Top Posts and Commenters for October 2010

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In case you missed them, I have listed my top ten posts for October 2010, along with my top ten commenters. I am sending each of the top commenters a free copy of Max Lucado’s new book, Outlive Your Life.

Wordie Graphic of Top 10 Posts for October 2010

Graphic courtesy of Wordle.net

Here are my top ten posts. Interestingly, I wrote four of these posts more than a year ago. Yet they continue to generate significant traffic.

If you are just getting started with Evernote, I suggest that you buy Brett Kelly’s remarkably practical e-book, Evernote Essentials, Second Edition. It is worth setting aside a couple hours to work through this brief, 95-page book. It will save you DAYS of learning Evernote on your own.

  1. An Interview with Andy Stanley
  2. Literary Agents Who Represent Christian Authors
  3. Creating a Life Plan
  4. The Five Levels of Delegation
  5. The 10 Psychological Stages of Public Speaking
  6. Three Common Mistakes New Leaders Make (and How to Avoid Them)
  7. The iPad: An Elegant Solution in Search of a Problem
  8. Using the iPad to Take Meeting Notes
  9. 20 Questions to Ask Other Leaders
  10. Writing a Winning Book Proposal

My top ten commenters were:

For November, I’m going to give a free copy of David Teem’s new book, Majestie: The King Behind the King James Bible to each of my top 10 commenters.

Ready. Set. Go!

Question: If you blog, what was your top post for October? Why do you think that was the case?
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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are snarky, offensive, or off-topic. If in doubt, read My Comments Policy.

  • http://joannamuses.com Joanna

    Due to studying for exams I made very few posts this month. The top viewed post was yet again my review of Radical by David Platt

  • http://www.bestdestiny.org Todd

    Michael,

    Thanks for the look back. How did you select the words placed in the Wordle? Was it the tags for the top articles?

    • http://www.michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      I simply inserted my blog URL. It picked up the feed, which includes the last 10 or so posts.

  • http://www.therextras.com BarbaraBoucher OTPhD

    Woohoo! Thank you, Michael!

    • http://www.michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      You are welcome, Barbara. By the way, you might want to get a Gravatar, so we can see what you look like!

      • http://www.therextras.com BarbaraBoucher OTPhD

        Okay, Michael, I am looking into a Gravatar. Might make it happen later today. Also, I didn’t answer your question before. I received the most hits in October on a post titled “Clothes That Make the Child”. I’m pretty sure the reason is related to the fact that I showed several therapy products and one of the makers linked my post into their fb page.

  • http://notyetperspective.wordpress.com Matt Williams

    I am new to blogging, so in my case “popular” is very relative. I did however, post “How I Became a Christian” and it seemed to strike a chord with people. It was viewed 5x more than the average post, and it also created my top 2 busiest days.

    I think this is because peoples’ stories are easy to relate to – they are not abstract and philosophical by nature, but are very tangible and practical.

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  • http://www.abnormalmarketing.com Fiona Bosticky

    Great blog Michael. And doing a post like this is a great idea – to thank your Top Commenters for the month, and also to look at your previous blogs that drive large amounts of traffic.

    In response to your question, what was your top blog for October. I guess it depends how you define “top blog”.

    In terms of comments and re-tweets, my top blog was “21 Facebook Apps to Boost your Business Page”. I think this was popular because a lot of businesses are currently looking to maximise their Facebook business profiles, and improve them in any way they can.

    In terms of generating hot discussion, my questioning blog “What is Marketing?” was a top blog for this month.

    It’s a great question to ask, to get people thinking back over the month.

    • http://www.michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      It’s a challenge to decide what constitutes “most popular.” I thought about using the posts with the most comments. However, I elected to go with the most page views, as per WordPress stats.

      • http://www.abnormalmarketing.com Fiona Bosticky

        Ah, cool, good idea. But I can see my “Facebook Apps” post wins again with 1,519 pageviews for October. :)

  • http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress John Richardson

    Interesting list, Michael. Your interview with Andy Stanley was thought provoking and really gave a good overview of his new book. I can see why that made the top of your list.(Over 800 comments… WOW!) It’s interesting to see two iPad items there. Writing about the newest technology is a great way to attract readers (note to self).
    As far as my blog goes, my top post that was posted in October was…
    No Excuses: Take 5 Minutes and Change Your Life. http://bit.ly/duA4St
    My fastest rising post was…
    Note Taking System: http://bit.ly/9p0Ypi
    My overall top post was…
    Goal Setting Toolkit: http://bit.ly/cVAurj

    Your blog was my 13th most popular traffic source. Your readers visited an average of 2.65 pages and stayed for 2:25 minutes.

    My top posts usually include a free download of some type and revolve around a personal development topic. I may have to try a free book giveaway after seeing your results.

    It was great to make your top commenter’s list again. Keep up the great work!

    • http://ModernServantLeader.com Benjamin Lichtenwalner

      That is a great idea to share these statistics, John. I checked and MichaelHyatt.com was the 8th most popular source for ModernServantLeader.com. Readers visited an average of 2.47 pages and stayed for 3:26.

  • http://tomjamieson.wordpress.com Tom Jamieson

    Hey Michael! My top post last month was The Devil Is In the Details. I think it was popular because it dealt with a real issue that happened in my church that other people can relate to. Thanks for sharing!

  • Diane Stortz

    Michael, I enjoyed “meeting” your top ten commenters. Thanks for the intros!

  • http://www.validleadership.com James Castellano

    October 14, Character Revealed.

  • Holly Leach

    Congratulations to all the winners! May everyone have a wonderful day!

  • http://www.LaurindaOnLeadership.com Laurinda

    Thank you! I’m looking forward to reading Max’s book!

    My top post was a post I wrote July 2010 “Do you have a Servant’s Heart or a Slave’s Mentality?” http://www.laurindaonleadership.com/2009/07/do-you-have-a-servants-heart-or-a-slaves-mentality/

  • Kingsly

    Great idea!! You are doing a great Job!! And Congrats to all you have won Max’s book.

  • http://www.joannesher.com Joanne Sher

    You know, my most popular post is actually a teaser to a post I had up at “Adding Zest To Your Nest” (a Christian marriage site) on intimacy when your spouse has a disability. I’m thrilled it’s ministering to many – and I SURE hope folks are clicking through and not just reading the teaser.

  • http://timmilburn.com Tim Milburn

    I love learning great blogging techniques and ideas from other bloggers. Posting your Top 10 posts for the month is a very helpful post idea (especially for those who might be trying to think of an idea of what to post on a Monday morning).

    My most popular post (causing a bit of jealousy amongst the other, less popular post) was: I Completed P90X! -http://ow.ly/32uHU

    • http://www.michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      The idea definitely wasn’t original with me. I have seen several bloggers do it. It has been very effective for me.

  • http://www.twitter.com/jodyfransch Jody Fransch

    I’m definitely gonna put my name in the hat for this month’s free book…:)

  • http://hardwords.wordpress.com Aaron Armstrong

    My top two pieces of brand-new content of the month were the video of Francis Chan’s message @ Desiring God, and part two of my review of Darrin Patrick’s new book, Church Planter: http://hardwords.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/book-review-church-planter-by-darrin-patrick-the-message/

    As far as the “why” – Chan is a hot topic of conversation and Patrick’s book, in addition to having a fair amount of “heat” behind it, the second part of the review generated a fair bit of discussion on concerns about “Manly Christianity.”

    Overall, top viewed post (again) was “Everyday Theology: God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle;” the last three months it’s seen its highest traffic ever, a great deal coming from Facebook.

  • http://www.brianhinkley.com Brian Hinkley

    Thank you for the recognition.

    I just set up my blog a month ago and have been neglecting it while I revamp my church website. I think I’m finally happy with the look and feel with the new theme. I just need to tweak with a few plugins and then start adding content.

  • http://thatguykc.wordpress.com ThatGuyKC

    Wow! Thank you!
    Am a big fan of your blog and regularly share with friends and coworkers.

    • http://www.michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      I have noticed that. Thanks so much for the support!

  • http://www.seekingpastor.wordpress.com pastormatt

    Here is a link to my top post: http://seekingpastor.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/better-than-cake/

    I think that it was the top post because it was about 2 things people love: reconciliation and wedding cake.

  • http://www.chrisshaughness.com Chris Shaughness

    I write a blog called the Menopausal Entrepreneur but interestingly I receive quite a few comments from men! My top post from October was called Anticipation, written on October 16 after I spotted an ad on TV for Christmas. Based on the number of hits to my blog that day, it’s not just me who feels that our society is losing out on the sweet pleasures of waiting and anticipating instead opting for immediate gratification which is leading to boredom. See if you agree: http://chrisshaughness.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/anticipation/

    I didn’t realize that posting comments to your blog is now a contest. What a great idea! Mind if I steal it?

    • http://www.MomLifeNavigator.com Christine Field

      My favorite October post was “Things that are wonderful about small children…” http://www.momlifenavigator.com/category/season-of-winnowing/letting-go/ As a relatively new Granny, with some of my own 4 kids still in process, my writing is changing to be more reflective rather than “having the answers” kind of writing. That’s because the older I get, the fewer answers I have!
      This is know: God is with us through it all.
      Love your blog!

    • http://www.michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      Have at it!

  • http://www.hearthope.org Olga Griffin

    My top blog for the month was written about a friend of mine who died of breast cancer (http://hearthopebyolga.blogspot.com/2010/10/carla-kay-thompson.html). I think it was so widely read because she was loved by many and people were longing to hear more about her.

  • http://www.adaptationsoflife.com Jack Heimbigner

    My top post this month was called “Steve Jobs & the Empire of Apple,” It was probably the top spot because I put it up right after the Apple Event. I don’t normally get comments and I had a few there, which was a fun change!

    • http://www.michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      I find that blogging on anything related to Apple generates great traffic!

  • http://ModernServantLeader.com Benjamin Lichtenwalner

    Thank you Michael. I am glad I made the list a second time. For those of us who greatly enjoy your content, this is an added bonus.

    My Top Posts:
    Servant Leadership Quotes was my most popular post, overall, in October.

    Servant Leadership Observer, October 2010 edition, was the most popular post published in the month.

    • http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress John Richardson

      Congrats on making the list again, Ben. I always enjoy your comments and feedback. It’s interesting how some posts are long time favorites. Quotes are always a great draw. I have a perennial post from 2006 called Top Baby Names for Success that always makes the top ten. Who knew?

  • http://missionalmamassoul.blogspot.com/ Amy

    My most popular posts this last month were the two giveaways that I hosted for Blueberry Silver jewelry – http://bit.ly/9E63mv and Liberty Jane doll patterns -http://bit.ly/aJ5pMz. They actually had the exact same number of page views.
    The reason those were the top posts is because people like free stuff and because I spent time getting the word out there on linkys and other media sources.

  • http://www.rowentree.com April

    Whee! Free book – thank you! Very honored to be one of the Top Ten.

    My top post for October is “Do you reap your rewards?” I think this is because we work so hard for a beautiful harvest that we often work right through harvest time. We keep sowing and sowing and forget to reap every once in a while and load up the barn.
    http://www.rowentree.com/2010/09/29/is-it-ok-to-reap-rewards/

    • http://www.LaurindaOnLeadership.com Laurinda

      congrats and I loved your blog!

      • http://www.rowentree.com April

        Oh, wow! Thank you!

  • http://lauradroege.wordpress.com Laura Droege

    My top blog was entitled “Knit, Pray, Love: What’s so special about a homemade gift.” I wrote about a project sponsored by a Christian radio station to have listeners knit baby blankets, not for children here in the states, but for infants in the NICU at CURE International’s hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan.

    I had an adorable photo of one of these precious babies at the top of the post, which was posted next to my blog link on my Facebook profile. I think the photo helped (who doesn’t like baby photos?) and I got hits from people searching for information on the project.

  • http://jasmine84.blogspot.com Jennifer Rowsell

    1) Jaw Surgery Recovery Pictures (253 views last month!)
    I have gotten so many comments and so many e-mails on this post. I was a little hesitant to put pictures of my blown-up face on the internet, but I know that right after my own surgery I began searching the internet to find people that had been through what I was going through, to look for answers or encouragement. And this post has been that to lots of people. I am always so glad to be able to help those going through such a scary procedure!

    2) Music Makes Everything Better (54 views last month)
    Cause well, it does :) It’s funny to look at this now… it was posted almost a year ago, and some of my new music finds then are now well-known favorites.

    3) Water – Blog Action Day 2010 (39 views last month)
    I’m glad a post I thought a lot about and put effort into writing got a nice number of views :)

    Thanks for this post. I went back and read the iPad “solution for an unknown problem one”… very well written and you echoed my thoughts exactly!

  • http://curtismarshall.tumblr.com Curtis Marshall

    I just started my blog a few weeks ago, but my most popular one so far was about Lifelong Learning. It was the only blog that I listed action steps in bullet points. Perhaps people desire simple formulas rather than explanations.

  • http://andreaaresca.posterous.com/ Andrea Aresca

    Honored to be quoted in your post as one of the top commenters! Thank you!

    I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, but I’ve never been active in commenting. Actually, I was motivated by the chance to win Lucado’s book, but commenting made me a more “active” reader of your blog. I’ve seen that commenting makes me thinking more deeply about your post and “internalize” experiences and principles you are writing.
    Another thing that I appreciate is that you often give a feed-back to the comments and this really helps engage your readers in the conversation.
    Go on blogging, Michael!

    About my blog (the main one, in Italian), my top post for October was: “Cosa può nascere da un cinguettio” (http://recuperandoiltempo.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/cosa-puo-nascere-da-un-cinguettio/), translated “What can happen from a tweet”, that describes the meetup I have in Venice with executive coach Jason Womack (www.womackcompany.com)… all started from a single tweet. It has been the top post for this month, since it has been quoted last week in the best italian blog on productivity (http://www.womackcompany.com).

    • http://www.michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      Thanks for your feed back—and your participation. I am grateful.

  • http://www.faithchats.blogspot.com Melissa K Norris

    The most popular post on my blog this month was titled “Following the Signs.” It tells on how God led me to my writing mentor Colleen L. Reece of over 6 million copies sold after I submitted my life and writing to His will, not my own.

  • http://www.bigb94.webs.com Brandon

    Nice! Very cool way of listing your top posts!

    My top post was: http://bigb94.webs.com/apps/blog/show/5113163-time-management-

    Although there are not that many comments, it was the one the got the most “hits”.

    Nice job, Michael. Keep up the great blogging!

  • http://kevinmartineau.blogspot.com Kevin Martineau

    My top viewed post for October was “Healing takes time” http://kevinmartineau.blogspot.com/2010/10/healing-takes-time.html

    In this post, I share how I am learning that you never “get over” a tragedy. All, you learn to do is live with and move forward with the pain and loss.

  • http://www.passionaustralia.org/blog Dave Quinn

    My top post was “What is our assurance of salvation based on?”. It was nearly double the next best post. I guess people want to know that they really are saved in those times when doubt creeps in. http://www.passionaustralia.org/blog/2010/10/02/what-is-our-assurance-of-salvation-based-on/

  • http://larryhehn.com Larry Hehn

    My top post for October is titled, Is It OK for God to Be “Jealous”?

    http://larryhehn.com/2010/where-oprah-went-wrong/

    It generated a lot of discussion, since it revolved around Oprah Winfrey’s reluctance to consider that God may be “jealous”, and what that word means in relation to God. It was interesting to see the reactions, some quite volatile and many seasoned with grace.

  • http://betterlifecoaching.wordpress.com/ Darren Poke

    I always find this to be a fascinating post and enjoy reading which posts generate the most traffic for this and other sites. My humble little blog is still finding its feet, so it’s nice to learn from those who continue to lead the way in this field.

    My number one post for last month was a collection of my favourite Vince Lombardi quotes, http://wp.me/pRM84-hr

    My fourth most popular post for the month was one that I wrote about my favourite Christian blogs which contained this one, http://wp.me/pRM84-t6

  • http://grassycove.blogspot.com/ Cheryl Derrick

    I only wrote 3 blogs in October, but The most popular for that month was also the most popular since I started writing my blog. “Love Letter to my Child”. Probably because I stepped out of my comfort zone and dared to share a truth I believe in.

  • http://www.pastorbrett.com Brett

    My top post for October was one I wrote almost 2 years ago. It is the post that keeps generating traffic more than any other…a post I suspect you would graciously disagree with… :-)
    “Should a Christian Drink Alcohol?”
    http://pastorbrett.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/should-a-christian-drink-alcohol/

  • http://www.coachradio.tv Justin Lukasavige

    I love how good stuff lives online. Thanks for sharing the look back. I’m getting a significant amount of traffic on God Doesn’t Care What You Do.

    http://www.coachradio.tv/god-doesnt-care-what-you-do

  • http://www.kathyfannon.com Kathy Fannon

    Oh, THANK YOU, Michael! I LOVE Max Lucado and have not gotten “Outlive Your Life” yet. I’m so excited!

    My top post for October was “The Great Pumpkin”, which gave some creative ideas for using pumpkin other than pie. My little blog is still growing, so it only 29 views, but that’s not bad since I wrote it on October 16.

    Due to a busy schedule, I didn’t blog much after that in October, but running a close second was “Easy or No-Cook Breakfast Ideas”.

    Thank you for all of your fabulous posts, and thank you for the book! :) David Teems up next? For years I played his “More Hope” CD when I went to bed. I need to pull that out again.

  • http://www.therextras.com BarbaraBoucher OTPhD

    Hello, again, Michael. I visited the other top commenters. Talk about a diverse group of bloggers!

    I don’t see any instruction on how to get my address to you. Shall I just wait to hear from you?

    • http://www.michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      You should be hearing today from my assistant. We had to find the email addresses first. Thanks again.

  • http://www.LysaTerKeurst.com Lysa TerKeurst

    Thank you Michael for all the inspiring material you post here. I’ve learned so much from your leadership and publishing expertise. Regarding your question… In one of my October posts I announced I’m doing a 6 week webcast in conjunction with a book I have releasing in January. I got over 1400 comments which is an all time high for me. Quick Question… how do you figure out your “frequent commentors list?”

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  • Walter

    David Teems was instrumental in my coming to Christ. Good guy.

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