Friday, October 03, 2008

Happy Anniversary

It is traditional for interest in the 9-11 conspiracy theories to peak during the month of September. For example, in August of 2006, traffic at 9-11 Blogger was 240,000 "uniques"; the next month they did about 320,000, an increase of about 33%. In August 2007 they hit 250,000, while in September they managed 337,000, again roughly a 33% uptick from the month before.

This year? August was 168,000, while September hit 187,000, so there was only about an 11% increase for the anniversary month. And even that doesn't tell the whole story. In September of 2007, they hit 11,000 visits per day. In September of 2008, they did not beat the average for the prior year on any day with the exception of the anniversary, when they reached 13,774 visitors. Overall, the year/year traffic decline was a breathtaking 47%.

I'm afraid this parrot is not just pining for the fjords; it had ceased to be. It has shuffled off the mortal coil and gone to meet its master. It is an ex-parrot.