2,080 posts later, this blog is still growing strong! Some stats…

July 13, 2013 Just for fun, News 35

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2,080 posts later, this blog is still growing strong! Some stats…

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I was doing some site maintanance today when I decided to look at some stats. I usually only check out stats every week or two, and usually just for the previous few days. It has been a while since I checked the overall stats of this site and I wanted to share some of those stats here.

2,080 Posts and going strong!

In 2009 I started this new VERSION II of the site, which ended up being in a blog format. Here we are in 2013 and this blog has posted 2,080 articles, reviews and reports. All of which can be seen in a list HERE. There is so much information embedded into this website it would take someone weeks to read it all. I think this is pretty cool and while not every article or post is something you will find useful, my guess is that you can find some pretty interesting things in that index list.

Comments and Views

Since November 2009, this blog has had 56,934,791 Views. Fifty Six Million. Crazy! When it hits 100 million I am going to give away something VERY special in  very cool contest. Will it take 3-4 years? Not sure, but when it hits get ready 🙂 I already have it planned out. With over 56 million views, there have been 54,771 legitimate comments that were posted in the discussions. My best ever single day brought the site 186,000 views. This was during the original Sony RX1 Review. The 2nd best day was when I posted the Leica M 240 review with 164,000 views.

Spam Comments

While there were over 54,000 comments placed by real people wanting to discuss photography, there were a whopping 382,363 spam comments that tried to get through, of which only 23 did thanks to powerful anti-spam software embedded in the site. Spammers are ruthless and never give up so this is a constant fight. At one point I was getting 1,400 spam registrations a day, which slowed the site down tremendously. Today the spammers do not even make it to registration so I get 10-40 legit registrations per day. Registering is NOT required to comment but it is required for the forums, and the Buy and Sell forum.

This site is not cheap to keep alive!

I have said it from day one, this site is my baby and I am dedicated to it for as long as I can keep it going. Every year the expensed grow to host it, keep it running smoothly and to keep it secure and spam free. When I started it cost me about $300 per month to keep alive. Today it is 10X that but worth it to me. The way the site is paid for every month is through the help of all of the readers who enjoy this site. With everything here being 100% free and with me never accepting donations it depends on YOU guys, who feel they benefit from the information here. To help out it is simple. Anytime you see a link in a review or post to B&H Photo or Amazon, and you click it and end up buying ANYTHING at those sites, I will get a teeny commission. Over time this adds up and when I get those checks, I pay the hosting and other associated bills for this site.

CLICK HERE: You can read more about how you can help by doing nothing different than you already do and spending no extra money by reading this page here. Even if you live in the UK, Germany or Canada, you can help!

My site sponsors also keep this site alive, so I thank them ALL. The sponsors are posted in the right side bar on every single page. Ken Hansen (khpny19@aol.com), PopFlash.com, The Pro Shop, CameraQuest and Lens Rentals. I-SHOT-IT also helped me out and became a sponsor. Without YOU and without you helping them, it would all be lost! So visit my sponsors when you need something photo related if you can. I thank you in advance and it is highly appreciated!

Thank YOU ALL!

So today I thank you ALL. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU who visit this site from time to time. Does not matter if it is every day, every week or every month as I appreciate each and every one of you, even those who do not like me very much. You still count as a view in the stats 🙂 I am dedicated for life to this site so as long as it pays for itself, this site will continue on and on and on and like I said, when I hit 100 million views I am going to give away an amazingly special prize to one lucky reader.

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35 Comments

  1. Hi Steve

    Hope you don’t mind if I ask a technical question based on you comment spam success mentioned in this post?

    I’m starting to get comment spam on my new site at http://www.photoafricastock.com now. But I get a bucket of spam on another site we manage for a client. Hundreds of comment spams every day!

    It seems to me that the spammers select sites based on popularity. The more popular a site becomes, the more it is spammed.

    Anyway, what I wanted to know is what plugins or system you are using to stop comment spam?

    On the site we manage, we are using the standard Akismet plugin and have set it to delete spam on old posts automatically.

    Despite this at least 20 messages a day are missed by Akismet. They don’t get on the site because I approve them manually. But all those spam emails are a pest.

    Have you found some sliver bullet for comment spam that you are using which is working well for you on this site?

  2. yes, congrats indeed!!! i’ve been reading your blog for some years now and i’ve always been very grateful. thanks!!!!

  5. Dear Steve, keep up the good job. This is a terrific site.
    Some people simply don’t get it, but You are talking to the “soul” of most of Your reader (most of us). It is for sure a hard work, but keep it going on. Let it grow 🙂

    You know, the olympic motto is “citius altius fortius” (which is latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger”).
    More MP, more resolution, faster AF/microcontrast – you name it – will NOT make You (or anybody else) happy (happier) or a better photographer!

    It is the “eye” of the artist, creating touching pictures, not the hardware. The same person, that said “citius, altius, fortius” (De Coubertin) also said “the most important thing is not to win but to take part!”
    I guess, this is Your point of view – and I say, this is the right one!
    Just go out take pictures!

    Thank You very much & greetings from Germany (Leica-Land :-))
    Nik

  6. Steve, thanks for all of your hard work on this site. When I decided to order an X100s from Amazon the other day, I made sure to use your link! Just a small way of saying “thank you”. Keep up the great work!

  7. No, we thank you, Steve.

    For all your hard work.

    And for the best photography-related website in the world! 🙂

    Keep it up and we’ll keep coming back, that’s for sure.

    I’ve been following you since the very beginning and it’s getting better and better.

    THANK YOU!

    David from Prague

  8. Steve you are a people person and totally openmnded about all kinds of photography.
    These tow makes this site super.

    Creative types are often introverted and it is clear to tell from their photgraphy blogs.
    This site being an extrovert is unique.

  10. Congratulation! This is my first visit to this site and I liked it. The high iso test article guided me to be here.
    Thanks for the great test shots.

  12. Through your blog I have entered the world of photography and started learning. Thanks. P

  13. Great work, Steve. I like all the photo stuff, it’s first-rate, although to be honest there are times when even I (a dedicated photo enthusiast) can get tired of it – we probably all have times when we need a little break from it all. However, what I NEVER get tired of is your POSITIVE attitude and your dedication to your VALUES and PRINCIPLES (sorry for shouting). This site could be about knitting but the message would be the same, and that’s the greatest contribution you are making. Keep it up, I hope the money gods continue to allow this site to flourish. Mike (Vancouver, BC)

  14. Hearty congratulations from little Denmark! You do us all a magnificent – and highly enjoyable! – service.
    Many thanks.

  15. CONGRATS Steve.
    Your site just keeps getting better and better.

    THANKS for all you do!

  16. Amazing job Steve, you and your work are an inspiration for so many people. You started at the right time as a pioneer, still to this day your direct lively style are unmatched.

  18. Great achievement, Steve. Congratulations. I have soaked in your reviews before buying my M9 in 2010, spending so much time on your site these days that my better half got really upset. But all is good now, she enjoys the pictures 😉 If somehow possible, I would appriciate more coverage on medium format and film. Like you did already with Leica S2, Leica MP and Fuji 670.
    All the best for the next 2080 posts.
    Frank

  19. Impressive! I find it very interesting that the Sony RX1 brought the most views. Who knew? 🙂

  20. Congratulations Steve from the heart of Europe Steve!

    A visit to your blog is a must for me, several times per week.

    Cheers,

    Michael S.

  22. Steve,

    Thank YOU for all of the effort, dedication, and PASSION that you pour into this site week after week. You’ve created something great here, something that surpasses just gear and photography, and makes us all think about art, attitude, and life. It’s great to hear that after all these years you still have the motivation to keep doing this. I hope it continues to bring you joy, satisfaction, and financial rewards.

    Thanks,

    David

  28. I remember when you first posted a link to your first write-up in one of the (name withheld) forums. You did it because you were passionate about photography. Who knew where that would take you? Amazing.

    Congratulations Steve.

    Peter.

  29. Congrats on the success man, I remember reading the new site just as you changed it from stevehuffphotoS.com and ever since.

    On another note, not to be a buzzkill but if you pay $3000 a month for hosting a site that gets a few million views a month, you are getting ripped off ROYALLY. I don’t know the architecture of your servers but a cloud based VPS should keep you waaaayyy under $1000/month even with high bandwidth. It’s a pain in the ass to move servers but I seriously think you should consider it. After all you’re worth all the money you can get since it’s your full time job. Regards, Mats from Finland.

    • Thanks so much! BTW, I never said I pay $3000 a month for hosting alone. That figure goes into all aspects of the site, not just hosting. I use other services outside of the hosting. In any case, I am very happy with my host.Thanks!

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