Visitors
Google Analytics keeps me informed about my audience. For the last couple of months I would appear to attract a couple of hundred different visitors who visit The Wheeling Alternative at least once in a given 30-day period. (I do get occasional spikes in readership.) I'm not unhappy with that number and while I wish it were larger, I'm not exactly sure how to increase the number of regular or semi-regular viewers.
What about Facebook?
A couple of readers have emailed me that I should investigate using Facebook to publicize my posts and increase my traffic. I appreciate the suggestion and I've given it considerable thought. (In fact, a week ago I was ready to launch a Facebook page on January 1.) I also realize that some of my posts have received a considerable boost in readership (see below) thanks to Facebook and other social media. (I very much appreciate your support.) I've balanced those positive points with real concerns that my local blog doesn't fit well in a medium designed for social, rather than political interaction. I realize that these types of interaction are not mutually exclusive but most of what I've seen in my limited Facebook experience is social in nature. Additionally, as a very private person, I'm not sure that I want to give up some privacy for greater blog exposure. At least for now, I will pass on a Facebook presence.
Comments?
I'm quite happy that I've moved from my previous site. The one negative with my Silvrback blog is that I hear less from my readers. My posts no longer get an occasional commenter although I knew that would likely happen when I switched to a system that uses Disqus. I balanced that with making the blog easier to produce and for you the reader - easier to read.
On a slightly different note, I also like to hear from readers with suggestions, comments, or ideas for blog topics. If you'd like to email me, go to the contact page at my old blog here and follow the simple directions.
My three most popular posts of 2015
Yet another "fair and balanced" headline from the Intelligencer (July 8). As regular readers of this blog know, the Intelligencer loves to bring their biases and hatred for all-things-connected-to-Obama to its headlines. In this one, they brought back "death panels" to describe Medicare counseling. Google Analytics points to Facebook as the source for a high percentage of the almost 700 individuals who viewed this page.
Intelligencer edits global warming out of today's front page AP report (June 1). The local "newspaper" decided that its readers didn't need to know that the Obama Administration's actions on the environment were tied to the growing threat of global warming and so they removed all such references out of an AP story on the matter. (Such a report would also undercut their bizarre editorial stance that the president had a "vendetta"against West Virginia.) I thought that this post would likely be the year's most popular because a number of national sources picked it up including a twitter post and link from climate scientist Michael Mann. The post was viewed by around 600 viewers.
The Intelligencer lies to its readership (December 21). The editors blamed liberal Democrats for passage of a bill that a majority of Republicans (including Senator Capito) supported. This one finished a distant third with around 200 different viewers.
