Seven years. It’s been seven years since we started this tailgating lifestyle blog in August 2007. To predict that we would still be going strong after that amount of time was nearly impossible given the nature of blogging.
Who knew that you could blog about tailgating and the tailgate party lifestyle and not only have people read it but come back regularly to interact and engage in the conversation. We did and are happy to continue into 2015 and beyond to bring you the best in tailgating news, product reviews, tailgating game reviews and maybe a little humor along the way.
2014 was another great year for Tailgating Ideas in that we reviewed lots of products and provided tons of information for you enthusiasts out there in the parking lot. It wasn’t easy but our commitment to you the readers along with discovering new things to not only help you tailgate, but to tailgate better, has always been our goal.
Even though 2014 has come to a close and we are already a week into 2015, we wanted to take a look back and recap the year that was. Here is the list of the Top 10 most popular post on TailgatingIdeas.com in 2014. (Rankings based on web traffic analytics and number of page views for a particular post.)
10. Tailgate TV Stand – Who wouldn’t want to watch TV off the back of their car while tailgating? We reviewed the Tailgate TV Stand and found it to be “Tailgate Approved” based on it’s functionality and the ability to rotate your flat screen TV 360 degrees to keep it out of sun glare or to protect it from errant footballs in the parking lot.
9. KoolerCap – Keeping your ice from melting while tailgating has been a big problem since the dawn of tailgating. We reviewed the KoolerCap, which essentially is a blanket that covers the top of of the ice to prevent heat transfer every time you open the cooler to grab a cold one. Big money saver for those who tailgate for longer periods.
8. Fanatic Lights – Fanatic Lights are high-grade, custom, super bright, alternating (or single) colored, gumball shaped, LED bulb strands of lights. They are basically Christmas Lights for your pop-up tent in your team’s colors. Battery operated, you don’t have to drag out the generator to make these lights shine and show your team spirit.
7. Sunscreen Flasks now available in a 2-pack – The original Sunscreen Flask came packaged by itself. The folks over at GoPong came up with their own version and rolled them out as a 2-Pack. One flask was designed to look like a SPF 15 tube of sunscreen while the other was disguised as a tube of SPF 30. That way you can smuggle two different flavors of alcohol into events and have double the fun. With good news like that, no wonder this post came in ranked No. 7.
6. Shotgun chug a beer challenge to strike out PMS – You remember this past summer when it seemed like everyone was doing the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness for ALS. We decided we wanted to have a little fun with it and parody that craze with a challenge to strike out an even more annoying affliction… PMS.
5. The Tailgating Kit – This post was propelled to the top five by the power of social media. Apparently people enjoy it so much that they chose to share with with their friends on Facebook over 700 times and on Twitter over 20 times. Not bad for a post that reviewed an all-inclusive tailgating kit that includes plates, cups, utensils, napkins, etc. all in one box.
4. Stocking Stuffer Guide 2014 – Whereas the last top post was driven by social media traffic, this post was vaulted into the top five by appearing in the December 11th edition of Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks. With all kinds of cool things to put in the stocking of your favorite tailgater on your shopping list, why wouldn’t this post be one of the more popular in all of 2014?
3. Lotion Flasks – You saw earlier how popular the Sunscreen Flasks post was so it stands to reason a post about smuggling your booze using a flask that looks like a tube of hand lotion would break the top three. A genius way to save money on attending events by skipping the expensive drinks and mixing your own while inside. And what security guard is going to question a woman with three different types of hand lotion in her purse?
2. 70 Layer Dip Recipe – Last year’s Super Bowl included the Broncos and the Seahawks. The two states these two teams hail from are the only two states in the union to have passed laws that legalize the recreational use of marijuana. In honor of that we thought instead of sharing a recipe for a regular, old 7-layer dip…. why not a 70-layer dip consisting of drunken and stoner munchies foods. Some of the combinations might surprise you. The sheer shock value of this post along with social media sharing propelled it to the runner-up spot for most popular post in 2014.
1. $500 AT&T Gift Card #Techgating Finalists – Social Media and reader involvement pushed this post to the top of the heap for 2014. Whenever you offer up $500 for free, you are going to get a response and boy, did we ever. Not only was this post shared on regular social media like Facebook and Twitter by the teams vying for the most polling votes, but was also shared on message boards and forums across the internet. Never underestimate the power of grassroots sharing on the internet when it comes to reeling in internet traffic.
Thanks for a great 2014 and we are looking forward to an even bigger, better and stronger 2015. August will complete our eighth year blogging about tailgating and we hope to keep it up for many years to come. Happy New Year to everyone and please come back often for more great content about tailgating and the tailgate party lifestyle.
