Since opening day, my only goal was a very simple one: just try to do a really good website, something as close as possible to what an ideal Disney fan web site should be. My principle for the daily choice of topics is simple: it must be interesting and/or beautiful. I think I've said it before, but it's the truth: I don't do Disney and more for money. It's a quest of ideal and a love for beauty. I'm not even running after the scoops - I have many scoops you will never hear about because I'm more responsible than some people may think - some secrets must remain secret!
Anyway, Disney and more is more popular than ever, with between 3800 and 4500 visits each day. This month was great, as during all the D23 Expo special reports, D&M had over 5000 visitors each day with a peak at almost 7000. Many of you who didn't know Disney and more discovered it during these reports and apparently fell in love with it.
Below is the Site Meter report of the last 12 months. Last September Disney and more had 41,018 visitors. One year later nearly 110,000 visitors have come to the site this September, and counting, as the month is not yet over. That's an increase of 270% and it's not bad at all, considering that I don't do publicity anywhere, except on three forums.
This next report shows the number of visitors AND the number of "page views by month." In Sept '08 the number of page views was 78,884, and one year later it's 189,963 that were viewed during this month of September.
In both pictures you will note a little fall in December '08 and June '09. The reason is simple: I was in vacation each time for three weeks, with no new daily articles. But even with no new articles each day, the number of visits, or page views, remained high. A little fall, too, in August '09, but this time it's because YOU were on vacation!
I also added many new features this year: a new layout for Disney and more, two new sections with simple but elegant designs: Disney and more Artwork and Disney and more Movies, where you can find gorgeous artwork or watch great videos, a new English forum on Mice Chat, and even a way to customize your web browser toolbar with a Disneyland style!
And because I know that my Achilles' heel is my written English, as of last week many of the articles have been edited by Nate Walz, another fan of Disney and more who kindly volunteered to do it for me.
Since April 2007 you were more than 1,275,000 who came to Disney and more. For this and your very kind daily support, I thank you - as the late and great Sammy Davis Jr. would have said - "from the bottom of my heart."
Many thanks to Nate Walz for the text editing.