BiggerPockets Saw RECORD Growth in January 2013

BiggerPockets Saw RECORD Growth in January 2013

Joshua D.Pro Member
BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes

Hey Everyone -
I wanted to report in with some incredible news. January was our best month on BiggerPockets and we ended up just shy of a monster milestone: 500,000 unique visitors for the month.

That's right -- we ended up just a few thousand unique visitors short of a half-million unique visitors on BiggerPockets in January.

Our total visits, visitors and pageviews were all up between 24% and 28% over our next best month. We also saw considerable increases in activity and posting on the site.

What Does This Mean for You?
While it may be an anomaly or the "January Effect," I believe that more and more people are coming to recognize the value of our community. These new visitors are your potential colleagues and partners; your potential teachers and students.

If you remain an active member of the community by engaging on our forums and blogs, you're going to see more and more opportunity as new people come to the site.

So -- here's another reminder:

1 - If you haven't already, be sure that your profile is filled in completely.
2 - If you haven't uploaded a personal profile pic, do it now.
3 - If you haven't set up keyword alerts for terms you're interested in - do it now ( tutorial)
4 - If you're not actively engaging on the site by participating in discussions on the forums or blogs, you don't exist to the majority of people here. These places are where people connect, make friendships and partnerships.

Don't miss out on your opportunity -- set a small block of time each day or every few days to connect and participate here -- you'll find that it is certainly valuable to your business.

Thanks to everyone who has been a part of the site and especially to all our new visitors! Jump in!

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J ScottPro Member
Moderator
Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 17k+ votes
13y

I was just talking to Josh about how much traffic I get to my blog from BiggerPockets, and he asked me if I'd post the information to give others an idea of how valuable BiggerPockets is in terms of helping me get readership and build my personal network.

In January, I had just over 11,000 unique visitors to my site. If you remove the search engine traffic -- which accounts for over 60% of my traffic -- more than 1/3 of the rest of my blog traffic came from BiggerPockets. In other words, nearly 2000 unique visitors in one month referred from BP!

If you have a real estate website, a blog or just want to be able to network with others in the industry, staying active and visible on BP will probably be more valuable to you than pretty much any other online resource.

Thanks Josh!

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  • Commercial Landlord · Oshkosh, WI · Member since 2013 · 299 posts · 88 votes
    13y

    Housing bubble has been through the worst already the bond bubble is headed for armageddon. The long term low interest rates and mass printing press of money globally has caused a great deal of capital to push the stock market upward and this will not end until QE ends. The inflation will continue and there are signs that the bond market is about to explode. Even with a historically high stock market the bubble is in bonds.
    I also see Bob Rubin US former treasury secretary warned of the international reaction to the last QE was not good. Japan and China are no longer interested in propping the US up via bond purchases.
    When a private firm like KKR decides to go public and put's together such junk bond packages to sell when the US gov has a hard time buying there own debt your getting close to the end of cheap corp debt.
    KKR would not share action with the public unless the show was over and they were about to off load there own garbage which in my estimation is junk bonds. Certain companies you study can tell you what the market place is up to..Like Goldman Sachs,Bear Stearns, JP Morgan, HSBC, Duetsche bank and others I wont go into a long rant on. These are a few big players that do things right about the time before something big happens in the marketplace.
    Everyone is tired of it and right now smart money is chasing cash flowing assets. The junk bonds are no longer producing and there monthly balance sheets proves it. The hedge funds are being suckered into these investments are now beginning to look elsewhere for returns. They are even looking at real estate. I think the show is over for the bond market and as soon as QE ends and it will once the risk of inflation becomes more apparent the bonds will crash hard.
    When QE stops which will happen when inflation begins to force them to stop, the higher interest rates will drive money away from Stock and bond markets. Unless the goal is a complete capitulation of the currencies.. Which is quite possible. Either plan would end in disaster for the bond market. Of course we all hope they dont totally destroy currencies as that hurts all of us.
    The real question is how fast 3? 6? or 12 months? I thought that April 2013 would have been my prediction for when this bond market would crash as the round 2 of fiscal cliff talks would probably take a little longer to patch a deal together. The entire system right now is on shakey ground as gold and silver keep ramping upward as they print to pay off the debt they cant afford.
    Real Estate is really a great safe haven because not only is it a hard asset but it produces income if you buy the right kind.
    I have been watching the price of gold and silver too as it seems to be another indicator of what is going on beyond closed doors lately.
    I think real estate without debt and silver and gold are nice bets in this market. notice I said silver before gold..hint hint.
    Re: web market hard to say but look at Facebook stock its already plunged although the income there just doesn't justify the price. In my opinion Facebook isnt worth 6 bucks a share.

  • Real Estate Investor · Bismarck, MO · Member since 2013 · 32 posts · 1 vote
    13y

    saving this spot till april 2013.

  • Wichita, KS · Member since 2013 · 235 posts · 46 votes
    13y

    I must admit I joined in early January and this is a great site! I am so enthusiastic about REI and love the fact so many people are willing to teach me about REI. It's great to be able to pick so many minds on here.

  • Commercial Landlord · Oshkosh, WI · Member since 2013 · 299 posts · 88 votes
    13y

    Just for reference, I dont have a Chrystal ball. its just my thought is how much longer can this bond market hold up?
    Its really weird when Germans ask for 300+ tons of gold from US? just seems like some wild crazy stuff is going to happen with currencies soon and when that does the bond market will freeze up fast. The next question is if we have 8100 tons on hand in newyork would seem 300 tons would be easy to move. However they have decided on doing this over 7 years. 7 years!!! Holy crap that means if they need 7 years to move it to Germany then either one of 3 things is going on 1) The US doesnt have it 2) We have it but its all leased out 50 times over to a bunch of banks and other private and public companies 3) Everyone agrees that moving it all at once would crash the currency markets and explode the price of gold. This all might seem unrelated to the bond market or fiscal cliff but think about it for a minute. Isnt most of this entire capitalist system based on faith of a fractional banking system?

  • Bakersfield, CA · Member since 2013 · 128 posts · 7 votes
    13y

    First and foremost congratulations on this great achievement.

    I just joined in january as well and I am very happy i found this website.

    What i like to see here is a mobile version of the site or at least making the forum accessible through tapatalk

  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    OP
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    13y

    Guys - Lets please bring this back on topic -- talk of the economy probably needs to be on its own thread. Thanks!

    Brandon Proctor - Just keep asking questions and getting involved in discussions and you're going to progress far more than you know! Thanks for being a part of the community.

    Alex R. - Thank you. We have plans for a mobile version of the site but no -- it will not be through tapatalk. We will be building our own app soon.

  • Lakewood, OH · Member since 2013 · 68 posts · 23 votes
    13y

    I joined in January and am part of the recent upswing in unique visitors. I'm fairly knowledgeable already on REI, but could only possibly know a fraction of the collective expertise here on BP. I've been taken aback by not only the knowledge, but the genuinely good and helpful nature of everyone here.

    I'm waiting for the one strategy/contact/advice that clearly makes makes me money, then I'm going to sign up for a Pro account so BP can make some money. My "thank you" to Josh and others for making this all possible. I'm not sure I will get benefit to the upgrade, but I'm positive I get benefit on BP in general and will feel like a leech if I'm the only one seeing the upside

    Btw, I may have already received that piece of advice in another thread last week related to discounts on materials suppliers. I'm monitoring the benefit and will likely be a Pro account soon

  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    OP
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    13y

    Huggy Baird - Thanks for the message. There is a lot of value to a PRO membership; you can find the benefits at http://www.biggerpockets.com/pro

    I think that perhaps I need to work with Brandon Turner to put together a comprehensive blog post to outline the perks behind the perks.....

  • Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    13y
    Originally posted by Karen M.:
    Joshua Dorkin is there a way to stay signed in, to bypass logging in each time? ;)

    My MAC's do it automatically.

    It is great site..
    But I notice that the REI groups I attend are swelling exponentially in attendance as everyone is looking for RE as a income stream to compensate for years of poor choices in conventional investments & a lot of bad lifestyle choices per se.
    Referring these people to BP is fun to do as it's well worth a novice to get in depth discussions on all aspects of the enterprise.
    One couple at our table, after a month, came back with all manner of knowledge after admitting to being avid readers of BP.

  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    OP
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    13y

    Pat L. - Thanks for referring them our way; as you know, this is a great place for those folks to learn. I love your story about the couple.

    We're actually working on a document to give to club leaders to help inform them of the value of BP . . . perhaps when complete, our friends can pass them out at future meetings.

  • Real Estate Investor · New Albany, IN · Member since 2013 · 5 posts · 6 votes
    13y

    I've just started using this site in the last few weeks and have found all of the information to be very valuable. I look forward to making some connections with some of you. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to REI. :)

  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    OP
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    13y

    Hey Diana Brickett and thanks for your comment. I'm glad you're finding BP to be valuable. Do think about making a personal introduction in our New Member Intro forum when you can so we can learn more about you.

  • Tracy RoycePro Member
    Investor · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2012 · 172 posts · 34 votes
    13y

    Congratulations Joshua Dorkin for reaching a new benchmark; I wonder how your vision 8 years ago aligns with where you are now? :)

    BP is one of the only resources I feel is worth spending time on to learn, network, and research REI trends from a local and national perspective, as the landscape of the crowd tends to be a helpful, knowledgeable bunch (and the fact the site was not turned into a platform for the gurus and internet marketers to cannibalize).

    To add to the the topic of this thread, my main website was created a little less than a year ago, and I've seen a 3,987.50% increase in visits from referral sources, with the number one being from BP. If I look at the period from 12.3.12-12.31.12 to 1.4.13-2.4.13 I've seen a 236.36% uptick for BP (as a referral source), which accounts for a very healthy chunk of the referral visitors.

    If I might share, personally I think the shortage of inventory for those of us who work seller direct will be best overcome by continuing to grow our connections, network, and online social influence and not just trying to go it alone. Might I say that BP is a wonderful blend of all of these, and I am elated to have such a wonderful resource, but also to be a small part of the BP team (as a contributor to the BP blog).

    Keep up the good work guys, good sign of more growth to come.

  • Joshua D.Pro Member
    OP
    BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    13y

    Tracy Royce - Those are some awesome referral numbers! And they say that blogging is dead . . . heh!

    Seriously though, I'm glad you're one of our active members. As to your question about my vision, it has certainly changed over the years. When I first started the site, as many people know, the goal was merely to have a place where I could find help for my own questions; very soon afterwards, I realized that the REI community needed something like BiggerPockets and my vision changed completely.

    The culture that we established is VERY different than 99.9% of the other sites in the space, and that has served us very well. Instead of going for the quick buck by fleecing newbies with expensive upsell junk, we've taken an approach where we provide value and a safe environment to connect on -- free from the constant pitch and markety crap that's all over. You're not going to find a $97 or $997 product sold by us.

    Anyway, thanks again for the message, and keep staying active and blogging with us and you're just going to find your numbers continue to climb.

  • Tracy RoycePro Member
    Investor · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2012 · 172 posts · 34 votes
    13y

    Agreed, and looking forward to it!

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