📊 The Good, the Bad, and the Website Metrics

Transparency matters.

One of the things I want to do with NielFlamm.com is share the journey—the wins, the losses, and everything in between. So today, I thought I'd pull back the curtain a bit.

First, thank you.

Seriously.

Whether you've visited once, read a blog post, watched one of my movie reviews, listened to a podcast, or stopped by to see what kind of internet garbage I posted this week, I appreciate you. Even more, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send feedback, leave comments, or reach out directly. It means more than you probably realize.

Now for the numbers.

Compared to last month:

• Unique Visits are down about 37%.

• Visits are also down about 37%.

• Page Views are down about 20%.

Do I love seeing that? Of course not.

Do I panic? Also no.

The reality is... I don't know exactly why.

It could be seasonal. Summer vacations, kids out of school, people spending more time outside than staring at another screen (probably a healthy decision).

It could be that social media algorithms decided my posts should be shown to approximately three people, and one of them was probably my mom.

It seems my content isn’t resonating as much.

Maybe people are just busy.

Maybe search engine rankings shifted.

Maybe some readers are waiting for me to write about something they're especially interested in.

Or maybe the internet decided to internet.

The honest answer is... I don't know.

I enjoy creating content, and I'm continuing to invest in making the site better.

Over the last couple of months, I've added a few tools.

I've talked quite a bit about using ChatGPT to help organize ideas and polish content. My website is hosted on Squarespace, and I recently added Linguise to provide translations into multiple languages.

None of these companies are sponsors...

...yet. 😄

One interesting thing Linguise lets me see is which translated versions of the site are being viewed.

The results surprised me.

The most viewed translated language?

Russian.

That's right...

Russian.

Tell Comrade Putin I said hello.

After Russian came German, Japanese, and Chinese, even though most of my overall traffic still comes from China.

I honestly don't know what to make of that yet, but it's fascinating to watch.

The analytics raise more questions than answers, and that's part of the fun.

For those who have followed along, you already know this isn't my profession.

I'm not a programmer.

I'm not a marketer.

I'm not in corporate communications.

I'm just someone with life experiences, stories, opinions, recovery, movie reviews, technology observations, customer service experiences, and the occasional questionable joke that I hope connects with someone somewhere in the world.

If something resonates with you, fantastic.

If something doesn't, I'd like to know that too.

I'd love your feedback.

Leave a comment on the site or email me at niel@nielflamm.com.

Please tell me what you like.

Please tell me what you skip.

Please tell me what you'd like to see more of.

This website has always been about starting conversations, and I hope we keep having them.

Thank you for being part of the journey.

Here's to next month's numbers... hopefully they're pointing in the other direction.

A Quiet Starbucks, A Productive Afternoon, and the Experience I Expected

This afternoon, after watching Motor City at the Regal Palmetto Grande and before heading to a recovery meeting on Daniel Island, I stopped by the Starbucks on Daniel Island to get some writing done.

It was a late Saturday afternoon, and I noticed something unusual.

I was the only guest in the entire store.

This Starbucks is spacious, clean, and inviting. While I worked on LinkedIn posts, blog articles, and other content, the team members were busy doing what great teams do—cleaning, restocking, and preparing the store for the next morning's customers. They were focused, professional, and creating the kind of environment you'd want to walk into when the doors opened the next day.

The music during today's visit was exactly what I'd expect in a Starbucks. It was playing through the store speakers and was a fun, eclectic mix. I caught what I believe was some Björk, followed by the classic Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. It fit the atmosphere perfectly and made for a relaxing place to spend a couple of productive hours.

Ironically, this reminded me of another Starbucks experience I had recently at the location near my home in Mount Pleasant. I wrote a blog post and shared a video because music was playing in the café that probably wasn't part of the corporate-approved playlist. I even recorded it so people would know I wasn't making it up.

Today's visit was exactly what I expected from the Starbucks brand: a comfortable, welcoming place where I could sit, think, write, and be productive.

I've included the video from today's visit with this post.

Join the discussion.

Help Shape the Future of NielFlamm.com

I'm extending my open reader survey and would love your feedback!

If you've visited NielFlamm.com, watched a video, or read a blog post, I'd appreciate hearing what keeps you coming back—and what you'd like to see more of.

The survey is anonymous, takes less than 1 minute to complete, and your feedback will help shape future content.

Take the survey here:

https://forms.office.com/r/WPQAzYLsgs

Thank you for taking a minute to share your thoughts!

China, Cars, Content, and a Crazy Sponsorship Idea

There is something that has surprised me over the past several months.

A significant portion of the readers and viewers of NielFlamm.com comes from China.

When I first started noticing the traffic analytics, I was curious. I did a little research into what many people call “The Great Firewall” to better understand how my content is accessible there. From what I’ve read, my content is probably about as harmless as it gets. I write about movies, leadership, technology, AI, cars, life as an amputee, dialysis, business, and whatever random thought pops into my head. I’m not trying to stir political controversy or challenge government policy. I like to keep things interesting, fun, and occasionally a little sarcastic.

It also made me think.

If Americans believe we aren’t influenced or filtered in different ways, I think we’re kidding ourselves. Our AI tools have guardrails. Algorithms decide what news we see. Streaming services determine what music and movies are recommended. Social media platforms decide what gets amplified and what disappears into obscurity. Different systems, different methods, but someone, somewhere, is always making decisions that shape what we consume.

That isn’t really the point of this post, though.

The point is that I’d love to partner with a Chinese company as a sponsor for NielFlamm.com.

If anyone from BYD (Build Your Dreams), Xiaomi Technology, or even Polestar happens to stumble across this article, let’s have a conversation.

I’m a lifelong car enthusiast. I’ve watched countless reviews of vehicles that Americans can’t easily buy, and I think there’s an opportunity to create content from a different perspective. As someone who jokingly refers to himself as a “WaSian”—part White, part Asian—I think I can bring a unique voice to a Western audience while genuinely appreciating Chinese innovation and engineering. (More on the “WaSian” story in a future post.)

Whether it’s reviewing technology, discussing automotive design, sharing ownership experiences, or simply introducing products to an American audience, I think there is room to build something fun together.

Before you leave, please take less than a minute to complete my content survey:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/WPQAzYLsgs

Your feedback will help shape future articles, videos, reviews, and discussions. I genuinely want to know what you enjoy, what you’d like to see more of, and what topics you think deserve more attention.

I don’t know of many independent creators who invite their audience to help guide the direction of future content. I think creating content should be more of a conversation than a broadcast.

Let’s build something together.

Let’s be a little revolutionary.

Join the discussion on NielFlamm.com.

Help Shape the Future of NielFlamm.com

One of the questions I've been asking myself is simple: Why do people keep coming back to my content?

Instead of guessing, I decided to ask.

I've created a short survey using Microsoft Forms to better understand what readers and viewers value most, how they found my content, and what they'd like to see more of. Whether you've been following me for months or this is your first visit, your feedback matters.

I haven't seen another independent content creator undertake an initiative quite like this. Rather than relying only on analytics like page views and clicks, I want to hear directly from the people who spend their time reading, watching, and engaging with my work.

The survey is anonymous and should take less than one minute to complete.

Take the survey here:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/WPQAzYLsgs

I hope you'll take a moment to fill it out. Your responses will help shape the future direction of my blog, videos, reviews, leadership content, AI discussions, and everything else I create.

Thank you for being part of the journey.