During Heritage Month 2019 I gave a talk to a preservation group on the story of The Heritage Portal so far. Part of the presention involved unpacking some stats behind the platform. I always keep an eye on what stories are doing well week to week but I'd never done an overall look at the numbers. It was a lot of fun and I emerged from the research feeling deeply proud and humbled by the impact the Portal has had.
A massive thank you to all the contributors that have shared their fascinating stories over the years. By doing so you have played a vital role in preserving South Africa's heritage! Enjoy the quick numbers below:
- Founded: 2012
- Number of visitors / unique users: 1 132 795
- Busiest month: August 2019 - 41 814 unique users
- Average monthly users 2019: - +- 30 000
- Contributors: 258
- Articles: 763
- Notices: 2206
- Book Reviews: 133
- Threads: 227
- Images: 7742
Here is a list of the most read articles as well which is always interesting (click on the title to view):
- Mining Headgears - Pure Functionality Ruling over Beauty (Peter Ball)
- Rediscovering the 1947 Royal Visit to South Africa (Kathy Munro)
- One of the most extraordinary archaeological and historical phenomena in Southern Africa (Peter Delius, Tim Maggs & Alex Schoeman)
- A Brief History of Knysna from 1770 to 1890 (Philip Caveney)
- The Grave Story of Rietfontein (Sizwe) Hospital (Naomi Dinur)
- The Last Remaining Natural Waterfall in Johannesburg (William Gaul)
- Sandton has a new tallest building! (James Ball)
- A Brief History of Roads in South Africa (Peter Ball)
- Dark History Behind the Oriental Plaza (Nigel Mandy)
- Forbidden Images (1960s to 1980s) - Illegal photographs captured by young men conscripted into the South African Military (Carol Hardijzer)
About the author: James Ball is the founder and editor of The Heritage Portal
