Yep, you heard that correctly. One million page views! This is great milestone for the blog, and I couldn’t have done it without such a fantastic readership. It also shows how important a brand is, and having the right architecture to support that brand.
I would have to say that the most important lesson learned is focusing in on really good content. Then use the blog’s RSS, Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin to get it out there so people know the post exists. That is extremely important these days, just because there is a ton of information for the user to access these days, and the reader’s time and attention can be difficult to capture. This blog definitely competes with the media in this regard, but I am grabbing market share or readership.
The future is only looking on the up and up for the blog. I recently did some work to improve upon the mobile version of FJ, and I expect that to pay big dividends. My theory with this is that everyone is carrying smart phones these days, and it is very easy for someone to pull out their device during the little breaks in their life and check out what is going on at the blog. Standing in the line at the supermarket, sitting down at a doctor’s office, taking a break at work, etc., all of these are the times when folks look for something to keep them occupied or are just curious about what is going on in the industry.
What is also interesting is that more and more contractors and soldiers are using these devices out there. As long as they have access to a wifi point, they can surf the web and check out their favorite spots online. So it is a pleasure and an honor to provide a place for this industry to hang out at and stay informed.
As to the chart below, the one spike downward was when I had to switch to a new theme and upgrade the platform. But as soon as everything was up and running again, the blog did just fine. It was kind of hectic though, and it was the equivalent to doing brain surgery–or so it seemed. lol –Matt
