The FM site opened in November 2007, as a spin-off from Defense and the National Interest. Since then:
- 890 posts
- 1.5 million page views (per WordPress)
- 970 thousand visits (per Sitemeter)
These do not include views by those who read using subscriptions, which are now at least several hundred additional page views daily (WordPress does not track these well).
One powerful aspect of this site is the value-added by those who post comments, often with interesting information and perspectives.
- 11,625 comments
My thanks to all of you!
Please post any suggestions, ways this site could be improved. Content and organization only. No software suggestions, please. WordPress provides this facility for free, so we cannot justly complain about their service.
Not only are you up to 1.5 M pageviews, you’re on fire lately. Esp liked your take on the “Big Lie” as used in the Afghanistan War. I agree with your assessment that its more important to attack the idea that “Operation Enduring Freedom” can prevent another 9/11 than to show how nation building isn’t feasible, as most Americans don’t really believe in or care about nation building anyhow.
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Fabius Maximus replies: There is no reason to both with rebuttal to “nation-building.” It cannot be a primary justification for the war, as most Americans will not believe it possible or a worthy reason for shedding our troops blood. Let those idealists enroll in a do-gooders Legion, financially supporter by their fellow idealists at home and abroad.
My thanks to you for putting out an educational blog that allows those of us with interest, but no special expertise in this area to refine our thinking. Love your blog, keep up the good work.
Sincere congratulations on your milestone, FM, and thank you for doing what you do in exactly the way that you do it.
You state your point of view, and then, after what I can only assume is many hours of work on your part, you bring us supporting links from personally selected “experts” on said topic with the same points of view.
While I, myself, don’t have a blog, if I did, and shared your point of view on any given topic, I would surely come here and link back to you because of the quality of your ability to link to those that most would see as “experts”, simply because you do.
Oh I know that comment may feel a bit circular or loopy to you, but might I suggest that is only because you still don’t understand your value as a downstream, semi-heavy contributor to some expert-reinforced “dialogue” we might all hope to have elsewhere to prove exactly how “right” we are.
More importantly, you do the above for FREE! I guess this is where we also need to thank WordPress for not adding any costs into the mix. Thank you for being free too, WordPress.
I know you are a “tough nut” about your rules, and personally? I totally GET that. If you can’t maintain control in your own “home” with your own topics about your own POV, your own linked “experts” and your own forceful reinforcing or denigrating responses to your commenters, what the heck would you have here?
You are SO ahead of this curve given where you are. No one, and I mean NO one, links or learns a blessed thing these days from Daily Kos or Little Green Footballs.
But you knew that. You even saw that coming, didn’t you? You, FM, were the next generation of “free”…the EMVAFF’ers. (Even More Value Added For Free)ers. I will always remember you for your superior contribution.
I don’t expect to be on this earth long enough to participate in reasoned dialogue about the ever-changing definition of “slavery”. In fact, I doubt that I will be here long enough to see you fight (or sue) for retributions.
Who knows though? We live in “hope”.
Thank you for my daily enlightenment- and thank you for being patient and kind to me.
Here, here, FM. Thoughtful analyses are useful and beneficial. Thanks.
Congrats. You should be able to use the Feedburner plugin to keep track of your RSS subscriptions if you want better statistics.
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Fabius Maximus replies: Too much trouble. As evident from the content, the FM site does not stive for a mass audience.