February 26, 2010

In the Spotlight: How and Where is the Digest being Read?

The Digest Readership is Growing

The Wildlife Disease Information Node began keeping statistics about our Digest subscriber numbers in October 2007, and we decided for this special Friday feature to share how and where the Digest is being read.

In addition to reading the Digest directly from its web home, it is also available through email and RSS feeds. Over the past year, there has been a 39% increase in email and RSS readership for a total of 1380 subscribers. There has been a 55% increase in daily requests to view the companion Global Wildlife Disease News Map. The geographic reach is displayed in the figures below. As these numbers continue to grow, we feel it signals that the community values these products and we hope to enhance them in the future. Subscriber comments and suggestions will help to guide this process, and we encourage you to continue to share them with us at wdin@usgs.gov

Many of the new subscribers are introduced to the Digest by their colleagues. If you find the Digest useful, we encourage you to “spread the word.” In addition to the access points listed above, the Digest is also available through Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks for your interest and support!


Increase in RSS Subscribers since October 2007



Figure: Shows the increase in subscribers and the number of times
subscribers viewed or clicked on an item.


Number of Cites Accessing the Digest


Number of cities that accessed the Digest in May – Dec 2008 was approximately 900 cities. Through 2009 the number increased to 3,600 cities.


Figure: Shows the location of the cities that accessed the Digest in 2009


Number of Countries Accessing the Digest

Number of countries that accessed the Digest in May – Dec 2008 was approximately 72. Through 2009 the number increased to 142 countries.

Figure: Shows the top countries who visited the Digest in 2009.