We originally started this tailgating blog in reaction to the lack of tailgating information on the web that would actually help tailgaters not only tailgate, but to tailgate better. The only websites dedicated to tailgating were places wanting to sell you grills, tents, chairs or folding tables. And even though we have opened up a web store dedicated to selling tailgating supplies, we strive to stock it with tailgating gear that is out of the ordinary and unique. These products are hard to find and aren’t the run-of-the-mill products you can find in your local big box store. When’s the last time you walked in and could buy a Drill Blender at your local Home Depot? With that in mind we took on the idea that selling those unique items in our web store would also be helping out small businesses that are trying to promote the tailgate party lifestyle. So, Let’s take a quick look to see how far we’ve come.
Even though we started blogging on August 17, 2007 it was like were shouting into the wind with nobody listening. It wasn’t until August 20, 2007 that we would see our first visitors. A whopping 15 visitors visited the site that day with the vast majority of those being friends and relatives I had emailed telling them to check out my new website. By comparison, we saw close to 1,000 visitors yesterday with nearly 700 visitors coming from search engines. Just by comparison, our biggest traffic day to date was January 30, 2009 when Sports Illustrated picked up on our humor piece showcasing the The 10 Most Annoying People You’ll Meet At A Super Bowl Party.
So what’s changed in the past three years? Well, a lot. Three years ago we only had one post up and published. Today we have 1,327 posts to choose from. Within three years we have evolved into the go-to place to have your new tailgating product reviewed with sometimes brutal honesty. (Stay tuned kids, we’ve got another review coming that can only be filed under “there is no such thing as bad PR”.) Our first product review was for the Lime Bomber back in September 2007. Our first product that we chose to offer for sale on TailgatingIdeas.com was none other than the Port-O-Pong Inflatable Beer Pong Table. In 2007, we were averaging a new post once every three or four days. Three years later we sometimes will publish three or four new posts a day. With bigger traffic comes bigger responsibilities to continue to feed the beast.
So if you have been with us from the start or if you are a newbie, we appreciate you for visiting and spending time with us. Feel free to leave a comment on which posts over the years have been your favorites. Also, we are always looking to improve the site, so feel free to make a suggestion on what you would like to see before TailgatingIdeas.com turns four years old next year.