What's in a Blog? by Jenn McKinlay

Jenn McKinlay: Recently, an acquaintance asked me what it would take to have a successful blog. She said she wanted to have a huge following and lots of sponsors and all that jazz but she couldn't think of anything to post except pictures of her and her kids. 
When I mentioned the word "content" and pointed out that followers want more than just pictures and cute captions, that they'd want blog posts that meant something to them personally, she blinked. Okay, then. 

Here's the thing, having a successful blog (or a successful anything)  is a lot of work. A LOT.

Now I've been on the Jungle Red team for two and a half of its twelve years. It has been a delight (albeit a bit more work than I anticipated -- see above) and I am always surprised by what fabulous guests appear on the blog and the interesting, creative, informative, and fun posts that my fellow Reds put up. 

Because my friend got me thinking about the effectiveness of the blog, I decided to do an informational deep dive into the Jungle Red Writers's stats. I wanted to see how much impact we have, how far our reach extends and how people find us. It was so interesting, especially seeing which post had the most hits, that I decided to share my findings with you, so here's what I've discovered:

Jungle Red Writers has been viewed 6, 261, 460 times. Over Six Million Views! That's crazy!

We have a global audience that looks like this:

Our average views per month is 73, 635!

Most of our readers find us through Facebook or Google.

And the blog post with the most views (almost 40K) is this little gem right here:

The ABC's of Social Media by Dana Kaye

When I scrolled through the old posts revisiting subjects that ranged from writing advice to fashion faux pas to travel tips, it occurred to me that creating a vibrant blog (at least this one) requires a dedication to quality, being attentive and accessible, and a willingness to try new things. 

So, enough with data and numbers and my own opinion. Jungle Red Readers,  chime in and tell us why you follow the blog? New authors? Established authors? Writing tips? The love of life and books? Or the sense of community? Let us know!

We're TEN!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Wow. I just had the most amazing trip down the Reds memory lane. I've read the first two months of Jungle Red blogs!  It wasn't just for nostalgia's sake, and more on that in a minute. 

But amazing fact number one:  We've been blogging as Jungle Red, in various incarnations, for ten years! Since March of 2007.
2007! TEN YEARS!

That was the year Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the house, the first iPhone was released (at a price of $599), the housing bubble burst (with mortgage defaults up 93 % from the year before). It was the year of the Greensburg tornado, and Virginia Tech. Bob Barker left Price is Right. The Departed won Best Picture. (And the Red Sox won the World series, just saying.)

Our first blogs were SO different from the ones you see now. The first one, halting and uncertain and self-conscious was a conversation, sort of, about first lines. (So we're stayed on topic all these years) . But it had no photos. 


Reading back over those blogs (don't, okay?) you can tell it took us a while to find the Jungle Red voice. I love that evolution.

And since that day? We've had 4.5 million page views. Four point five million page views!  Something is keeping this baby going. And you know what? It's all of you. And for that we are infinitely grateful.

But we wanna know: Why do you keep coming back? What do you hear or see or enjoy? And when you read the Reds, do you do it on your desktop, or laptop, or phone? Do the photos work? Do you have any technical issues?  

Reds, what do you think about our Jungle world? 

HALLIE EPHRON: I remember the early days... Hank, you started it, didn't you? And I wasn't at all sure it would catch on. In the early days we didn't blog every day. Now it's a part of my daily routine and I look forward to hearing from so many regulars and surfacing lurkers.

And remember the Jungle Red quiz we'd ask of all our guests... 
Pizza or chocolate?
Audrey or Katharine Hepburn?
Restaurant or eat in?
It got a little tired so we stopped but it was pretty cute.

HANK: Oh, I loved the quiz! And yes, I was a founding member with Jan Brogan and Rosemary Harris--but Hallie, you came fourth, right? And started from day one.

Note Ross in the background here!

INGRID THOFT: Tin or diamonds?  That’s the question to be answered on one’s 10th anniversary!  The traditional wedding gift is tin, and diamonds is perhaps a bit extravagant, but ten years of original content and community is surely worth celebrating!  I’m relatively new to Jungle Reds, and I’m still a bit awestruck by the company I’m keeping.  Hank, Hallie, Julia, Lucy, Rhys, Debs, and my fellow newbie, Jenn, are smart, gracious, and talented, and I’m proud to share the masthead of Jungle Red with them.  I’m also amazed by the readers and commenters who show up each day with thoughtful, insightful, and entertaining comments.  There wouldn’t be a Jungle Red without all of you, so bravo, everyone!

LUCY BURDETTE: At the risk of sounding self congratulatory, hooray for the Reds! Ingrid has it right – it's not just the writing reds gang, it's our blog commenters who really make this a fabulous community. I was so pleased to be invited to join this group in the second wave of additions. I had no idea it would be so much work, but also a fantastic way for a writer to feel she's not alone. Of course I would prefer we all lived in the same town and could have potluck block parties, but since that's not possible, this is the next best thing.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Ten years! And do you know I had no idea exactly when Julia and I joined the blog? I had to hunt through the posts until I found my first one--January 10th, 2011. I can't believe it's been nearly seven years. Time flies when you're having fun, right? And I do mean that seriously. I can't imagine a day without Jungle Red. We are so lucky to have this ongoing conversation every day with friends all over the country--and I know there are lots of you out there who read and don't comment, but we love that you're there.

I did go back and read some of the very early posts, and while I'll agree that we are a bit more polished now, I think those early entries were adorable. And now I'm wondering how we could organize a virtual potluck....

JENN MCKINLAY: Debs, I make a killer mac and cheese which I am happy to bring to the potluck. Oh, and Ingrid, I'm voting for diamonds - in fact, can we all have tiaras? Even though I am a newbie to Jungle Red, the kinship I have found in the Reds community has been the greatest reward for me. I've met a lot of people in the writing world, but I can honestly say, I've never met a nicer or more supportive group than the people here. Thanks for inviting me to the party and here's to ten more entertaining, illuminating, and fascinating years! 

HANK: Yes, yes, ten years at least! And tiaras for everyone.

RHYS BOWEN: Jenn, yes, we all need tiaras! I was the first geographically different person to join the Reds, I'm not sure how many years ago. Almost ten, surely. Until then they had all been clustered in the North East and I think I was invited as a token westerner! My one disadvantage being that I could never comment until three hours after everyone else. But what a joy it has been, chatting with these amazing women every day. I never had sisters and this feels like a group of sisters (without the bitchiness and petty jealousies and 'mom always liked you best!) I
I think we have every right to be proud. Not only have we survived when we have watched other blogs come and go, but we have thrived. Our audience has grown. We have become a respected PR source for publishers who beg us to have their writers as guests. And we have built up an amazing and loyal community. So I'm raising my virtual glass. Here's to the next ten years, Reds community!

HANK: Yes, yes, yes, Reds. Cheers!  (Julia is on family business, and will be back soon.)

 So--five big things, well, six:

1. We're giving away books! EIGHT winners will be chosen at random--and each person will get a book from a Red!

2.  We need your input and help--what works about Jungle Red? Why are you here? Do you love guests, chats, writing life, reading life, everyday life, all of the above?  Do you read on a phone or a desktop or laptop? Does it look okay? DO you check in every day?

3. Check in! We'd love to know who . you are and where--time for lurkers to say hi. We'd love to meet you! 

4. Thank you thank you thank you thank you--each and every one of you is a treasure. We are incredibly grateful, and we are planing the huge party. Somehow. Somewhere. (what will you bring?)

5. And don't forget--comment to enter your name for a Reds book. 

6. WE LOVE YOU!