Louisville.com: 1 million visits

Some time this evening Louisville.com will have it’s 1 millionth visit since I became editor-in-chief at the beginning of 2010. So I figured now’s a good time to recap the site’s accomplishments since I started this part-time job (with the exception of Derby and Breeders’ Cup weeks, at most I spend 20 hours a week on the site):

• Gone from two writers (one of whom was me) to 38.
• Increased site visits from 45,000 during my first 31 days as editor to 97,700 in the most recent 31 days.
• Increased the site’s Facebook presence from 100 to 2,007 fans. Every post from Louisville.com appears on its Facebook fan page, making that social networking site Louisville.com’s fourth biggest source of traffic.

For more details, read this description of my duties.

In the next few months, we expect to

• upgrade the site’s operating system from Drupal 5.x to 6.x, improving both its stability and usability
• launch an iPhone application
• double our monthly visitors yet again
• become profitable (we’re close!)

Thanks to the site’s owners, readers, and writers. All three groups have been great to work with.

Shalom from Israel

Good morning Tel Aviv.

Shalom! (Yes, I’ve used that word twice because it’s the only Hebrew I know.) I’m in Israel this week, specifically Tel Aviv, Galilee, and Jerusalem. I’m a bit tired, but my fatigue probably owes more to a nightcap than jetlag (a 5 p.m. arrival time is actually quite agreeable: land, eat, drink, sleep).

Assuming I don’t go up in smoke during my visit to the Holy Land, there will be articles about my trip shortly. In the meantime, follow along in real time on

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Tumblr

Thanks to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, El Al, the Dan Hotels, the Scots Hotel, and Weill for hosting me.

My good fortune: I’m on my way to China

Hello from Louisville International Airport! Or, as they say in Chinese, ?. I’m en route to China with the Ritz-Carlton (again) and American Airlines. This time the destination is Beijing—a city I’ve always wanted to experience during Hanukkah.

I’ll have articles and such about the trip published while traveling and afterward, but if you’re the type who demands regular updates (hi Sweetheart) feel free to follow along on

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Tumblr

Using a blog and social media to help a non-profit, in this case the Kentucky Coaltion to Abolish the Death Penalty

Recently I overhauled the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s (KCADP) online presence. This describes our approach and how I can help you or your organization make better use of the Internet.

Early on, KCADP’s staff and I determined that there were three objectives for its online presence (all of which should apply to similar non-profits):

• increase its membership
• keep its existing supporters engaged
• convert its opponents or disinterested people into supporters

Read more

WordPress updates to version 2.7, and it’s not a release to be skipped

Like many of you, I don’t like it when change comes to a blog platform or social networking site (talking ’bout you Facebook). It takes time to become acclimated with the new layout, and it can be frustrating relearning where to find information.

For once, however, I am fine with such a change (and it had nothing to do with Who Moved My Cheese):

WordPress 2.7 (aka Coltrane) is fantastic.

Released on Dec. 10, the upgrade’s interface is much cleaner and intuitive than version 2.6.5, which I was running previously.

QuickPress, an area in the Dashboard that allows users to quickly add a post, is handy—and was where I wrote this post.

Many bloggers are reluctant to update their software, having to backup, deactivate plugins, upgrade, and reactivate plugins, hoping the process doesn’t destroy their hours of effort.

WordPress 2.7., however, is worth the upgrade.