The Barley Blog 2009 Year in Review
Keeping with tradition, it’s time for a little review of this past year on The Barley Blog. This was a busier than normal year for me at the office, so I’m expecting numbers to be down overall as compared to last year.
Of the 117 posts published this year, 81 of them for reviews. That’s a huge jump from last year due mostly to a generous contributions from PR companies, importers and breweries. I suppose, getting “free beer” was always in the back of my mind when I first started this site, but it was never the primary goal.
While the reviews nearly doubled in number, overall posts were down by almost half. I can confidently point to the day job and Twitter for consuming that half of the posts. Instead of posting quick links on the site, I’ve reverted to Twitter instead for those shorter links and notes. I might need to revise this strategy for the coming year.
Now, let’s get into the nitty gritty of the site. Even though posting was down considerably, traffic hit 22,031 visits from 19,282 unique visitors. Again, this could be attributed to the growth of Twitter and the work done with PR companies who have sent samples for review.
Just like last year, the majority of visitors to the site reside within the United States (81.9%) with The United Kingdom (2.8%), Canada (2.4%), Italy (1.06%) and Malaysia (0.93%) rounding out the top five.
Some of the more popular articles based on traffic data are:
- Blue Dog Wild Blue Lager (beer review from 2008 that really took off with a slew of comments from haters and fans alike.)
- Songs to Drink To (news item)
- Lagunitas Hop Stoopid (beer review)
- Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey (bourbon review)
- “Beer Wars” Reviews Online (a brief post listing reviews of the movie “Beer Wars.”)
So, that’s the year in review for The Barley Blog. Posts were down (damn you Twitter), yet traffic was up. I’ve made some good contacts within the beer industry to procure samples for review, but I really need to get more original content up besides said reviews. Hopefully, 2010 will be another year of continued growth and good health.
Thanks, all.
Update: be sure to check out my best beers of 2009 addendum.