EngagingPlaces.net Celebrates Six Monthiversary

EngagingPlaces.net is entering its sixth month of operation and it’s doing well, thanks to all of you readers.  Each month has shown growth in the number of views and this past week saw a record of number of views in one day (432!).  Even more important measures are the number of subscribers/followers and quality of comments so this blog is providing a useful service to those who are working to preserve and interpret historic houses, sites, and places.  For those of you like data, most people are referred to this blog via search engines (such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo), Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  Most people come to the blog searching for specific people (e.g. Anthea Hartig, Barbara Carson, Laurie Ossman) or trends (e.g., 2012 Mobile Computing Trends).

I’ve also noticed that about the same number of people subscribe to the blog as follow me on Twitter, so I’ll experimenting with the type and frequency of posts in each media.  I’ve recently shifted to 2-3 posts weekly on the blog and 2-3 tweets daily on Twitter, taking Friday-Sunday off (views drop off significantly on those days–are you all taking three-day weekends or facing information overload by the end of the week?).  The blog posts will be mostly original or extended content whereas in the tweets, I will share stories produced by others and on occasion, breaking news.

The advantage of the two different media is that you can control how much and how frequently you wish to be engaged with EngagingPlaces.net:

  1. LOW:  Bookmark EngagingPlaces.net and visit whenever you want–once a week, once a month, whenever.  The right column has a handy way to scan the most recent and popular posts, as well as the most recent tweets.  Geez, that was simple…as long as you remember to visit.  If you subscribe to Museum-L or the Historic House Museum Yahoo Group, I occasionally post monthly highlights from the blog, so that can serve as a tickler for you.
  2. MEDIUM: Subscribe to EngagingPlaces.net and receive an email every time something new is posted.  You stay in full control of all your subscriptions and can pick a delivery schedule that suits you (immediately, daily, or weekly). You’ll find the subscription box on the right side of the EngagingPlaces.net home page.  If you’re worried about privacy, I promise not to send you spam or sell the list (in fact, don’t even know how to access the list).  The subscription service is provided by WordPress, so they handle it all and I only get a notification that someone has subscribed (which is a nice five-second ego boost).
  3. HIGH:  Follow @maxvanbalgooy on Twitter.  Every post on the blog is shared plus those additional tweeted announcements.  You’ve turned the faucet on full blast, but if you’re active on Twitter, you are probably already following several feeds so it just becomes part of your stream of consciousness.  Unfortunately, someone has already taken @engagingplaces (but lots of people are learning how to spell my name correctly).

15 thoughts on “EngagingPlaces.net Celebrates Six Monthiversary”

    1. Max van Balgooy Post author

      As you know, blogging is like running a marathon, not a sprint. You have to keep a steady pace to keep going so anytime you pass a milestone, such as an anniversary, you’ve got to celebrate. I’ll be cheering when you pass the one year mark, Barbara!

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  2. Sandra Smith

    Max, I have your blog as one of my home pages and I look forward to reading each post. It’s always thoughtful and useful!

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  5. Karen Graham Wade

    Max, as I’m learning the techniques of strategic foresight through my involvement with CAM’s Leaders of the Future group, I’ve been bookmarking many of your blog postings through Diigo in order to share with my fellow futurists as well as to save for future reference. Engaging Places came at just the right time! Congratulations on your first six months, and thanks for providing a great resource. We’ve certainly taken “a journey through time—and beyond” (sorry, couldn’t resist).

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    1. Max van Balgooy Post author

      Thanks, Karen! I didn’t know CAM was doing this; I’ll have to check this out. I assume Beth Merritt at AAM’s Center for the Future of Museums knows about this already but I’ll have to ask.

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      1. Karen Graham Wade

        Max, Beth Merritt not only knows about it but is on our advisory team. Lisa Eriksen is coordinating the project for CAM and Garry Golden is our professional futurist. Both Paul and I are going through the training (about 40 budding futurists) that will culminate with an all-day workshop at the Homestead in early September. Those of us who make it to the end will form a CAM Futures Committee that will function at the state level very much like the Center for the Future of Museums does at a national level.

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  7. Laurie O.

    Congrats, Max, on keeping the faith and for keeping it fresh and relevant for six months!
    Here’s to [imagine appropriate sound effect here] many more thought-provoking posts ahead!
    XO Laurie O.

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