Category Archives for "month in review"

February 2014 – Top Posts and Commenters

Here are the highlights from February 2014. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you!

Overall, traffic was down slightly from January (5.62%). Traffic was down 12.36% compared to a year ago. The top 10 posts included two posts from 2012, one post from 2011, and one post from 2013. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. The post with the most engagement was a fun post from February 27, 2014 – 33 Reasons To Say Thank You.

Top 10 Commenters:

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top commenters list to receive a copy of Life After Art: What You Forgot About Life and Faith Since You Left the Art Room by Matt Appling. The winner of this book is…(drum roll)…Matt McWilliams. Congrats to Matt!

For the month of March, I’ll be giving away a copy of Packing Light: Thoughts on Living Life with Less Baggage by Allison Vesterfelt. This month, the winner will be chosen randomly from the top 10 commenters.

Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to March with The Stretched Community! The month of March will include more STRETCHING posts. (I’m also excited to announce something new coming this month – read all the way to the bottom of this post for a clue.) If you’re interested in guest posting here, leave a comment to connect with me. March should be another great month!

How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in February?

In case you’re interested, here are a few other interesting stats about January (based on Google Analytics):

Visits – Decreased 4.28%
Unique Visitors – Decreased 8.22%
Pageviews – Decreased 5.04%
Pages Per Visit –Decreased 0.89%
Average Visit Duration – Decreased 6.10%
Bounce Rate – Increased 1.91%
New Visits – Decreased 1.67%

Don’t forget to sign up for the Stretched newsletter. Check out this post to find out how to sign up. (I’ll be making a more formal announcement soon, but here’s some exciting information if you made it this far. In March, I hope to release an eBook called On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field. All subscribers to the Stretched newsletter will get it for FREE. So sign up, if you’re not already on the subscriber list. The newsletter goes out periodically with extra STRETCHED content.)

January 2014 – Top Posts & Comments (Plus A Book GIVEAWAY)

Here are the highlights from January 2014. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you!

Overall, traffic was up from December (2.63%). Traffic was down 40.1% compared to a year ago. The top 10 posts included two posts from 2012, one post from 2011, and two posts from 2013. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. Also, please head over to my guest post at Ray Edwards blog this month – This Is What Customer Service Looks Like. The post with the most engagement was a fun post from January 22, 2014 – 10 Great Things To Do On A Snowy Day.

Top 9 Commenters:

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top commenters list to receive a copy of The Noticer Returns: Sometimes You Find Perspective, and Sometimes Perspective Finds You by Andy Andrews. The winner of this book is…(drum roll)…Joe Lalonde. Congrats to Joe!

For the month of February, I’ll be giving away a copy of Life After Art: What You Forgot About Life and Faith Since You Left the Art Room by Matt Appling. This month, the winner will be chosen randomly from the top 10 commenters.

Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to February with The Stretched Community! The month of February will include more STRETCHING posts. If you’re interested in guest posting here, leave a comment to connect with me. February should be another great month!

How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in January?

In case you’re interested, here are a few other interesting stats about January (based on Google Analytics):

Visits – Increased 4.41%
Unique Visitors –Increased 13.25%
Pageviews – Increased 5.51%
Pages Per Visit – Increased 0.90%
Average Visit Duration – Increased 6.49%
Bounce Rate – Decreased 3.40%
New Visits –Increased 6.85%

Don’t forget to sign up for the Stretched newsletter. Check out this post to find out how to sign up.

December 2013 – Top Posts And Commenters Plus BOOK GIVEAWAY

Here are the highlights from December 2013. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you! Overall, traffic was down from November (28.04%). Traffic was down 26.88% compared to a year ago. While the tread is lower, I’m not overly surprised or disappointed. My posting and promotion patterns were a bit off this month based on the holidays and several other December interruptions and responsibilities. Also worth noting, my traffic in 2013 was up 33.29% from my traffic in 2012. The top 10 posts again included three posts from 2012, one post from 2011, and two posts from previous months in 2013. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. The post with the most engagement was from December 11, 2013 – ADVENTure Day 11 (Guest Post by Bill Grandi).

Top 10 Commenters:

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top 10 commenters list to receive a copy of Chazown: Define Your Vision. Pursue Your Passion. Live Your Life on Purpose by Craig Groeschel. The winner of this book is…(drum roll)…Bill Grandi. Congrats to Bill!

For the month of January, I’ll be giving away a copy of The Noticer Returns: Sometimes You Find Perspective, and Sometimes Perspective Finds You by Andy Andrews. This month, the winner will be chosen randomly from the top 10 commenters.

Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to November with The Stretched Community! The month of January will include more STRETCHING posts. If you’re interested in guest posting here, leave a comment to connect with me. January should be another great month!

How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in December?

In case you’re interested, here are a few other interesting stats about December (based on Google Analytics):

Visits – Decreased 30.47%
Unique Visitors – Decreased 37.29%
Pageviews – Decreased 33.23%
Pages Per Visit – Decreased 3.90%
Average Visit Duration – Increased 28.33%
Bounce Rate – Increased 5.66%
New Visits – Decreased 9.99%

Don’t forget to sign up for the Stretched newsletter. Check out this post to find out how to sign up.

November 2013 – Top Posts & Commenters Plus GIVEAWAY

Here are the highlights from November 2013. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you! Overall, traffic was up from October (5.31%). Traffic was up 44.70% compared to a year ago. The top 10 posts again included three posts from 2012, one post from 2011, and two posts from previous months in 2013. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. The post with the most engagement was from November 1, 2013 – Ice Breaker – Favorite Candy Bar.

Top 10 Commenters:

David Paul Stolpe (66)

Steve Y (36)
Larry Carter (20)
TNeal (11)
Joe Lalonde (7)
Caleb (6)
Norman Stolpe (6)
Matt McWilliams (5)
Bill (cycleguy) (3)
Dan Erickson (3)

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top 10 commenters list to receive a copy of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars. The winner of this book is…(drum roll)…Caleb. Congrats to Caleb!

For the month of December, I’ll be giving away a copy of Chazown: Define Your Vision. Pursue Your Passion. Live Your Life on Purpose. This month, the winner will be chosen randomly from the top 10 commenters.

Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to November with The Stretched Community! The month of December will include more STRETCHING posts and the new ADVENTure series. If you’re interested in guest posting here, leave a comment to connect with me. December should be another great month!

How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in November?

In case you’re interested, here are a few other interesting stats about November (based on Google Analytics):

Visits – Increased 6.98%
Unique Visitors – Increased 17.01%
Pageviews – Increased 3.99%
Pages Per Visit – Decreased 2.94%
Average Visit Duration – Decreased 26.83%
Bounce Rate –Decreased 0.48%
New Visits – Increased 7.59%

Don’t forget to sign up for the weekly Stretched newsletter. Check out this post to find out how to sign up.

October 2013 – Top Posts and Commenters

Here are the highlights from October 2013. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you! Overall, traffic was up from September (5.31%). Traffic was up 44.70% compared to a year ago. The top 10 posts again included two posts from 2012 and one post from previous months in 2013. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. The post with the most engagement was #6 from the list below (The Power of A Positive Attitude).

Top 10 Commenters:

David Paul Stolpe (51)

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top 10 commenters list to receive a copy of The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing [A Spiritual Memoir] by Jeff Goins. The winner of this book is…(drum roll)…David Stolpe. Congrats to David!

For the month of November, I’ll be giving away a copy of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars. This month, the winner will be chosen randomly from the top 10 commenters.

Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to November with The Stretched Community! The month of November will include a couple of book reviews, more reflection on my Guatemala trip, and opportunities to express gratitude. If you’re interested in guest posting here, leave a comment to connect with me. November should be another great month!

How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in October?

In case you’re interested, here are a few other interesting stats about October (based on Google Analytics):

Visits – Increased 7.93%
Unique Visitors – Increased 7.26%
Pageviews – Increased 3.93%
Pages Per Visit – Decreased 1.24%
Average Visit Duration – Stayed the same
Bounce Rate – Increased 3.74%
New Visits – Decreased 0.83%

September 2013 – Top Posts and Commenters

Here are the highlights from September 2013. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you! Overall, traffic was up from August (8.20%). Traffic was up 37.40% compared to a year ago. The top 10 posts again included two posts from 2012 and two posts from previous months in 2013. David Bartosik’s post about happiness was tied for the most popular post. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. The three posts with the most engagement were #2, #8, and #9 from the list below.

Top 10 Commenters:

Larry Carter (42)

Steve Y (37)
David Paul Stolpe (31)
TNeal (12)
Dan Erickson (11)
David Bartosik (11)
Caleb (11)
Dan Black (8)
Matt Cannon (5)
Travis Scott (5)
Arny (4)

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top 10 commenters list to receive a copy of Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court. The winner of this book is…(drum roll)…David Bartosik. Congrats to David!

For the month of October, I’ll be giving away a copy of The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing [A Spiritual Memoir] by Jeff Goins. This month, the winner will be chosen randomly from the top 10 commenters.

Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to October with The Stretched Community! The month of October will include a couple of book reviews, more reflection on my Guatemala trip, and a couple of visits to and from other bloggers. October should be a great month!

How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in September?

In case you’re interested, here are a few other interesting stats about September (based on Google Analytics):

Visits – Increased 9.10%
Unique Visitors – Increased 8.63%
Pageviews – Increased 11.62%
Pages Per Visit – Increased 2.49%
Average Visit Duration – Increased 21.13%
Bounce Rate – Decreased 1.75%
New Visits – Increased 0.39%

August 2013 – Top Posts and Commenters

Here are the highlights from August 2013. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you! Overall, traffic was down from July (2.56%) which doesn’t surprise me considering it’s the summer time and I was in Guatemala for a week during this month. Traffic was up 47.62% compared to a year ago. The top 10 posts included two posts from 2012 and two posts from previous months in 2013. The top post was a guest post by Leah Adams. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. The post with the most engagement was Ice Breaker – What Do You Do For A Living posted on August 2, 2013.

Top 10 Commenters:

- Steve Y (28)
- Larry Carter (15)
- Leah Adams (11)
- David Paul Stolpe (10) Dethroned after several months as the top commenter.
- Dan Erickson (8)
- TCAvey (8)
- Bill (cycleguy) (6)
- Joe Lalonde (6)
- Charles Hutchinson (5)
- David (5)

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from The Stretched Newsletter subscriber list to receive a copy of The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing [A Spiritual Memoir] by Jeff Goins. The Stretched Newsletter has become a great place to continue the Stretched conversation with new content. So far, I’ve been pretty consistent with sending out the newsletter once a week. This winner of this book is…(drum roll)…Dan Mazzucco. Congrats to Dan! To find out more about how you can get the newsletter, click here.

For the month of September, I’ll be giving away a copy of Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court. This month, the winner will be chosen randomly from the top 10 commenters.

Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to September with The Stretched Community! The month of September will include a couple of book reviews, more reflection on my Guatemala trip, and a couple of visits to and from other bloggers. September should be a fun month!

How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in August?

In case you’re interested, here are a few other interesting stats about August (based on Google Analytics):

Visits – Decreased 7.01%
Unique Visitors – Decreased 6.01%
Pageviews – Decreased 3.93%
Pages Per Visit – Increased 3.41%
Average Visit Duration – Increased 2.86%
Bounce Rate – Decreased 4.72%
New Visits – Increased 0.50%

July 2013 – Top Posts and Commenters

Here are the highlights from July 2013. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you! Overall, traffic was up from June (11.7%), and it was the best traffic in the six months since I stopped posting on Saturdays and Sundays. Traffic was up 46.5% compared to a year ago. The top 10 posts included two guest posts. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. The post with the most engagement was Book Review: At The Crossing Of Justice And Mercy by Dan Erickson posted on July 16, 2013.

Top 10 Commenters:

- David Paul Stolpe (27)
- Steve Y (22)
- Larry Carter (16)
- Carol Peterson (12)
- Dan Erickson (12)
- David (12)
- TNeal (9)
- Catherine Daugherty (7)
- Dan Black (7)
- Joe Lalonde (6)

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top 10 commenters to receive a copy of Kingdom Journeys: Rediscovering the Lost Spiritual Discipline by Seth Barnes. Your chances of winning increased the more you commented and the higher you were on the list. This winner of this book is…(drum roll)…Steve Y. Congrats to Steve!

For the month of August, I’ll be giving away a copy of The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing [A Spiritual Memoir] by Jeff Goins. This month, the winner will be chosen randomly from those who are signed up for The Stretched Newsletter. To find out more about how you can get the newsletter, click here.

Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to August with The Stretched Community! The month of August will include a few guest bloggers to help fill in the gap while I’m in Guatemala. August should be a fun month!

How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in July?

In case you’re interested, here are a few other interesting stats about July (based on Google Analytics):

Visits – Increased 15.31%
Unique Visitors – Increased 9.68%
Pageviews – Increased 19.70%
Pages Per Visit – Increased 4.00%
Average Visit Duration – Increased 2.94%
Bounce Rate – Decreased 4.75%
New Visits – Decreased 3.78%

June 2013 – Top Posts and Commenters

Here are the highlights from June 2013. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you! Overall, traffic was down slightly from May (12.09%). However, traffic was up 12.65% compared to a year ago. The top 10 posts included two book reviews and a post written by guest blogger Terrie Thorpe. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. The post with the most engagement was More Than Words (#Riot140) posted on June 10, 2013.

Top 10 Commenters:

David Paul Stolpe (37)
Steve Y (19)
Larry Carter (17)
Dan Erickson (12)
Leah Adams (11)
Matt McWilliams (9)
Terrie (9)
Carol Peterson (7)
TCAvey (5)
Bill (cycleguy) (4)

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top 10 commenters to receive a copy of Renegade by Vince Antonucci. Your chances of winning increased the more you commented and the higher you were on the list. This winner of this book is…(drum roll)…Dan Erickson. Congrats to Dan!

For the month of July, I’ll be giving away a copy of Kingdom Journeys: Rediscovering the Lost Spiritual Discipline by Seth Barnes. Again, the more you comment the higher your chances of winning.

Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to July with The Stretched Community! The month of July will include a few guest bloggers to help fill in the gap while I’m on vacation, and it also marks the final lead up into our families trip to Guatemala in early August. July should be a fun month!

How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in June?

May 2013 Top Posts and Commenters

Here are the highlights from May 2013. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you! Overall, traffic was up slightly from March (5.14%). That is four straight months of growth. I have continued to limit my posts to Monday through Friday. Taking the weekends off has given my more time with my family along with more time to process ideas for the coming week. The top 10 posts included two track and field themed posts and a post written by guest blogger Dan Erickson. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. The post with the most engagement was Three Easy Stretches to Writing a Book (Dan Erickson) posted on May 29, 2013.

Top Commenters:

As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top 10 commenters to receive a copy of The Connecting Church 2.0: Beyond Small Groups to Authentic Community by Randy Frazee. Your chances of winning increased the more you commented and the higher you were on the list. This winner of this book is…(drum roll)…Dan Black. Congrats to Dan!

For the month of June, I’ll be giving away a copy of Renegade by Vince Antonucci. Again, the more you comment the higher your chances of winning.

Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to June with The Stretched Community!

How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in May?

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Category Archives for "month in review"

February 2014 – Top Posts and Commenters

Top 10 Posts:

Top 10 Commenters:

January 2014 – Top Posts & Comments (Plus A Book GIVEAWAY)

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Top 9 Commenters:

December 2013 – Top Posts And Commenters Plus BOOK GIVEAWAY

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November 2013 – Top Posts & Commenters Plus GIVEAWAY

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October 2013 – Top Posts and Commenters

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September 2013 – Top Posts and Commenters

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August 2013 – Top Posts and Commenters

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July 2013 – Top Posts and Commenters

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June 2013 – Top Posts and Commenters

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May 2013 Top Posts and Commenters

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