Barca Blaugranes Reaches Two Million Pageviews

It doesn’t seem like long ago when ex-Editor-in-Chief Sebastian posted a story declaring how the site had reached a million all-time pageviews, and here we are, seven months later having reached the two million mark. We reached the milestone at some stage yesterday according to the statistics we have available at SBNation, which in itself is quite fitting given how Lionel Messi also surpassed a milestone of his own last night. This post isn’t really related to the Blaugrana, so if you stop reading here rest assured, there’s plenty more where this came from!

I’ve been involved with the blog for a long-time now, since November 2010 to be exact, and over the months and years, I have been privileged to work with a number of great people. Sebastian was the guy who took a chance on me, would you believe it after I started to write about Barcelona on Bleacher Report. Yeah, that Bleacher Report. As I was relatively new to the whole idea of blogging, I didn’t know what was good/bad or anything really. Sebastian’s email was out of the blue, and I accepted, never really understanding what I got myself into.

For months I submitted articles to Sebastian, who helped me to improve my writing skills far more than I knew possible, and also got me to join Twitter, with which I have made acquaintance with even more superb people and Culés from all over the world. Over time, the situation with the blog changed, and I was placed in charge back in October thanks to Graham MacAree, one of the higher-ups in the SBN world. Considering my age, and countless other factors, he could have just as easily looked elsewhere, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Since me and Bostjan took charge of the blog, we have implemented a number of new features like the Player Ratings, and "hired" a whole host of new writers, and I’d like to take the time to thank each and every one of them. Bostjan remains the most important member of the blog’s staff and does a great job in juggling all manner of work to contribute heavily to the blog, and is our resident Barca expert. If you’ve ever asked a difficult question, chances are Bostjan will have provided you with an answer!

Thanks go out to the two editors; Gabe for being one of the nicest guys I have ever had the pleasure of communicating with as well as providing me with awesome computer wallpapers (check out his site!), and Inder, not just for rejoining the blog, but also because his input has been vital in driving the blog forward. Then we have the authors, some more casual than others, and all of them superb writers and people. Shehryar has been inactive for a while now, but hopefully he is still reading the blog, just waiting for a gap in his schedule to contribute again.

Jeremy may go long periods without commenting, but when he does pop up with comments, they are usually analytical gems, while his (as yet unfinished) series on Lionel Messi was amongst the greatest editorials I have ever read. Guidance was one of many authors recruited after a brilliant fanpost, and his input has also been crucial to the development of this blog. While his studies often mean he cannot contribute every week, but his increasingly analytical player ratings are fast becoming my favourite feature on the blog.

Brodie was spotted by Bostjan after a couple of brilliant comments on the site, and has impressed me hugely with his articles since joining. Like myself, he is a fairly recent "convert" to the church of Barcelona, but his passion for the Blaugrana shines through in all his comments and posts. Dev, or FCBSoul as he is better known on the site has brought his exceptional videos to the site, while his latest post on Eric Abidal was completely on the money. Roberticus has only posted the single article thus far, but his knowledge of tactics is unparalleled, so expect more from him in the coming months, and last but by no means least, we have Sam, a fellow Englishman Barcelona fan. Since joining, his quantity of posts has been excellent, and it’s clear to see that he is improving with each one as well.

In short, this milestone would not have been reached without the fantastic team of writers, but more importantly, it wouldn’t have been reached without you, the readers. The community we have here on Barca Blaugranes is something I never dreamed was possible when I joined the site, and is increasing by the day. The discussions we have on the comments is brilliant, and the matchday threads are some of the best couple of hours in my week. The community has also been instrumental in the further development of the blog, with the survey providing us with superb feedback on how we can improve to become number one.

If I can, I would just like to thank a few more people from within the SBN network; Gene Um from the Busby Babe for working with us over the course of the Champions League final and during pre-season, as well as acting as inspiration for my tactical analysis of the Clasicos and other important matches. Also, Allen Dodson, and all the folks over at Villarreal USA, who have been excellent in providing neutral opinions on certain issues, as well as educating me on the inequality of La Liga, and what that means for the long-term future of the league. Allen in particular has been a superb contributor to the site when asked, and I thank him for that.

Over the past few months, I have also been lucky enough to "interview" Graham Hunter over email with questions thought up by the group, which is easily the best moment of my time at the blog. The partnership we have going with the folks over at Wayin is another awesome thing we have going, all thanks to Bryan Douglass (another really nice guy). Also, lest I forget Al Benson, our moderator, who helps keeps the comments sections easy to read, and has to wake up at unsightly times to watch the Blaugrana.

Over the coming weeks and months you should notice an increase in the quantity and hopefully quality of the work we post on the blog, which brings me to the final point; we are always looking for new writers and ways to improve the blog. Want to write for us? Send an email to me at aduckling1@gmail.com! Got an idea for a new feature, or have a question about anything at all? Send me an email! Once again thanks for the continued support, and here’s to the next million!

Tots units fem forca! Visca el Barca!