Today, April 27, 2021, marks the one-year anniversary of The New Leaf Journal. It is our humble online magazine’s first birthday, so to speak. For this, our 294th article, we will recap the year that was as we look forward to the year to come at The New Leaf Journal.
A New Leaf Journal Timeline
I decided to recap our first year with a brief and succinct timeline. For each month, I will list key events and site changes, notable articles, and list the most-read articles in each individual month.
April 2020
April 2020 was our first month at The New Leaf Journal, although we were only live for four days.
Key Events
- Launched The New Leaf Journal with an About the Site article on April 27, 2020.
- Victor V. Gurbo started his still-running Quarantine Sessions series on April 30, 2020.
May 2020
We published 30 articles in May 2020, which still stands as the second-busiest month in terms of number of articles published here at The New Leaf Journal.
Key Events
- May 2: N.A. Ferrell published his first article.
- May 3: V. Gurbo published first Quarantine Session.
- May 6: V. Gurbo published Quarantine Session article about Love Henry, which was the most-read article on the site through mid-September.
- May 9: Changed site theme from Twenty-Sixteen to BunnyPressLite.
- May 11: Published first weekly updates article.
- May 13: N.A. Ferrell publishes first original New Leaf Journal poem and makes use of TI-89 screen capture.
- May 16: N.A. Ferrell launches Emu Café section with a welcome article.
- May 23: V. Gurbo Launched official Facebook Page for The New Leaf Journal.
- May 26: N.A. Ferrell Launched official Pinterest Board for The New Leaf Journal.
- May 28: N.A. Ferrell creates first version of site About Page and V. Gurbo publishes article explaining what The New Leaf Journal is.
- May 30: N.A. Ferrell publishes The Last Stand of Constantine XI, which is currently one of the top five most-read New Leaf Journal articles and was the first to achieve consistent search engine traffic.
Most-Read Articles in May 2020
- The Quarantine Sessions: Love Henry. By V. Gurbo. May 6, 2020.
- Welcome to the Emu Café. By N.A. Ferrell. May 16, 2020.
- Previewing Bob Dylan’s False Prophet. By V. Gurbo. May 9, 2020.
June 2020 at The New Leaf Journal
June was a month of positive changes and trials that were overcome with some difficulty. Through it all, we published 21 articles.
Key Events
- June 4: V. Gurbo publishes first article on one of his original songs.
- June 8: N.A. Ferrell launches official Twitter page for The New Leaf Journal – complains about it in article two days later.
- June 13: New Leaf Journal moves from BunnyPressLite theme to the full and paid BunnyPress theme – I told the story of the move in a September article.
- June 18: N.A. Ferrell becomes aware of an annoying caching problem at The New Leaf Journal – visitors being directed to a June 12 version of the site homepage.
- June 23: Finally resolves caching issues – they never reappear.
- June 25: Implemented “estimated reading time” for most articles.
- June 25: V. Gurbo publishes first review article at The New Leaf Journal.
- June 27: Added Guestbook functionality to The New Leaf Journal.
Most-Read Articles in June 2020
- The New Leaf Journal Twitter. By N.A. Ferrell. June 10, 2020.
- The Quarantine Sessions: An Original Composition. By V. Gurbo. June 4, 2020.
- Some U.S. President Birthday Facts. By N.A. Ferrell. June 14, 2020.
July 2020 at The New Leaf Journal
With our caching problems behind us, we settled into our new layout in July 2020, publishing 20 articles during the month. July saw the birth of our official newsletter, The Newsletter Leaf Journal.
Key Events
- July 3: Opened sign-up for The Newsletter Leaf Journal.
- July 5: N.A. Ferrell published first book review at The New Leaf Journal.
- July 11: N.A. Ferrell drops Google Analytics from The New Leaf Journal and replaces it with privacy-friendly Koko Analytics – which we still use today. July 16 article explains the switch.
- July 11: N.A. Ferrell creates the ugliest featured image in the history of The New Leaf Journal.
- July 17: We publish our first, and to date, only, post from a guest contributor – this article was about Matt Damon’s gracing Brooklyn Heights with his presence and moving cranes.
Most-Read Articles in July 2020
- Against Half-Way Yogurt Thievery. By N.A. Ferrell. May 2, 2020.
- The Last Stand of Constantine XI. By N.A. Ferrell. May 30, 2020.
- Matt Damon’s Brooklyn Heights Crane Game. By O. Misanthrope. July 17, 2020.
August 2020 at The New Leaf Journal
August was our slowest month in every respect. We only published 16 articles. I had an excuse, however. I was building a new computer, which ran into some hiccups that I noted contemporaneously here at The New Leaf Journal.
Key Events
- August 8: N.A. Ferrell publishes final week-in-review article.
- August 14: N.A. Ferrell forced to confront that the motherboard he bought for his new computer build was a lemon. Published article about it.
- August 23: After going six days without a new article, N.A. Ferrell publishes first article from now-working new computer. This is good news for The New Leaf Journal. It helps when the editor, main writer, and administrator is working on computer instead of fiddling with it.
- August 26: V. Gurbo publishes article about his efforts to build an Airline Res-O-Glas guitar copy from a kit.
- August 28: N.A. Ferrell published review of The Great Suspender extension for Chromium-based browsers. This was our first tech review, it would prove to be a significant post in September.
- August 30: N.A. Ferrell publishes first month-in-review article, starting a tradition that continues today.
Most-Read Articles in August 2020
1 (tie). Building an Airline Res-O-Glas Guitar Copy. By V. Gurbo. August 26, 2020.
1 (tie). The Last Stand of Constantine XI. By N.A. Ferrell. May 30, 2020.
3. Remembering Second Lieutenant Carleton Burr for Memorial Day. By N.A. Ferrell. May 25, 2020.
September 2020 at The New Leaf Journal
I committed to publishing at least one article every day in September. We did one better, publishing 31 articles in 30 days. September stands as the busiest New Leaf Journal month in terms of number of articles published. Because I no longer publish multiple articles on a single day, it will likely remain so.
Key Events
- September 5: N.A. Ferrell published first article reprinting and discussing an old poem. There would be many more to follow.
- September 6: N.A. Ferrell makes use of scanner for the first time at The New Leaf Journal.
- September 10: V. Gurbo publishes the 100th article at The New Leaf Journal. N.A. Ferrell writes post commemorating the achievement on September 12.
- September 14: August article on Great Suspender gets shared far and wide on Twitter, becoming the most-read New Leaf Journal article through late December – discussed in September 24 article.
- September 21: Site haunted by a mysterious Pinterest tracker – discussed in article.
- September 27: Victor publishes public service article detailing his role in working to save The Bitter End.
- September 28: We have a Newsletter Leaf Journal mailing SNAFU, leading N.A. Ferrell to temporarily put the newsletter on ice.
- September 30: Month in Review Post.
Most-Read Articles in September 2020
- Reviewing the Great Suspender Extension. By N.A. Ferrell. August 28, 2020.
- Remembering Second Lieutenant Carleton Burr for Memorial Day. By N.A. Ferrell. May 25, 2020.
- The Last Stand of Constantine XI. By N.A. Ferrell. May 30, 2020.
October 2020
We published 25 articles in October. Most significantly, I took the time from not having to post every day to work on improving the site’s search standing. Building off the hard work done in September, October proved to be the strongest month yet in terms of visits for The New Leaf Journal.
Key Events
- October 3: Showing commitment to covering content for everyone, N.A. Ferrell posts first New Leaf Journal article on women’s fashion.
- October 6: In response to Victor’s accusations in an October 5 article on video game design, N.A. Ferrell details the history of The New Leaf Journal’s writers from their days working on a high school newspaper.
- October 9: N.A. Ferrell discusses New Leaf Journal’s move to host Google fonts locally, improving both site performance and privacy.
- October 12: N.A. Ferrell convinces Pinterest tracking script to stop haunting The New Leaf Journal.
- October 13: V. Gurbo responds to first non-spam Guestbook post with a guide to farming gold roses in Animal Crossing.
- October 15: N.A. Ferrell celebrates the 20th anniversary of the U.S. release of Pokémon Gold & Silver with an essay on the thematic significance of the games’ first town slogan.
- October 16: N.A. Ferrell finally explains The New Leaf Journal’s tagline.
- October 16: N.A. Ferrell creates personal/official account on Pixelfed to push New Leaf Journal content and photography.
- October 17: N.A. Ferrell launches Justin & Justina series with dialogue on heroism – currently the longest-running series at The New Leaf Journal.
- October 17: N.A. Ferrell creates personal/official account on Mastodon to push New Leaf Journal content.
- October 18: N.A. Ferrell begins series of articles on Halloween decoration pictures.
- October 31: N.A. Ferrell publishes first video game and visual novel review, covering the obscure Bad End visual novel for Halloween. Published ordinary month in review post on November 1.
Most-Read Articles in October
- Setting Up SoloKeys with Peppermint OS. By N.A. Ferrell. October 1, 2020.
- The Last Stand of Constantine XI. By N.A. Ferrell. May 30, 2020.
- Halloween and the Pumpkin with a Mask. By N.A. Ferrell. October 23, 2020.
November 2020 at The New Leaf Journal
Although we published only 21 articles in November 2020, two of those articles currently rank among the four most-read articles all time at The New Leaf Journal. The site continued to grow in November, easily breaking the visitors record set in the previous month and setting a record for most visitors per day that would stand until January.
Key Events
- November 13: N.A. Ferrell published review of Pixelfed. Article would go on to be the most-read article of 2020, and it remains among the most-read articles today.
- November 15: N.A. Ferrell published review of Persona 4 Golden Digital Artbook, which currently stands as the fourth most-read article at The New Leaf Journal.
- November 21: N.A. Ferrell publishes article complaining about “like” as a verbal tic. Proves to be unexpectedly popular, starts a small series.
- November 30: Month in Review Post.
Most-Read Articles in November 2020
- An Early Review of Pixelfed – Instagram Alternative. By N.A. Ferrell. November 13, 2020.
- Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation. By N.A. Ferrell. November 25, 2020.
- The Last Stand of Constantine XI. By N.A. Ferrell. May 30, 2020.
December 2020 at The New Leaf Journal
We closed 2020 with 25 articles in December. The site’s performance in December nearly matched that of November – setting a new record for most total visitors in a month, but falling just short of November in terms of average daily visitors (owing to the fact December is one day longer). December saw a dramatic uptick in search engine traffic late in the month, which set the stage for growth in 2021.
My Pixelfed Review set two records in December. First, it broke the record set by my Great Suspender review in September for most views in a month. Second, it became the first article to be the most-read post for a month more than once, doing what my Constantine XI article came close to accomplishing in July and October.
Key Events
- December 2: V. Gurbo publishes review of two protective masks. This article stands as our most successful on Google and our second most-viewed article to date.
- December 12: N.A. Ferrell publishes article arguing for 1-to-0 decades over 0-to-1 decades, telegraphing another project.
- December 13: N.A. Ferrell and V. Gurbo publish first Around the Web article, starting a series that continues today, albeit in a different from than how it was originally conceived.
- December 13: Return of The Newsletter Leaf Journal.
- December 29: N.A. Ferrell publishes list of anime recommendations that aired from 2011-2020. In addition to being a well-read post, it stood as the New Leaf Journal’s longest article until mid-April
- December 31: Month in Review Post.
Most-Read Articles in December 2020
- An Early Review of Pixelfed – Instagram Alternative. By N.A. Ferrell. November 13, 2020.
- Reviewing the HALOmask and är Mask. By V. Gurbo. December 2, 2020.
- Persona 4 Golden Digital Artbook Review (Steam). By N. Ferrell. November 15, 2020.
January 2020 at The New Leaf Journal
The New Leaf Journal began 2021 by reaping the benefits of all of our work in 2020. The site saw more visitors on every day than it averaged in November and December, owed to an improved search engine presence. We published 30 articles in January, tying May 2020 for our second most-prolific publishing month. Furthermore, we made some key improvements to the site structure.
My Pixelfed review topped the most-viewed chart for the third month in a row, breaking record for most views for a single article in a month in the process.
Key Events
- January 1: Published review of our most-read content from 2020 in dialogue format.
- January 5: N.A. Ferrell launched series of articles on birds from an 1897 bird magazine, formally implementing series functionality in the process, as explained in a January 6 article.
- January 10: Upgraded our author boxes with the paid version of our Starbox plugin.
- January 15: N.A. Ferrell opens personal/official account on Minds to push New Leaf Journal content.
- January 18: Article on Atom Feeds in Pixelfed achieves success on Mastodon, sparks an idea that would pay bigger dividends for The New Leaf Journal in the near future.
- January 30: Month in Review Post.
Most-Read Articles in January 2020
- An Early Review of Pixelfed – Instagram Alternative. By N.A. Ferrell. November 13, 2020.
- Reviewing the HALOmask and är Mask. By V. Gurbo. December 2, 2020.
- Persona 4 Golden Digital Artbook Review (Steam). By N.A. Ferrell. November 15, 2020.
February 2020 at The New Leaf Journal
We published 26 articles in 28 days in February. I had not expected to break our monthly visitor record from January in February, allowing for the fact that February is 3 days shorter. To my surprise, we shattered the mark in February, owed to another significant increase in search engine traffic. While the same three articles that led the way in December and January did so again in February, their positions shifted. Pixelfed fell to third, and both Victor’s mask article and my Persona 4 Golden artbook review broke the previous record for most monthly article views.
I also took the time to make some site improvements in February that had been on my idea list for a while.
Key Events
- February 7: N.A. Ferrell revamps Around the Web series to focus on single topics every Sunday with a variety of external links. First post covered issues involving hair color in Japanese schools.
- February 11: N.A. Ferrell adds microblog to the site sidebar. Why not?
- February 12: It occurred to N.A. Ferrell that no one could find the Guestbook. Added a field beneath every article with a link to the Guestbook. Shockingly, people began to use it.
- February 12: Changed time-frame for most-read article widget from 28 days to 14 in order to introduce more volatility, while still rewarding articles for consistent performance over an extended period.
- February 21: N.A. Ferrell publishes Around the Web piece on RSS as a Facebook alternative. That would prove to be a defining moment, but not in February.
- February 23: V. Gurbo publishes article on his original song, Mondrian. It was a rousing success, and also our first article to use a video embed from LBRY.
- February 28: Month in Review Post.
Most-Read Articles in February 2021
- Reviewing the HALOmask and är Mask. By V. Gurbo. December 2, 2020.
- Persona 4 Golden Digital Artbook Review (Steam). By N.A. Ferrell. November 15, 2020.
- An Early Review of Pixelfed – Instagram Alternative. By N.A. Ferrell. November 13, 2020.
March 2021 at The New Leaf Journal
March started much like February ended. Then, on March 8, my friend shared my article advocating for RSS as a Facebook alternative on Hacker News. It did well, achieving about half of the all-time views for The New Leaf Journal in a couple of days. The aftereffects boosted the entire site, creating a large number of back links and lifting other articles in search results.
Aside from the unexpected Hacker News success, I made several other important improvements to the site in March. All the while, I published all 26 of our March articles.
Key Events
- March 7: Unknown individual shares Victor’s vintage guitar-supremacist article on Hacker News, does well and sets a new single-day record for most New Leaf Journal visitors. Leads to an idea…
- March 8: My friend shares RSS as Facebook alternative post on Hacker News. Cheap hosting plan survives the unexpected traffic avalanche.
- March 14: Complete transition from TinyLetter newsletter service to Buttondown and send first Buttondown newsletter.
- March 14: N.A. Ferrell publishes comprehensive survey of English-language sources on Tsuki ga Kirei. One of our most-researched articles proving to generate reader interest.
- March 20: N.A. Ferrell creates new version of the About Page. Adds FAQ page. Revises Newsletter Sign-Up Page to account for new provider. Creates Hub Page for New Leaf Journal feeds. Revamps page and category hierarchies. Reorganizes footer menu. Becomes tired.
- March 26: N.A. Ferrell publishes article criticizing terrible campaign website for NYC mayoral candidate. Does well even though she is bounced from the race for want of ballot signatures not too long after.
- March 31: Month in Review Post.
Most-Read Articles in March 2021
- Around the Web 〜 RSS as a Facebook Alternative. By N.A. Ferrell. February 21, 2020.
- Reviewing the HALOmask and är Mask. By V. Gurbo. December 2, 2020.
- Persona 4 Golden Digital Artbook Review (Steam). By N.A. Ferrell. November 15, 2020.
April 2021 at The New Leaf Journal
Because I will write an April month in review post in three days, I will reserve my April recap until then. I will also going forward begin noting the five most-read articles each month in my month in review posts.
Most-Read Articles In Our First Year
On January 1, I published the list of our 25 most-read articles in 2020. To commemorate our twelfth month online, I will list our twelve most-read articles from April 27, 2020 through 8:00 PM on April 26, 2021, below. In so doing, I will note the change in position from our January 1 list.
- Around the Web 〜 RSS as a Facebook Alternative. By N.A. Ferrell. February 21, 2020. Change: NEW
- Reviewing the HALOmask and är Mask. By V. Gurbo. December 2, 2020. Change: +16
- An Early Review of Pixelfed – Instagram Alternative. By N.A. Ferrell. November 13, 2020. Change: -2
- Persona 4 Golden Digital Artbook Review (Steam). By N.A. Ferrell. November 15, 2020. Change: +2
- The Last Stand of Constantine XI. By N.A. Ferrell. May 30, 2020. Change: -3
- Why Vintage Guitars Sound Better. By V. Gurbo. January 4, 2020. Change: NEW
- Reviewing the Great Suspender Extension. By N.A. Ferrell. August 28, 2020. Change: -4
- An Essay on Productivity, Production, and Productive Leisure. By N.A. Ferrell. March 24, 2021. Change: NEW
- ATW 〜 The Mystery of Sōseki and Tsuki ga Kirei. By N.A. Ferrell. March 14, 2021. Change: NEW
- Follow The New Leaf Journal Atom Feed. By N.A. Ferrell. January 18, 2021. Change: NEW
- “Mondrian” – Victor V. Gurbo on his Original Song. By V. Gurbo. February 25, 2021. Change: NEW
- Review of Wutsearch, a Search Engine Launchpad. By N.A. Ferrell. March 22, 2021.
Justin & Justina Dialogue: Recommending Unsung Articles
In this anniversary celebration, I noted, and linked to, our most-read articles every month. Combined with our current list of 12 most-read articles all time, we covered the most popular content at The New Leaf Journal. But what of the rest? I do not think that our most-read list is any sort of ranking of our best content. For that reason, I invited my fictional dialogue duo of Justin and Justina to recommend articles that we have not noted thus far. I now yield the floor (in a sense – I mean I do write these dialogues, after all).
The Ground Rules
Justina: What are we doing again?
Justin: Listing twelve articles that New Leaf Journal readers may have missed over the past year.
Justina: I’m still tired from what you people made me do for New Years.
Justin: We need to deliver. One year anniversary. Special stuff. That’s why we’re back in The Emu Café.
Justina: I still don’t get this bird.
Emu: …
Justin: Never mind that. Nick gave us several rules. First, no articles that were already mentioned in this article. Second, no articles that we discussed in our January 1 review. Third, no articles from April 2021. Fourth, no articles that he is featuring on the site’s current About Page. Fifth, he asked us to start with newer articles and work back, since older articles are noted in many weekly and monthly review posts already.
Justina: This is complicated.
Emu: …
Justin: You’ll get the hang of it. I’ll lead us off.
“Calvin Coolidge Describes His Mother, Victoria”
Justin: I first recommend Nick’s March 13, 2021 article on Calvin Coolidge’s describing his mother, Victoria Josephine Coolidge, who he lost as a child. Coolidge wrote: “There was a touch of mysticism and poetry in her nature which made her love to gaze at the purple sunsets and watch the evening stars.”
Justina: That’s very pretty, but also sad.
Justin: Indeed, melancholy people with aesthetic sensibilities can write quite beautifully.
“How the Forget-Me-Not Flower Found Its Name”
Justina: I liked this one about the flower. It had a nice poem and neat history about how the forget-me-not flower was named.
Justin: That was cool. But history doesn’t seem like you, Justina.
Justina: That’s true. I’m also thanking Nick for writing a short article. His other histories are too long.
“The Pine Tree Lovers of Takasago”
Justin: Nick insisted that I choose this one. The Pine Tree Lovers of Takasago was one of his four articles written for Valentine’s Day. It covered two exceptionally beautiful nineteenth century English accounts of the classic Noh drama, Takasago.
Justina: I preferred his actual Valentine’s Day article about his photo of a squirrel kiss.
Justin: That was a lucky shot… well, you can read both.
Justina: And our White Day dialogue!
Emu: …
“Bird in Review 〜 The Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock”
Justina: Look at that bird’s face.
Justin: It is a magnificent bird. Maybe the best Nick covered.
Justina: I think so.
Justin: I was partial to the Resplendent Trogon myself.
Justina: This guy’s face though…
“Iroha Isshiki’s Hair is Brown, as Expected?”
Justin: Nick wrote two articles about hair color in the anime and lite novel series, My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong, as I Expected. The second one, on a side character, was not far off from making the top 12 most-read articles list, and may still yet. But the first, the better article about the better character, has fallen through the cracks.
Justina: The better character? This Iroha girl? What’s so special about her?
Justin: Her endearing focus on appearances reminds me of someone.
Justina: Really? That’s weird.
Justin: Less neurotic though.
Justina: I’m trying to think, who do you know?
Justin: She’s dead serious. I want you to know Justina is being serious.
Emu: …
Justina: Huh?
“Justin & Justina 〜 Existential Social Media Misery”
Justina: You just don’t get it! The point of social media is to make you miserable!
Justin: I see you called your own number.
Justina: Nick never said we couldn’t.
Justin: True. After reading Justina’s ridiculousness, see Nick’s spiritual follow-up essay on why social media is bad content.
Justina: That’s the point!
Emu: …
“The Found Parakeet of Brooklyn Bridge Park”
Justin: Here’s an article about when I found you in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Justina: I’m going to kill you.
Emu: …
Justin: It’s a very short article about a “FOUND PARAKEET” sign in Brooklyn Bridge Park with a picture of a pitiful looking parakeet. Couldn’t help but think of Justina.
Justina: …
Justin: Nick also wrote a more serious parakeet article. Alright back to business.
“Justin & Justina 〜 A Christmas Present Struggle”
Justina: Why couldn’t you just tell me what you wanted for Christmas?
Justin: Calling your number twice in a row…
Justina: I deserve this. You made me suffer.
Justin: To be sure, my recalcitrance about telling you what I wanted for Christmas probably put you in a situation that many readers would find relatable. You’re welcome, world. Not a big deal.
Emu: …
Justina: …
“On Children and Internet Sharing”
Justin: Nick explained succinctly why you shouldn’t share pictures of young children online.
Justina: I don’t get it.
Justin: Doing so precludes them from developing a sense of self and their own boundaries.
Justina: But if mothers don’t share idealized pictures of their kids and family life, how can people like me make ourselves feel inadequate?
Justin: Another reason. Consider that Justina spent most of her childhood without social media. She still turned out like this. Consider that.
Emu: The humanity…
Justina: Why are you talking, bird?
Emu: …
“The Wicked Car of the Gowanus – Car with Hat”
Justina: Look at the funny green car with the witch hat. That’s funny.
Justin: I can’t disagree.
Emu: Indeed.
Justina: …
Emu: …
“That Longest Year of School Finally Ends”
Justin: In this essay, Nick offered spoiler free thoughts on an observation by the author of My Youth Romantic Comedy Was as Wrong as I Expected on the end of his series. He stated that until he completed his series, he felt as if his second year in high school had never ended. But with the completion of the series and writing an end of the beginning for his characters, he could finally move on.
Justina: I still have nightmares about missing classes and getting an incomplete.
Justin: You should write a lite novel series.
Justina: Too lazy.
Emu: …
“Please Ring the Doorbell – A Delivery Story”
Justina: I agree with Victor. Why do delivery people do stuff like this?
Justin: Leave your expensive package on a stoop so anyone could steal it?
Justina: Yeah.
Justin: Hey, at least Victor got it. Nick told me USPS loses his stuff in the mail.
Justina: That’s terrible.
Justin: Do note the microphone that Victor had delivered was featured in his recent article on Seven Spanish Angels.
Justina: That was cool.
Emu: …
“I Don’t want your emu and I don’t have to feed it”
Emu: …Also…
Justina: …
Justin: …
Justina: What is with this bird?
Emu: …
Thank You For Reading and Following The New Leaf Journal
Thank you for reading and following The New Leaf Journal. It has been an exciting first year, and our small website has grown more than I expected it would have by this point when I started out barely knowing what I was doing in April 2020. With the foundation of our first year in place, we celebrate this New Leaf Journal birthday and look forward to our producing even better content in the year to come. I hope that you will join us for the journey.
