This week I received an email from a total stranger, asking me if I’d help him test his Open Source Trackback module that he’s developing. My first thought was, who is this? Next I wondered, how does he know me? Then I thought about lunch.

A reply to him yielded the answer: he reads my blog. He reads my blog! Here is a guy, a total stranger, whose girlfriend found my website and was so entertained that she told her boyfriend about it and now he’s a reader! To top it all off, he’s listed my site on his site in the traditional “sites I like” menu! Admittedly, this is not a big deal if you are Jason Kottke, Todd Dominey, Dooce or Jeffrey Zeldman, but for a blog hump like me, it was a significant moment. It means I’m reaching people. I like that.

Thanks for the listing, Joe, and thanks for the endorsement, Lauren!