Now is a great time to become a member, as it helps keep this place running and allows us to write more articles… maybe not these articles, though. Become a member today!
Now is a great time to become a member, as it helps keep this place running and allows us to write more articles… maybe not these articles, though. Become a member today!
Follow us on:
So, I occasionally write essays and publish them on Medium, just on whatever I’m thinking about that week. I mostly do it to get ideas out of my head and share them a small number of family and friends. I’m not monetizing them, so it doesn’t surprise or bother me that the stats show that most of them have been read by a fewer than a dozen people.
But my most popular essay–by a longshot–is something I wrote about Elizabeth Holmes, and I have no idea why. It’s not a bad essay, but not my best or most insightful. Just no clue why people loved that one, but not stuff about national parks or cars or politics or whatever.
I hang my head in shame, yes, shame! I usually read the majority of articles in the site. In my defense. I did read about diesel and Delmar. It’s been a busy week… Ummm it’s the other guys fault and fake news!
Focusing on just one article: I didn’t read Mercedes’ article on diesel prices (and still haven’t) because I could imagine the upshot is: most of our goods are transported via diesel train or truck, so an increase in diesel fuel prices ends up getting passed on to consumers everywhere. (Did I get it right?)
In this case, I felt I didn’t even need to click on the article–I’ve already heard some version of it earlier this year. Mercedes was late to the party (for me at least).
same reason i didn’t read it
As someone who struggled with their screen name and cringes a bit every time I post because of how much I hate my screen name, let me just say how much I envy your ability to come up with an amazing screen name.
Well done, my friend!
Same. Everyone on the webs has explained the mechanics of this inflation angle.
I don’t think I read any of these. I clicked on the one about diesel prices but never actually read it. I don’t recall why. My attention span can be closer to an attention moment, so I might have seen a squirrel out the window or something.
I think you are spot on about why few read the one about the Mercedes van lease. I distinctly remember being intrigued by the headline, seeing the clear photo of the EV Sprinter, and moving on. I presume a squirrel might have been involved in this one as well (in my defense, the squirrels in my yard can be very entertaining [also, I think they are conspiring against me… I must remain vigilant.])
I very much appreciate y’all trying different stuff, even if not everything appeals to me. The Autopian is the website I spend the most time reading (by far). Further, it is the only automotive publication I read with any regularity. At least from my perspective, y’all are doing a great job.
But some people DID read them. And even though I skipped most of these, I read the Autopian because you publish articles that may not interest everyone, but probably interest some people a whole lot
I actually meant to read that explosions and wires cold start, I just got busy.
Price of diesel I kind of figured to mean “everything gets shipped on trucks and that’s expensive now.”
The LC is gorgeous, but the car is so far from attainability to me that reading the review would have just been depressing.
Podcasts are a tough sell to me. It’s usually two people sitting there telling in-jokes, and even when it’s not that it often has the feel of that to me, which I do not find appealing.
I feel bad, ok maybe not, I skipped all of those, except the last one. Must read the silly Torch story no matter how silly.
I’m mostly here as a member for Torch stuff. I read most of the other things and the comments have a Torchian vibe that I enjoy.
Don’t let it it go to your head Jason, there may be a limit to the VW Citroen posts that are acceptable. Haven’t hit it yet but you’re pushing it.
The LC500 is sooooooo deeply under appreciated. But still outside my price range.
Hey Matt… regarding the excellent eSprinter piece, you said
“Why I think this didn’t work: We were too clever. You can see in the thumbnail what the payoff is here, and so there’s really no reason to click. Never ask a question in the headline that a thumbnail answers.”
Counterpoint: Never do a click-bait headline!
I would have skipped it entirely if it would have started with “You’ll never guess…”
IMHO, click-bait headlines are signs of desperation. I actively do NOT read, nor even click on ANY article that reeks of clickbait. I suspect I’m not the only one, and all I ask is theAutopian rise above the muck and avoid such tactics, as y’all mostly do. Thank you.
That said, I’m perfectly fine with an honest headlines that are framed as questions such as “theAutopian asks…” or “Which crapbox would you snuggle with in the garage when no one is looking?” … that sort of thing.
I scan, really fast, the click bait articles (not here, Autopian doesn’t really do that) that have something I think may be of interest. Once I spot the single word or partial sentence that tells me what I was curious about, I’m gone.
The balance is near impossible. Not too revealing and not too mysterious? I do agree though, what to do what to do
There’s a ton of content on this site, and it’s all (mostly) good. Problem I have is which do I chose with the limited time I can devote. Sorta like the things my cars all need.
The problem with hosting a podcast on youtube is that youtube is terrible for surfacing content viewers may actually want. I believe I’ve watched every carbage time podcast until recently. The car week vs goodwood and this week’s podcast didn’t even show up in my YT feed. Extra frustrating because I use the “podcast” filter which rarely surfaces actual podcasts.
I skip all motorhome and camper stuff, anything related to motorcycles and anything political or too US-focused
I love Torch weird articles the most or very geeky mechanical, car design, etc. ones.
I have no interest in motor homes or the sorts of motorcycles that usually crop up on here.
But Mercedes really cares, and it comes across in her writing to the point that reading about some EV motorcycle with no range or a camper with no toilet makes me happy. It’s not the subject, it’s the writing.
I appreciate the quirky and weird articles and I hope you don’t just go chasing clicks. It’s what makes this the best place on the internet.
I read most of those. I think I skipped the one about diesel prices because that subject is just so depressing at the moment. At least add some pictures of kittens, or something.
I skipped that article for the same reason and I second the motion for pictures of kittens to accompany bad news
Yeah. I drive a diesel pickup for work. I unfortunately know prices are at record highs every time I fill up, it’s depressing to read about confirmation we’re setting records
I like the way you think, Angry Bob! As someone who normally likes writing happy things, I will seriously consider that for next time. Maybe add a lighthearted “here’s a puppy that got saved thanks to Operation Frodo” break. 🙂
Honestly, I didn’t notice David’s ‘CAR’ article (tho have since read it, and awwwww).
Trankly wasn’t sufficiently interested in the subject matter of Matt’s car show article to click.
The SC review was nice, but I don’t see myself in the market for a 100k+ car whose lighting treatment evokes running eyeshadow. Honestly, I love the shape but hate the details of this car, and would foolishly take my theoretical cash to the Porsche dealer.
Torch’s commercial story was top notch. No notes.
Merci’s diesel article was excellent as usual, and should be mandatory reading for a significant swath of “why should I care?” America.
Skipped the Sprinter story, because any normal person (ie, not a business) in the market for one of these wants to buy so that they can upfit as needed to #vanlife.
Didn’t see Torch’s ad/poster article, but I’ll probably check it out this afternoon.
What It’s Like Hearing My Son Say The Word ‘Car’ For The First Time
I’m a half-century old childless hermit. I adore my niece but cute kid stories are the sort of thing I’m only going to read incidentally when I log onto a car blog. Gods bless Delmar (NHRN), Elise (NHRN), and David, and I am interested in their story, but it’s tangential to the car stuff. I certainly did read this story after this post but I get why it didn’t become clickbait.
Should You Go To Monterey Car Week Or Woodward Dream Cruise?
The Autopian’s podcasts have gone into the top of my feed and I really enjoyed listening to this one (An aside… what is this nonsense about “watching” podcasts? Talk about dancing about architecture. Podcasts are something I listen to when I’m doing things that prohibit viewing. There’s nothing to be gained by looking at a couple of people talking into microphones. Why do so many people tune in to just watch people conversing? Facial expressions?)
At any rate, across the podcast-verse and among my friends, car week went down like a lead balloon this year. The grody evolution of Exotics on Broadway (now with a VIP section that’s as overcrowded and douchy as the rest of it) is barely balanced by events like Astons on the Avenue in Carmel, which astonishingly manages to be way less pretentious and insufferable (In Carmel! With Astons!) than the supercar orgy over in Seaside… it’s just surprisingly semi-normal people with hideously depreciating English cars that are awfully pretty.
The Lexus LC 500 Is The Last Great $100,000 Grand Tourer And Now It’s Almost Gone
This was a great article, and well-written. It was unfortunately about five years late to the party, so it’s kinda tooting a horn after the crowd has given up stomping and the encore is over. As the headline and the comments bear out, there are only like two of these things left new at US dealerships.
I love this car. I hate convertibles, but I would greatly prefer this car as a ragtop, so that’s saying something.
Before CG, Car Commercials Were Made With Explosions And Wires
This was fascinating. I read the hell out of that article and came away thrilled to have learned something really cool that I had no idea about.
The Price Of Diesel Technically Broke A New Record, Here’s How It Can Impact You Even If You Don’t Drive A Diesel
I’m currently stuck in east Idaho, where every third vehicle is a full-sized turbodiesel pickup with a whistle tune, a cloud of soot around it, and a jerk behind the wheel. I just can’t.
This is a very diverse crowd and the hed reaches out to a broader readership, but it’s hard to believe that diesel aficionados overlap much with the Autopian audience. Reading that diesel truck stories do well here is surprising.
You Can Lease A Brand New Mercedes-Benz For Less Than A Base Honda Civic But It’s Not The Mercedes You’re Thinking Of
I think your assessment is spot-on, Matt. Unless you’re a Sprinter fan hungry for confirmation bias, there wasn’t much to be had here.
Let’s See Which Ones Of These Tiny 1969 Pontiac Options Pictures Would Look Best As Large Paintings
This one just got lost in the post-Labor Day shuffle or something. It’s pure Torchified Autopian gold. Give it some time and maybe link to it up top. It’s only been a day.
I think diesel truck stories tend to do well because the average reader usually enjoys the depth with which I cover them. Also, I try to make my diesel truck stories something you won’t really read elsewhere. I appreciate the engineering that goes into a good engine!
Thank you for what you do. Your pieces are very well researched and well written. I’m not a train guy but you’re getting me there!
I clicked the Mercedes eSprinter article specifically because it was NOT clickbaity, and the thumbnail showed the answer.
My past experience dealing with web traffic stats taught me to never put too much value on small samples. Often audiences are just variable and it’s a mistake to dig too deep.
One massive error of the modern data collection era is encouraging the hubris of execs who think they can understand everything. They can’t, but they get fooled incredibly easily when they want to be.
This just makes me curious about which contributor has the greatest delta between their most and least viewed posts. I’d bet it’s either Jason or Mercedes.
Definitely me. There have been times when the delta between my most-viewed and least-viewed posts was over 300k clicks. Most viewed? RVs, stories about semi-trucks, and trains. Least viewed? Smarts.
Just goes to show how there’s an audience for everything–I’ve read many of your stories in those categories, but almost all of the ones on Smarts.
That’s kinda what I figured. Your readership is proportional to the engine displacement I guess!
I read all your articles because I enjoy the deep dives you do,obviously you put a lot of research into them.
I loved the LC 500 article. People missed out on that one!
Regarding the LC-500 piece; I read it but was disappointed in the lack of info on the top, so I had to go elsewhere to dig it up (it’s cloth) – and no pics with the top up (sort of kills the vibe). Still it was enough for me to see what was nearby, just for fun (none).
It sent me car shopping too, but for DB9 Volantes. Prices start at $45k for those…
I didn’t read Torch’s Pontiac article –
I just looked at the pictures.
As far as the rest of them….
…I think I’ll have the rest of yesterdays pizza for supper tonite.
Ironic that the list of unread articles is not readable for those of us who come here to read articles for free and generate views.
The irony was not lost on me. I get it though, no hard feelings. Now someone go pay for the newest round of braces in the family so I can be a member.
Haw are reads being counted? Individual clicks? Does the reader need to stay on a page for a certain amount of time for it to count as a “read”? How does this work?
Jeez. Most of those are pretty recent and I just haven’t gotten to them yet. My engagement ebbs and flows based on how busy I am at work though. Sometimes I’m a power user, sometimes I miss days at a time.
Same. I usually catch up on the day’s articles when I have free time at work, because I typically have more free time there than I do at home those four days a week. Or did, until we lost a member of our team two weeks ago and I spent the last six hours of my shift last night working on one issue with another department and barely had time for dinner.
Here’s the note from my mom – “Fineheresyourdamn70dollars has been very busy with work and home chores. We will speak with him about his behavior and ensure he clicks on the articles from now on.”