2011 is ending, and I feel the need to let you guys know my progress. Here are some interesting figures (as of 12/19/11):
As far as actual time, I have completed 8.33% of my journey (5 months out of an eventual 60)
As far as locations, I have totally completed 7.69% of my destinations (2 states (Maryland and Virginia), DC, and Puerto Rico out of a total of 52 eventual stops).
While 85.45% of my page views (591 in total) are from the United States, I have a decent international following as well. In the top three: 4.06% (24) of my page views are from Russia, 1.52% (9) are from Germany, and 1.01% (6) are from India.
The top three browsers used to read my blog are Internet Explorer (37%), Safari (30%), and Firefox (15%).
The top three operating systems used to read my blog are Windows (50%), iPhone (28%), and Macintosh (10%).
Your 3 favorite posts were BONUS: Puerto Rico - Old San Juan and the Bacardi Factory (49 page views, or 8.29% of all views), Washington, DC - Part I (30 page views, or 5.07% of all views), and Why Am I Doing This? (29 page views, or 4.90% of all views).
These may not seem very important numbers to you, but it helps me out a great deal. One, it lets me know I'm not totally alone on this- if on average 118 people read my blog each month, SOMEONE is interested in what I have to say! That's pretty great encouragement. Also, a good number of people read my blog from mobile devices. This prompted me to enable my mobile versions of my page, and I have begun looking into new formats (including a new blog host) to polish and professionalize my blog. I want my blog to be visually appealing- not just a decent read.
I do, however, need to figure out how to get more interaction on my comments, Facebook page, and my Twitter account. Nearly 600 blog views and only two comments, 10 Facebook likes, and 50 followers. I've been trying to read online tips to improve those areas, but I'm a bit perplexed still. I loosened my security settings on comments (and have braced myself for spam) to encourage people to leave comments and suggestions. By the time this is published I SHOULD have my first video entry posted...it's a little rough to call it a full out "vlog" but I've got 55 months to perfect it.
Also, it's pretty clear that I currently live in the DC metro area. Around mid-January, that will no longer be the case. I am returning to my hometown of Pittsburgh. While this will make travel into New England lengthier and more expensive than just hopping on a Megabus or Greyhound, it will make traveling into the Midwest cheaper and easier. I'm looking forward to finishing up Pennsylvania in 2012, and venturing into Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, and some other central states before 2013 shows it's face.
Thank you everyone for joining me on my adventure. I hope you stick with me to the very end!
Happy New Year,
Terri Traveler
