Pete
10-18-2013, 09:13 AM
Last week, we performed a major server upgrade due to rapid growth, which has been steady for the last couple of years but has really ramped up over the last few months.
More people are finding us and that's been completely due to web searches and word of mouth, as we have never done any sort of advertising.
A typical month is now about 800,000 page views and on a typical day, we draw about 5,000 unique visitors. One of the most interesting and unique stats about OKCTalk is that the average visitor stays for over six minutes; this is a very long time in the Internet world and is a tribute to the ever-growing depth and diversity of our content and discussion.
Yesterday, 10/17/13, was a record day due to the Costco / Memorial Road thread going viral.
I had already posted most of what was summarized in that thread but took some time to put it all together, create some graphics and link back to previous threads and discussion. At first, the thread did not gain much traction, even after being posted through our Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Then, it took off. Several people wrote saying they had heard it on the radio and links were posted to two local TV stations and their websites. Evidently, at least one of the stations did a broadcast piece where they discussed this and even showed the graphic; not sure they gave OKCTalk the credit, however.
Some numbers from yesterday:
45,000 unique visitors
80,000 page views
1,000 simultaneous visitors
80% from Oklahoma
98% unregistered guests
All this is a credit to the great people that come to this site and provide amazing information. I wish I could be more specific but obviously confidentiality is a big part of keeping these communication lines open.
And I wanted to be clear that when we post something like the big thread yesterday, it's based on trusted, solid information that almost always comes from multiple sources. It's not that hard to separate out rumors from facts; I had been hearing about these developments for months and only after receiving the same information from more than one source did I make the post. The same sources provided specifics about Main Event, which has already been confirmed through a building permit just yesterday.
Of course these aren't 100% done deals; in fact, deals fall apart even after construction starts. However, we are very confident in the sources we have.
It is completely incorrect to label any of this as "rumors" unless you want to apply the same standards to many articles that appear in the Oklahoman or Journal Record.
We base our posts on solid information that we trust, period.
It has been pointed out that in 2003 another development was proposed for this same site and that it never materialized. 1) 2003 was a very different time in terms of the national economy and local retail scene; and 2) THAT development was reported by all the traditional media and yet it didn't materialize; so does that make their reporting "rumors"?
We stand by the track record of what we've reported here. If we were to list all the stories we had first and that were proven to be completely correct, it would be a very long list. The absolute worst you could say is that a few minor details weren't completely correct when we first break something, but of course, that happens in print journalism as well.
OKCTalk is not a "chat site" comprised of anonymous rumor-mongers. We are a large network of well-connected people in the community who pretty much know each other in real life. The relationships here extend well beyond just what you see posted.
And this network is amazingly powerful and all-knowing. We have representation from all the major (and most minor) employers, architecture firms, real estate brokerage and development companies, city, county and state agencies and virtually every other organization you can think of. And many of them know things they either share on the site or with me behind the scenes or in person.
These are all people with passion for Oklahoma City, and it's that spirit that drives this site.
More people are finding us and that's been completely due to web searches and word of mouth, as we have never done any sort of advertising.
A typical month is now about 800,000 page views and on a typical day, we draw about 5,000 unique visitors. One of the most interesting and unique stats about OKCTalk is that the average visitor stays for over six minutes; this is a very long time in the Internet world and is a tribute to the ever-growing depth and diversity of our content and discussion.
Yesterday, 10/17/13, was a record day due to the Costco / Memorial Road thread going viral.
I had already posted most of what was summarized in that thread but took some time to put it all together, create some graphics and link back to previous threads and discussion. At first, the thread did not gain much traction, even after being posted through our Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Then, it took off. Several people wrote saying they had heard it on the radio and links were posted to two local TV stations and their websites. Evidently, at least one of the stations did a broadcast piece where they discussed this and even showed the graphic; not sure they gave OKCTalk the credit, however.
Some numbers from yesterday:
45,000 unique visitors
80,000 page views
1,000 simultaneous visitors
80% from Oklahoma
98% unregistered guests
All this is a credit to the great people that come to this site and provide amazing information. I wish I could be more specific but obviously confidentiality is a big part of keeping these communication lines open.
And I wanted to be clear that when we post something like the big thread yesterday, it's based on trusted, solid information that almost always comes from multiple sources. It's not that hard to separate out rumors from facts; I had been hearing about these developments for months and only after receiving the same information from more than one source did I make the post. The same sources provided specifics about Main Event, which has already been confirmed through a building permit just yesterday.
Of course these aren't 100% done deals; in fact, deals fall apart even after construction starts. However, we are very confident in the sources we have.
It is completely incorrect to label any of this as "rumors" unless you want to apply the same standards to many articles that appear in the Oklahoman or Journal Record.
We base our posts on solid information that we trust, period.
It has been pointed out that in 2003 another development was proposed for this same site and that it never materialized. 1) 2003 was a very different time in terms of the national economy and local retail scene; and 2) THAT development was reported by all the traditional media and yet it didn't materialize; so does that make their reporting "rumors"?
We stand by the track record of what we've reported here. If we were to list all the stories we had first and that were proven to be completely correct, it would be a very long list. The absolute worst you could say is that a few minor details weren't completely correct when we first break something, but of course, that happens in print journalism as well.
OKCTalk is not a "chat site" comprised of anonymous rumor-mongers. We are a large network of well-connected people in the community who pretty much know each other in real life. The relationships here extend well beyond just what you see posted.
And this network is amazingly powerful and all-knowing. We have representation from all the major (and most minor) employers, architecture firms, real estate brokerage and development companies, city, county and state agencies and virtually every other organization you can think of. And many of them know things they either share on the site or with me behind the scenes or in person.
These are all people with passion for Oklahoma City, and it's that spirit that drives this site.