Don't Be Shy!

I, like many of my Bloggy Brethren, have a stat counter, which spews data at me every week. Since I'm not much of an expert, I really don't know what to make of all the referrals, entry clicks and exit clicks, but I do know page views. And I average, in any given week, about 96 page views a day; close to 700 in any given week.

Whew! To hear the experts tell it, that's a lot of traffic! But one thing I don't really understand...why would someone visit a site like mine, digest its content, then slink away without commenting?

If my stat counter is to be believed, oodles of people visit Eat Your Veggies! So, I have a pretty basic question: Why all the "lurkers" out there?

As you probably know, a lurker is one who hangs out at a blog, but doesn't comment. I'm not sure how the "professional" blogging world views lurking, but I guess I just don't understand the need for anonymity.

OK, I understand if my posts are tedious; if they're silly; if they're just plain uninteresting. But I'd like to think I create posts that are at least mildy bright, if not downright sparkling.

But the comments? They're just not coming. A recent snapshot proves my point. Monday: 9 comments; Tuesday: 9 comments; Wednesday (A "theme" day, with Angie's Wordful Wednesday): 19 comments; Thursday: 8 comments.

During that same time period, I had visitors from Oregon, Indiana, California, Arkansas, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Nevada, Virginia and Florida, to name a few. And don't forget the international traffic: Canada, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Mexico, Germany and, of course, Unknown. But I guess we don't know if Unknown is an international or a domestic visitor, do we?

My questions to you are these: Am I doing something wrong, or are bloggers basically shy people at heart? Is there something else I should be doing that I'm not? Why are all these visitors lurking in the shadows of cyberspace?

Hey, I'm a friendly gal. And I'm still pretty new at this Blogging Business. So, please ~ suggest, offer, push and insist with me. I won't take offense. If there's one thing I've learned in my life, I'm really good at responding to constructive criticism.

My Nana taught me that it's impolite not to have a "welcoming" atmosphere in one's home. Well, my red (cyber) carpet is out. I'd love for you to leave a comment. Pretty please?