A Few NaHaiWriMo Statistics

Post date: Feb 02, 2014 6:47:42 PM

As we begin National Haiku Writing Month for 2014, our fourth year of celebrating haiku with a month of daily writing, here are a few statistics. As of January 31, 2014, we ended the month with 1,670 likes for the Facebook page, and have already jumped significantly since then. About 66 percent of page likes are women, and the largest single age group of women (17 percent) is in the 45 to 54 age group. For men, the largest single age group (8 percent) is in the 55 to 64 age group. We have active participants in all age brackets. The page is busiest at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time), with 1:00 p.m. very slightly behind, and least busy at 2:00 a.m. These statistics reflect the fact that most users live in North America. Indeed, the top Facebook site users, by country, are from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, India, Australia, France, Bulgaria, Japan, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The top individual cities for participation are Seattle, New York, San Francisco, Melbourne, Los Angeles, Toronto, Portland (Oregon), Vancouver, Paris, and San Deigo. After English, the top languages of NaHaiWriMo Facebook users are continental French, Bulgarian, Canadian French, Spanish, Polish, Italian, Swedish, and Russian. After English, the top two languages of French and Bulgarian also have their own NaHaiWriMo pages on Facebook, but statistics for those pages are not included here. Worldwide, posts to the NaHaiWriMo page reach close to three quarters of a million people. NaHaiWriMo continues to be a rich source of inspiration and sharing for haiku poets around the world.

As for this website, nahaiwrimo.com has had visitors from exactly 100 countries and regions of the world in its history. We still need visits from Greenland, Chile, and Madagascar! And how about visits from a number of other countries in Africa, and parts of South America? Website visits for the last year (2013–2014, ending January 31) are up 14.8 percent over the previous year. After the home page, the most-visited page is the “Why ‘No 5-7-5’” essay, followed by the Daily Prompts page, Participation, With Cherries on Top (our free ebook), and the Comments and Background pages. As we start National Haiku Writing Month for 2014, of course, it’s not the statistics but the poems and participants that matter most, yet these statistics, when compared with previous years, show much positive growth. Thank you to each and every participant for contributing to this supportive worldwide community of haiku fans and aficionados. You’re doing something right!