Milestone: Must Read Alaska reaches 10 million mark

By
Suzanne Downing
-
18

UPDATE ON THE LITTLE NEWS BLOG THAT COULD

A big thanks to all Must Read Alaska readers this morning.

Four years after launching this website, Must Read Alaska has reached a milestone, passing the 10 millionth visitor mark.

The landmark event happened just after midnight on June 20, when the electronic counter rolled over to 10,000,000. There were no drum rolls. Your editor had dozed off, and by the time she woke up an hour later, she’d missed the turn, so here is the snapshot from 1 am Saturday:

Over 41,568 comments have been approved and posted on Must Read Alaska in four years.

Must Read Alaska began in in 2015 as a modest political newsletter whose readers were nearly all registered Republican voters. MRAK has always been about Alaskans and what policies are the best ideas for our state, from the conservative point of views.

In May of 2016, editor Suzanne Downing launched the website as an addition to the primary focus, which was still the newsletter.

The first story on the Must Read Alaska website was a feature profile of political consultant Art Hackney, published on May 16, 2016.

“You have to have a lot of life experience to be effective as a political consultant,” Hackney said, having been in the business of advising candidates in Alaska for over 36 years. (Make that 40 years now, and Hackney has even more profound life experience, and more awards to show for his work.)

The primary reader for MRAK has always been a politically tuned Alaskan who is open to conservative public policy. This is the place where conservatives can feel their points of view are honored. Politics and policy is our primary beat.

FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE MILESTONES

Must Read Alaska’s Facebook page also reached a milestone this week, with now over 9,000 followers.

And the YouTube channel that MRAK launched last month? We’ve got work to do and it’s this year’s project, but we have nearly 500 subscribers already.

Here are the comparison statistics that show how Must Read Alaska rolls with the big boys out there. The MRAK site ranks at #9,160 in the United States. (In this comparison, everyone wants the low number, such as Google has at #1.)

What does being ranked #9,160 mean in the national website landscape? It’s very, very good.

But taking a look at the global ranking comparison, MRAK is really proud of this next chart, which shows where MRAK sits in the local media landscape (low number wins):

MRAK is also pleased to have working partnerships with Anchorage Daily Planet, and CraigMedred.news, as well as regular columnists Win Gruening, Art Chance, and Dan Fagan. Contributors, commenters, and news tips from all across the state make this a crowd-sourced project.

FUELED BY DONATIONS, ADS, AND GRIT

Must Read Alaska intends to stay small and nimble. We’re sticking to our focus here in Alaska — political reporting and observation of our state’s current events, as well as keeping the mainstream media accountable for its seemingly unending liberal bias.

This project still runs mainly on donations, with some advertising, which helps keep it all going through thick and thin. This spring, John Quick of Nikiski joined Must Read Alaska as vice president of business development, to grow our ad revenues and our reach. You can contact him at [email protected] (that’s right, there is no “m” at the end of that email address) if you’d like the rate sheet.

Must Read Alaska now has a column at NewsMax.com, and a new partnership with mynewsbuffet.com is also an exciting development.

But mostly, Must Read Alaska runs on grit and determination to get up every day and do the best we can do for all Alaskans. I’m very, very grateful for each and every reader who has made this project a success.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

18 COMMENTS

  1. Congratulations to Suzanne Downing and Must Read Alaska. Ten million views within four years is a true testament to reporting the stories and issues that concern Alaskans.

    MRAK has been the stalwart for credible, accurate and often humorous reporting.

    Suzanne, your labor of love to our great state is commendable and very much appreciated. Keep up the great work. Alaskans deserve truth and you keep producing it.

    Glenn Clary, Chairman
    Alaska Republican Party

  2. Would there be any way to break down the ad for vote yes on prop1 ?? The part that says we’ve lost money from the pfd due to lack of taxes on the producers ! Did not mention the Demoncratic governor and legislature !! They say one of the oil producers makse 80k per day in the ad. could you add how much it takes to extract, process and also the portion daily that goes to the state ! Thank You !! D

  4. Congratulations, Suzanne. What an accomplishment!

    I personally heavily rely on Must Read Alaska to keep up to date on what’s going on in Alaska. It’s essential reading.

    Mike Gordon

  6. Thank you for being an awesome platform in which we can band to recover our great state and nation from the Darkside.

  7. Congratulations Suzanne, I enjoy reading your page from the middle of the “Lower 48” in Nebraska. Have visited your great state several times, hope to get to stay there for good one of these times. It is good to see common sense is still alive and well in the Last Frontier!

  8. I agree – a bullet point data listing of the financial benefits of the oil industry to the state which could be used as talking points when we address/attack the false facts and innuendo’s of the vote yes on prop 1 would be most helpful. Also a listing of the facts refuting the vote yes statements. We cannot sit still we must bring these facts out at every public meeting and discussion.

    This is the most important issue for the survival of our state other than getting a legislature who will address the bloated state budget.

    Thanks for your huge efforts. I no longer waste time on the newspapers.

  9. Let’s be fair to the other Alaska “news” sites: In the case of the ADN, much of their content is regurgitated stories from leftist organizations like the NY Times and Washington Post. We know what their agenda is. In the case of KTUU, they parrot the work of their network, NBC (and MSNBC). Oh, they also do trenchant, hard-hitting “stories” on the weather and puppies. More fact-driven content produces more views and more viewers. It feels vaguely like something the First Amendment to the United States Constitution might contemplate. Keep up the good work Suzanne!

  10. Truly a great achievement for Suzanne Downing. Left-wing writers like the little Cole dwarfs in Fairbanks must be shaking in jealousy.

  11. Congratulations on this milestone! I am extremely selective in my news consumption and MRAK recently joined LifeSiteNews for national/international news and Alaska Watchman for local AK news as my constant sources of real news. These are the only three publications I believe we can trust to give us the truth; regardless of whether I agree with their conclusions, they give me the facts and sources to be able to draw my own conclusions. Bravo!

  12. Thanks for remaining the source of truth in Alaska. I very much appreciate your efforts.

  13. Congratulations, keep up with the good reporting and making sure our conservative voices are out there.

  14. Suzanne Downing is a class act to be sure. Without MRAK, Alaskans would be stuck in a forced feeding of left-wing news and brainwashing. Here, we can think for ourselves. Suzanne’s all-star line-up of guest columnists provides expertise in a myriad of political, business and social issues. And the writing is the best in Alaska. One suggestion: to provide some added insight and make room for multi-generational input, I recommend that Suzanne expands MRAK to include a columnist or two of conservative-leaning 20s and 30 something’s.

  16. Hip, Hip, Hoorayyy! Congratulations, Suzanne! Great accomplishment! I’m a happy reader and follower. I always look forward to reading your “Must Read Alaska”. ?????

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