Mar 12 2009
Having fun with Search Engine Terms
One of my blogs allows me to see the terms people search in order to find my articles. Just seeing the search terms tells a story about people’s dreams, the things that matter to them at the time, and why they are using a search engine. For writers, this might be a good way to study the market out there, to see what people are looking for. It is like a free market research.
Today I want to blog the search engine terms used to visit my blog Moments in Literature. The ones from yesterday are: “Tsitsi Dangarembga the book of not, Valerie Tagwira, thesis statement ‘nervous conditions’, zibf, nervous conditions thesis statement, marechera commemoration, national values in rwanda, social work conference in sacramento, petina gappah”.
Admittedly, search engine terms can only lead to your blog if it contains some information relevant to what the people are looking for, sometimes just the mentioning of a name. Take for instance, my blogs naturally would list something to do with Sacramento because that’s where I live; I might have blogged about an event happening there, et cetra. The search engine term in this particular search had was on a social work conference happening in the city. So that tells me that someone was looking for this conference, and that it might be happening, or has already happened. As a blogger, I could gain some interest in finding out more about this conference, and, knowing that someone was looking for information about it, start blogging about it.
From my list of search engine terms, these were of particular interest: “Tsitsi Dangarembga the book of not, Valerie Tagwira, thesis statement ‘nervous conditions’”. Tsitsi Dangarembga, for those who may not know, is one of the most important writers from Zimbabwe. Her award-winning novel, Nervous Conditions, is studied in schools and colleges in the United States and other countries. As a blogger, I can tell then that people are looking for information regarding her works, especially her latest, “The Book of Not”, which I am reading. So if after I am done I write about it and post the information on a blog, that might help some people out there.
Some people were searching for Valerie Tagwira, another contemporary Zimbabwean writer whose novel “Uncertainty of Hope” came out in 2007 and deal with Zimbabwe’s economic and social woes; a very revealing story, which ends by showing how political and economic recovery in Zimbabwe may not be an easy feat since the society has become so complex that there are going to be people who may want things to remain the way they are in order to continue benefetting from everyone’s suffering. Tagwira has since published two short stories which show her sensitivity to the suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans. As a doctor, Tagwira always features matters of women’s health in her stories, again showing the depth of her sensibilities as a caring writer. She is currently in Durban, South Africa, presenting at The Time of the Writer workshop there. Her latest story is featured on Munyori Literary Journal.
So, perhaps this is the kind of information the people making the search were looking for.
The other terms, “zibf, nervous conditions thesis statement, marechera commemoration, national values in rwanda, social work conference in sacramento, petina gappah” are also very telling. ZIBF is the Zimbabwe International Book Fair, which was not held last year because there were no sponsors. There was an outcry from a lot of artists and book people because it is such a key event which promotes books. Already, someone is searching for it, maybe to see if it is going to be held this year. This would be the best year to hold it because Zimbabwe has made some strides in the area of literature. New writers have cropped up and have managed to publish with big publishers in Europe and the Americas, and the small publishers in Zimbabwe, who have managed to stay afloat in a very difficult economic environment. So yes, I too would make a search to find out if ZIBF is going to be held this year.
The term “Marechera Commemoration” is very important in that in May Oxford University is holding its first international conference on Zimbabwean author Dambudzo Marechera, who was underappreciated during his lifetime. The university even expelled him in the 70s, when he was a student there. It is a very significant event in that it brings together Marechera scholars from all over the world, and I see it a key revival and recognition of a writer who worked hard even when he was discouraged by fellow writers and publishers.
The last of the search engine terms is “Petina Gappah”. There is reason for people to be looking for her at this time. Her first collection of short stories is coming out on April 9, released by Faber in the UK, and on June 9, released by FSG in the USA. Hers is a significant publication because she promises to be the most honest of Zimbabwean writers so far, openly, but skillfully inditing political corruption and social decay. The stories, although likely to be marketed as stories about the Zimbabwean situation, will grip you as stories about the human condition, our dreams, our desires, search for happiness, humor, meaning. Each reader will see traces of him/self and the specific focus on Zimbabwe, although important, will pale in the face of general human desires revealing themselves in the stories. As you read, you will also luxuriate in the masterly crafted language.
So, from search engine terms, we can get subjects to write about in new blog entries. The good thing is we will be certain that these are the things people are searching for, and we will be supplying something we know is in demand. That is targeted blogging.
As are your other articles, this one is well-researched, and your presentation quite readable and understandable. Keep up the good work.