A Good Year in the Blogosphere, But Lots of Bots?

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As you can see in the above screen shot from the “backstage” area of WordPress, my blog’s traffic rose quite a bit in 2025 over 2024. A big chunk of that was a sudden spike in engagement from China, which apparently also happened to many other WP bloggers and might in large part be due to bot activity. But my blog did see legit viewing increases in my native U.S. and other countries, so thank you to all who read my posts and commented last year! I continue to love the conversations!

My 2025 posts that received the most comments:

1. “Scotland Is a Land of Notable Authors,” February 23, 147 comments.

2. “Reading Dystopian Fiction During a Real-Life Dystopia,” June 15, 146 comments.

3. “Memorable Book Titles,” November 30, 145 comments.

4. “Fictional People Are Getting Deported, Too,” August 31, 135 comments.

5. “Spies in Literature,” September 14, 130 comments.

6. “The Ardor Order of Jane Austen,” February 2, 129 comments.

7. “We Were All Kids in the Beginning, Except for Benjamin Button,” March 16, 127 comments.

8. “Is There Reader Zest for Lists of Best?,” April 6, 126 comments.

9. “The Philosophy Club of Characters and Authors,” April 27, 123 comments.

10. “An Array of Admirable Activists,” July 6, 122 comments.

11. “Paying Deference to Novelistic Self-Reference,” March 23, 121 comments.

12. (tie) “Briefly Rome-ing Through Italian Literature,” May 18, 118 comments.

12. (tie) “News and Mood Can Change Reading Choices,” February 16, 118 comments.

12. (tie) “Immigration in Lit Amid the Latest Nativist Snit,” January 26, 118 comments.

15. “Feline Post Includes Mentions of Jane Austen and The Host,” December 7, 116 comments.

Starting tomorrow, I will be off the Internet for some or much of this week and the early part of the following week, so I might reply to comments more slowly than usual or not be able to reply at all. Also, I won’t be publishing a new piece next Sunday, January 11 — which will unfortunately end my streak of not missing a weekly post since 2018. 😦 I expect to be back with a regular post on Sunday, January 18, after which I’ll reply to comments in the usual way. 🙂

Misty the cat says: “As you can see, I leave my cat bed for a few seconds each winter.”

My comedic 2024 book — the part-factual/part-fictional/not-a-children’s-work Misty the Cat…Unleashed — is described and can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. It’s feline-narrated! (And Amazon reviews are welcome. 🙂 )

This 90-second promo video for the book features a talking cat: 🙂

I’m also the author of a 2017 literary-trivia book…

…and a 2012 memoir that focuses on cartooning and more, including many encounters with celebrities.

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece — which has a wintry theme — is here.

62 thoughts on “A Good Year in the Blogosphere, But Lots of Bots?”

  1. It’s good to take stock every now and then – look at our blogging stats. I’m pleased to have caught a few of the posts you mentioned! I’m always learning new things from you and look forward to your return to blogging. Sending all of my best wishes! 💝🌸💝

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    • Thank you very much, Marie! 🙂

      Glad you didn’t experience bot excess this year. At first I was thrilled to suddenly get a lot more readership, until I realized much of it was too good to be true. 🙂

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  5. Gee, I hope the blogosphere doesn’t become the “Botosfear”.

    Congratulations on a fab year of blogging, Dave!

    You have a wonderful literary community here, a great place to visit and think.

    All the best in blogging and beyond in 26!

    Hello to Misty from Misha!

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    • Thank you very much, Resa! 🙂 LOL — blogs and bots do share some of the same letters. 🙂

      I very much enjoy this literary community, too!

      Wishing you a great 2026, and Misty and I return the hi to Misha!

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  7. Sorry about the bots, Dave, but I’m delighted to hear that you’ve had so many legitimate views and comments. Delighted but not surprised, because I enjoy reading and commenting, too. I look forward to seeing you when you’re back.

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  11. Those blog views by bots from China (if that’s what they were) made me ignore stats altogether, which was good in a way. They seem to have ended now, though. Good to hear your real views and comments increased. I always read the comments on your posts; they add to the content.

    Looking forward to your return!

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  14. I will miss you though I understand. I keep changing my password and do very little browsing on the net without using a trusted VPN which I hope helps just in case I find a duplicate Dave Astor blog, Yikes. Thanks for the heads up. Susi

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    • Thank you very much, Susi! 🙂 If there’s another literature blogger with my name, it would sort of remind me that there are multiple Armadales in Wilkie Collins’ 1860s novel “Armadale.” 🙂

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  15. Dear Dave Astor, I am happy hearing from you and thank you for your information . You will have a nice stay! And don’t be long to return. Sincerely, Ahmadou

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  16. I hope your break is for a positive reason, and if so I hope you enjoy the break. Congratulations on the increase in comment – the real ones, that is – and here’s to another year of excellent blogging, when you get back to it. See you on the other side, and happy new year. 🙂

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    • Thank you very much, Laura! 🙂 Real increases in traffic are definitely better than “fake” ones. 🙂

      I’ll mention the reason for the break (it’s positive 🙂 ) in the January 18 post.

      Happy New Year to you as well, and wishing you a great 2026!

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  21. Dave, congratulations!!! Without question you have created a space where conversations blossom. That’s what truly comes through here in these stats! People showing up, reading together, and wanting to talk about books, ideas, and the world they reflect. Your readers feel welcome to linger, and I suspect that sense of community will only deepen in the year ahead. I’m very much looking forward to the conversations to come. Enjoy your time away, and I’ll look forward to your return later this month. As Emily Dickinson once wrote: “There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away.”

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  22. My stats spiked in September and then dropped back down to a “normal” level. I’m not sure what the interest was, maybe feeding an AI model – God help them if they’re building an intelligence resource off my posts.

    I remember most of your top posts. All in all, I think it was a good year.

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  23. The dramatic spike in your 2025 views due to Chinese engagement–I would prefer invasion–is impossible to ignore. They suddenly disappeared from my blog on December 28th. Let’s see what this New Year brings. See you on January 18th. All the best 🙂

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  24. Yeah, statistics are a tricky thing. They’ve always been that, but mainly in interpretation and how data are gathered and presented. Manipulation of statistics now includes the origination of the very data they draw on. It’s another game. The wider the net of fraud, deceit, and depersonalization is cast by bots, trolls and AI, the more I withdraw into my own unassailable subjectivity.

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