Discussion: Gaiatribe’s Five-Month Anniversary

Today is the five-month anniversary of Gaiatribe: Ideas for a Thinking Planet.  This blog was launched on January 14, 2009.  So far, it has established favored subject areas and attracted a following of regular readers.  I would enjoy further input from you regarding this blog’s progress and possibilities.

Where We’ve Been

Gaiatribe displays a dynamic tag cloud, and the list of categories also includes the number of posts per category.  This makes it easy to identify the most prominent topics.  These include Community, Environment, News, Activism, Blogging, Homestead, Networking, Sustainable Development, and Politics.

We use the basic Wordpress Stats function, plus the StatPress and Popularity Contest plugins, to gauge traffic.  Most days, the traffic is in the 40s-50s range, gradually tending upwards.  We’ve had some dips over the last month, though, so more attention would definitely be welcome.

According to Popularity Contest, the most popular posts are Three Questions: California May Kill Plug-In Hybrids and Celebrate Barack Obama’s Inauguration Day.  The post with the most permalink views is Discussion: Gaiatribe’s One-Month Anniversary and the post with the most homepage views is Three Questions: Obama Highlights Renewable Energy.  The post with the most comments is Discussion: Gaiatribe’s One-Month Anniversary and your input is greatly appreciated.  The category of “How To” has the highest average activity.

Gaiatribe is now listed on various blog directories and other social networks.  The Gaiatribe community over on MyBlogLog currently has 36 members, and the blog’s profile page on Blog Catalog has twelve reviews with a present score of 4.83 out of 5 possible stars.  I’ve also joined Bloggers Unite, an excellent source for blog topics and current issues; you can view my events on my profile page.  For activist news, check out what I’m doing over on Change.org.

Which Gaiatribe post(s) have you enjoyed the most so far?  Which post(s) have you enjoyed the least or skipped over?  Have you found the writing style to be clear and engaging?  What else has caught your attention about this blog?

Where We’re Going

As a new blog, Gaiatribe is still evolving; and so is the Geek Universalis Network to which it belongs.  You may see some minor changes in layout and labeling, or the addition of cool new features as we discover and add useful plugins.  Those of you comprising the regular audience at this time have the opportunity to help shape what this blog becomes.

The Weekend Meet’n’Greet continues to attract modest attention as it helps audience members get to know each other.  If you want to ask me about something or make a topic request, that’s a good place to do so.  During the summer growing season, I’m also posting more about plants and gardening.  And I have a new (cheap) digital camera, so the most legible photos are appearing in some posts.

What would you like to see more of?  What topics would you like me to cover that I haven’t approached yet?  What else do you think would improveGaiatribe?

How You Can Help

If you want to see Gaiatribe thrive, there are many things you can do to help.  Here are a few ideas:

• Join the Gaiatribe community on MyBlogLog. If you’re on that service but haven’t added me to your Contacts, here’s my profile page.
• Watch for some Gaiatribe posts on Digg and help promote them. Here is the latest one on “Midsummer Food and Decorations.” If you’re on Digg but haven’t already added me to your Friends list, here’s my profile page. My main interests on Digg include environment, space, general science, and politics; I’ve blocked out sports and health categories as outside my interest range.
• Leave comments! Feedback is candy. I’m hoping to build up a lively audience on Gaiatribe, people who will join conversations and share exciting ideas.
• Mention Gaiatribe on your blog, or anywhere else you think would be appropriate. Word of mouth helps spread beyond the audience within immediate reach.
• Links: If you want to put a link to Gaiatribe on your page, go right ahead. Do you have a blog or other website that deals with the environment, community, activism, Paganism, or other related topics? If so, perhaps we can exchange links. (Check the link list first. I’ve already linked to several folks I know.)
• If you can think of anything else that might be helpful, go for it, or ask me if you’re not sure how to make it work.

Thank you for all your support of my various projects. You folks are a terrific audience and I really appreciate you!