Posting #500

I started Platinum Elite on Wednesday, October 11th, 2006, and somehow found 500 things to say to 27,600 unique visitors, 7,867 of whom found something interesting enough to come back for more.

In the world of blogs, that's not a huge number of visitors. But it is flattering that people find value in what I write - whether it's informative or merely entertaining, thanks for dropping by.

I have learned a great deal about website analytics and blogging during the past eighteen months. Sometimes, I can just tell when a posting is going to generate comments or receive links (both of which I greatly appreciate).

Some of the keyword searches that landed people on Platinum Elite range from understandable (yellow pages, Continental, itunes) to absurd ("elite boobs", "hipster vs. scenester", "is prostitution legal in massachusetts?")

There's a ton of great and amusing questions that people asked in search engines, and somehow landed here. Before I post those, I wanted to reveal a Top 10 list of the most viewed postings..

1. Mi Barrio

No idea why this keeps getting hits. It's a simple satellite photo of my part of Southie, and one of the first postings on Platinum Elite. I can't figure why it keeps getting hits.

2. KZPS Dallas - Lone Star 92.5

I listened to this station a ton about a year ago, and found its mix of music so unique - classic rock, country, and Americana, all with a respectful presentation. I believe the station has since tweaked its format somewhat. For a while, Google indexed my posting very high when people searched on terms related the station's name that I picked up a bunch of Texan readers and commenters !

3. My Starbucks City Mugs

One of the most commented postings thus far as well. It appears that there are a bunch of us Starbucks City Mug collectors around the world. I even traded mugs with Olivia in Germany as a result!

4. Posting 200

The last time I paused for a recap.

5. Hollywood Overstaying its Welcome in Southie

My local rants seem to be favorites of Universal Hub and Bostonist, as they are both generous with links. Writing about parking in Southie is a layup - always easy to get people interested and/or riled up.

6. Yellow Book Shame On You

Perhaps the crowning moment of Platinum Elite. It's nice to see how this posting continued the momentum of other local initiatives. People commented, sites linked to the posting, Fox 25 interviewed me, and I met with a City Councilor, all about the unnecessary distribution of these gigantic eyesores. My unexpected invitation into the world of social consciousness.

7. Canceling My XM Radio

I don't believe it was difficult as it seems...but truthfully, I don't know yet. I need to see if they bill me for June, as they have emailed me confirmation of the cancellation yet my XM receiver still works.

8. What Did One Parking Meter Say to the Other?

A moment of levity - Cambridge parking meters face each other, whereas Boston meters face the same direction. After I looked at the photo, it just screamed of them talking to each other. Hence the post. And the 14 comments!

9. Even Dogs Can Get Shafted During Snow Parking

I laughed when I saw this, laughed again when I posted it, and still find it amusing. Quintessential shot of snow parking in Southie, using a large stuffed dog as a space saver.

10. Departing Cruise Ship

Of all the pictures I have taken and posted, this is not my favorite. I like it - great timing, OK shot - but it picked up a number of inbound links and caused it to become popular content.

Honorable Mention to..

11. Boston Idiots on Bicycles

I'm a bit surprised that this was as popular as it turned out to be. Not just here, but also on Universal Hub, which received some spirited comments about this topic.

There might be a few more self-promoting posts this week. We'll see. But here's to another 500 postings here on Platinum Elite. I'm sure I'll have plenty to say.