of my Site Meter™ reports.

As many of you know, Site Meter™ not only keeps track of how many people visit a site, but can also provide detailed information on where people are logging in from, what ISP they are using, what computer and browser they are using, and whether there was a referring site.

It’s the referrals I find most interesting. How did people wind up here. I’m gratified that many people come here purposefully without having been referred by another site. I’m also happy to see visitors arrive via links from other blogs that I like. But it’s the Google and Yahoo referrals I find most fascinating. To my utter amazement, many people actively search for “Wade Rankin” or “Injecting Sense.” Although I can’t help but be flattered by those searches, I have a lot more fun looking at some of the other search terms that lead folks here, and I’d like to share some of my favorites that I’ve collected.

Many people are asking specific questions, which is kind of unfortunate as I have no answers. Someone from Reigate in the U.K. wanted to know “what does the name Rankin mean.” Sorry to say, although I know quite a bit about my family’s background and roots in Scotland, I’m really at a loss to explain the “meaning” of the name.

Another visitor, obviously finding the wrong place, was interested in methods for “groundhog, removal, naturally.” One person in Ottawa was interested in the “cost of living in Delaware vs. Ontario.” A question that has me as mystified as the visitor who posed his query to Google is “do oak trees have helicopters?”

Another example of a service I can’t provide comes courtesy of someone in Mandeville, Louisiana, where I presently live, who wanted information on “football coaching jobs available in St. Tammany Parish.”

Of course, on ethical grounds, I must decline to provide answers to the person looking for information on “tricks of successful poisoning.” Perhaps that person is looking for the same information needed by the visitor from Rochester, New York, who wanted to know “how to give a hep b injection.” I’m more in line with someone from Yanceyville, North Carolina, who doesn’t seem to understand “why vaccinate my child for hep b.” There may be a positive answer for that one, but I don’t believe it involves injecting that vaccine within hours of birth.

In an existential vein, someone wanted information on “humanly authored religious texts [in] 2006.” Another visitor wants “country music that doesn’t make any sense.” I have to defer on that one. It’s probably a sad commentary on my life that it all makes sense to me.

One question I could answer, which came from Knoxville, Tennessee, is “what does geaux tigers mean?” It’s simply a South Louisiana way to express our support for the boys (and girls) in purple and gold.

Another easy one is the question of how to “prevent autistic boy from opening door knob.” I suggest engaging the lock.

I’m sometimes puzzled by the fact that people who should know more than I do about something are coming here for information I just can’t provide. One query from the International Atomic Energy Centre in Vienna, arrived here because of the following query: “mercury exposure of children, photo, simple explanation.”

Of course, not everyone is looking for information, which is good because I don’t have much to give. Somebody in Stockholm quite adamantly stated “I do not need more information on voodoo, I am quite familiar with it.”

Then there was the cry for help from New York: “I am under pressure! Uncle.” And I’m not quite sure what to make of the searcher from Oakland, who was interested in “big shots 1987 spanking.”

Someone from Ft. Worth, Texas got here by searching for “Joey Buttofuco and O.J. golfing.” I’m not so much perplexed about that search leading here so much as I am frightened that someone would be searching for that at all.

Speaking of being a little frightened, I’m a little worried about one recent search from Tampa, looking for “Camille Rankin.” In all fairness, Ms. Clark may be even more bothered by that one than I am.

One search query read: “my mother was a saint.” I understood why that one led someone here, because my mother was a saint.

I’m sorry to disagree with the assessment of a reader in New Zealand, who feels that “Mad Magazine is inappropriate.” Although I haven’t picked up a copy in many years, that publication was a big part of my formative years (but I guess that shows).

On the other hand, someone at a maternity hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia understands what is needed in everyday life: a “sense of humor and common sense.”

An Ecuadorian visitor arrived here after typing “Wade Rankin California sensible.” I should point out that I haven’t been in California but once in my life, and that was many years ago. But I appreciate the implication that I would be sensible there. Also encouraging was the person in Brooklyn, who wanted to “wade on quite frankly.”

I can’t repeat all of the really great search terms I’ve seen lest I open myself up to libel suits. Suffice to say that I do not know of any sexual or criminal activities involving any physicians, so please stop coming here to look for that information.

One doctor whose name has led many here is, not surprisingly, Paul Offit. Many of the searches simply use his name, and I am still getting a lot of traffic from people wanting to know about Dr. Offit’s book, The Cutter Incident. One of my favorite all-time searches that brought someone here, though, was for “the top 10 beautiful ballerina Offit.” Talk about a hard image to get out of one’s head.

My love for music has this blog coming up on some fun searches. You’d be surprised how many people really want to know “Who Shot the Lala.” As all good students of New Orleans R&B know, the only correct answer is “I don’t know.” A lot of people come also wind up here whilst searching the net for lyrics to Irma Thomas songs. While you won’t find the words to “You Can Have My Husband, But Please Don’t Mess With My Man” here, you will find a kindred spirit.

And all that leads me to my all time favorite search that led someone here: “B.B. King’s Autism Speaks.” I ask you, what other blogger could have drawn that one?