Huge Traffic Increases in 2008

Last year saw huge increases in traffic.  Not auto traffic, web traffic here at UrbanReviewSTL.

The number of pages viewed in 2007 was just over 3.5 million.  Not bad and certainly a healthy increase over 2006’s 1.2 million page views and 2005’s 334,000 views.  For 2008 the number of pages was around 9.5 million!  This is a year to year growth rate of over 167%!

Considering there were only two posts in February, the numbers are remarkable.  I know from my survey that just over 15% of you began reading in 2008.  In a weird way my stroke was good for traffic.  People went to the site when they heard about my stroke and many stayed around to follow my recovery.

In 2008 I had a total of 305 posts – an average of 25.4 posts per month.  Take out February and I had an average of 27.5 posts per month.  In 2007 I had a total of 370 posts for the year (30.8/month).  I don’t have a good summary on word count but my posts are noticeably shorter thanks to one handed typing – and likely more read as a result of their brevity. The stroke was sort of that editor I never had.

2009 will be a good year on many levels.  I expect growth in page views but it is hard to predict at what rate.  Since starting this site in October 2004 the growth & popularity has been so far beyond my wildest expectations.

Thank you to all of you.  May you have a joyous 2009!

Huge Increases In Traffic in 2008, More Expected in 2009

Traffic increased substantially in 2008.  Not on the roads but here at UrbanReviewSTL.com.

In 2005, my first full year, traffic was a few hundred thousand page views.  In 2006 it reached 1.2 million pages.  Incredible!  For 2007 it shot up to 3.4 million page views.  And 2008?  An amazing 9.4 million page views!

I’m targeting 25 million page views for 2009.  I’m also predicting/hoping more local businesses will see the value of advertising on local sites such as UrbanReviewSTL.

Thank you to everyone for reading UrbanReviewSTL.  May you all have a spectacular 2009!   – Steve Patterson

A Year Ago Today Copia Was Destroyed By An Arsonist

I was up early the morning of the 29th but not as early as residents of buildings near Copia in the 11xx block of Washington Ave. Click here to read my post from a year ago.

The butler did it!  Close, it was the ex-busboy.

From the St Louis Post-Dispatch on September 13, 2008:

A disgruntled former busboy admitted Friday that he started the three-alarm fire at a downtown St. Louis wine bar and restaurant late last year that caused more than $2.6 million in damage.

Gilbert Summers, 26, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty to a single arson charge in federal court in St. Louis and now faces a minimum of five years in prison.

He was fired from Copia Urban Winery in mid- to late 2007, after being spotted trying to cash another employee’s check, court documents show. He then applied unsuccessfully for unemployment compensation.

Summers tried to get his revenge on Dec. 29. He waited until 3 a.m., when he thought everyone was gone, then set three fires in patio, banquet and storage areas at Copia, 1122 Washington Avenue, and the Vanguard Lofts building next door, officials said.

“I did not intend to hurt nobody,” Summers told U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey on Friday.

A year later the restaurant is still closed.  However, the back of the building has been gutted in preparation for the rebuilding.

The fire was tragic, arson always is.  Thankfully nobody got hurt.  But I have to say this block of Washington Ave has been more pleasant without this one restaurant consuming all the on-street parking with their valets.  When they re-open hopefully they can work with Flamingo Bowl owner Joe Edwards on a shared valet service on Friday & Saturday nights.  Although if Joe Edwards has seen this 2006 video with me and Copia’s owner, Eyad Tammas, he may not feel much like cooperating.

I welcome the return of Copia in 2009.  I just want to make sure they play nice with their neighboring businesses.

Take the UrbanReviewSTL Reader Survey

In the interest of gathering more data on those who read my blog I’ve put together a short annonymous survey. The survey is brief and will only take you a few minutes to complete.  This is the same program I’m using to create my 2009 Candidate Questionaire so this is also a trial run before the candidate survey is opened next year.  This survey will remain open until 5pm on 2/28/2009 midnight on 12/31/08.  Take the UrbanReviewSTL Reader Survey.  Thank you!

Addendum 12/26/08 @ 9:30am.

The responses are coming in, thank you!  Your responses will be very helpful when talking to advertisers.  Reader Survey 2.0 will be out in October 2009  — I’m already getting good ideas for improvements to both the questions and standard answers.  Use the comments below to provide post survey feedback.

Addendum 12/28/08 @ 5:45pm.

I shortened the time in which the survey will remain open.

The Gift You Know Can’t Fail

Individuals have holiday traditions.  Families too.  If you are from Oklahoma, ever lived there or even visited during the holidays, then you are aware of another tradition — the B.C. Clark anniversary sale:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LJBB65r-9o[/youtube]

This is my 18th Christmas living in St Louis but I try to make sure I play this jingle every year around this time of year.  This jingle has been a tradition for this company since 1956.  They even have a special website, www.iheartthejingle.com, with old TV commercials and a MP3 for downloading.

In 2006 the family owned business celebrated the 50th anniversary of the jingle:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEFd2lCHCcE[/youtube]

I like that this family has operated this business for well over a hundred years — starting it 15 years before Oklahoma became a state!  I dislike  the commercialism of this season but somehow this jingle is above that.  Hearing it brings back my childhood memories of Christmas.

I like funny little traditions that people have for the holidays.  My friend Lois and I have spent nearly every Thanksgiving together for over a decade.  Our tradition?  Drink Cosmopolitans while cooking.

Happy Holidays everyone! – Steve