Readership Up

July 5th, 2010 at 7:00 pm by David Farrar

The Herald had this story last week:

BLOG HEAVEN

Kiwiblog has increased unique users 43 per cent in the past two years _ a much bigger increase than that recorded for Public Address.

Figures released by Nielsen Online research for June 24 show the National Party friendly blog increased from 33,548 in May 2008 to 48,067 for the same date in 2010.

The liberal and Labour friendly community Public Address increased from 16,471 to 18,545, an increase of 13 per cent.

Kiwiblog dominates the mainstream right of centre political market, while Public Address shares the left with several bloggers.

Kiwiblog owner David Farrar said that commercial returns from political blogging were small unless they were international in scope or focused on the US market.

What I found funny is I was totally unaware of this stat until the NZ Herald rang me asking me for comment on it. I leave pretty much all the advertising to Scoop and Ffunnell and just have a browse through the quarterly reports every three months.

I used to follow my stats monthly, but look at Google Analytics rarely now. So I had no idea that traffic had increased by 43% over two years. Especially pleasing is that it hasn’t dropped away with the change of Government, but has in fact grown.

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28 Responses to “Readership Up”

  1. Lucia Maria (1,380) Says:

    I think blog traffic in general is up, but it’s not surprising that it’s gone your way. Maybe it’s your relaxed commenting rules and energiser bunny daily blog posting that does it. Public Address is just so staid and boring and public service style, that it’s not interesting enough to even visit.

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  2. Redbaiter (13,197) Says:

    More than three times the increase on Kiwiblog as on Public Address.

    Funny that. People must like what they read here much more than what they read on Public Address.

    Given that (according to the commies unnecessarily frequenting this place), we’re all right wing lunatics completely disconnected from mainstream opinion, you’d think it would be the other way around.

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  3. Pete George (17,595) Says:

    the National Party friendly blog

    Have they followed comments here lately?

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  4. Johnboy (10,722) Says:

    http://www.freewebs.com/dementedlilmonkey/

    Or for the really demented:

    http://pengor.blogspot.com/

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  5. Caleb (463) Says:

    nice.

    got any long term goals?

    how about a video blog internet channel…

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  6. homepaddock (414) Says:

    Congrats – especially when there’s only one of you here and a team over there.

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  7. sbk (248) Says:

    Kiwiblog has increased unique users 43 per cent…less one unique/past user…no prizes.

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  8. RKBee (1,344) Says:

    43 per cent in the past two years… 48,067 users.. time to go international and focused on the US market.

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  9. David Farrar (1,735) Says:

    Incidentally I don’t see it as a competition. I think Public Address is a great read and enjoy the variety of writers and issues there. It is very different to KB. I am just pleased with the growth in numbers in an absolute sense.

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  10. axeman (199) Says:

    Yes well done. The figures do seem to be consistent.

    Meanwhile one of the frothing union fundamentalist wingnut dickwads on the (SUB) standard had the temerity to call Kiwiblog ‘place is just a right-wing echo chamber’ Another bright call by the rampantly dishonest collective joke.

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  11. Redbaiter (13,197) Says:

    “Incidentally I don’t see it as a competition.”

    They do.

    “I think Public Address is a great read and enjoy the variety of writers and issues there.”

    Well that’s very courteous and magnanimous of you Mr. Farrar, especially considering the time and effort that they (PA) put into slagging off Kiwiblog.

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  12. Fale Andrew Lesa (473) Says:

    Well done David Farrar, a tribute to the success of your commitment effort to brutal honesty, freedom of thought but also for exposing us to the ‘other side’ of the political divide (it’s very common to acquire a Socialist-orientated approach to modern NZ media). I have found most New Zealand blog’s rather stale to be honest, traditionally I’ve prefered the international blogging community as opposed to the national cyber scene (more interesting debate, wider perspective, less monitoring of posting’s, etc).

    It was your blog that brought me a little closer to home.
    :D

    Happy blogging everyone.

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  13. Lee C (4,499) Says:

    I’d go further – to me kiwiblog is culturally relevant. It spawned the ‘need’ for countless others to get involved (some searingly briliant – like Monkey with Typewriter – and some searingly defensive – like The Standard.)

    When the history of blogging in NZ is written (and one day it shall be) kiwiblog will reign supreme as the most relevant and historically groundbreaking of them all.

    So, David feel free to treat yourself to another day of drunken bingeing on champagne and patronising the lower orders with your minions.

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  14. John Ansell (857) Says:

    Fantastic achievement David. Have another hangover.

    I think one of the main reasons you pull so many readers is that, like Lockwood Smith, both sides respect you for being fair.

    You’re always happy to praise the other side or criticise your own when the situation demands it, and that’s refreshing.

    God knows why you don’t win those Blog of the Year awards – same reason comedies don’t win Oscars I guess.

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  15. Ross Nixon (532) Says:

    Just a friendly request to David: Please modify your blog to being the “National and ACT Party friendly blog”.
    You know… in anticipation of the swing to the right caused by the Emissions Trading Scam!

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  16. mattyroo (831) Says:

    The beauty about Kiwiblog and David Farrar is, that the entities are consistent with something I strongly believe in, in a competitive market, or life for that matter – never lower yourself to their level. One thing I think you do very well Mr. Farrar.

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  17. Pete George (17,595) Says:

    Please modify your blog to being the “National and ACT Party friendly blog”.

    I don’t think DPF claims anywhere that Kiwiblog is “National Party friendly”, that is one of the blog’s main strengths, it doesn’t favour or restrict – any individual or group is free to comment here more freely than most other blogs. Because of this freedom some seem to claim the blog as their own forum.

    Actoids like it here because they have virtually free reign to promote themselves, and some of them (and others) are actively unfriendly to National.

    DPF is very light handed in his influence and control of what runs in the blogs, from his perspective the blog is friendly to any political or non-aligned post (at least that’s what is apparent). The same can’t be said of some of the posters here, they take advantage of the freedom and friendliness of Kiwiblog to be decidedly unfriendly as they try and bully other views off “their” patch.

    Kiwiblog/DPF excels with regular informed political and topical blogs. It succeeds because it is managed with an open friendliness. It would be better if that wasn’t abused.

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  18. stephen (4,063) Says:

    Have they followed comments here lately?

    There’s a big difference between ‘the blog’ and half a dozen regular commenters who slag off National for not being right wing enough.

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  19. Nick Archer (136) Says:

    You are obviously doing something right Dave as KB is the only blog I regularly read as it has a wide variety of things and the comments section is always full of very insightful comment. And also everyone I know across the entire political spectrum tends to check KB regularly I think you have the formula just right, even those who think you are biased still come and visit KB for the comments and wide variety of stuff plus insightful stuff too, I think with most of the political issues that come up (like the MPs expenses) most of the comments made were on KB (especially intersting comments on the receipts from the NZ Herald’s review function of them all)…

    Agree with Lucia Maria, I first read Public Address cause few years ago they were rated highly and found them for my tastes to be bit overrated. The only time I read PA is when you provide an interesting link from time to time…

    Also your other links are pretty good too (latest and best from Whaleoil, Dim Post), the Editorials etc…

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  20. ben (2,366) Says:

    Congratulations David.

    I do find it hard to see the right wing on this blog. More middle of the road common sense stuff. Had David previously had a Labour affiliation, as is possible I guess, then this would be labelled a centre left blog, with precisely the same content. The overriding filter here is reason not politics. Good stuff I say.

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  21. Redbaiter (13,197) Says:

    Kiwiblog threads are lately clogged with so many whining wittering commies who can’t write anything from any perspective other than that of a victim. If they’re so unhappy, you’d think they’d find somewhere more “appropriate” for their boring bob each way shit.

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  22. Pete George (17,595) Says:

    Who sounds like a whining unhappy victim?

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  23. Redbaiter (13,197) Says:

    You think you’re a victim now Commie, wait till the shit really hits the fan.

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  24. American Gardener (554) Says:

    Russell you casually throw around labels Commie which merely demonstrates your lack of discrimination and understanding of the issues. You really should stop using the Glen-Beck-Rant-Amaton to generate your comments.

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  25. Redbaiter (13,197) Says:

    “You really should stop using the Glen-Beck-Rant-Amaton to generate your comments.”

    Hey Yellow back, you should learn a bit of history. You’re so sure you know who I am, you should also know I was calling amoral brain damaged scum like you ‘Commies’ long before Glenn Beck was ever heard of. Since I started writing on the internet, I’ve always been aware of your pitiful desperation to control language, and how you perpetually struggle to conceal truth.

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  26. Kris K (3,570) Says:

    Congratulations, DPF.

    I’m glad all those regular fundamentalist Christian bigot commenters haven’t scared everyone away … ;)

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  27. Angus (535) Says:

    What makes Kiwiblog stand out is that DPF allows most comments to stand. Go over to The Standard with a divergent view to theirs and you’re soon deleted or banned under the guise of “abuse” or “offense” (Red Alert is even worse)

    As for PA, I’ve only been there about half dozen times . . just an online circle-jerking forum.

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  28. OECD rank 22 kiwi (2,672) Says:

    In the Marketplace of Ideas Kiwiblog is the clear winner.

    The winner takes it all
    The loser standing small

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