This weeks theme for #WASO is Introducing change.  I can’t speak to that since we are still waiting to adopt.  Instead I think I’ll talk about my obsession with numbers and how it helps me cope with the wait.

I've said time and again I wasn't into social media before embarking on our journey to parenthood.  I had a Facebook page and a photo site or two but rarely used them.  I now have probably 1/2 to 2/3 of what’s out there and would probably do more but I couldn't keep up with it. So I broke open that shell very early in the process and slowly added more social media as the wait continued.

We have our Facebook Page and it’s isn't updated as often as it probably should be but I do try to post something every week at the very least. Twitter is the one that I probably don't use as I should.  I’m more a re-tweeter of others or I favor posts I think are fun, cute, funny, or relate to adoption.  I've posted our blog, etc but we never got traffic for it so I just stopped.  I then also have Instagram, Pinterest, Google plus, a you tube channel plus 3 adoption pages, 2 of which I routinely update and of course this blog.

So what about that numbers thing I mentioned, well Google Analytics plays a huge role in what I do every day. I figure out where our page traffic comes from and what pages are being viewed.  I also check where in the states that traffic is coming from and then cross-reference our sites that have separate analytics. I want to see if it’s actual good traffic or if it’s bots.  I know for a lot of folks they just stay away from G.A. to keep them from obsessing but it actually makes me feel better and shows what referral source it’s from. I noticed over the last month that social sites I thought might be a waste of time are actually driving some of the traffic, sure the numbers are minimal but it only takes the right expectant mom to find our page and get to know us better through words and pictures. I know it doesn't work for everyone but for me it keeps the wait more reasonable knowing we are being viewed.