Blogsmacked 2012

In this, the Year of our Launch, hundreds of bloggers came to hawk their wordy wares in The Times of Israel’s marketplace of ideas. Unlike those noble, ink-stained wretches in the news department who struggle to maintain journalistic distance, here in Blogger Land the voice is decidedly up close and personal. But in the chorus of all those first person singular voices (some very singular indeed), a portrait emerged of deep care and concern about Israel and the Jewish people and of a pressing urge to engage in conversation.

Even before the official launch in February 2012, Times of Israel bloggers and editorial writers signed up and logged on to explain the situation, sway opinion, remind, scold, teach, show, limn the subtexts of Jewish angst, share the Aha! of daily life and tell a damn good joke.

And at the Times of Israel, they found not only readers but partners in dialogue who liked and disliked, shared and commented, and created ever wider circles of conversation.

Wordcloud of the twenty most popular TOI post titles of 2012

We are exceedingly grateful to all who have come aboard and we welcome those who wish to add their voices to the Times of Israel blogosphere. Please use this unique platform to convey your hopeful visions, prophecies of doom, bold new plans, surefire predictions, ferocious critiques, inspirational insights, biting satire, hilarious scenarios, profound meditations and uproarious adventures. (You can apply for a blog via the Website.)

The posts that launched a thousand clicks

Thousands of clicks, actually.

To browse among the more than 7,000 posts so far in our Ops & Blogs section is to get a crash course in what is preoccupying the collective consciousness of The Times of Israel’s growing readership. One quick portrait can be found in the year’s most popular posts. No, these are not, by definition, the “best” posts – only you the reader can make that judgment. But, with that caveat, these are the posts that got the most “eyeballs.”

The top Times of Israel posts of 2012

10.The Catholic girl who was too Jewish

9. When balance becomes betrayal

8. The top 14 facts they forget to tell you about aliya

7. The little things I’ll miss about Israel

6. Did I ruin my son’s penis?

5. BBC, I’m the capital of your mom

4. Sixty four things I love about Israel

3. An open letter to Khalil from Gaza

2. The rabbi and the vibrator

1. Jews do control the media

So….what do YOU think made these posts so popular?