I started an experiment in January to create a daily publication, with the simple idea of introducing people to interesting topics. There was no goal in terms of readership numbers. The experiment was merely to see what would manifest through consistency. In doing so, I decided to post information about the site’s traffic - not to brag or bemoan, but to let readers share in the progress of the experiment. Below are this site’s statistics following the fifth month of regular publication. Past stats can be found for January, February, March, and April.
Most Visited Posts
- Sticking With Dropbox
- Maurice Sendak On The Colbert Report
- How To Auto-Post On Facebook
- Nike+ FuelBand Review
- Thank You
Most Visited Linked Posts
- The Talk Show Leaves 5by5
- Can Beer Save America?
- The Guinness Sinking Bubble Problem
- Fontroversy: What’s The Deal With Comic Sans?
- Panic Unveils Coda 2, Diet Coda For iPad
Visitors
- 2,099 page views (16,971 for 2012)
- 1,135 unique visitors (10,664 for 2012)
- 73% visits were from U.S., including all 50 States + D.C.
- International traffic remained strong, with increased visits from Germany, Australia, and Brazil
Platforms
- Windows (53%, down from 62 %)
- Macintosh (41%, up from 29%)
- Linux (5%, down from 9%)
Browsers
- Chrome (29%, down from 34%)
- Safari and WebKit (23%, up from 14%)
- Firefox (22%, down from 28%)
- Internet Explorer (19%, up from 14%)
- Mobile Safari (3%, unchanged)
- Other (4%)
A drop in page views from 11,245 to 2,099 may seem a disappointment. However, I am very happy with the result. April’s traffic increased dramatically based on two posts at the end of the month. Prior to this spike, readership increased at a monthly rate of roughly 7-8%. If I neglect the sharp increase and extrapolate that rate from March through May, 2,099 is well above expectations.
Thanks to everyone who visited the site and offered feedback via Facebook, Twitter, and email. May featured some great commentary that challenged my ideas. Keep it coming.
As we enter June, I am growing increasingly excited for what the rest of the year will hold. I look forward to yet another month of sharing and hope that June will offer interesting material. If you have any suggestions or comments, do get in touch or feel free to follow me.