Here’s a list of the posts that got the most comments this year. Interestingly, the post that got the most traffic is did not make the list. That post is: What it’s like to have sex with someone who has Asperger’s.
Thank you for a fun year. I feel so grateful to have my blog. Being able to write for this community and read the consistently insightful comments has made the year so much better.
Jan. How to make yourself more likable (208 comments)
Jan. 8 Tips for anger management (234 comments)
Jan. Do you overemphasize happiness? (249 comments)
Jan. Racism is alive and kicking. Hello, McDonald’s. (415 comments)
Jan. How to manage a college education (185 comments)
Jan. Being an expert takes time, not talent (183 comments)
Feb. Test: Is your life happy or interesting? (246 comments)
Mar. List of things I hate (183 comments)
Apr. Turning point (294 comments)
Aug. When you’re feeling lost, don’t hide (162 comments)
Nov. Veterans Day should be cancelled (335 comments)
Nov. 5 Reasons to stop trying to be happy (152 comments)
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Don't do what you love
Don't go to grad school
Blueprint for a Woman's life
Living up to your potential is BS
Choose sex over money
5 Time management tricks I learned from years of hating Tim Ferriss (1013 comments)
I hate David Dellifield. The one from Ada, Ohio. (552 comments)
You can’t manage your work life if you can’t talk about it (764 comments)
@PenelopeTrunk 
The Farmer
Melissa
Penelope
I suspect the reason so many posts are from January and none from December are that the posts from early in the year have 9, 10 or 11 months to gather comments. A better measure would be “most traffic in the week – or 2 or 3 – following publication”.
Great work nonetheless.
Posted by David Robert Hogg on December 31, 2010 at 12:07 am | permalink |
You made my list along with 32 others for 2010. Yours looks a lot tidier than mine and you have more comments, but most days I’m not counting. Most days …
Thanks for your brave and sometimes shocking writing and warm regards for a Happy New Year!
Posted by Elizabeth Harper on December 31, 2010 at 6:21 am | permalink |
Might be interesting to do sentiment analysis on your comments to see if there is any commonality in the ones with the most comments. I know the Veteran’s Day post was overwhelmingly negative (I’m surprised you haven’t blogged about that backlash)…
Posted by davednh on December 31, 2010 at 6:22 am | permalink |
I like reading the comment section but using it as a metric for ‘most popular’ is very problematic. The same sentiment goes for traffic. I think it’s because of the multiple and different definitions that apply to the word ‘popular’. A more accurate title for this post would be ‘Most commented posts of 2010′.
I think what makes a post popular is anything that requires some sort of engagement from the reader. It goes from merely reading the post (traffic) to tweeting about it, facebook liking it, commenting on it, to sharing it (via email or social media (such as on a blog, StumbleUpon, Digg, Delicious, etc.) or word of mouth. A more accurate gauge of most popular would be some sort of weighted average of these and other metrics.
The best posts are those that make me think differently about a subject and want to do more reading (like follow the links in the post) or do my own research. And that includes the comments included with the post. And it doesn’t necessarily hinge on whether or not I agree with everything written in the post.
Some recent posts that didn’t make the list above that I liked include ‘Don’t give your boss a gift’, ‘Hey, look! I got a camera.’, List of social skills a solid career requires’, and ‘BNET Column: Perfectionism is a disease. Here’s how to beat it.’
Posted by Mark W. on December 31, 2010 at 10:32 am | permalink |
This weblog is being featured on Five Star Friday:
http://www.schmutzie.com/fivestarfriday/2010/12/31/five-star-fridays-132nd-edition-is-brought-to-you-by-patti-s.html
Posted by schmutzie on December 31, 2010 at 12:32 pm | permalink |
My favorite post of the year was the tale of the mule and the cows and the country dress getting chewed. I think we need a farm girl from Wisconsin reality TV show. Oh, dear, the farmer would probably not go along with that.
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2010/09/24/how-to-do-damage-control/
Posted by Stu Langley on December 31, 2010 at 1:33 pm | permalink |
I think I’m STILL scarred from reading all those creepy Borat-like comments in the “Hello, McDonald’s” post. No, REALLY.
Looking forward to a new year of PT’s Wonderful Words of Wisdom!
Posted by lb on December 31, 2010 at 3:48 pm | permalink |
Thanks for a great and insightful year Penelope. Have a great New Year!
Posted by Chickybeth on December 31, 2010 at 4:40 pm | permalink |
Hoping you have a resolving New Year with many, many fine photos on your blog and a farmer in your dell, Penelope.
With warm affection, Kathy and Rick
Posted by Kathy on December 31, 2010 at 10:38 pm | permalink |
Penelope, which do you personally weigh more heavily–comments or views?
Posted by kara on January 1, 2011 at 9:12 pm | permalink |
great blog! just found it and added you on my twitter. Controversial headlines? Come on, that´s how one draws attention!
Posted by Krista on January 2, 2011 at 4:27 pm | permalink |
I just found your very busy blog. You certainly have a large number of engaged readers. (200+ comments on many of your posts . . WOW!:))
I’m going to enjoy following your posts in 2011.
Happy New Year, Ms. Trunk!
Posted by employee onboarding on January 2, 2011 at 7:16 pm | permalink |
Nowadays, people consider something popular when lots of people are talking about it because after all, how can something be popular when there’s no Buzz about it, right?
I am guessing that the following criteria are just some of the many that P used in concluding the popularity of the posts mentioned;
1. Most Commented – C’mon, we all blog for comments, don’t we?
2. Most Shared – Twitter, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon, Email- you get the idea
3. Most Hits
I am guessing that the posts became “popular”, if mainly because of the comments, is that because of the following:
1. Time – December and January are mostly holidays and people could get to spend more time reading, sharing and commenting than most other months could allow, right? More online friends on Facebook too, right?
2. Topic -Her topics during these months are a little more “catchy” if not controversial than she already is.
Those are just some of my observations. I could be wrong.
Posted by Jonha Revesencio | iJustDid.org on January 2, 2011 at 10:15 pm | permalink |
quite a great collection Penelope, wish you all the best in 2011
Posted by farouk on January 10, 2011 at 2:28 am | permalink |
I really liked Brazen Careerist – and I did read the whole book – no
skimming! Brazen Careerist is based on Penelope’s first hand experience –
I like that approach.
Posted by renewable energy on October 12, 2011 at 9:30 am | permalink |
It seems that most of the popular posts are about how to live a happy life. Are we really so ignorant on how to be happy?
Posted by LED Ceiling Lights on November 18, 2011 at 12:31 am | permalink |