Friday, January 8, 2010

Top 10 Posts for True to Words' First Year

Well, it has been one year since I started the True to Words blog. One year since I made the commitment to write more for myself. One year since I published the first post, but it was a concept in my mind long before it was electronic bits on a server.

Earlier this week, I made some Blogger New Year's Resolutions and talked about how I want to write more posts along the lines of themes I've already visited. I think the best way to do that is to revisit some of my more popular posts! Here are my most-visited blog posts from the past year:

10. Cursive Writing a Fading Skill. With 46 visits, this look at cursive writing and its gradual disappearance from school curriculum has been pretty popular! Apparently I'm not the only one who won't miss cursive writing.

9. Review: Slipknot Concert in Saint Paul. 51 puts this Slipknot concert review at No. 9. This was a review Slipknot's first concert in the band's All Hope Is Gone World Tour. It was a bitchin' time in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Except for Coheed and Cambria of course, but I digress. It was a shame Slipknot had to cut their tour short due to their drummer's illness, I would have loved to see them when they returned to Rochester.

8. The Word: Accountability and Friday Photography - Driftwood Sculpture. These two posts tie at 8 with 53 visits each. I really like the Driftwood Sculpture. It's a brief post and worth checking out. And Accountability? It's a damn good word. Informative and predictive.

7. Hip Hop and the English Language. After 61 visits, I am not surprised this post is popular. It comes up in all sorts of different crazy searches that sometimes thrill and often confuse me. I still think modern hip-hop in general sucks, but new-to-me Atmosphere and Brother Ali are starting to make me come around to some of it.

6. Third Annual Minnesota Garlic Festival. In 2008, I had the chance to write an article for the Wright County Drummer about the Minnesota Garlic Festival. In 2009, I got permission to post the article on my Twin Cities Freelance Writer website and highlighted it here in my blog (I also visited the festival again!). In 2010 and with 65 visits, it is on my Top 10 visited post list. I highly recommend taking a look, and then make sure you visit next year if you live in Minnesota. It is a flavorful event that supports local farmers.

5. Friday Photography - Minneapolis in Perspective. If you spend any time at True to Words, you know that photography is my second love after words (and Sam Can Shoot, if I do say so myself).  And Minneapolis has plenty to photograph. Minneapolis in Perspective has been viewed 74 times, and possibly could have even made it a contender for My Top Photos of 2009 at the Sam Can Shoot Blog, had I used this post's popularity as any sort of guide. A great photo of Minneapolis as seen from the Stone Arch Bridge.

4. In Memory of Ian Talty. 79 Views. A poem and a post I would give just about anything to not have felt the need to write. We love you and miss you, Ian, and your unique ability to find the Joy of the Mundane.

3. Language Barrier: Got Milk? This was one of the most fun posts to write. With 113 views, I'm so glad to see that other people like it, too! It's a look at how the "Got Milk?" ad campaign which was so popular in the U.S. absolutely flopped when it was taken international.

2. Friday Photography - 1953 Dodge Coronet. I get tons of page views for this from people searching for Dodge Coronets. 131 for this post. Other pictures in the full set of 1953 Dodge Coronet photos on my Flickr page are popular, too. I've seen some of the other pictures of Coronets on the 'net, and this one is a beautiful classic. The pictures were taken with my old camera, but if I see it out this summer again, I'm going to take more of this shiny red car with my shiny new camera. Yeah.

1. Ian Talty Exhibit to Open at SpotArt. My friends and I hyped this event ourselves, telling everyone we could. I was honored to write this press release and posted it here so that there was something published and accessible about the event. That’s part of why this post rose to the top with 201 page views. My friends and I were determined to be an all-out marketing team for Ian's photo exhibit and because of all the love and support for him, it was a rousing success. Hundreds of people visited the gallery and two pieces sold right away on the first night.  You can see photos of the Ian Talty’s SpotArt photo exhibit, too.

So there you have it, my Top 10 posts for the past year. It is a unique mix of content with some laughs and some tears. What a roller-coaster year 2009 has been, I'm not sorry to see it go. But I am curious to see what 2010 has in store.

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