A blogger's self exploration

Readership
I have a site meter button that lets me see the number of visitors to my S/Sw blog. The daily number of page visits is creeping up. That's good for any author to see. The number of new visitors has grown incrementally over time. Bloggers like that, too. We who go public online (like politicians or other public figures) surely have egos. We hunger to know that readers (or voters and constituents) "somewhere out there" hear our voices. And we want to make a difference.

So I asked myself, why do we choose to write or speak (take a position) about the subjects we do? What difference will it make, if any, in the site visit stats (in our poll numbers)? About which keywords (or issues) do we most want to be heard and known?

Popularity
These questions made me realize that I have more in common with politicians than I would have liked to admit. The parallels were striking. I came to understand that, in a way, I had a daily "pollster" to assist my cause. Knowing that I have days when my numbers markedly drop or rise without my understanding the reason, I then took a look at the relationship between subject and readership. I found that:

• A good title with well-chosen keywords seems to make a difference in the nunmer of site visits.
• Themes and ideas like reconciliation, peace, and the future have positive resonance with readers.
• American readers likes posts about Democratic politics; international readers like pieces about Iraq, the Middle East and terrorism. There is much overlapping, of course.
• Many readers shy away from canned, obscure, confusing, or overly complex and lofty "academic" subjects.
• There is a happy medium to the amount of pure narrative vs. the number of sentences linking to referenced sources. Readership drops off when that ratio is sloppy.
• Quick, or dashed-off posts do not hold my readers. "Preachy" pontification is a turn-off.
• Good writing is essential is essential. Bloggers competing for readers' eyes number in the millions.
• Posting before the morning rush seems to help. I am assuming that not all my regulars "stop back by" if I have posting later.

Which Drumbeat?
My dilemma is to decide what to do with the information I now have about my readership. I, like the politicians, must commit to
1) only writing about what I think readers want - "reacting to the polls," or
2) staying true to what I deeply care to write about - whether it keeps my "poll numbers" up or not.
I do not yet know which is right, or even if there is any middle ground.