As Shortboxed wraps up 2014, and our 3rd month of existence, we take this time to look back at our (admittedly) short life and the posts that you read the most. We also have some other stats that we think are interesting, and we hope that you do too.
First, let’s take a look at your, our audience’s, origin story. The Top 5 Places that generate traffic are:
1. Reddit: Gene, BJ and I are active Redditors and sometimes we take the time to post some of our stories in places like /r/comicbooks and /r/movies. We try to maintain a fine line of being active in the community and not just haphazardly posting links to our site when we can. Thank you Redditors for hanging out with us from time to time. Feel free to let us know what you think!
2. Facebook: While Shortboxed doesn’t actively maintain a Facebook page, we all are hyper-connected because we live in Silicon Valley (choke choke, cough cough, nudge nudge) sorry.
3. Twitter: Well, you know.
4. Google+: (thanks to my unusually large Following on G+, we manage to grab a few eyeballs every once and awhile).
5. Flipboard (?!?) Really, #5 has to be some sort of combo of good SEO and our amazing Instagram audience. Gene mans our Instagram and has really built up a nice following sharing pictures of his personal comic collection and our Convention outings.
We also have readers from 91 different countries, with a special shoutout to our avid reader in Malawi!
Alright, on to the Top 5 Posts of 2014
5) Shing Yin Khor on Comic Creation, Industry Barriers and Writing From Experience
Shing Yin Khor was one of our first creator interviews at Shortboxed.
My themes are inspired by historical hoaxes, old museums, cabinets of curiosities and pre-Linnean taxonomy; My palettes are inspired by the more obnoxiously colourful parts of nature, especially invertebrates.”
I fell in love with her curious beasts and her fantastic watercolors, but most of all – the content of her comics spoke to me and the rest of the Shortboxed team. Apparently it spoke to you all as well. Thanks to Shing for the great interview and cracking the top 5.
4) The Complete Guide to Buying Comics at a Comic Con
Gene’s über detailed and comprehensive guide to buying comics at a comic con is perhaps our most helpful content for those of you hitting or thinking about hitting the convention circuit in dreams of landing the big one. Your comic book Holy Grail (I have the distinct misfortune of being super vanilla and enjoying the heck out of some Superman comics, meaning my Holy Grail is… you guessed it… the most expensive comic of all time, Action Comics #1).
I never attend a con without what I refer to as “The Bible.” The Bible is my personal conference guide that I create before every single con. In it is a collection of information that prepares me to have a successful con, and helps keep my focus on the things I want to accomplish. So what’s in The Bible?
Alright guys, he promised you a Bible. Go read his post… after you’re done read this one, obviously.
3) Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo 2014 Cosplay Roundup
Need we say more? Comikaze featured a ton of great costumes – and we were there to get pictures of our favorites. Many of you took your time going through our modest photo gallery, including a cameo of one of our own dressed up as a certain vermillion arrow…
2) The CW’s The Flash Character Guide
BJ’s on-going character guide for The CW’s series featuring the famed Scarlet Speedster is the gift that keeps on giving. The Flash is such a high-quality show that it attracts new fans and old fans alike. Unfortunately for Barry and his new viewers, the Flash’s rogue gallery isn’t as well known as the rogue gallery of that mopey bat-looking fellow that hangs out on top of gargoyles. Have no fear, citizens, BJ gives a short and sweet run down of all of the characters that pop up on The Flash. And as soon as they stop doing that freak-of-the-week bit, we should be able to give you better insight into the major players in the show.
1) Just the Facts: Suicide Squad
Your favorite post for 2014 was our Suicide Squad character breakdown, making our top 2 posts of the year related to introducing and detailing the characters that we’ll see on the large and small screens. With a little help from the front page of /r/movies – our Just The Facts: Suicide Squad post nearly overwhelmed our servers before some angsty but probably well-meaning mod removed the post (why, why, why!?).
And there you have it! But just because these are the Top 5 most popular posts doesn’t mean they’re the best, right? What were some of your favorite posts from Shortboxed? What should we focus on for the upcoming year? Let us know in the comments – or just keep reading and enjoy the ride. Thanks again for the great year, everyone.
-Shortboxed Staff
If this is your first time visiting Shortboxed, thanks for stopping by! We want to provide a place online where people new to comics can come and learn about the culture and be introduced to some amazing stories without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. We’re always adding new content, so please come back soon! You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr at @shortboxed.