Fiddlehead Focus tops 700,000 page views in January

ST. JOHN VALLEY - On Tuesday morning, Jan. 31, at around 10 a.m., someone looked at the 700,000th web page for the month at FiddleheadFocus.com, marking a milestone in the progress of the fledgling news organization.

STAR NUMBER - The number at the bottom shows that Fiddlehead Focus reached 700,000 page views in January.

The site also set records with more than 11,000 unique visitors coming to the local news resource in January. Publisher Andrew Birden said he is unable to find a website based in Aroostook County that is as popular as Fiddlehead Focus.

Birden said, "700,000 page views is a record for us. It seems difficult to believe that during the World Cup Biathlon a year ago, we were cheering at just 85,000 page views in that month." The number of monthly visitors has grown 800 percent in less than a year.

Birden added, "A lot of our online growth comes from the marketing that our new editor, Monica Pettengill Jerkins, does with a variety of outlets. Her work has been essential.  Also, reporters Julie Daigle and Monica have an uncanny ability to find stories that people want to read."

More growth comes from the steady expansion the Focus has made to cover more of the St. John Valley, especially the Greater Madawaska region, and a growing interest from folks outside the St. John Valley for the region.

MORE UPS THAN DOWNS - Visits to the website vary from day-to-day, but also steadily increase over time.

Pettengill Jerkins said, "We are working hard to infuse ourselves into the community by attending events and providing up-to-date coverage for the region. Our readers are becoming more familiar with the Fiddlehead Focus website and look to it for current and breaking news, often visiting it several times per day. They know that if there is something going on in the Valley, they will find out about it on the Fiddlehead Focus website first.

"People find our stories interesting and informative," said Birden.

Birden said the website will offer new services and greater coverage as the company moves forward.