My State of the Union Address

When political folks make these sorts of speeches, they usually plan them in advance.  Not me.  I’m shooting from the hip so to speak.  In fact, I just decided to do this post about 20 seconds ago so bear with me.  Why am I doing this?  It’s a motivational trick for me of sorts.  It gives me a chance to take inventory, see how things are progressing and chart the course for the upcoming months. So here goes…

It’s 2010.  I’ve been plugging away at Girls Can’t WHAT? in my “spare” time since 2005.  It has grown so much that I’m starting to think “wow, I’ve had a LOT of spare time in the last 5 years”.  But really, that’s not the case.  The success of this site is due mainly to customers and the many visitors that pop in and out to read the blog, post comments and as of last week, joining the community and getting involved in a group.

Since I’m already going against the typical political figure by not planning this post, I’m going to do something else you don’t see many politicians doing: be transparent. That means I’m just going to tell it like it is.  No fluff, no spinning it to make it look good, just pure unadulterated honesty.  So here it is.  And yes, these numbers are real.  I am pausing to look them up as I type.  :)

The Site

Girls Can’t WHAT? has been going strong and we’ve doubled our numbers in the last quarter alone.  This site averages over 25,000 hits per month and we have 5,386 comments on 1,104 posts.  That’s pretty awesome if I may say so.  It means I write a lot and you like what I write.  Thank you!  :D

Top 5 posts:

1. The Star-Spangled Banner Like You’ve Never Heard It
2. Tricks Guys Can’t Do
3. Girls Can’t Play Football
4. Annie Oakley Quotes
5. The Youngest Person To Top Mount Everest is a Girl

The Community

At nearly 2,000 members, we’re doing fantastic as a growing group of women.  We may have a wide range in ages here, but we all have the same common purpose.  To empower women!  With the new networking in place, we can do that on even bigger level now and our community can continue to grow.  If you aren’t already in a group, find one that fits your interests, or create a new one and invite some friends.  It’s an easy way to connect with other ladies who share your dreams.  Don’t be shy about posting, someone has to be first to get the ball rolling.  ;)

On Facebook, we are also approaching the 2,000 mark for the number of Girls Can’t WHAT? fans.  We’ve had some pretty lively discussions on the Facebook wall and the Girls Can’t WHAT? Flair has been added to over 100,000 profiles.  The most popular flair has been the soccer player, the golfer and the military girl. Fan photos have also recently been appearing in the fan photo album.

The Shop

Huge changes have been made to the shop in the last 3 months.  We have a new vendor which brings a larger selection of clothing and gift items.  The shop currently has around 4,600 products and within those products there are style and color variations, leaving endless possibilities for customized gift ideas.

Speaking of customization, my new vendor also allows you to add or change the design to fit your personal style.  Resize the image, add your personal text or team name to make it your own.  The step by step on screen instructions help you create your design and preview it before you order.  It’s very cool!  Look for the “customize it” button on any product to begin.

As of this writing there are nearly 300 Girls Can’t WHAT? characters available  and as soon as I finish this post I am going right back to the drawing board and work my way down the design request list.  Need a character I don’t have?  Drop me a line and let me know!

Well, that’s it.  That’s my “state of the union” speech for 2010.  Oh and I’m gonna do one more non-politican-like thing.  You know how the reporters always get to ask questions after the speech?  Well I’m gonna do that, but there’s the anti-politician part.  I’m going to answer them! No dodging, no spinning no weaseling out. You ask me and I’ll tell you.  Bring it on…