Top 10 Posts of 2011

I must confess that I am a little obsessed with Blogger Stats. I love to see how people get to this blog. I am curious (and surprised) by the Google searches that bring people to my blog. I know 1 thing- if not for The Hunger Games, my blog would have a lot less traffic. Here are the posts that got the most hits over the last 365 days. Thanks for stopping by- and I hope to see you all next year!

#10 With 299 views, this May 2011 edition of Book Talk Tuesday is the 10th most viewed post of 2011.  This was my record BTT with 26 book talks posted.  It was also the last BTT before my husband broke his leg- and then my dedication went down hill. Hopefully 2012 will bring new excitement and vigor to BTT! This post features some great books- Guyku, Throne of Fire, Squish and The Wednesday Wars.

#9 With 308 posts, Addy Smith is the 9th most viewed post of 2011. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and gave Addy Blog love! She now writes her own blog! Stop by and see what she has to say!  Addy graciously agreed to write a guest post for my 1 year blogiversary back in October. In this post NEVER TOO BUSY TO READ, Addy talks about her passion for reading and how she always finds time to enjoy a great book.

#8 With 354 views, Bizzaro ALA Winners takes 8th place. This is the post that really put the fire in my blogging belly. This post introduced me to the world- and I realized that people really read what I wrote and had opinions about it. I have a tendency to speak before I think, and I tell it like it is. Sometimes that gets me in trouble, but sometimes it results in blogging magic. I was lucky enough to get in touch with Tom Angleberger and Sharon Draper after this post. Betsy Bird wrote about it over at Fuse 8. I started on Twitter after this post- and I met so many amazing people who have impacted my learning, teaching, reading and blogging.

#7 Probably the easiest post of 2011 was 7th place Keep Calk and Rock On. This post brought 368 views... I am guessing most of them came from a Google Image Search.  In my quest to be a rock star librarian, I am always looking for rock star inspiration. This inspires me... although, there is nothing calm about rocking on!

#6 The 6th most viewed post of 2011 with 441 views is Thursday Thirteen. Back when I started blogging, I was on the look out for places to share my posts and increase my audience. Thursday 13 was a perfect fit for me. Once a week you create a list of 13 things- anything! And then share them on this website. You then visit all of the other blogs and leave comments. This routine taught me how to write for an audience (other than myself) and also got me in the habit of leaving comments for other bloggers. I know that 1 comment is worth more than $100 to a blogger. I think in 2012 I will get back to my roots and do some more Thursday 13 posts. This post was my 13 favorite Xmas gifts for the bookish kid on your list. Great stuff- from Legos to Hunger Games!

#5 My buddy Read Aloud Dad wrote and very funny post for my 1 year blogiversary- 10 Ways to Stick it to Your Librarian... and he brought me 551 views! My students laughed out loud at this post when I shared it with them! I don't know why anyone would have a score to settle with a librarian. May be Read Aloud Dad had some librarian issues as a child and he was using my blog as an opportunity to settle a score. Whatever the case may be, his post was funny and sweet and helped me celebrate my year as a blogger. I hope you have spent some time at his blog. It is so thoughtfully and meticulously written that it makes me feel like a real sham!  Thanks, Dad!

#4 Probably the most intellectual post of the year was written by Johnathan Auxier (of Peter Nimble) and Tom Angleberger (of Origami Yoda). how amazing that these 1 blokes wrote for ME?!? Their post about dealing with bad classics brought 641 views to the blog. As part of my 1 year blogiversary, these 2 authors agreed to share their wisdom and wit with my viewers. I still can't thank them enough for their generosity.  What to do When You Hate a Classic is the #4 most viewed post of 2011.

#3 Another prime example of my mouth working faster than my brain is this post- I'm a Mac, I'm a PC, I'm a basketcase!  The ICCSD decided to phase out Macs and only purchase PCs, except for a small few that may be requested.  It is only natural for me to air my thoughts and complaints on my blog- so that is what I did. I now have a lab of 30 Dells. I don't like it- and I'm not happy that they are there. Imagine 26 kindergarten students trying to "ctrl+alt+delete". Not pretty. Not pretty at all. I don't think this post is popular for my wise words- I have a feeling it is the image that brings the boys to the yard. Ironically, Mr. Steve Jobs passed away this year- the year that I gave up my Macs. Hmmm.... Anyway, this post brought 650 viewers to the blog. I wonder how many were Macs and how many were PCs?

#2 I know I have Pinterst to thank for the popularity of this post: Children's Book Week: Kindergarten Style. Some very kind librarian pinned the image of my kids playing musical chairs with books and WAMO! 704 viewers.  I do love Pinterest and I have gotten so many great ideas- some I have actually used! I blame Pinterest for not meeting my Goodreads goal of 100 books read in 2011. Shame on you, Pinterest!

The number 1 post of 2011 is.... The Hunger Games Cast. About 20 minutes on Picnik and I get 4, 982 views. 

What? Yes, almost 5,000 views! That is a lot of Hunger Games fans out there! Wowza! I wish they were regular readers who stop by and read, comment, hang out... but I know they came from Google image search. And did they just look at the image and leave? Did they see something they liked and decided to stay? Did they take my image and pass it off as their own? Did they share it and give credit (not that I need credit... I don't!) As a blogger, I always want to impact my readers- and 5,000 viewers coming to see an image is disheartening.... but, that means there are 5,000 people who have read a book- an actual book! And they came to my blog after reading that book to see the cast of the movie. Hm, that's ok, I guess. Right? 

Happy 2011! Whether you are here to look at a picture of Peeta, to get a great book suggestion, or you are a regular reader- I wish you all the best in the new year.  Please come back and visit again!