Observations From Hadleyville: THE MAN THAT CORRUPTED THE NAME "HADLEYBURG"

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

THE MAN THAT CORRUPTED THE NAME "HADLEYBURG"

Its funny, when I originally named this site I chose to bounce off a Mark Twain story. I chose "Observations from Hadleyville" because I resonated with Twain's view on corrupted mankind. But I actually got the title WRONG. Twain wrote "The Man That Corrupted HadleyBURG."

Oops. Not a terrific job of fact-checking, there.

Funny thing is, I'm not the only one. Google offers an analysis site to see statistics related to my Blog. I can see countries and cities from where people access the site. In the US I can see states as well. Don't worry, I can't see your name, address or even computer address. For instance, I have a fan in Sterling, Virginia, who's logged into the site 38 times in the past 30 days. I also know this person originally jumped to this site through Quartz Hill School of Theology, but that's all I know.

On the other hand, Google doesn't always get it right, either. I have a friend in southeast Arizona who's log-on city is listed as Tucson; pretty sure that's not right. My mother is in Mexico, and her log-on city is Tijuana; I KNOW that's wrong.

One other statistic I like to check is keyword searches. If someone was directed to my site by following a keyword, Google lets me know what that keyword or phrase was. It pays to use theological words, like Keregma, or controversial words, like Nixon.

Here's the point: I've seen more than ten keyword searches for Mark Twain's "The Man That Corrupted HadleyVILLE." Twain was big on choosing the correct word, not its second cousin. I think he missed the boat with HadleyBURG.

Go Figure.

2 comments:

Austin said...: So what is the site that lets you see all this information about your blog, or how do I get there?; December 11, 2007 at 10:44 AM
Don the Baptist said...: Under SITES THAT INTEREST ME click on "Blog Statistics." You can sign in and create your own page.; December 11, 2007 at 2:55 PM

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WORDS OF WISDOM FOR WRITERS

The secret of becoming a writer is that you have to write. You have to write a lot. You also have to finish what you write, even though no one wants it yet. If you don't learn to finish your work, no one will ever want to see it. The biggest mistake new writers make is carrying around copies of unfinished work to inflict on their friends.

I am sure it has been done with less, but you should be prepared to write and throw away a million words of finished material. By finished, I mean completed, done, ready to submit, and written as well as you know how at the time you wrote it.
-Jerry Pournelle

WHAT'S THIS HADLEYVILLE THING?

Those of you familiar with Mark Twain’s works might recognize my blog title. As Samuel Clemons grew older, he became increasingly disillusioned with humanity. Towards the end he began referring to the Damned Human Race; employing the secular and religious epithet at one stroke.

I find I’ve not reached that level of despair myself. I still believe in redemption and I still see signs of nobility even among we fallen, damned creatures. So, I could not bring myself to call this blog “On the Damned Human Race.” I do however, resonate with another of Clemmons stories; “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg.” And viola, there you have it. “Observations From Hadleyville.”