It’s been a busy year at TBNweekly.com with nearly 500,000 unique visitors stopping by and more than a million page views. A check of statistics at Google Analytics shows a clear picture of the most popular stories for 2011.
Although no hurricanes threatened the local area this year, hurricane stories made up the three top reads of the year. Next in line was a story about the reopening of the Village Inn published July 6 in the Largo Leader.
Thousands came in through the search engines to read about the end of Daylight-saving time Nov. 6. Thousands also visited the Belleair Bee section to read the July 20 story about Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard’s plans to build the Casa Del Howard in Belleair Shore.
TBNweekly.com was one of the first media sources to report on the March 31 tornados that created a path of destruction through the heart of the county. Thousands checked in at the website to read the story and view the photos.
Another popular weather-related story was posted Oct. 25 on the anniversary the 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane – the only one in recorded history to make landfall in Pinellas County.
The story on the Village Inn wasn’t the only popular business story. People also were very interested in a story published Feb. 14 in the Beach Beacon when the Club at Treasure Island revealed its partners.
The subject of emergency medical services has been a hot topic in Pinellas this year and visitors to the website put stories on that subject in the most-read list. The county commission’s decision to remove fluoride from the water was the second most popular countywide news story.
TBNweekly.com’s readers also enjoy entertainment news with a story on the Chihuly Collection on permanent display topping the list in that category, followed by a review of Ed Fletcher’s Early Bird Dinner Theatre’s production of the Dixie Swim Club, a preview story on top comics scheduled to appear at local venues and a movie review on Cars 2.
The most popular feature of 2011 was a story published Jan 26 in the Belleair Bee about a Madeira Beach man who believes he may have seen part of a century-old shipwreck located offshore Indian Rocks Beach.
The most recent story topping the charts is a timely one: New Year’s Eve - Tampa Bay area ready to ring in 2012.
