by Debbi | Sep 2, 2008 | Web/Tech
A long time ago, back in the beginning of this blog, I also set up a Sandbar MySpace page. Actually, I had to send a cease and desist message to another member of MySpace, because in the process of setting up the profile and searching for employees to befriend, I discovered that someone else had already set up a profile for The Sandbar. It was even using our trademarked logo, without permission of course. Once I mentioned that particular infraction, the guy was all too happy to change the name of his profile.
The MySpace page has quite a few friends now, some from Lawrence and some from Ottawa, and it's been yet another tool to use to send out notices of events and other happenings.
It took quite awhile longer to jump on the
Facebook bandwagon, mainly because for some reason I find it strangely more confusing to use. But since 99% of the rest of the world seems to have a Facebook profile, then so should The Sandbar.
After setting up the page, I didn't do much with it for a long time. And frankly, I still don't really understand a lot of things, like what's the difference between fans and friends? But recently I decided to try to take advantage of yet another social networking opportunity, so I've been trying to find Sandbar friends online.
I've also figured out a way to automatically send all of these blog posts to the Sandbar Facebook profile, which is pretty cool. Since I've been doing that, I've noticed quite a bit of traffic linking here from Facebook.
If you have your own Facebook profile, you can be our friend
online.
by Debbi | Aug 7, 2008 | Web/Tech
I noticed today before I published this post that the blog finally surpassed 15,000 hits. It's been just under two years since the first post was published.
Even though last month was in the midst of prime lake-going time, plenty of folks still hung around on their computers and checked out The Sandbar blog.
Visits last month added up to an impressive 952; this was almost double the visits from the same month a year ago, which were 478. The blog averaged about 30 readers per day this month.
Some of the web searches that led you here include:
Sandbar Matt: He's now famous on the internet, in more ways than one. There is actually another story about our former bartender out there on the internet, but I can't remember if I've already linked to it before. I'll check on that, and if I haven't, look for it here soon.
Sandbar guest list: This myth just won't die. There is no guest list. Perhaps at some other Sandbar, some other place…
What happens to the fish during a hurricane: This was a new twist on the popular "what happens during a hurricane" question. It's nice to finally see someone concerned about the poor fish.
Michelle Johanning: This was perhaps my favorite this month. Pants, perhaps we should ask your wife and my husband about this?
Owns the Sandbar in Lawrence: Ohhh, I take that back. This one was my favorite. First one with the correct answer wins a prize.
The most popular search these days seems to be "mermaid decor." Apparently this is the new hot style or something because lots of people seem to be interested in finding it.
And of course, there were the usual "Sandbar (name of city)" searches, although this time someone was looking for one in Kansas City. We've heard there is a restaurant there called Sandbar, and we need to go check it out sometime. Maybe they would let us dance on their tables.
by Debbi | Aug 1, 2008 | Web/Tech
I thought perhaps that title would get your attention, since New Year’s Eve is still many months away and not even a flicker of a thought in our heads yet.
However, someone out there is already planning the Sandbar New Year’s Eve 2009 party, and it’s not us. I found this on the internet today and it really surprised me. I kind of hate to link to this page because they’re obviously trying to get naive people to buy something they can’t really sell, but it was just too comical to not share with you.
This site claims that you can sign up on their website- which has nothing to do with The Sandbar- and be the first to know about what’s going on for New Year’s 2009. What’s even funnier is that they claim you can be notified as soon as tickets go on sale. And, that you’ll get to buy your tickets at the lowest cost possible.
I laughed out loud. Who are these people? Trust me, when New Year’s rolls around and we decide what we’re doing for the big party, this site right here will be the first to share the information. And tickets? Whatever. We tried that one year, it was a pain in the you-know-what, and we’ve never done it again.
Don’t sign up on this website for information about The Sandbar. All I can assume is they are trying to collect email addresses for spam. They’re definitely not affiliated with us.
by Debbi | Jul 9, 2008 | Web/Tech
Because it’s summer….and because it’s my birthday.
Here on the blog, it was a pretty good month too. Not the best one ever, that actually belongs to May, oddly enough.
June had exactly the same number of visits to the blog- 836- as April. I can’t explain the spike in visits during May, it must have been that glorious guest post about Frank by Chad. That’s roughly 28 visits per day. At least my crowd is steady.
So what brought about those 836 visits, other than the witty banter in the comments between Pants, Pattoo, and Frank (and occasionally a few other voices)? Here’s what people were searching for in June:
Picture of a jukebox and people dancing: Well, we’ve got plenty of that. I don’t know if I actually have a picture of the jukebox on here anywhere, but pretty much every picture has someone dancing.
What can a sandbar become? : That is a loaded question, my friends. I’ll let you answer that one in the comments.
Joe’s Crab Shack Shark in the Water recipe: First of all, this is not Joe’s recipe. It is ours. And it is not “shark in the water.”
Joe’s Crab Shack is a rip off: I have nothing personal against Joe’s. I just thought this one was funny.
Sandbar house living: Ask Scotty Mac about that one. In fact, that reminds me of a good story for a future blog post here…
What are Sandbar tickets? : We don’t know either. You can search all you want, but you won’t find them.
Mermaid fashion show: Right here, every night at 10 o’clock, the hurricane will start. And the lovely mermaids will show off their fashions.
Hogwash Sandbar: That pretty much sums it all up right there.
And there were the usual Sandbar places that people were trying to find: in Minnesota, Hawaii, and also “Sandbar Colorado naked,” along with “the most popular place to visit in Virginia.”
The internet is a funny thing.
by Debbi | Jun 13, 2008 | Web/Tech
A couple days go, you learned about some of the most popular searches that people do on the internet that leads them to this page.
Today, I'll tell you about some of the more unusual, amusing, and nonsensical searches that people do that brings them here.
How Many Gallons of Beer did Americans Drink in 2005?
I have no idea, but I bet they got more miles to the gallon in 2005 than they do today.
Volleyball Bar Team Names
Once upon a time, we printed t-shirts for a volleyball team in Minnesota. Their name? "Team Bob." Best volleyball team name ever.
Club Sandbar Guest List
This search really shouldn't take you anywhere at all, because there is no such thing as a Sandbar guest list. And we're not a club.
Trinkets for Guys
I think trinkets and guys are two words that just don't belong together.
Are all Sandbar tickets the same?
Hmmm…not sure about this one. The only ticket I know of is the over-occupancy ticket that we desperately try to avoid.
Super Dave costumes
This one made me chuckle. Dave created- all by himself- his very own Super Dave costume for Halloween one year. The only better one out there is the one Super Dave himself wore.
by Debbi | Jun 10, 2008 | Web/Tech
May was a pretty busy month around the Sandbar blog, second only to last March and all of the St. Patrick's day related searching that brought new visitors.
We had a grand total of 1,045 visitors to the blog in May; in May 2007, there were 697, so that was a pretty big increase. It was also more than April, so we're steadily seeing an increase in visitors each month which makes me happy. An average of almost 34 visits per day might not seem impressive to some, but I'll take it.
So, what were the top search terms that led folks to The Sandbar blog in May?
- Honor Vodka– two local guys did a great job creating a brand new vodka, right here in Lawrence. I talked about it a few months back, they added us to their press page, and now people looking for the vodka also end up here. Turns, out an old friend of ours set up their web page. It's a small world.
- Uncle Fatty's Rum Resort- Wow. I couldn't believe how many people out there are looking for this place. I mentioned the Sandbar look-alike last month, and apparently I was the only one on the internet talking about it, because everyone came here
- Sandbar, various locations- Some people are looking for The Sandbar in Lawrence or Ottawa, but lots of internet searchers want to know about The Sandbar in Dallas…Long Beach…Arizona…or most of all, it seems, the one in San Antonio.
- Michelle Kwan- This one surprised me. Apparently the Olympic medalist still has a contingent of obsessive fans who track everything that appears about her on the internet. Danny and John claim she was in The Sandbar one night, and who am I to question those two.
And, as usual, we're still a magnet for all things Land Shark Lager. And hurricanes and mermaids.
Come back tomorrow for some of the more unusual search terms that I learned will bring you here.
