What was TechCommGeekMom’s 2015 Top of the Pops?

I always find it interesting to see what stories people end up gravitating to each year on TechCommGeekMom, and along with other year-end summaries, I like to figure out what were the most popular blog posts for a given year. Sometimes, it’s something that’s archived from an earlier year. That’s good, because I try to write or post things that will have long-term relevance as often as possible.  However, I’m usually interested in what was written THIS year that came out to be the most popular of all original information posted that wasn’t an archived post or a curated topic posted.

So, this year’s “Top of the Pops” for 2015 are:

1. WHEW! Dodged a bullet on that one.
2. What’s my value as a technical communicator?
3. More localization and user-friendly features in the new Framemaker 2015
4. Oh, the Academian and the Practitioner should be friends…Engaging TechComm Professionals
5. Move over, Google Glass! HoloLens is here!
6. Online Student Again – Part 3: Social Media Marketing–Now You’re Talking My Language!
7. Online Student Again: Part 1
8. Ready to learn tech comm or instructional design in 2015? Check these out…
9. Stage 2 of non-pudding brain: It’s official. I’m a student again.
10. It’s easy being a consultant? Think again!
11. Weight Loss is like Content Strategy, Part 2: It needs to be Agile

What’s interesting to observe from a statistical perspective is that the top three almost tied for first place–#1 has one more view than the next two, which are tied.

I’m also pleased to see that most of my most popular posts this year were ones that came from the heart, based on personal experiences or observations. I’ve often argued that social media is a medium in which people discussed things and could more closely relate to each other because there is the ability to have more personal experiences and have the opportunity to connect and respond. The fact that many of these top blog posts relating to my job woes, trying to provide DIY training for myself, and trying to take positive steps towards the continual advancing of my career are relatable topics–that I’m not the only one going through these feelings and experiences. I almost always try to open up conversations with my blogs–for better or worse–and the reflection of the top original posts for 2015 reflect that.

The last one I listed was something personal that I wanted to include. This showed a big part of my weight loss and self-improvement journey I’m on right now. I’m still on that journey, having made a bold move in the last few weeks (something that I may write about soon, but not yet). I was glad to see that truly personal topics matters, and that even when relating it to something in technical communications, people responded positively towards it. My weight loss journey is a deeply personal one, and something that I don’t have to share, but I do, simply because I think all of us can relate to a non-tech comm struggle like that easily.

What will 2016 bring? Stay tuned…plans, resolutions, and predictions coming soon!