Top 10

I have a nifty little widget in my sidebar that shows the top posts of all time on this blog.  That's based specifically on page views direct to those links so it doesn't take into account posts read by those who just show up on my page.

The post that has the most direct page views?  Me posting about my birthday last year.  3,015 page views.  That's crazy!  There is nothing special or brilliant about that post!

Big drop from 3,015 page views to the number 2 spot- a post I wrote in March about Love.  It has 786 page views.  It's a post with more "meat" to it, more thought and emotion.

What slays me is that Blogger seems to have changed their Stats area and I can no longer really dig in to my stats.  I would love to know more about those 786 page views and where that traffic came from.  My curiosity about those 3,015 hits is kinda nutty.

I've always taken some pride in my "I'm An Ally and I Give A Damn and I Love God, too" post.  It's generated the most comments and discussion.  In terms of direct page views, it is staying on the Top 10 list with 287 hits.  But it's the kind of post I'd love to have generate more traffic.  It's a passion topic for me- just like my post on Divorce.


Some of the writing I've done for local tourism or sharing about local events make my Top 10, too.  Like my post about Santa Claus, IN and my post about last year's Dig IN - A Taste of Indiana event and sharing my feelings about the Tragedy at the Fair.  


Then there's the controversy- like the Summerfest post and the Art Class post.


But what really tickles me is that my post about How I Eat M&M's remains on the Top 10.


Not knowing the traffic sources means I don't know how people came to land on those posts.  Twitter?  Facebook shares? Google + or Google searches?


And it gets me to wondering about all the posts I've written in all the years that I've been blogging... what posts have I written that I felt were really worth reading, that I felt were some of my best, that would make up my personal Top 10?  Are the links in my About Me page really what I value most?


And that gets me wondering about posts I've written that you remember... when my readers, some of whom have been along for the ride since the start, think back on things I've shared, what posts have left an impression?  Made an impact?  Because page views don't capture that information.