Hi everyone! Once again it’s time for a blog anniversary post. This marks four years of the blog I started on June 1, 2018. It’s been fun!
Read on for a recap of the last year and some thoughts on next steps.
Readership Data
As with past years, I’ll say a bit about readership data. In terms of the big picture, we’ve had a bit of a drop off in the last year in terms of total number of readers. The blog has about 800 or so readers per month, whereas from about 2019 to 2021 it was more in the 1-2,000 range.
Why? It’s hard to say. Most of the drop off has probably been due to less search engine traffic. This could be because some of the more ‘SEO-tastic’ posts are a bit older now. And I believe Google privileges newer content over older content when it comes to its search engine direction.
Changing political interests are probably another factor. When a Democrat wins a presidential election, overall interest in politics on the left tends to decline. We certainly saw that after Barack Obama’s win in 2008. And we’re seeing it now after Joe Biden’s win in 2020. We also see the same thing happening with orgs like the DSA, where member numbers stalled after Biden’s win.
I suppose I might point to a darker, more conspiratorial reason. It’s well known that Google and other tech companies are pushing leftist content down the search rankings in light of the war in Ukraine. With their sloppy algorithms, they often mistake critical discussion of U.S. participation in the war for “pro-Putin” content. The war isn’t a major focus of this blog, though I discuss it here and there.
Is that a factor? Maybe. Who knows?
Most Popular Posts
So, what kind of content in the last year got the most viewers? Here are the things I’ve published in the last year that have attracted the most readers:
1. One Way DSA Caucuses Differ
2. DSA Statement on Russian Invasion of Ukraine
3. Mutual Aid vs. Charity: A False Dichotomy
It’s not too hard to draw a theme here. Lately readers have been interested in the details of organizing, especially specific orgs like the DSA. That makes a lot of sense. The people who remain active even during a Democratic presidency tend to be highly engaged and interested in getting things done. It makes sense that they want to read about orgs doing things!
Next Steps for Base and Superstructure
And so, that leaves me with the topic of next steps for the blog. In short, I’m still a bit undecided on this one. I’m still interested in the blog, and I still enjoy it as a creative outlet. So, in the nearer future, I plan to keep writing.
Depending on time, interest level, and topics, I might eventually drop to one post per week. I’ve been at two posts per week for several years now, and I think I’ve laid out most of the ‘theoretical’ posts that I’d like to do. Posts these days tend to focus on current events, new developments, and so on.
And even if someday I decide to stop writing new posts, I’ll probably continue maintaining the site as an archive for a long time to come. But I don’t think we’ve reached that day yet.
For now, it’s still about two posts per week!
