Sometimes less is more. Sometimes a whole lot more. Consider the growth of samhilliard.com.

Bypassing the more obscure particulars of web analytics, readership has increased roughly 25 percent per year since 2004 when the site launched.

Gains like that are quite admirable in the stock market, for certain, though as far as life on the Internets, it’s fairly modest. On the other hand, growth particularly when so consistent, trounces its ugly stepsister, Shrinkage.

The readership statistic is a lot more interesting when considered along with two other trends: actual number of posts per year, and the addition of photos in the entries. I post far less frequently than during the site’s genesis, and use photos when possible. Yet the number of readers has increased despite the obvious drop in raw written content.

Any number of explanations could account for the relationship between number of posts and the influx of readers. But the simplest—thank you, Occam’s razor—is that the scroll bar on a web page serves much like the homeless man looming outside a convenience store.  Pedestrians move rather quickly past something that might increase the amount of time they need to complete their primary business. When I want a quart of milk and a newspaper, I prefer not being held up for loose change by Squeegee people. In this case getting it done means checking for any updates and doing so quickly.

To facilitate that, I keep the entries brief. I try, anyway. When going long, I make that known at the outset.

In the spirit of reflection, my annual resolutions will follow shortly.