My reasons for starting this blog were curiosity, and a sense of exploration and inspiration. After 239 entries those feelings are much diminished in relation to the project, and writing the next day's death is becoming a chore rather than a pleasure. I can always find people that interest me, but it has become harder and harder to find deaths that interest me. Thus I'm going to let this go. It was originally intended as a one-year project, but I see no reason to carry through with that intention given my decreasing enthusiasm.
The success of the blog has surprised me. It gets more than 1,300 page loads by about 800 unique visitors a week. I think the secret to these numbers is this: I mention a lot of famous people. So I get a lot of one-time fly-by visits from people curious about Audrey Mestre, or Mao Tse-Tung, the Collyer brothers, etc. But there are regular visitors too; far fewer, a dozen or two come by each day.
The entries that are already here will stand indefinitely, unless I decide one day to delete the blog, so it will continue to get visitors. But to those of you who have been following the daily entries, or just dropping in from time to time, it's been nice feeling the mysterious connection of blogger and reader, so thanks for your interest. All the best for the future.
And here's my last word! Enjoy!
15 comments:
Thank you Franca for this initiative.
As I said to you earlier, I especially appreciated the style of the articles. They were respectful yet inspiring at at times shocking. Somehow I feel like I benefited from reading them. If it can at least serve the purpose of a gentle reminder of one's mortality, then perhaps this gives us the nudge we need to start taking care of what is important to us.
Again Thank you!
Pascal
I'm sad to see it go, I check it everyday. Thanks for the fascinating blog.
The death of A Death a Day! Perfect! Thank you Franca. I'm doing "death and impermanence" meditation now and this was a distraction I could justify as part of my practice. I have enjoyed your taste in deaths and your writing.
No!?
Thank you, Franca, I enjoyed them!
I happened upon your blog about a week ago when I googled Isadora Duncan and have been hooked ever since. Your blog is well written, interesting and educational. I'm sorry to see it go.
Loved it while it lasted. Thanks!
morning breakfast will never be the same without Death a Day. Thanks for the unique blog.. it will be greatly missed.
Christina
I wish you would have finished, but reading copy and paste partial information from one of the least reliable sources on the net, Wikipedia is not really all that entertaining. I would have found it less tedious without relying on them for all of your information.
I knew Linda Boreman and her husband Chuck Trainor and your information is for the most part wrong. Just which version are you going to choose of the 4 she has written or the media slant on it? Porn tends to exploit all of the people in it and they know that going in. Did you know her husband was a Marine and a decorated sharpshooter? Probably not but then again, Wiki left that and a lot of the other details out, I just wonder after reading every post and then researching some of the more interesting ones, if you really are aware of how much bad info is on Wiki. I too will miss it as well and wish you would have finished it instead of starting it and leaving it hanging, your point would have been a lot more valid.
In response to Bradd: Thanks for your candour. I completely agree with your comments. One of the reasons I stopped was that I was not able to give the various subjects the time they surely deserve, relying on Wikipedia and not taking care to cross-check. But my main purpose here was to give a straightforward account of the manner of people's deaths, yet I kept straying into biography mode, bringing forward facts about a person's life and character in an effort to make them more relevant and interesting to the reader. Without proper attention this has resulted in some poor-quality entries.
I still recommend the final entry to be of Morihei Ueshiba, grandmaster of Aikido, and one of the most extraordinary and Self-realized human beings that has ever lived.
Perhaps you could start a frequent, weekly or occasional, not daily, series on very remarkable Self-realized individuals. -John
Dance included?
I'll miss you. this was a great blog.
It's been a while since I stopped by and I must admit I was rather sad to see that you had ended your project. I agree that it is disappointing that you didn't complete a year as you had planned and that you relied on Wikipedia for much of your information. But what I found much more valuable was the ripple your blog started, for anyone to rely solely on one person for information is foolish-this is true. But I enjoy researching some of the individuals you discussed. Your blog was a starting point for anything from morbid curiosity to intense emotional reflection, it was the reader's choice as what they would take away. Yet in your parting comments, you seem so casual, too casual. It makes me wonder what a death-a-day blog may say about you someday and what you say about your own life...now.
I have a similar blog but I only do it occasionally. Doing it every day would be depressing!
I have certainly enjoyed reading your blog. Great initiative!
Wow, I just found this blog! It's awesome!! Think about bringing it back??? Maybe even just a death a week???? Really, please??!!!
Post a Comment