2012 By the Numbers

2012 is dead. Long live 2013. Or, something like that. Over the years we’ve succumbed to the common practice of recounting last year’s highlights as a way of welcoming the new year. We’re fools for a tradition.

The amazing people at WordPress.com compiled a 2012 Annual Report for us but it lacks our heart. It lacks the podcast numbers. On December 31, 2011 we shared the Top Content of 2011. It included blog posts and podcasts. This time around we’re only sharing our podcast data. Why? For the blog data you need only view that 2012 Annual Report compiled by WordPress.com on our behalf. It is prettier too.

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 57,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 13 Film Festivals

Podcast 2012

Episode – # of Downloads

  1. Episode 81: Tabletop Conquest with Brent Newhall – 515 downloads
  2. Episode 76: Wally Simon’s Secrets of Wargame Design – 464 downloads
  3. Episode 77: Russ Lockwood Game Designer & Editor – 400 downloads
  4. Episode 78: 5 Reasons to NOT Shop at Your FLGS – 392 downloads
  5. Episode 82: 6 Must Read Magazines for Historical Gamers – 319 downloads
  6. Episode 75: Battlefront Restricts Flames of War – 289 downloads
  7. Episode 83: Holiday Gift Guide 2012 – 287 downloads
  8. Episode 79: 5 Reasons You SHOULD Shop at Your FLGS – 277 downloads
  9. Episode 80: Civ IV Colonization – 275 downloads
  10. Episode 84: Wargaming on the Cheap – 273 downloads
  11. Episode 74: Troll in the Corner Podcast Network – 235 downloads
  12. Episode 68: Tropico & TotalCon 2012 – 203 downloads
  13. Episode 67: Bibliomania – 200 downloads TIED FOR 13TH PLACE
  14. Episode 70: Dedhampton Revolution – 200 downloads TIED FOR 13TH PLACE
  15. Episode 71: Let’s Play in a Campaign – 161 downloads
  16. Episode 69 1/2: Podcast Promo Contest – 151 downloads
  17. Episode 73 1/2: Blue Snowball – 143 downloads
  18. Episode 73: Historicon Giveaway – 142 downloads
  19. Episode 69: Angelia Heroux & TotalCon – 141 downloads
  20. Episode 72: HUZZAH 2012 – 136 downloads

What’s the list mean?

If you add up the download numbers something fantastic emerges. We released 18 new podcast episodes and 2 new half episodes in 2012. The 20 new episodes were cumulatively downloaded 4,909 times. This is 306% higher than 2011.

Reflections

2012 saw a podcast dream come true. I co-founded a podcast network. Ben Gerber the owner of Troll in the Corner and Brent Newhall host of Monsters of the Shattered World podcast and I worked together to found the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network (TCPN). Then I brought Wargaming Recon (WR) to the network, expanding this show’s audience by over 90%. The network has 4 shows, with a 5th starting soon, and listenership over 4,100 in a single month.

There were numerous zeniths during the year. Raising $184 for Boston Children’s Hospital as part of the Extra Life 24 hour gaming marathon to help kids in need was probably the best though. Knowing that I, through your generous support, helped kids who need medical care and can’t afford it is a feeling without boundaries.

I could mention being a Wargame Vault retailer, our station on Stitcher Radio, giving free and discounted passes to area cons (Historicon, TotalCon), or improving the quality of the show as other positives. They are, that’s for sure. But, giving back. There’s nothing like it in the world.

Frequently I remark how my favorite aspect of podcasting is communicating with you. Building a community, sharing myself with you, and your sharing with me. That is fantastic and remains one of my favorites. Every time you Like Wargaming Recon on Facebook, subscribe on iTunes, retweet us on Twitter, write a comment on the blog, or send feedback is better than eating a piece of delicious cake.