Sunday 8 January 2012

Paper, Pens and Ink is One today!

Well, a year ago I would never have predicted that my blog would even still be alive and kicking, never mind getting as many visitors as it does. This time last year, my first post felt like a lone voice, crying in the wilderness, wondering if I was the only one out there who felt like this…

Well, I am most glad that I am not! And to celebrate my year of blogging, here are five top fives about it:

The five top reasons I’m glad I started this blog:
First and foremost the fabulous community of like-minded people I have met through this blog (and through following others). I am in regular email contact with a number of people I wouldn’t have otherwise known and the support from them and from others is tremendous. Thank you!
2nd The realisation that actually, I’m not alone in my weird love of paper, pens and ink (and filofaxes).
3rd The fact that the blog makes me write something regularly. All too often I can get insular and start to wall myself in and writing the blog makes me look outside (and of course, any replies make me realise that someone is looking back).
4th The exchange of ideas and advice. Many of you have helped me with issues and offered some great solutions to things. Thank you!
5th Following the links to other sites that people leave (and disappearing down the wormhole of blog-land!)

And now for some numbers…

The five most popular posts in the last year were:
1st Book-o-fax – a staggering 1142 hits. This one surprised me. Not in so much as it was the top but that it had almost 50% more hits than the next most popular.
2nd Jade Finchley Goes to Work – 838 hits
3rd Personal or Pocket – 619 hits
4th The Writing Filofax – 558 hits
In general, the highest hit counts were on posts about how to use a filofax in different ways. I think that most of the traffic was thanks to being mentioned on the Web finds on Philofaxy! Thanks Philofaxy!

Five posts most commented on:
1st  Still no Finchley in Purple (the one that wasn’t to be) – 15 comments
2nd Another Filofax is on its way (except it wasn’t!) – 13 comments
3rd Traitorous thoughts – 12 comments
=4th New Filofax and Top Tabs – 11 comments
=4th Book-o-fax – 11 comments
=5th Turquoise Baroque is here – 10 comments
I find it interesting that the posts that were read the most don’t really overlap with the posts most commented on!

Top five referring sites:
1st Philofaxy (but of course!)
2nd Google.com
4th Stumbleupon
5th Google.co.uk

Top five countries reading:
These surprised me. Well, not that the US and the UK were first and second, but that Germany and Australia were so high. I don’t know why, but I didn’t expect so many readers from there… Of course, the German traffic could be due to Filomaniac. Anyway, the scores on the doors are:

1st US (8095 hits)
2nd UK (7639 hits)
3rd Germany (1975 hits)
4th Australia (913 hits)
5th Ireland (887 hits)

Anyway, a big thank you to everyone who has read the blog and supported me over the last year. If it wasn’t for all of you, this would have withered on the vine.

10 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your year 1 access.

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  2. Yay - a whole year of fabulous posts. I only wish I'd got into the Filofax scene earlier (although I, like you, end up disappearing into blog heaven following the various links). Congratulations x

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  3. Thanks LJ! Love reading your posts too!

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  4. Happy Blogiversary! Although I'm a regularly recent follower, I've loved all of your posts!

    And since you love links in your comments, I'm over at thecrazylifeofj.blogspot.com with a bunch of Filofax/paper/pen posts!

    Keep it up!

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  5. Yay! Congratulations! It's always great to read other Filo-lovers' adventures. Please keep writing!

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  6. I've been blogging for a few years and only recently started blogging about pens and paper and ahem, filofaxes. While some people who read my blog find that a yawn I have so many new people reading I'm frankly astounded. Just goes to show - blog about what you love...

    Tracy

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  7. congrats on your 1 year! i've enjoyed reading about your planners and the productivity posts were most definitely awesome! i hope you can keep it up (i've been sooo neglecting the blog thing myself and it actually might even be a year for me as well... too busy attacking my todo lists) anyway - hope you have a great 2nd year

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  8. Belated happy birthday to your blog!
    Really enjoy reading your posts & keep meaning to comment more often :)

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