CRITICAL REFLECTION (FYP)

I approached my role as editor of the BA Journalism (Philosophy) Magazine a little later than expected but with an already distinct vision of how the product should function as a web based medium. It made sense to compare the site to higher-ranking magazines each week (as outlined in my proposal) with the site itself adequately functioning via a “Gabfire” theme generated for WordPress; which was pretty simple to navigate once I had the right tools. My new found familiarity with Slimstat for example was often challenged by questionable peaks in pageviews, which made sense once technological ‘spiders’ were taken into consideration. Unlike my previous experience, I found it a lot easier to organise myself in accordance to the content that had already been uploaded. My fundamental task was more to “tidy up” the initial site, which I admit perhaps didn’t take as higher priority as the weeks went on. A solid plan to include a ‘debates and discussions’ tab also took a back seat, as did actively editing the front page as a whole. Referring back to my FYP proposal however, I believe I did well to build upon each objective within this fully functioning website. 

*Increase All Social Media Relating To Website.

By the second week of active editing, a Twitter account had been set up under the alias @PhilosophyWinch with an aim to increase the magazine’s current following. Within four days the account managed to obtain *9 individual followers, which has now increased to a comfortable *19 dated 16^th March 2014. Experimentation with a “live tweet” format, where I proceeded to tweet mini tasters mid-semester, did well to increase social media hype.

*Edit All Existing Content.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day” so when considered in relation to all other responsibilities, subbing lecture notes was probably the least prioritized aspect of the project. I did however make the executive decision to begin ‘cleaning up’ the site, by setting all new content delivered via RSS feed to ‘pending;’ thus preventing automatic posting and promoting strict content regulation.

*Optimize Content And SEO Checks.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to grips with the varying aspects of statistical data through Alexa and Slimstat (amongst others). I would have liked to become more involved with Google Analytics specifically but a strict routine of blogging every week did well to motivate and keep me up to date with the magazine as a whole.

Circulation figures date from 12.01.2014 via alexa.com.

WEBSITE NAME	GLOBAL RANK	UK RANK
BA-JOURNALISM.CO.UK	4,631,341	-
NEWPHILOSOPHER.COM	184,550	2,292 (AUS)
PHILOSOPHYNOW.ORG	362,249	218,987 (US)
DIALECTICONLINE.WORDPRESS.COM	14,291,212	-

Circulation figures date from 04.03.2014 via alexa.com.

WEBSITE NAME	GLOBAL RANK	UK RANK
BA-JOURNALISM.CO.UK	7,549,124	-
NEWPHILOSOPHER.COM	176,116	2,341 (AUS)
PHILOSOPHYNOW.ORG	304,471	110,466 (US)
PHILOSOPHYBITES.COM	957,533	-
DIALECTICONLINE.WORDPRESS.COM	8,539,089	-

The BA JOURNALISM global rank has dropped by approximately *2,917,783 in comparison to the week beginning 12^th January 2014. This steep decline doesn’t appear to correspond with the most recent Slimstat views however, detailing an astounding average of *50% viewership from the US. My hypothesis is that this shallow decrease is the result of the ever expanding development of the sites UK rank.

*Produce/Commission Content.

© Illustration By Devan Fulham

An updated section entitled “Computer Games and the Ideology of Nihilism” was my greatest triumph. The initial plan to “spruce up” the original site remained consistent through my dedication to an in-depth five part series (limited from twelve given the current time frame) which did well to further identify with the magazine’s target audience. Vivid illustrations commissioned by a fellow media student consistently managed to accompany each upcoming article featured on the front page.  I tried to include an element of wider reading within each to promote the accuracy of fellow publications, yet keeping within the confines of the standard ‘lecture note’ structure. The final chapter of the series was commissioned by a former history student at the University of Winchester. Admittedly I found it a little challenging to keep up with two articles a week, as outlined in my proposal.

* Increase Traffic.

The highest ranking page view in the first week amounted to *1,540 on the 6^th January 2014; bang on target in relation to my proposal. Compare this digit to the penultimate statistics blog, and the views have continued to increase to a whopping *3,121 on 26^th February 2014.

Number of pageviews recorded (below) date from 5^th January 2014 to 11^th January 2014 via Slimstat. 

DATE	NO. OF PAGEVIEWS
5TH JANUARY 2014	939
6TH JANUARY 2014	1,540
7TH JANUARY 2014	536
8TH JANUARY 2014	681
9TH JANUARY 2014	489
10TH JANUARY 2014	252
11TH JANUARY 2014	286

Number of pageviews recorded (below) date from 23^rd February 2014 to 1^st March 2014 via Slimstat. 

DATE	NO. OF PAGEVIEWS (JAN/FEB’14)		NO. OF PAGEVIEWS (FEB/MAR’14)
23 FEBRUARY 2014	1,159		596
24 FEBRUARY 2014	684		508
25 FEBRUARY 2014	319		563
26 FEBRUARY 2014	382		3,121
27 FEBRUARY 2014	858		1,511
28 FEBRUARY 2014	412		705
*29 JANUARY 2014	506		-
*30 JANUARY 2014	691	-
*31 JANUARY 2014	747	-
1 MARCH 2014	713	493

Actively comparing the statistics from each month helped to better my understanding of the data itself. It currently stands that a little over *50% of viewership originate from Poland, with the US coming in close second with an average of *35% (16.03.2014 via Slimstat). No specific plug-in has been installed to combat the language barrier at present; however I did manage to commission a French translation of “The Great Gatsby” analysis piece.

My newly acquired role as a part time features writer for Group Travel World magazine has been a great aide to my understanding of magazine journalism as a whole. Below you will see the concluding statistics:

Circulation figures date from 16.03.2014 via alexa.com.

WEBSITE NAME	GLOBAL RANK	UK RANK
BA-JOURNALISM.CO.UK	4,781,983	-
NEWPHILOSOPHER.COM	175,412	2,788 (AUS)
PHILOSOPHYNOW.ORG	293,003	139,214 (US)
PHILOSOPHYBITES.COM	993,650	-
DIALECTICONLINE.WORDPRESS.COM	6,965,435	-

Number of pageviews recorded (below) date from 2^nd March 2014 to 8^th March 2014 via Slimstat. 

DATE	NO. OF PAGEVIEWS
2 MARCH 2014	633
3 MARCH 2014	972
4 MARCH 2014	429
5 MARCH 2014	589
6 MARCH 2014	611
7 MARCH 2014	601
8 MARCH 2014	6,136

Number of pageviews recorded (below) date from 9^th March 2014 to 15^th March 2014 via Slimstat.

DATE	NO. OF PAGEVIEWS
9 MARCH 2014	18,618
10 MARCH 2014	553
11 MARCH 2014	642
12 MARCH 2014	511
13 MARCH 2014	667
14 MARCH 2014	500
15 MARCH 2014	648

1,077 words.