It's Our Birthday! Two-Year Anniversary of "Davids Medienkritik"

(Deutsche Version)

On May 31, 2003, this blog began with one single posting – with an article on SPIEGEL and Stern’s baiting of the US government. The topic would remain with us for the following two years…

We already reported on the goals of this blog on our one-year anniversary. Nothing about that has changed.

While Davids Medienkritik stood almost alone at the beginning in its criticism of the anti-American attitude of media and politics in Germany, today there are numerous excellent German-language blogs with a point of view much like ours. My partner Ray and I are doing our best to encourage this development. The more blogs like ours, the better.

Our visitor numbers also remain strong. On weekdays we typically have an audience of 2,500 to 3,000 unique visitors, on weekends, the number dips down to 1,800 to 2,000. Our daily regular audience has grown significantly over the past year. This time last year, it was around 1,200 to 1,300 on weekdays and 1,000 or less on weekends. Even without an Instalanche or an Andrewlanche, our monthly figures are typically somewhere from 75,000 to 85,000.

Like many US blogs, we had a boom period around the November 2004 US elections largely due to links from major blogs and interest in the German media's view of the race. This hot election period saw our monthly numbers skyrocket to record levels well above 100,000. Currently, we are among the top 150 to 170 blogs worldwide. We suspect that we are at the very top of the blog game in Germany, where the blogosphere is still in its infancy.

A fundamental trademark of this blog remains its numerous outstanding comments from our visitors. Some of our visitors have accompanied us for quite some time – the are a key core of our blog from which new ideas and fresh comments are always flowing.

No large parties are planned for our anniversary. Just the promise that we will stay on the job longer than Gerhard Schroeder…

Am 31. Mai 2003 startete dieser Blog mit einem ersten Posting - mit einem Beitrag zur Hetze in SPIEGEL und Stern gegen die US-Regierung. Das Thema sollte uns in den folgenden beiden Jahren nicht mehr verlassen...

Über die Ziele dieses Blogs haben wir beim 1-Jahres-Jubiläum bereits berichtet. Daran hat sich nichts geändert.

Während Davids Medienkritik anfangs in der deutschen Blogszene mit seiner Kritik an der anti-amerikanischen Haltung von Politik und Medien in Deutschland fast alleine stand, gibt es nun eine Vielzahl exzellenter deutschsprachiger Blogs mit einer ähnlichen Grundeinstellung wie unserer. Ray - mein Partner - und ich begrüßen diese Entwicklung außerordentlich, und wir fördern sie auch nach Kräften. Je mehr wir sind, um so besser für unser Anliegen.

Die Entwicklung unserer Besucherzahlen ist weiterhin positiv, wenngleich nicht mehr so stürmisch wie im ersten Jahr. Wir haben nun wochentags regelmäßig zwischen 2500 und 3000 Besuchern, and Wochenenden zwischen 1800 und 2000 pro Tag. Unsere Monatszahlen liegen bei ca. 75.000 bis 85.000:

Das Top-Ergebnis vom November 2004 hing natürlich mit den US-Wahlen zusammen. (Die Entwicklung ist ganz ähnlich bei führenden US-Blogs.) Mit unseren Zahlen lägen wir auf Platz 150 bis 170 der weltweit führenden Blogs. Es ist zu vermuten, daß wir unter den Blogs, die Deutschlands Politik zum Thema haben, einen Spitzenplatz einnehmen.

Ein wesentliches Kennzeichen dieses Blogs sind die zahlreichen hervorragenden Kommentare unserer Besucher. Einige dieser Besucher begleiten uns seit langer Zeit - sie bilden den Kern dieses Blogs, aus dem immer wieder erfrischende Anregungen kommen.

Keine großen Feiern zum Jubiläum, aber das Versprechen, länger im Amt zu bleiben als Gerhard Schröder...

Comments

[SleepingInSeattle]

Congrats! Man I've been checking this site just about daily for a long time now, and lurking in the comments sections. I have to say thanks for everyone's effort on this site (And Medienkritik Online) which is quite massive for something done in spare time.

[S1IG]

Congratulations! Weiter so!

[thesaur]

Congrats, guys! Keep up the excellent work! We really need you over here in Germany!

[Tina Espy]

Happy Aniversary, guys!

This is the first blog I visit in the morning when I wake up. What you do is valuable to both Germans and Americans (due to the language barrier).

Keep up the great work!

[Trish]

Happy Anniversary!! Have a glass of champaign and celebrate!!!

[Ben Duffy]

Hey guys! Love the site.

I'm not a big fan of NPR, but I was listening to it for a moment yesterday, and they made reference to "German Chancellor Helmut Schroeder". Ha! It's Gerhard Schroeder!

They're so high brow over there. Much too smart for the rest of us.

[EABinGA]

Happy Anniversary from the conservative Klickguerilla ;)

[Carl Densing]

Happy Anniversary! Keep on blogging!

[Bill Baar]

Congrats.. I've found your blog very helpful and informative... most importantly it's given me some hope.

[mamapajamas]

Congratulations on your birthday AND your success!!! :D

re: "On weekdays we typically have an audience of 2,500 to 3,000 unique visitors, on weekends, the number dips down to 1,800 to 2,000."

Hmmmm... lots of people logging in from work when they should be working, huh? *formulating plot to sneak up on my employees when they aren't looking*

LOL!

[Tait]

Thanks for keeping up this blog.

Its the second (Sorry) one I visit each day when I can, but I ALWAYS make sure I read what you have posted, (as well as what folks say in the comments section). I always catch up on what I may have missed if I was absent for a few days, and I will always remain a ever loyal reader.

Its good to hear someone, and something, that is both German and positive about America. I knew there was a good chunk of Germany despite the image Schroeder projects, that still supported the US and all things decent in the world, and you are doing great in representing them, as well helping to spread the message to the world along with the many other bloggers your support has helped foster.

You have my many thanks, and may your blog continue for many years to come.

[Mike H.]

Congratulations, this is a daily stop on my blog tour.

[jane m]

Like many others, I'm a faithful reader but seldom comment. I find reading the comments intelligent and very informative and has improved my knowledge of Germany tremendously.

Thanks to Ray, David and all the erudite commenters here whether they differ in opinion or not.

[Lou Minatti]

Congrats, gentlemen. It's no mystery why your blog is successful. It's well-written, updated regularly, the articles are original, and your material is frequently quoted on other important blogs. This is what separates your blog from 99.95 percent of the rest of the blogs out there. There are tens of thousands of political blogs, and there are probably less than a hundred that are regularly bookmarked, on either sides of the political spectrum. This is something to be proud of.

I appreciate the work you guys do, and I am sure that I am also speaking for the many lurkers reading Medienkritik who don't post.

[Chris L.]

Happy Anniversary! We're grateful for your hard work and insightful comments, which give many of us a peak into viewpoints that we would otherwise never know about.

Best wishes to you.

[Deist]

Happy Anniversary :)

[Axel Bavaria]

Congratulations, David and Ray !

You're the undisputed primus inter pares of the German blogosphere, and do a true service to the nation with your blog ( though too many Germans won't realize that anytime soon ).

[Kees Rudolf]

Politically correct thinking (which today in Europe, strangely enough, seems to include anti-Americanism)unfortunately doesn't flourish solely within the German borders. For a very substantial part the German MSM are not unique. The intellectual creativity of the politically correct left-leaning media-elite in general should not be overestimated. Apart from slight variations, depending on local circumstances, one often finds exactly the same kind of reasoning, the same fallacious arguments and the same lies in the media throughout Europe. That's why the 'politically incorrect observations' on German media-bias in this blog, thanks to the sharp wits of David and Ray and some of the regular commenters, are so infinitely valuable, not only for American and German readers, but also for European readers outside Germany. For me, being Dutch, this blog is almost essential reading.
David and Ray, I admire your tenacity. Thanks a lot and congratulations.

[sol]

DANKE AUS TEL-AVIV!!!!
Thanks for keeping up this blog.

[Pamela]

Happy birthday guys. A very big smooch and many thanks........

[Dan]

Congratulations...

Although I rarely post, I visit this blog throughout the day.

Keep up the good work.

[Cousin Dave]

Congratulations to David and Ray for a great blog, and for getting me in the Wall Street Journal. :-) Also thanks to the many fine commenters here; this blog's comments section is one of the most readable of all of the blogs on the Internet.

[Paul from Florida]

I was on a Bahama beach where I overheard two lovely, topless goddesses discussing your site, so also being a fan, I struck up a conversation. They told me how much they wanted to meet you two. I would of forwarded you their numbers but I lost it in that nights drinking. Sorry.

You have fans everywhere. :)

Note from David: Paul, this is one of this blog's most depressing comments... WHY DIDN'T YOU KEEP THE NUMBERS!!!???
Hmm... We need to solve this problem somehow. I might come over from Germany with my Medienkritik sweatshirt and just wait at that beach...

[no comment]

i really hate it!
that's why i come back over and over...

[Mitch]

Thank you, gentlemen, and congratulations. Long live the revolution!

[Hessian]

"I might come over from Germany with my Medienkritik sweatshirt and just wait at that beach..."

You guys have sweatshirts?

The only good political sweatshirt I have is Bureaucrash's "Enjoy Capitalism" (and a few sickle-and-hammer shirts to confuse my professors), but I'd love to add a Medienkritik to my wardrobe.

Only question is what would be a good logo?

Also, froh Geburtstag

[James W.]

Congratulations guys!

Unfortunately, I didn't discover this excellent blog until Bush's Mainz visit; but, it's been a daily must ever since. The posts are very well written and interesting, and I have yet to find a better comment section. I even have a folder for my favorite Medienkritik posts--to include some of the best (IMO) reader comments. The folder is growing very quickly in size!

Thank you and GODSPEED!

P.S. I want a sweatshirt too! Any T-shirts? Sounds like a good fundraising opportunity.

[Terence]

Hi, I just wanted to say that I've only been reading for a week and that I'm so happy to have finally found a site like this one. I was actually starting to believe that there was nobody in Germany who sees through the crap which passes itself off as intelligent, progressive thought in this country.

[Gabi & N. Hale]

Congratulations from Gabi and N. Hale.

Thank you, David and Ray!

[Tilo]

From a German living in the US. Happy birthday and thanks for the great work that you are doing.

[PI]

Happy Anniversary, Medienkritik! I will never forget our Pro-Bush-Demo in Mainz and hope to see you guys soon again. Keep on your great blogging!
Stefan :-)

[Peter P. Haase]

Happy Birthday to MEDIENKRITIK with its bunch of honest and brave German fellows from an old Prussian/American in sunny Florida.

Peter P. Haase
Boca Raton, Florida

[Eddie]

I would LOVE a Medienkritik sweatshirt. Any chance of getting one? Keep up the good work.

[Ray D.]

@ readers...

Thank you. It means a lot to us to hear from you.

Oh yes, BTW: We will have t-shirts available very soon...stay tuned...

---Ray D.

[Tom Penn]

I want to add my congratulations, and a big thank you.

[Paul from Florida]

David,

When drinking and with women, I've lost lots more than phone numbers. Piles of money, blacked out long weekends, a rifle, clothes.... Again, sorry, I won't let it happen again.

Kees Rudolf,

Right on about the aesthetic abilities of the left to package attractive and seductive images of a Utopian future. Many of the leftist I talk to are totally ignorant of economics, history, political theory and practice and even major historical events.....and yet they "feel" that because they are hip to the newest fashion in shoes, music, foods that they are knowledgeable. "Hip" is even synonymous with being current.

We can see this phenomena in the popularity of Che Guevara tee-shirts. When I mention that Che lead and managed the execution of 1,600 Cuban doctors, lawyers, writers, artist and political opponents in the Havana Stadium. I then mention that in his book his snide remarks targeting blacks, homosexuals and Jews. Further blank looks.

I am not a artist, but I recognize the power of art to influence. I feel that an artistic assault on the left would be even more effective than a informational, especially on those unwilling or unable to think critically.