Usually, traffic stats show something like "Cox Communications," i.e. the service provider. But once in a rare while, someone from an actual institution shows up. That piques my interest, naturally. In fact, any visitor who spends even a minute here piques my interest, and makes me happy. For I am, and I suspect that really we all are, a bit like this little ghost here, happiest when we are not invisible.
In real life, if someone from the Dutch Ministry of Justice or Syracuse University stopped by my house or office, I'd smile, invite him or her to sit down, make some coffee, and at the end, if I enjoyed the conversation I'd say, "Hope to see you again soon!" Unless they pretended to set me adrift in a giant mylar balloon, in which case I would call CNN and then hide in my attic.
But it's harder, online.
How does one smile or wave at a friendly stranger?
How does one glance back?
[image via Rynke]
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