At the end of each year, I like to take a look at which articles were popular throughout the year to see if I can anticipate what kinds of questions might bubble up in the coming year. More often than not a new software release or some new feature will pop up that throws off any hope of anticipating where the majority of questions might come from, but occasionally I catch something ahead of the curve. For instance, when I answered some questions about the RMVB file format back in 2005, I had no idea that it would be one of the most popular video formats for the next four years. Interest in RMVB is currently starting to tail off, correlating directly with the shutting down of file sharing services like The Pirate Bay.
As I look through the top 100 most popular articles published in 2009, a common theme emerges. Articles about productivity related solutions, things like using email, calendars, and IP fax services appear to pepper the list. More specifically, there appears to be a strong interest in making Google products like Gmail work with traditional desktop solutions like Outlook. Some of these articles benefit from having the full 12 months of 2009 to gain traction, but the article at #8 in the list below was published in August, which tells me it attracted a higher percentage of attention.
I did take the liberty of removing one article from the top 10 list because it was related to a game that is no longer available and #10 on the list may have limited usefulness due to the fact that the Windows 7 beta period is over.
Without further ado, here are the 10 most popular articles published in 2009:
- How to Convert MP4 to WMV
- How to Play Blu-ray DVDs with Windows
- Convert WMA to MP3 on a Mac
- Redirect Emails from Outlook to Gmail or Hotmail
- How to Edit FLV Video Files
- How to Burn iTunes Moves to DVD
- How to Send Pictures to Facebook from a Cell Phone
- How to Sync Outlook Contacts with Gmail
- Xbox 360 Media Sharing
- Burn a DVD from Windows 7 ISO Download
