Some Year-End Blog Stats for 2012
For those who like such things, I thought you might like to know what was popular on my blog in 2012. This is the first time I have a complete year to report on–which is an achievement in itself, I suppose. Let’s begin.
Last year, I wrote 274 blog articles. Of all the articles I’ve written since the blog began, these were the top five most visited in 2012:
- Banned Book Profile: The Harry Potter Series
- Book Review: THE SHINING by Stephen King
- The Graham Cracker Question
- The Truth About Captcha
- Paul’s Epistle to the Romans: Why a Study on Romans?
Now, I have no idea why these were visited. Maybe people were looking for pictures to use on their blogs, or maybe they were genuinely interested in the articles. Who knows? It’s interesting that many of these were actually written in 2011, which goes to show that their high visit-rate was cumulative. That is, these were articles that were visited by maybe a handful of people most days last year, as opposed to articles that got hundreds of visitors over a few days.
Of articles written in 2012, these were the most visited:
- The Truth About Captcha
- What Happened to Google Friend Connect?
- Sunday Devotional: Philippians 4:8
- Google Reader Subscriber Stats
- Friday Fives: X-Men
Again, I can only speculate why these were visited–but those were the ones with the most hits.
It appears my blog visitors came from 143 countries! Most were from the US, with the UK and Canada not far behind (you know who you are, Robin, Cole, Emma Maree, Jaime…).
The article that generated the most conversation was my Road Trip Wednesday contribution for July 11: A Novel Improvement, where we talked about movies that improved upon novels. There were 56 comments (including my responses) to my suggestion that the movie version of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA was better than the book. While opinions differed about that, I think we all agreed that Meryl Streep was amazing.
I probably do this more than I realize, but I want to thank every blog visitor, and especially those who visit regularly. I have absolutely no idea how many people have subscribed to this blog by some means, but I gather there are some of you out there just by the regularity of your visits. I can’t tell you how nice it is to know that I’m not just typing to the ether, and there are at least a few people who read most, if not all, of my posts. Thank you thank you thank you!
Please feel free to use the comments to offer any words of encouragement, and especially let me know of articles on this blog from last year that were most memorable to you. This isn’t an exercise in ego-inflation (well, perhaps it is a little bit), but it tells me what kind of articles you like to read–or what kind of articles I write best. Which then helps me make this blog better and more useful.
Haha I remember the Graham Cracker Question! And the loss of GFC. :/ But you bounced back from that just fine! From what I see, I really think you do a good job of cultivating relationships with other bloggers so that the people who come here are “quality” followers. (If I may inadvertently lump myself into that category…) Keep up the good work! 🙂
You certainly may lump yourself into that category, Susan. 🙂 Thank you!
We have Emma Maree to thank for prompting the quest for the UK version of the Graham Cracker. I think we came close to an answer, but it’s not quite the same. I’m still open to suggestions…
I’m not sure how desperate you are, but I think there are ways to order them online. 🙂 I was looking on Amazon, and there appears to be a vendor called TheNewMall who ships overseas: http://www.amazon.com/Nabisco-Honey-Graham-Crackers-Value/dp/B001G4LRDI/ref=?ie=UTF8&m=AS3HOSV4DF0UG
(When you just search “graham crackers,” most of them ship only in the US. This one is an exception, and though the one review complained about expiration dates, I think that’s a little silly for graham crackers…)
If I recall, I think Emma was trying to make something from a US recipe that required Graham Crackers, and she wanted to know what would be a suitable substitute in the UK. She might be interested in that site. Emma, if you’re reading… 🙂
There are plenty of Nabisco products in the UK–I wonder why not Graham Crackers?
Thanks for the research, Susan! 🙂
For me, I think one of my favourite posts you did was the one on CAPTCHA. As much as I loathe the living daylights out of CAPTCHA, I found the information you shared and the video to be really interesting. It still amazes me that they can do those kinds of things. Darn it! I just wish I enjoyed typing in those pesky word/number combos more. 😛
It’s been great following your blog and getting to know you better over the past year or so. 🙂
Thank you, Jaime! I’m totally with you on Captcha. When I stumbled across that video, I too was loathing the inconvenience of it. But there’s something compelling about smart people having smart ideas and doing something clever that benefits humanity. I really like the idea behind Captcha, even if I sigh every time I have to use it.
Wow, 143 countries! That’s amazing! I’d have to say I enjoy your best book of the month posts. I’m always interested to hear other people’s opinions on what they’re reading and your reviews are informative. Oh, and I really liked the flash fiction you shared about the piano. 🙂
Thanks, Erin! I was pleased with that piece of flash fiction too. It didn’t win the contest, but the challenge was fun. And for me, completing the challenge with something that isn’t bad is a win for me. 🙂
How fun! What a great look back at your blog in 2012 🙂 Isn’t it crazy to see how many readers are visiting from countries all over the world? I loved the post you did on the Harry Potter series, as well as your review on The Shining, which I STILL haven’t read. I’ve never been a huge horror fan, but there are exceptions and I keep hearing that book recommended to me. Happy New Year, Colin!
Thanks, Julie! I too was surprised at the number of countries represented in the stats. I can’t say I have devoted readers in each of those countries–but it’s still mind blowing that my blog is coming up in searches by people in so many parts of the world.
As I recall (it’s been a while now), there’s probably more “blood-and-guts” type horror in ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD than in THE SHINING–and there really wasn’t a lot of that in ANNA. THE SHINING is far more suspense-chills-scary type horror. I don’t know if that helps. And I’ve seen the movie since I wrote that review, and I think the book is far better.
Happy New Year to you too, Julie! I’m looking forward to the articles on your blog this year–once you get plugged back in. 😉