As faithful followers of this blog may have noticed: I’ve not been here lately. There is a reason of sorts. There may be signs of spring outdoors, but indoors my brain has opted for deep hibernation. I’ve had nothing to say. And there is too much gloom and mud for interesting forays with my camera. So there we have it. No posts since January 31st. And only five posts this year.
And strange to say, this does not appear to matter ‘views’ wise. In fact my rising Word Press stats from January have me deeply puzzled.
It’s true that early in the New Year, WP featured a December post in Freshly Pressed: ‘Winging it: chance encounters with aerial kind’, and the views of that particular post have risen over succeeding weeks from the original 60-odd to 213, but does that explain the big jump in daily ‘views’ – whatever these ‘views’ may be.
Already there have been 31,508 in 2026. In seven weeks. On February 12th there was the first big spike of 2,500. But the next day, – Friday the 13th – and this is what started me looking – there were a whopping 15,000, spread across that day and mostly from the USA. Since then, views have averaged around 350 a day, but with odd spikes of 800 – this when daily views used to be 50 or so.
Back in the autumn I also had several weeks of elevated stats, China being the source of the uptick, generally around the 200s. But then China tuned out at the end of last year and hasn’t been back since. I remember several other bloggers reported stats oddities around this time.
So what’s going on? Are beings from another universe thinking of visiting Shropshire and checking out the geography? Or are AI bots harvesting posts for their own educational purposes? It certainly looks like it. On any one day this year, scores of my back posts are apparently being viewed several times over, including ones ephemeral and passingly obscure, i.e. those relating to long past photo/word prompt challenges.
In an unhinged moment I thought I’d ask A.I. what it knew about me. Here’s the short version of what it had to say:
Tish Farrell is a writer known for her engaging stories and reflections on various topics, including gardening, travel, and personal experiences. Her blog often features her thoughts on life and nature, along with her photography.
Well! A glowing testimonial surely? But do I actually need a writerly reference from some mechanistic confection; do I even admit to a flutter of appreciation when I first read it? Blood and sand! What is this brave new world that’s being foisted on us? It’s enough to return me to a state of blogging silence.
And so back to the more pleasing contemplation of rain drenched crocus. This view at least is of something real. Tangible. Growing. Actual. Not contrived, conjured or manipulated. I experienced the flowers’ existence a couple of weeks ago in our town’s ancient graveyard, and took their photograph. And now, along with the crocus, I feel an urge to sink my soul’s roots deep in the good soil of Planet Earth. Isn’t this the version of reality that most of us cleave to?
I think I’ll start a meme – if someone hasn’t already done so:
#IAmNotACrop
copyright 2026 Tish Farrell
Your first sentence brought an alarm, Tish. But I am glad that it is nothing more than the quiet of winter which has stopped you from writing. This is, probably, as it should be!
As to the variation in stats. Mine have always varied somewhat because people get to the blog, it seems, by using search engines. I have very few faithfuls. Some blogs get very large play over the months and years and this is gratifying. Many do not. The ones which get the most in short periods of time are the ones which have been picked up and reposted by the mysterious spirits called ‘Influencers’.
In recent days, perhaps starting 3 weeks ago, the stats have included increasing numbers of single images taken from all kinds of posts. There were always a few of these. I take it that this significant increase is the work of AI. This is, of course, an impoverishment because the context of these images are lost. But that is so much our world: images galore with no grounding, no relationships, no explanation, no known authorship and provided to a readership with enormous throats and, it seems, etiolated brains.
I don’t mind for my posts. I am, though, of course, alarmed for the stealing of words and work of professional writers and actors etc. We look forward to the passage through the US courts of a large lawsuit filed by the New York Times and others against the Tech industry stealers of such content.
Meanwhile and every day of the year, irrespective of what is going on in the world of power and business and technology, I am – with you – fixed on the processes of our flora who live their own cycles beyond the easy manipulation of the artificial brains…….
Thank you as ever, Sarah, for that very thoughtful response. As to the rifling of creative works, the UK Society of Author also flags up the loss of work opportunties for creators – writers and illustrators, musicians and photographers – as AI is sourced in their stead. And then on top of that they have their work pilfered: https://societyofauthors.org/2026/01/30/brave-new-world/
I thank you too for your concern at my remark re general silence. I like your gloss – the quiet of winter. Yes, that must be it 🙂
Thank you, Tish, for pointing me to the report by the Society of Authors. Really dire. Sitting over here, I actually have little hope that anything can be stopped. Nothing much is stopping the current madness in so many areas.
These days I have that Rip Van Winkel feeling of waking up, fast forward mode, to a world I no longer recognise.
Tish, i’ve noticed the same thing over the last several months, ridiculous stats with no comments or likes. I also believe that it was AI scraping, but there’s really not much we can do about it unfortunately.
I gathered you’d had something similar happening, Janet. It is v. annoying, but as you say – not much to be done about it.
Suing, for an individual, is useless since the AI companies have pockets deeper than deep.
I don’t check my stats because I don’t care. I do my blog for my own joy and what it can bring to others.
My reasons for blogging are much the same as yours, Anne. It’s only since the odd autumn spikes that I’ve paid more attention. And then came the 15,000 views in one day…
😊
Same here Tish and over the same timescale. Not quite the numbers you have had but I hit a thousand on one day instead of the usual ten or so. Most of my old posts are being viewed several times a day and as you say most from USA but also Hong Kong and Singapore.
Never realised I was so popular! 🤣🤣🤣😂
Yes, Brian, USA, Hong Kong and Singapore are highly featured in mine. Also a sudden burst from Australia.
Bloated stats has been momentarily gratifying. I accept the reality that it’s probably AI doing something that could be on the wavelength of being Machiavellian. The crocus photo is a lively reminder that nature has a calming presence. Once the last ditch snowfall melts my own crocus can get on with their appearance.
Hello, Pam. Yes, that passing pleasure at zooming stats! The misplaced notion of being hugely read. Ah, well. Back to waiting for the crocus melt 🙂
My blog’s had a bad couple of years being harvested by AI bots I thought, but this week has been crazy. More “views” in a week than I’ve had in past years! Last year I started making de liberte errors in spellings and grammar, hoping that bots would leave me alone. But it doesn’t work.
Mostly my inclination has been to ignore it. But then it is infuriating too – the notion that the creative impulses of the masses can be harnessed to the advantage of an elite minority – the ‘robber barons’ of medieval times writ large.
I don’t think they successfully steal the creativity. Just enough language to do hack work
The problem is how it is affecting creators in all spheres of published works. UK’s Society of Authors is reporting that material is not only being scraped, but producers (usually freelance) are losing work. It looks as if a lot of companies are quite happy to use AI hackwork – photos, music, prose.
https://societyofauthors.org/2026/01/30/brave-new-world/
Aargh…I feeel very old fashioned…don’t like the way things are going…
I do so agree, Sue.
I’m glad to see that all is well in my beloved Shropshire. As well as it can be with all this dire and dreary weather. I’m enjoying (if that’s the correct word) some of David’s settings to Housman poems – not the most cheerful of fellows was he! I too seem to have been AI scraped, even my old Earth Laughs in Flowers has not escaped. Since no one is going to find anything exciting it doesn’t really bother me, but it would if I was someone who relied on my website to generate an income. What does annoy me is those sites that reblog my posts without permission.
I so admire the way you have been showcasing David’s creations, Jude. Though, you’re right about Housman, such a melancholy soul a lot of the time. And yet he captured so much of beauty, and so simply too.
Shropshire is indeed as fine as ever – even with the mud and gloom. I shouldn’t whinge about it when we’re so lucky to be here at all.
As to AI rip offs – it’s what they’re ultimately doing with all the data that bothers me. Saying they’re educating the bots sounds pretty benign. As I said to Sarah Abraham, the Soc of Authors is highlighting how creators’ incomes are depleted by IA stealing. So many are freelance, and companies that once employed them have cheap, even free AI resources to use instead. This on top of having their actual work stolen too. It seems to be a runaway train…
I wonder if it’s because WP launched a Freshly Pressed feature now on Reader, and you’re featured there?
Hm. I suppose that’s possible. But 15,000 ‘views’ in one day? And this week over 200 old posts viewed multiple times.
The sound of scraping ha ha
This year, like you, I have had ridiculously inflated stats. More hits by the third week in January than in the whole of last year. It’s happened odd days in the past and changing my password had always sorted it. Not this time. I consulted the Happiness Engineers, but I’m told it’s nothing to worry about, as it’s not sinister and the starting point for something worse. So as I’m not in thrall to statistics, I’ve decided to believe them. But what’s it all about? Inspired by you, I asked AI about my blog, and it produced a pretty accurate – and quite long – run down of its main themes in about three seconds flat. AI is not just a threat to writers of course. One of my daughters is in the voice-over business, and several within that industry have had their voices ‘harvested’ without their knowledge or consent. The consequences go on and on. Hope Shropshire brings your inspiration back soon. Meanwhile … enjoy the hibernation!
Gosh – stealing voices. Now that is sinister. And as someone who found herself engaging in conversation with what sounded like a very pleasant young man on the Government’s National Savings help line, I want to scream. It was only as the chat was going round for the third time, and the voice was coming up with the same unhelpful ‘solution’ in exactly the same tone and words that I realised I was actually trying to engage with a bot.
Oh, I’ve had one of those ‘conversations’ too. They’re spookily lifelike, and will ony get ‘better’. Brave New World.
The #IAmNotACrop instinct is right — but the bots don’t care.
AI systems harvest content because it exists, not because it was offered. The real question your stats raise isn’t ET or AI — it’s whether creators ever truly control what happens to their work once it’s public.
Spoiler: they don’t. Not anymore.
Even before AI, writers’ copyrighted books could be commandeered by Google without negotiation. And of course there were ever the pirate publishers. So yes, AI simply puts the tin lid on it – all is up for grabs.
Exactly right — AI didn’t create the problem, it just removed the last friction points that made exploitation slightly harder.
Google Books, pirate publishers, content scraping — the pattern is old. What’s new is the scale and the speed. A bot can harvest a decade of your writing in seconds. No negotiation, no notice, no record.
The tin lid analogy is perfect. The container was already open. AI just sealed it from the other side
I’m glad your recent silence is due to nothing more than the downbeat nature of a dark, dull English winter and nothing more. I do think February is one of the least pleasant of months (which is why we often choose to go away then!) Alli of Medieval Wanderings wrote an interesting post recently on the notion of ‘wintering’ which it seems is what you’ve been doing.
As to stats, mine look OK at present but I’ve had that sort of inexplicable surge a couple of times in the past. I tend to just ignore it, as I don’t take a lot of interest in the number of views I get – the level of engagement through comments is how I judge the ‘success’ of my posts, if I judge them at all! I would rather bots didn’t harvest my content but I accept that is the risk of posting online, just as I risk people making use of my photos. Of course if I made my living either from writing or photography I would probably feel differently. It’s never been easy following a career as a creative but it’s definitely become harder with recent advances in technology. Where will it end, I wonder?
Many thanks for your concern, Sarah. And so yes, wintering. It sounds like a good explanation. As to to the future for creator professionals, it doesn’t look too bright.
I have had the same inflated stats on occasion. They last for 2 or 3 days, then I’m back to normal. My fellow bloggers tell me it’s AI and China. So, I just ignore it. Tish, your photos and writing are always wonderful, so don’t worry if you feel you have nothing to say. It will come.
Many thanks for that thoughtful and encouraging response, Jennie.
You are welcome!
I too wondered where your lovely posts were – glad all is well and sometimes a break is good too. Those stats are huge and interesting given you haven’t posted. I don’t really look at mine too much. Glad you’re back on board. 🌸
Thanks, Flavia.