Last weekend I shared my most popular posts in 2014, plus a few reasons for their popularity. Several of those posts are among my personal favorites, like my posts on marriage and feminism.
But I also labored over quite a few beloved posts that just did not receive the page views or comments that I had hoped.
When making this list, I had a few criteria. Obviously, none of the posts could be popular, but I also didn’t think comparing posts from December to posts from the summer was an apt comparison. The most recent post on this list is from November.
None of the posts have more than 3 comments or 52 page views (as of o1/03/15, at 2:15pm). All of the posts are ones that I’m proud of writing, that reflect my personality or values. Finally, each one is unique. Some of them are similar to other posts that weren’t popular, so I chose my favorite of each type.
5. Kappa Celebrates 144 Years of Sisterhood
Date: 10/13/2014
Comments: 2
Page views: 52
Hindered by: While sorority blog posts are fairly popular among undergrads, most of my readers are out of school. Kappa might be a huge part of my life, but the topic probably only interests a small part of my readership.
Why I love it: Like I said, Kappa is a huge part of my life. With the exception of my best friends in France, my closest friendships post-Furman are all other Kappas. Libbi is a Kappa, and I was just a bridesmaid in her wedding (along with three other Kappas!).
4. Solitary Adventures
Date: 10/19/2014
Comments: 1
Page views: 51
Hindered by: I didn’t promote it all that well, and I didn’t have a good picture for it. It’s a short blog post, especially compared to how much I usually write.
Why I love it: I felt very reflective and independent while writing it. I like sharing my feelings on my blog. I think it’s important to model my independence, even while in a relationship, to young women.
3. Salt Lake City Travels: Discovering Temple Square
Date: 10/28/2014
Comments: 3
Page views: 48
Hindered by: Apparently no one likes my travel posts. Most of my city-specific blog posts–Denver, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, Toledo, etc.–attract very few page views.
Why I love it: Out of all of my travel posts, this one is my favorite. Not only did Dan take stunning pictures of Temple Square, but I opened up about what I learned and how I changed my mind about Mormons. This post both extols the awesomeness of Temple Square for tourists and the awesomeness of the philanthropic work by the Mormon church.
2. 5 Reasons Republicans Should Vote Libertarian
Date: 10/31/2014
Comments: 0
Page views: 46
Hindered by: I think my readers who actually care about politics are liberal, so they don’t need to read a plea to Republicans. Also October was clearly not the best month for my blog, since 4/5 of these unpopular posts were published in October.
Why I love it: I’m clearly passionate about politics, since this was just one of three posts I wrote in the weeks before the Midterm Elections. I know too many people who vote straight ticket without even examining the positions of the candidates. I want to challenge voters to look outside the two major parties, especially if their own politics don’t perfectly match their local Republican or Democratic candidates.
1. Giving Thanks for My Loved Ones
Date: 11/24/2014
Comments: 2
Page views: 43
Hindered by: I usually publish my blog posts at 7am. For the week of Thanksgiving, when I tried–and failed–to blog every day, my posts didn’t get up until really late. Also the downside of blogging frequently is that each individual post receives less page views since readers often just read the newest post instead of all missed posts.
Why I love it: While I didn’t meet my goal of blogging about thankfulness each day for a week, I love the posts I did write. I’m glad I took the time to write out how important my husband, family, and friends are to me. Dan read this post, even if (almost) no one else did.
Do you have any beloved posts that are beloved by you alone?
