Falkland Islands 1933 Scott 65
"Romney Marsh Ram"
Into the Deep BlueThe Big Blue 1840-1940 blog will pass the 1,000,000 total page view mark this week. I'm not one to obsess about blog statistics, but there is little doubt that this stamp blog focusing on the classical era is popular. Certainly, more popular than I could have imagined, when I began a Big Blue checklist back in February, 2011.
Monthly statistics show 5,000 pageviews by February, 2012, 10,000 pageviews by September, 2012, and 20,000 pageviews since March, 2014. This past month had 37,000 pageviews, although, in general, it appears the numbers have plateaued @ 20,000+ monthly pageviews the past 2.5 years.
By far, the Google search function is responsible for the vast majority of visitors, whether it is a phrase search inquiry, or a stamp or map image that brings them here.
Other Stats....
Most Popular Country Posts by Pageviews
Germany 1871-1921 24,663
Germany 1919-1940 19,417
France 1849-1900 16,799
Great Britain 1840-1900 13,848
Hungary 1916-1940 12,747
Italian States - a classical minefield 10,606
Great Britain 1900-1950 9,027
Aden 7,704
Funchal 7,625
Kenya, Uganda, & Tanzania 7,612
Jugoslavia 7,553
Hungary Air Post etc 7,522
India- Officials and Convention States 7,036
Japan 1871-1923 6,835
Greece Air Post etc 6,795
Greece 1896-1940 6,690
Germany Semipostals etc 6,442
Greece Hermes Heads 6,421
India Feudatory States 6,113
German East Africa 5,773
French Colonies 5,727
France 1900-1940 5,516
Jamaica 5,349
Finland 1856-1917 5,203
(I suspect some of the surprises (Funchal?) have to do with bookmarking that country page for access to the blog.)
Audience
United States 435,790
United Kingdom 70,525
Russia 45,239
Germany 35,560
France 32,442
Canada 28,997
Australia 16,484
Ukraine 12,025
Slovakia 8,435
Italy 5,949
There have been 433 posts published, and 1,567 comments.
My earnings have been $0. ;-) As my expenses are very low, and the blog is a relaxing hobby for me, I see no need to change that.
Finally, I owe a debt of gratitude to Robert Skinner of Filling Spaces fame, a fellow WW stamp traveler and blogger, who, through his encouragement, got me started. Thanks Bob!
And, a word to the wise who are reading this - There is going to be a major surprise and addition to the blog posts in about a month: stay tuned. ;-)
Now on to the next 1,000,000!
Jim (jkjblue)
Congratulations!! Regrettably I've never commented here before but I've been following this blog for a long time -- I'd have no hesitation in calling this the best philatelic blog there is (with all due respect to the many other excellent ones out there, of course). Your posts are always a very tasteful balance between purely philatelic detail and the wider historic context of the stamps, and the scans are first-class. Posts like yours for any one country would be an achievement in themselves but to give the whole world this kind of high-quality treatment is something else entirely. Really superlative stuff all round.
ReplyDeleteGee Gosh Rezonville - Thanks!
DeleteYou are welcome to post your thoughts more often. ;-)
Congratulations! Personally, I really appreciate the maps. Great work!
ReplyDeleteCorbin
I like the maps also. - Thanks Corbin.
ReplyDeleteAnd good luck with the evaluation of the Minkus Supreme!
Congratulations on reaching this impressive milestone. I got a big blue album of my own after discovering your blog.
ReplyDeleteThis goes to show that the state of philately as a hobby is strong. While organized groups may be on the decline the internet has made our hobby more accessible than ever.
Aaron- thanks.
DeleteI think you are on to something - I think there has been an increase in interest in WW collecting, and the current internet resources are helping that interest.
Congrats Jim. You've definitely earned my (and everybody elses) salute for all the hard work.
ReplyDeleteI am kind of surprised that there are only 1500+ comments in here. I admit that I could sometimes comment a bit more often, but on the other hand I try to avoid the 'me too' kind of one-liners and awe-expressions (some of your images/stamps are absolutely fabulous pieces).
I think that the observations on uptick on world collecting are true. Not sure how much of that can be credited to bloggers like us, but I like to believe we've got our own part in the equation. It's been kind of neat to notice how even the bigger stamp magazines have started to feature more worldwide stuff & collectors in recent times.
-k-
Congratulations! You surely make a great and hard work for all the philatelists! Warm regards! Catalin
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words Catalin.
DeleteYour own stamp blog site (blogdetimbrofil) in Romanian looks very good indeed!
I'm collecting this era and in BB because of this blog. Without it I'd probably be doing something productive...and I wouldn't want that!
ReplyDeleteLOL
DeleteI know what you mean Joseph. I would be doing something more productive also. ;-)
Thanks Keijo. I do like the images too. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, Linn's Stamp News seems to be featuring much more WW material recently.
I think the "only 1500" comments is due perhaps to several things...
* Lack of perceived self expertise by the reader for a particular country post that has been published. Most people will not comment if they feel they do not have a good knowledge base for a country. I notice the non country posts on more general topics tend to garner more comments.
* I think your own comment numbers (10,000?) are exceptionally high because you do such a welcoming job of inviting comments- the best in the business, in my view. :-)
Kudos to you Keijo!
* A high proportion, in my opinion, that visit the website are not stamp collectors, but stumble on my site through a search on history or maps or "pretty pictures" (stamp images).
Well done Jim. It was your blog that inspired me to start my own, and I can only hope that I have 1/100th the success you have had. So, can we expect to see posts covering 1941-1963 after you finish the first century? You have those Supreme Globals now :D
ReplyDeleteGene- you are filling a real need with your focus on catalogue reviews - Bravo! If I had anything to do with it, well, I'm pleased!
DeleteAs far as 1941-1963 blog coverage, probably not. ;-)
Doesn't mean I might very well expand my own collection to 1960+ (If I have time and energy), but I won't blog about it.
Actually, I still have a lot to do (blog wise) within the 1840-1940 era. :-)
Congratulations, Jim, on reaching this milestone. The quality of the posts and the impressive world wide coverage of your blog is obviously recognized widely in the stamp collecting community. More than that, you are a great supporter of fellow bloggers like myself. Thanks for your blog and thanks for the support. I'm looking forward to the 'surprise' you have in store for us!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gerben- it has been fun!
DeleteAnd I like the fact that there has been some very interesting WW oriented blogs springing up- yours in particular!
Congrats! It's been fun to be part of the big Blue community. As I collate Junior #6 (my 6th pre-1997 Junior album) into my 1997 version, I always have your pertinent blog page open and in front of me! Junior #7 is waiting upstairs, and I only hope that whoever purchased the 16,500 stamp Junior is also a fan. I think you and Filling Spaces have created a Big Blue community, for which I'm grateful.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you Joe for the accurate count of Country spaces you did for BB. It is very helpful to have another pair of eyes. :-)
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