Blog Readers Vote

Free Poll for the Baha'i Community: Having done nothing on this Independent Investigation of Truth blog for almost a decade, I thought it might be interesting to rank the articles by number of pageviews. The results might be interpreted as a poll of what topics interest Baha'is and others the most (compared to other articles in the list). I color-coded the top results as a sort of heat map.

The two "all-time favorites" shown in red appear to be in a class by themselves. The next ten (orange, yellow) might be dubbed "the top-ten". Close top-ten contenders have the green highlight.

The table below lists these articles by title and pageviews, thanks to the wonderful Google Analytics service.

Discussion
"Reach Out And Touch Your Song" (Martha Jean & James Cleveland). So we have some data that might be interpreted as a poll according to reader choice of which articles to display in full -- called a "pageview". Does this just begin with words and end with words? Typically, a research project or investigative journalism start with a "research question" which suggests study design. There are two broad study designs: observational and experimental. The present data is in the observational category.

The idea that this data may represent a poll based on actual behavior of blog visitors might be expressed as the research question: What topics are of most interest to readers? Or in simple terms, "What is on reader's minds?"

Next we do what is called an "operational definition". In this case, reader interest in a topic is defined as a reader click to view the full article on the blog. OK. We have a question about a variable and a way to define and measure it.

In this study, what was done next? Nothing. Just wait about ten years while visiters/readers vote with their mouse clicks. Hence, our results presented in the figures above are not one or two week fads, but rather represent reader interest over an ample extended period.

When you have your research question, the methods and results, what do we do next? Research reports in all areas of science (the present one is "social science") typically end with discussion. This section can include explicit treatment of possible limitations in the methods, whether they adequately address the research question and the like. Then, reviewers allow the author to present the "scientific significance" of the work. Examples: "This is the first observation of a candy-coated neutron star". "Results suggest that the XYZ theory is violated and may be excluded from consideration"

So what is our significance in the present study? Let's leave the reader to ponder that and the author will throw in his two cents worth. Almost all, if not all, of the "top-ten" articles cover controversial topics which may concern and trouble many Baha'is. This might impair performance in teaching and growth projects in the Baha'i community. Therefore, the results suggest that Baha'i institutions -- both elected and appointed -- might benefit by putting some of these topics on the agenda for serious examination and consultation. Bingo. This completes the package with practical implications in the real world. Happily, we don't "end with words" but with a possible route to uplift and strengthen the Baha'i community, enhancing its growth and prosperity.

Finally, Mikey Spice has a comment in this video:

© James J Keene 2021