How have we done in the past 6 months?
Here's what the last 6 months looked like in reference to page loads according to StatCounter:
Thank you for your continued interest in our service. Below I talk about the past 6 months and what's in store for the rest of the year.
As you can tell from the above graph, we've seen a significant rise in traffic, and for this I THANK YOU. Blogging is a great exercise to begin with, but when you actually find an audience—a significant audience—the whole experience changes.
I can actually attribute the rise in traffic to one particular follower on Twitter: @CiaraBallintyne. Because of a simple suggestion in connection with my Triberr account, our average daily number of visitors went from under 50 to over 100. That's right. It doubled immediately.
So, if you aren't following @CiaraBallintyne, do so at this very moment. Don't delay. Don't even read the rest of this. Follow her NOW!
And, second, if as a blogger you aren't using Triberr to extend your Twitter audience beyond your own followers, you are missing out. Sign up today. For the little bit of effort involved in maintaining a presence on Triberr, you get so much more in return.
Note: May was a great month. Traffic exploded, mostly because I worked really hard to be active on Twitter and posted at least 3 times a day. June came back down because I was unable to be as active. There was still growth beyond April's numbers, though, which is what really counts, right?
You could classify the past 6 months as me being in extreme brainstorming mode. I've introduced a ton of new features to the site, and in some respects that won't change in the near future. I'll continue to expand and optimize the site.
In reference to certain features, some may stay; others may be altered, and a few might just quietly die. Some of this may be decided based upon how much traffic each type of post brings in and/or what other benefits are brought about because of that kind of post.
Another consideration is the amount of time it takes to put various posts together. I may streamline certain kinds of posts or at least post them less frequently because my time is limited, and since I am posting more than I was 6 months ago, I can't forget my other responsibilities—those concerning this blogging venture and not to mention my real life responsibilities.
Obviously, book reviews will always remain a main feature of the site. Bec's schedule has changed somewhat, so she may not be doing as many reviews in the coming months, and I've never had the time to do many. Hence the reason I've expanded the crew and will continue to add reviewers as time, organization, and interest permit.
Author promotion will continue to be a BIG GOAL for the site, but exactly how authors are promoted may shift and change. Please be patient with me as I figure things out in this regard.
Our short story writing contest is still going to happen (or at least that's the plan). Trying to figure out how to organize 100+ interested parties is proving to be a challenge, especially as I continue to expand the site in other areas. This is why the contest has taken a back burner position recently. I will try to devote more time to the contest, and it is my goal to have it done this year. (Fingers crossed)
I'd love to hear your suggestions for the future. Some of the recent changes have come about because of comments, tweets, or emails. Keep them coming. Even if you have some constructive critism, bring it. I'm a big boy, after all.
Thank you for your continued interest in our service. Below I talk about the past 6 months and what's in store for the rest of the year.
Where We Were
As you can tell from the above graph, we've seen a significant rise in traffic, and for this I THANK YOU. Blogging is a great exercise to begin with, but when you actually find an audience—a significant audience—the whole experience changes.
I can actually attribute the rise in traffic to one particular follower on Twitter: @CiaraBallintyne. Because of a simple suggestion in connection with my Triberr account, our average daily number of visitors went from under 50 to over 100. That's right. It doubled immediately.
So, if you aren't following @CiaraBallintyne, do so at this very moment. Don't delay. Don't even read the rest of this. Follow her NOW!
And, second, if as a blogger you aren't using Triberr to extend your Twitter audience beyond your own followers, you are missing out. Sign up today. For the little bit of effort involved in maintaining a presence on Triberr, you get so much more in return.
Note: May was a great month. Traffic exploded, mostly because I worked really hard to be active on Twitter and posted at least 3 times a day. June came back down because I was unable to be as active. There was still growth beyond April's numbers, though, which is what really counts, right?
Extreme Brainstorming Mode
You could classify the past 6 months as me being in extreme brainstorming mode. I've introduced a ton of new features to the site, and in some respects that won't change in the near future. I'll continue to expand and optimize the site.
In reference to certain features, some may stay; others may be altered, and a few might just quietly die. Some of this may be decided based upon how much traffic each type of post brings in and/or what other benefits are brought about because of that kind of post.
Another consideration is the amount of time it takes to put various posts together. I may streamline certain kinds of posts or at least post them less frequently because my time is limited, and since I am posting more than I was 6 months ago, I can't forget my other responsibilities—those concerning this blogging venture and not to mention my real life responsibilities.
What's Sticking Around
Obviously, book reviews will always remain a main feature of the site. Bec's schedule has changed somewhat, so she may not be doing as many reviews in the coming months, and I've never had the time to do many. Hence the reason I've expanded the crew and will continue to add reviewers as time, organization, and interest permit.
Author promotion will continue to be a BIG GOAL for the site, but exactly how authors are promoted may shift and change. Please be patient with me as I figure things out in this regard.
Our short story writing contest is still going to happen (or at least that's the plan). Trying to figure out how to organize 100+ interested parties is proving to be a challenge, especially as I continue to expand the site in other areas. This is why the contest has taken a back burner position recently. I will try to devote more time to the contest, and it is my goal to have it done this year. (Fingers crossed)
How have we done? Tell us.
I'd love to hear your suggestions for the future. Some of the recent changes have come about because of comments, tweets, or emails. Keep them coming. Even if you have some constructive critism, bring it. I'm a big boy, after all.
