To the mysterious phantom readers...

Dear reader(s) in:

Denmark
India
Nigeria
Spain
Portugal
Russia
Poland
Turkey
Canada
Argentina
et cetera,

Blogger's stats function tells me you're out there. Common sense tells me you read English well enough to surf English-language sites.

Why not become a follower (not my ideal choice of words) of the blog?

You could then tell us about yourself. We might get to know each other, share ideas, have a conversation, even.

For instance, I am surprised that my most-read entry "Govinda and the Heartbreak of the Bentley", a piece I wrote rather quickly and without the usual agonising self-relfection. Why is this so? Anyone?

It used to be thought that the inter-tubes were a revolutionary means of creating communities of shared interests that transcended the tyranny of distance, made the world smaller, helped us all feel a bit less alone. I say "used to be thought" because it's since become co-opted by capitalism, and now is mostly a new way to collect marketing data.

The few unobtrusive ads I attach have so far netted me $0.00. Message: I ain't doing this for the money.

Marketing isn't what this is about. You have to click on an advert to attract the attention of marketers, so there's no chance of cookies or viruses or anything else infecting your hard-drive, unless you take that fateful step. So don't click on them.

Becoming a follower just means we can talk and get to know one another. No traps, no gimmicks, just (virtual) human contact. I've even adjusted the settings so that ANYONE can post without even being a follower (I still retain editorial control, of course).

So why not post?

Don't lurk: talk.

Don't just see something; say something.

Be a 'with-ness', not a witness.

I know you're out there...