By Daniel Dessinger

January 1, 2009

On behalf of the CultureFeast writers, Happy New Year! May this be one you never forget, as you leap frog into greater depths of personal growth and wholeness.

I won’t speak for you, but 2008 was an interesting year for us. We started off the year with a bang, pumping out two, sometimes three posts per day. Many new writers joined our little experiment last January. We cut production back to one a day halfway through the year when our staff shrank due to life circumstances.

Our writers contribute their thoughts and perspectives because they have something to say, and if it helps their career in the process, what’s the harm in that, right?

Let’s take a quick look back at the twelve most popular articles of 2008 as well as a few other interesting things, as we say goodbye to that which has gone before, and we look forward to having the best year we’ve ever had.

In 2008, CultureFeast.com had 89,985 visits. That’s a 57.2% increase over 2007. In 2008, 128,356 pages were viewed on the site. That’s 66.7% more than 2007. So we’ve seen some good growth. We’re nowhere near our goal, but it’s excellent progress for a site that has never spent a dime (at least that I can recall) on advertising or marketing. That growth has been the result of on-site SEO, social media, and word of mouth. We hope you will help us get the word out. There are millions of websites out there, and it’s hard to find that needle in the haystack. Especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for until you’ve found it.

Let’s go ahead and take a quick look at the top 12 articles of 2008. These are ranked by pageviews. While I would have selected a few other articles as standout pieces, these are the ones that you the reader read the most. Keep in mind that some of these articles were written early in the year, and have been drawing traffic from search engines ever since. Let’s begin with #12:

Number 12: Bring Your Dog to Work
This post by Jeff McCord has drawn readers from all over the country. 1,023 pageviews of this article. Apparently, more people than you’d imagine are interested in bringing their dog to work, and they want to see examples of this working successfully. I have to admit, I’ve heard four or five people’s opinions of the doggie situation at IMC2, and most of them weren’t real thrilled by it. Imagine barking, accidents, and irresponsible cubemates who ask you to watch their dog while they go into a meeting. Yeah, not so ideal.

Number 11: Freddy Interviewed Live on Kidd Kraddick
I drove to Las Colinas one morning to record as best I could the live interview of Freddy as he reached Dallas at the end of his Gas Money Tour. It’s not the greatest video quality, but it was viewed 1,042 times in 2008. Whatever happened to Freddy? I have no idea. I started listening more to sports radio this year, so I don’t know what really happened after the first month of Freddy Mania.

Number 10: Frank Gehry and Fetishism of Form
This post was written by Gary Karbon in April, and has been our top article for European visitors. Not as many Americans seem to be familiar with Gehry, which is a shame, as you’ll see if you read the article. This piece has been viewed 1,105 times in 2008.

Number 9: Music Review: Natasha Bedingfield’s Pocket Full of Sunshine
Erin Kennedy wrote this review in February. It’s been read 1,129 times over the year. Bedingfield has an amazing voice. I’m still on the fence about this album, but plenty of you were interested in getting Erin’s thoughts.

Number 8: Five Classic Love Stories
Heather Johnson guest posted for us one time in May, and her article made the 8th most popular article of the year, with 1,170 views. We’ve had several suggestions of other books that could have / should have made the list, so maybe we’ll get her to come back this year and address those.

Number 7: Facebook Says Public Breastfeeding is Obscene
I (Daniel) wrote this article just a couple days ago, and the response was overwhelming. People really feel strongly about the issue of breastfeeding and the right to depict it on one’s Facebook page, one way or another. This article was read 1,356 times in a 24-hour period.

Number 6: Kidd Kraddick Launches the Gas Money Tour
I wrote this article in April, and it received 1,627 in a short time. It was a cool idea that, it turns out, lacked professional execution. No biggie.

Number 5: Batman vs. Daredevil
Nicholas Johnson wrote this one in February. Honestly, I regret not having Nix write more on comics. His articles were hugely popular and could have drawn much more readership with a bit more consistency. The article was viewed 1,726 times.

Number 4: Movie Review: Evening
I don’t know whether Evening was a killer film, or a lot of people just like searching for “evening movies”. Whatever the case, this article by Ashleigh Holmes in April drew 1,747 pageviews. We miss Ashleigh a lot. She was our resident movie watcher. I do a piss poor job of actually reviewing the films I see.

Number 3: Take the Test: Are you Liberal or Conservative
I think it’s hilarious that so many people looked for and read this article. Michael Callaway wrote this article in April to be humorous and ironic, and many readers didn’t grasp that. They just felt like telling him his categorizations were all messed up and backwards. The risks of writing to readers on your own level. Regardless, the article was viewed 1,819 times.

Number 2: Caylee and Casey Anthony: Open Thread
Aaron Phillips wrote this piece in August about the national suspicion surrounding Caylee and Casey Anthony. The open thread was viewed 2,405 times, and was one of the more popularly commented on subjects of the year. We all wish Aaron would contribute his nose for news a little more often.

Number 1: Blackberry Bold versus iPhone 2.0
Jeff Mccord’s June piece comparing the two phones was a big hit this year, earning 2,890 pageviews. This was the year of touchscreen and innovative cellphone mania. Jeff contributed several pieces over the year about Apple, the 3G iPhone, and other tech related items. Jeff’s own blog took off this year, and he had to focus more time and energy on it. We miss him, and wish him the best. And we also hope he’ll consider checking back in from time to time.

So there you have it. The 12 most popularly visited articles of 2008. Curious to know what almost made the list? Here’s a quick rundown of the runner ups that didn’t quite make the cut:

Why I Still Read Comic Books, by Nicholas Johnson
How Will Terrorists Respond to Obama’s Election?, by Daniel Dessinger
The 8 Step Pre-Publication Plan for Self-Publishers, by Bobby Ozuna
Looking Ahead to the Next Batman Villain, by Aaron Phillips
The Need to Write: Tapping into Your Creative Flow, by Bobby Ozuna
Why Spanking is Necessary, by Daniel Dessinger

So now it’s time to ask:

What was your favorite post on CultureFeast.com in 2009?

Tell us your faves in the comments section below.

© 2009 – 2010, Daniel Dessinger. All rights reserved.

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