Weekly Writing Challenge: Wrap it Up

Wrap it Up is this week’s Writing Challenge.  If you’d like to join or see more entries, please visit them HERE.

Initially, I was going to do this (and had already drafted the beginning of this for the end of the year) to be posted right before New Year’s came by.  But since,  it was brought up in this week’s writing challenge, I don’t think there would be much of a difference anyways.  We’re going to look at stats of 2012, because its been an AMAZING year here.  I’ve commented or “talked” to a lot of people that I’d love to call as my friends on this blogosphere.  Many of you have opened my eyes, some have given me a lot of laughs to get me through the stressful, boring, long days, others have introduced me to movies of all genres.  Its been a fun year running around here.

I started this year, changing my old blogging ways and kicking it up.  I started getting more involved and gradually, things did move uphill.

To wrap up the year, I’m going to do some stats and small facts:

1) Followers (only on WordPress, not other social networks):

2011: 2 –> 2012: 204

2) Views (annual totals)

2011: 673 –> 2012: 6,394

3) In October, I finally beat my highest daily views of 31 from January 19th, the first day I started on WordPress officially and now, my highest daily views is at 142.

4) Since February 2012, viewers from 88 different countries have visited.  Some of them, my common knowledge does not even know where they are exactly on the globe.  Time to polish up on my world geography!

5) As of late October, I’ve been working hard to expand myself on Twitter and understand how the whole tweeting works.  If anyone has crash courses or tips, please tell me.  Most days I stare at the feeds and wonder how people write all these awesome messages with multiple # and @.

6) I have gone from posting weekly in the beginning of the year and to mid year 2-3 times a week and now I try to post at least daily.

7) Comments:

2011: 0 (around there) –>2012: 824

8) All-time Views: 7,072 (as at 1:09am EST Dec 21, 2012)

9) One of the search engine terms was “Kim (klling) @ Tranquil dreams”.  Isn’t that amazing?

10) This post will be my 257th.  Pretty good, right?

EXTRA: I received 2 awards this year: One Lovely Blog Award and Beautiful Blogger, and a few days ago when I started writing this draft, I had received a 3rd award, which I will post up soon.

It was hard to come up with all that information about my blog.  I realized how much info the stats section provided. Now with just a bit more.  I’d like to introduce you to  my 10 most popular posts in 2012.  Maybe you didn’t follow me back when they were up, feel free to click on the links and take a look.

1. Who, What, When, Where, Why…The Last

2. Pumpkin Inferno

3. About Tranquil Dreams

4. A Word A Week Challenge: Love

5. A Word A Week Challenge: Journey

6. Christmas in Hong Kong

7. When Is It Okay…

8. My FIRST: One Lovely Blog Award Nomination

9. A Word A Week Challenge: Celebration

10. Thanksgiving Dinner: Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

Looking at this list, I learned quite a bit about this and what is a good focus for my blog.  I’m surprised at how many people did read my About page.  I actually change it every few months to keep things up to date.  As for A Word A Week Challenge, Sue over at A Word in Your Ear has reblogged the three challenges there and is probably the reason my view count was increased.  A huge THANKS for everyone who has reblogged one of my posts and a huge THANKS for just taking a moment to like and/or comment.  It means a lot that you like what I posted up.

I should wrap it up for real, its getting a bit lengthy.  Since this was posted up earlier, I have decided to give you a view of what to expect in 2013.  I have a few long-term projects I plan on working on, just have a few more details to work out to make it my own original one.  Choices and decisions on the final direction.  You can call them goals or whatnot, but it will open up more segments and over the holidays, I plan on changing the layout (and maybe the theme) to make it easier to navigate.

If there are any comments on my current layout or something you want to see more on the blog or to keep on doing or doing more frequently, feel free to contact me by email at kim.tranquildreams@gmail.com or send me a tweet or leave a comment below. Its fun to get to know all of you and what you think.  Don’t be shy!