My Year in Review

I hope everyone had a festive and fun New Year! Welcome to 2014. 

Every year, WordPress releases a report to every blog, explaining what was the most popular posts, who commented the most, and other things along those lines. Last year I shared mine, and I want to share it again – because I think sharing these things might help other bloggers. Simply put, maybe seeing what worked and what didn’t work on my blog might work on your blog, too. Or there might be a popular conversation you want to join or write about yourself.

I know I could simply “publish” the review, but I want to explain in-depth what some of these things are or why I think they got that way. So check it out:

Shannon A Thompson’s 2013 year in blogging

In 2013, there were 162 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 220 posts. There were 304 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 84 MB. That’s about 6 pictures per week.

I work really hard to post every other day, and I always try to add a photo – whether it has to do with what I’m talking about or something light-hearted. For instance, my recent post about Scribd, had Scribd’s logo, but I also added a picture of Bogart as a personal touch. I try to be informative, but I also want this website to be a fun place, so I know you’re coming and going with a smile.

The busiest day of the year was February 26th with 717 views. The most popular post that day was Writing Tips: How to Handle Rejection.

My most popular time of the year was sharing another blogger’s website. This is proof that reading and writing on other blogs is essential to building a community when blogging. Plus, I think it shows that we don’t have to be serious all of the time. This was another day of laughter and taking publishing one step at a time while enjoying it along the way.

However, I want to clarify that these numbers are also affected by how much time I spend on WordPress that day. When I have extra time, I spend more time connecting with other bloggers, and that’s when my stats go up the most. So, again, spending time connecting with other writers is really important – not for stat purposes, of course, but for building a personal community of people who share the same interests.

…

The posts with the most views in 2013: 

1. Censorship of Self-Published Authors or Something Else?

With 183 likes and 83 comments, this post was “Freshly Pressed” by WordPress staff in October. I think it went viral because it was featured on the homepage, but I also think it had a lot to do with the timing. It was relevant and current – it was also affecting a lot of writers and readers who wanted to talk about it and spread the word by sharing it.

2. Writing Tips: Being an Author: Pros & Cons 61 comments. January, 2013

This is one of the number one articles that people find via Google.

3. Writing Tips: Different Perspectives 22 comments. March, 2013

4. Publishing News: Barnes & Noble: Paperback 60 comments. March, 2013

5. My Thoughts On: Young-Adult Fiction 61 comments. April, 2013

…

…

And, finally, I want to thank my top five commenters:

1. Ky Grabowski – Welcome to the inner workings of my mind

2. Tuan Ho – The Official Website of Author, Tuan Ho

3. Charles Yallowitz – Legends of Windemere

4. L. Marie – El Space – the blog of L. Marie

5. The Animation Commendation.

Thank you for your active support! 

My hopes is that this bit of elaboration helps or inspires other bloggers. I look forward to the adventures in blogging that 2014 will bring!

~SAT