Well faithful readers, today marks one whole year of blogging. Who would have thought when I wrote this post in the middle of the night one year ago today that I'd have stuck with it for a whole year? Not me. I wasn't even sure then that I wanted a blog. But it's turned out to be a pretty fun hobby, not to mention a great way to keep track of some personal memories and (obviously) my reading progress.
When I wrote that very first post, I stated that my goal for this blog was "to be intentional about what I read and to share about my literary adventures."
Well since then, I have completed 15 books, 11 of those being books that I read for the first time ever. I wrote recaps on most (if not all) of them. I'd say I've done a pretty good job of sticking to my goal, notwithstanding all those Casual Friday posts and more general silliness than actual bookishness that goes on around here.
So for anyone who's interested, here are a few pertinent deets from my first year of blogging.
- This post is my 131st post.
- As of 7:00 last night, this blog has generated 9,692 views (not including my own which would make that number astronomically misleading). Almost broke that 10,000 mark!
- My number one referring site was facebook.com (thank you, Official Book Club!) with honorable mentions going to carrotsformichaelmas.com and faithbaptistwh.org.
- People from literally all over the world have viewed my blog including people from the UK, Japan (thanks Oak and Caroline!), Russia, Madagascar (I see you, Marris!), India, Poland, France, Germany, and many, many more. I just think that's so super-cool.
- I did an actual giveaway which accounted for the week I got the most blog views and comments.
My five most popular posts were:
1 - My One Hundredth Post (And First Giveaway!) with 323 views. (real shocker. people come when free stuff is involved)
2 - Thanks for the Memories with 126 views. (ahh, nostalgia at its finest)
3 - Marriage with 97 views. (Marriage was one of my personal favorites as well)
4 - Happy Birthday to my Sweet Little Buddy! with 85 views. (go figure. cute animals are a big draw apparently)
5 - Waiting with 72 views. (probably the most vulnerable thing I've posted publicly)
So thank you, THANK YOU to all you lovely people who have kept up with my crazy little corner of cyberspace! I hope you stick around. Here's to another fun year!
...and in the interest of keeping you guys around, what do you like about this blog? What do you not like? Is there anything you'd like to see more of? How about less of? Be brutal. I can take it.
guest post from the masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteI agree. And I've been working on it. Hopefully before the next blogiversary there will be a couple. Excellent suggestion.
Deletecongrats on 1 year. you're so awesome.
ReplyDeletemore thoughts on pop culture! more casual fridays! more stuff like "waiting"! more contests and giveaways! and a guest post from cody is a good idea. i'm for it.
Thank you.
DeleteSo basically, all the stuff that has nothing to do with books or reading....
*insert one or seven of those laughing/crying emojis here*
deets.
ReplyDeleteIt's how the young kids abbreviate "details" these days. Because saying "details" just takes too much work.....
DeleteAwesome level of this blog:
ReplyDeleteOVER NINE THOUSAND!!!!!!!
It's a good blog. I approve. Congrats on your 1st year.
The thing I like most:
Your actual opinion. I don't come on here to get a synopsis (though a basic one definitely helps). I read this thing to find out if a book is worth a read based on your thoughts; which you do a great job.
What I don't like:
It's on the computer. Computers are the worst and I hate them.
What I want to see more of:
Photos of the book covers. Because, despite everyone's warnings, I still judge books by their covers.
What I want to see less of:
Mom using the word "deets". Come on mom...I expect more from you. Be a leader.
Also side question:
DeleteHow many comments overall? Will your super blog stat counter tell you that or would you have to go through and count yourself?
Thank you. I'm glad I have your stamp of approval.
DeleteUnfortunately, I can't do anything about it being on the computer. That's the nature of a blog, I'm afraid.
To be specific: actual photos of my personal copy of the book? Because the cover I posted for To Kill A Mockingbird was the same as my cover, but I did just find it on the internet.
Mom. Mocking my vocab. C'mon.
I would have to go through and add up the comments from each post, which still wouldn't be accurate because I respond to pretty much everyone's comments. So roughly half the comments would be from me.
On the photos: I just want to see the cover. Even if its simply a title and nothing else. It doesn't matter if you stole if off the internet or took an actual photo of your own copy.
DeleteI found the blog comment counter. Apparently, I have 838 comments to date, but you have to figure that just under half of those are from me.
DeleteThat's amazing!
ReplyDeleteYou're my blogspiration ;)
Things I like: getting to see your life from afar. And also, being impressed with the level of reading you're doing. It motivates me to read the good stuff.
What I want to see more of:
Personal insights gained from your reading. What other (even slightly off topic) things did your reading cause you to ponder? Did you change anything about your life after reading certain works?
I love reading your blog.
#personalhero #kindredspirits
Thanks, Caroline! I will take your comments to heart. In fact, I already have a post in the works about something that stopped me dead in my tracks while I was reading The Last of the Mohicans. =) It makes me supremely happy that you enjoy my blog and that we can peek into each other's lives through our blogs. #technologyforthewin
Delete!!! Hurry up on that post! I want to know which part you are talking about.
DeleteMy blog only has, as of right now, about 9,000 views, and it's been active for THRICE as long as yours! #ImBringingOldeEnglishBack
ReplyDeleteBut to put things in perspective, this particular post was my 131st and you are just now getting to around the 100-post mark on your blog. So if you look at it like that, our blogs are being viewed at about the same rate. #consistency
DeleteBut to put things in a different perspective, you account for approximately 8,000 of my blog views...maybe even more. #letsbehonest #yourethereasonimpopularatall
DeleteBaahahaha! I don't know if I account for 8,000, but I do probably account for the majority in the last year or so. ;)
Delete