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2011 Year End Wrap Up 26

James on a fixie in Baltimore

James posing as a hipster on a fixie in Baltimore, Maryland in October 2011 – Photo by James Schwartz / The Urban Country

As we approach another new year, I have been reflecting on the events of 2011 and how they have shaped both myself and this website. In many ways, 2011 has been a coming of age for The Urban Country. We have reached record levels of readership and have been told by many people that we are one of their favourite bike blogs. A few weeks ago we were nominated as one of the best new bicycle blogs in 2011 on Cyclelicious.

In 2004 I started The Urban Country as a personal blog. The name was reflective of my home country Canada – a country of vast land where the majority of the population resides in urban areas. I talked mostly of politics, the economy, the environment, shared jokes and generally just vented on whatever was on my mind.

In 2009 I started to focus exclusively on bicycle transportation to highlight to citizens of our car culture that it is fun and rewarding to get around by bicycle. Bicycles are a relief from the imprisonment that we call car ownership and widespread use of bicycles makes our cities more liveable and simply more enjoyable to traverse. Bicycling can make commuting to work or school – or wherever the road takes us – delightful instead of dreadful; gratifying instead of frustrating.

With our busy schedules we can get our daily exercise without any forethought or self discipline. We can leave for a meeting and know exactly how long it will take to get there without checking the traffic or bus/train schedule. It is liberating, and this true freedom of mobility barely costs anything.

In 2011 The Urban Country’s message began to spread and we saw more than 200,000 visits on this website throughout the year with more than 160,000 unique visitors. This would seem low for a mainstream website, but The Urban Country is still in its infancy and has room to grow and spread the simple message further in the coming years.

Through this blog and twitter I have met some amazing people who really care about improving this world we live in. Without these great people I would probably lose my motivation and slip into a state of cynicism and despair for our future. But the readers of this website give me hope for a better future in North America and beyond.

Thanks to all of you who have added The Urban Country to your list of blogs that you regularly read – it sincerely means a lot to me – especially when there are so many other great websites out there to occupy your limited time.

Below are some 2011 highlights and website statistics that some of you might find interesting. Following the statistics are a few things that I have planned for 2012 and beyond.

2011 Highlights:

  • October marks one year since I sold my car and went car-free. My transportation costs are now virtually $0 so I have $8,000 in my bank account that I wouldn’t otherwise have had if I kept my car.

 

 

Most Popular Articles in 2011:

  1. Critical Mass Carnage (GRAPHIC VIDEOS) (February) 73,361 views & 107 comments
  2. Americans Work 2 Hours Each Day to Pay For Their Cars (May) 14,815 views & 33 comments
  3. You’re Welcome Mr. Motorist (January) 5,861 views & 25 comments
  4. Anatomy of a Dutch Bicycle (January) 4,212 views & 16 comments
  5. Roads Weren’t Built For Cars (July) 3,819 views & 8 comments
  6. Bicyclists Must Obey Laws If They Want to Share the Roads (February) 3,503 views & 37 comments
  7. Motorists Prime Beneficiaries of Socialism (August) 3,441 views & 35 comments
  8. Bicycle Infrastructure Is Good For Business (May) 3,409 views & 3 comments
  9. The Bicycle as a Status Symbol (September) 2,586 views & 16 comments
  10. Trashy Bike Lane (November) 2,466 views & 21 comments

Top Traffic Sources:

  1. google search traffic (31,676 visits)
  2. reddit.com (26,900 visits)
  3. facebook.com (13,515 visits)
  4. feedburner (8,558 visits)
  5. imgur.com (6,514 visits)
  6. ehowa.com (5,213 visits)
  7. stumbleupon.com (4,668 visits)
  8. twitter.com (4,635 visits)
  9. google.com (3,750 visits)
  10. t.co (3,570 visits)

Top News/Blog Referrers:

  1. slog.thestranger.com (3,008 visits)
  2. npr.org (2,553 visits)
  3. treehugger.com (1,524 visits)
  4. thestranger.com (1,418 visits)
  5. bikeportland.org (1,236 visits)
  6. copenhagenize.com (1,196 visits)
  7. andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com (1,192 visits)
  8. ibiketo.ca (659 visits)
  9. prollyisnotprobably.com (642 visits)
  10. road.cc (555 visits)

Top Visitor Countries:

  1. United States (101,765 visits)
  2. Canada (43,452 visits)
  3. United Kingdom (13,677 visits)
  4. Australia (6,025 visits)
  5. Spain (5,463 visits)
  6. India (3,654 visits)
  7. Netherlands (3,627 visits)
  8. Germany (3,576 visits)
  9. Brazil (1,499 visits)
  10. South Korea (1,358 visits)

Top Browsers:

  1. Firefox (73,641 visits)
  2. Chrome (56,203 visits)
  3. Internet Explorer (34,228 visits)
  4. Safari (30,263 visits)
  5. Mozilla Compatible Agent (7,697 visits)
  6. Opera (2,825 visits)
  7. Android Browser (1,700 visits)
  8. Opera Mini (268 visits)

Most Bizarre/Funny Search Keywords:

  1. poop (84 visits)
  2. mature porn (52 visits)
  3. freematureporn (34 visits)
  4. how do nascar drivers pee (34 visits)
  5. thong blog (31 visits)
  6. do bicycles have to stop at stop signs (30 visits)
  7. mature homemade (13 visits)
  8. cyclists are idiots toronto (12 visits)
  9. human poop (8 visits)
  10. fat asian kid on a bike (6 visits)

Looking forward to 2012 and beyond, I have a few things in the works. First of all I will be doing some travelling from January until May and hope to add some international content to the blog during my travels. I will spend most of the time in China, but I’m also planning to visit Tibet, the Philippines, and the Netherlands.

When I return to Toronto in May I am planning to continue doing talks on bicycle transportation to discuss the benefits and how we can achieve a higher rate of cycling.

I am also planning to bring bi-weekly podcasts to The Urban Country to discuss transportation, cycling and politics. I’m working with a brilliant advocate/recent friend Ben who is planning to take this on in 2012. We will start with one or two pilots and get your feedback to shape the show.

In 2012 I am planning to write a short e-book that might end up with the same title as my presentation: “Rethinking Transportation: How the bicycle can save our cities and ourselves”.  If readers find the ebook interesting I would like to explore the possibility of doing a longer version book on a similar topic beyond 2012.

Lastly, I had a dream about making a documentary to uncover the car culture that is growing in China and the destruction it is causing in China. I don’t know how much will happen on this initiative in 2012, but I will keep my camera rolling during my travels this winter anyway.

Happy 2012 to all of you and your families!

James D. Schwartz is a Transportation Pragmatist and the Editor of The Urban Country. You can contact James at james.schwartz@theurbancountry.com or follow him on Twitter.

i share the road

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26 thoughts on “2011 Year End Wrap Up

  1. Kevin in New Toronto Dec 30,2011 6:28 am

    Thank you James. I enjoy the blog very much and I must say that I have been inspired to cycle more because of it. Transportation cycling is now part of my life. I am looking forward to what you will be blogging about from your travels.

    All the best

    Kevin

  2. Kevin in New Toronto Dec 30,2011 11:28 am

    Thank you James. I enjoy the blog very much and I must say that I have been inspired to cycle more because of it. Transportation cycling is now part of my life. I am looking forward to what you will be blogging about from your travels.

    All the best

    Kevin

  3. Bikeroots Sarnia Dec 30,2011 9:22 am

    Awesome year for an awesome blog! keep it up!

  4. Bikeroots Sarnia Dec 30,2011 2:22 pm

    Awesome year for an awesome blog! keep it up!

  5. Bobo Feed Dec 30,2011 11:53 am

    Great work, James! Have a very Happy New Year & a fantastic trip oversees- looking forward to the posts.

    We’re also really looking forward to the podcasts- what a great idea!

    Bee & Jay at BoboFeed

  6. Bobo Feed Dec 30,2011 4:53 pm

    Great work, James! Have a very Happy New Year & a fantastic trip oversees- looking forward to the posts.

    We’re also really looking forward tot he podcasts- what a great idea!

  7. Boyan Tsolov Dec 30,2011 12:34 pm

    Have a great time in Asia my friend! We will miss you!

  8. Boyan Tsolov Dec 30,2011 5:34 pm

    Have a great time in Asia my friend! We will miss you!

  9. Wilsonstjames Dec 30,2011 5:58 pm

    Congrats – it was a fine year on your blog to be sure. Keep it up. I look forward to 2012.

  10. Wilsonstjames Dec 30,2011 10:58 pm

    Congrats – it was a fine year on your blog to be sure. Keep it up. I look forward to 2012.

  11. Steven Fleming Dec 30,2011 7:22 pm

    Brilliant work James! What crude stats don’t show, is that people actually drop by your blog to read, think and learn, not just be entertained. Thanks a lot, and I hope you can keep it up for some time to come.

  12. Steven Fleming Dec 31,2011 12:22 am

    Brilliant work James! What crude stats don’t show, is that people actually drop by your blog to read, think and learn, not just be entertained. Thanks a lot, and I hope you can keep it up for some time to come.

  13. kfg Dec 30,2011 8:37 pm

    “the readers of this website give me hope for a better future”

    Ah! So that’s where mine went. Well, that’s OK, you make good use of it. Keep it up.

  14. kfg Dec 31,2011 1:37 am

    “the readers of this website give me hope for a better future”

    Ah! So that’s where mine went. Well, that’s OK, you make good use of it. Keep it up.

  15. Octavian Jan 3,2012 2:02 pm

    I don’t know….based on those search phrases, SOME people want to be entertained 😛

  16. selkiem Jan 3,2012 11:23 am

    Love your blog – was delighted to come across it. Around 6 years ago, out of the blue, I bought a bike and began commuting at least half the time to work by bike (normally I drive – approximately 22 km each way). I fell in love and along the way learned to know my city in a way I hadn’t in the previous 15 years. Although on hiatus (due to a bike accident which left me in a wheelchair for 6 months) I am now strong enough to look forward to continuing my love affair with my bike in the Spring (I am not a winter biker -usually April to beginning November). What is really cool is that 2 of my kids use their bikes exclusively now to get around as well as both their partners! It was fanatstic to come across your blog and get real stats and insights into the new reality – bikes are here to STAY!!

  17. selkiem Jan 3,2012 4:23 pm

    Love your blog – was delighted to come across it. Around 6 years ago, out of the blue, I bought a bike and began commuting at least half the time to work by bike (normally I drive – approximately 22 km each way). I fell in love and along the way learned to know my city in a way I hadn’t in the previous 15 years. Although on hiatus (due to a bike accident which left me in a wheelchair for 6 months) I am now strong enough to look forward to continuing my love affair with my bike in the Spring (I am not a winter biker -usually April to beginning November). What is really cool is that 2 of my kids use their bikes exclusively now to get around as well as both their partners! It was fanatstic to come across your blog and get real stats and insights into the new reality – bikes are here to STAY!!

  18. D Web Jan 4,2012 12:54 pm

    Your a great blogger and great human being. Keep up the great work!! Lots of respect from London, Ontario.

  19. D Web Jan 4,2012 5:54 pm

    Your a great blogger and great human being. Keep up the great work!! Lots of respect from London, Ontario.

  20. Cyclelicious Jan 4,2012 7:45 pm

    ratemyfreematureporn dot com?

    Keep up the great work, James. I’ve really enjoyed the Urban Country over this past year.

    My goal for 2012 is to ensure I’m the top blog referrer for you 🙂

  21. Cyclelicious Jan 5,2012 12:45 am

    ratemyfreematureporn dot com?

    Keep up the great work, James. I’ve really enjoyed the Urban Country over this past year.

    My goal for 2012 is to ensure I’m the top blog referrer for you 🙂

  22. cycling e-book Jan 19,2012 2:33 am

    Such a nice post.. This will surely motivate many cyclist. Keep it up!

  23. herpes treatment Hopwood Jan 24,2013 1:46 pm

    Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Many thanks, However
    I am having troubles with your RSS. I don’t know why I am unable to subscribe to it. Is there anyone else having identical RSS problems? Anyone who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanx!!

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