Five Years of Cryptomundo
Posted by: Loren Coleman on September 28th, 2010
This week is the fifth anniversary of Craig Woolheater’s and Eric Reed’s creation of Cryptomundo, the world’s most successful, most widely read, and most prolific blog on cryptozoology.
In the beginning, the bloggers were Craig, John Kirk, Rick Noll, and me, Loren Coleman. Initial design components from Duncan Hopkins were greatly appreciated too.
A few writers have come and gone since then, but mostly Craig and I have remained the core bloggers.
Guest blogger Brent Swancer has contributed the longest continuing series, one on Japanese cryptids. Others have shared interesting insights on a variety of topics. Everyone’s writings have been most welcome.
The first post on Cryptomundo appeared on September 29, 2005, and was authored by Craig. My first posting, after I joined the team, was on October 13, 2005.
Needless to say, I have utilized Cryptomundo to communicate to the world the news of cryptozoology for five years, extensively, and the majority of the blog entries have been mine. This has caused some in the media to incorrectly report that this is “my blog,” when I have been clear it has been Craig’s creation, from the beginning. Today, Craig is the sole owner of Cryptomundo. It has, however, been the platform for my writings, of which I have appreciated.
Many features on Cryptomundo have been picked up by others in the cryptozoological and online world, copied, repeated, and shared. Additionally, obituaries, discoveries, speculations, skeptical answers, and new sightings have been spread through mainstream journalism from Cryptomundo. Our annual “best of” lists have been duplicated, cited, copied and quoted by our online peers and commercial media.
Cryptomundo has been unique in that it has been open-minded, skeptical, humorous, contemporary, historical, scientific, newsworthy, and topical.
The pages of Cryptomundo have carried breaking news, popular cultural tidbits, and our radical cutting edge views in mainstream cryptozoology that few others have published.
Communicating the news of cryptozoology through the pages of Cryptomundo has been a wonderful venture, except in the area of a fiscal supportive base of operations. An early myth developed that every time anyone read an entry on Cryptomundo, the owners of Cryptomundo made money. The reality is that nothing like that happens, although it would be great if such a fantasy money-producing software existed for the support of the multiple servers and space that has to be purchased to keep Cryptomundo going. The small revenue from the few ads, and minimal donations to CM are hardly enough to keep the blog going. Indeed, as you saw over the summer, CM almost closed down. Craig constantly takes money from his other business to keep CM afloat.
Still, we exist, five years into this blog.
How about some statistics reflecting the success of Cryptomundo?
Over 5400 postings have been published, and over 63,000 comments have appeared.
As of today, there are more than 17,200 registered members, which only reflects those who have signed up to leave comments. Registration is free, and reading Cryptomundo remains free.
The average number of page views per month is over 3,000,000. The per day number of visitors varies, of course.
But the highest number ever recorded was during the week that Cryptomundo was exposing (and first published) the photo of the costume used by the Georgia hoaxers in August 2008. This turned into 1.9 million hits on Cryptomundo in one three-day period, an all-time high.
What will five more years of Cryptomundo adventures bring?
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Congratulations. Thanks for giving this field the kind of coverage it requires.
Best wishes for continued success and some really cool finds down the line.
Anyone who does serious research into this field will know that you never started this site as a way of making money. It was, and always has been, a site which is driven by individuals who have a real passion for the subject, whatever their differing views may be. That can only be a good thing. I wish it every success for the future, long may it continue!
Congratulations to the Cryptomundo staff and bloggers for building the best cryptid centered site on the web.
More importantly, Thank you for the time, energy, and resources you pour into this community of dedicated readers. This site is a twice a day stop for me. If it ever went away I’d feel like I had lost a good friend.
It’s hard to find such an even handed, polite, and honorable group of bloggers and posters anywhere else on the Internet. That in itself warrants praise. Well done folks.
It’s also nice to see Niki’s smiling face appear every once in a while. I wonder if the lady realizes she has a cult following. Western Pennsylvanian girls just seem to have something special going on.
Congratulations on a great five years, Loren and co.
Felicidades Cryptomundo! If I could, I would send a birthday piñata in the shape of Bigfoot or Nessie.
I thank the day I stumbled upon this blog, and it gives me great pride to be part of this thriving on-line community.
Here’s to another 5 years 🙂
Congrats!!!
congrats!! Cryptomundo had been my go-to site for all the latest in the crytozoological world. Craig and Loren have proven to be the authorities and I’m proud to be a commenter and occasional supporter of the site.
ON TO THE NEXT 5 !!
Congratulations Craig, Loren and others.
This has been my home for 5 years, I’ve been commenting and visiting at least twice a day.
Its been a great source to share information and learn about the world around us.
Thanks for continuing the quest and the ongoing enlightenment.
I’ll be here till the end and look forward to the future of Cryptomundo.
Best,
Tim M.
Ontario, Canada
Cheers.
Very cool. I am very appreciative. It’s the best crypto site I’ve ever come across and I check it at least once a day to see what’s going on in the REAL world. 🙂
Thanks to Craig, Loren, Rick and John for keeping this thing together. It’s definitely helped me keep cryptozoology at the forefront of my life!
Thanks to everyone else who makes this site worthwhile too.
Happy #5 Cryptomundo! From the West Coast out in Santa Clarita California.
And cheers to Loren Coleman, staff, friends, and family! and let’s not forget all you Crypto-Heads! Search on!!!
Peace~Love~Empathy
Congratz on the 5 years. Funny, I assumed Cryptomundo had been going for a lot longer than that. It seems to have been around forever.
Has it already been that long? By the way my (I think everyone here knows I’m Brent. Kinda spoils the “mystery” in “mystery_man. 🙂 )series on Japanese cryptids will continue. I’ve been extremely busy with other work, but I’m not out of the picture.
Anyway, congratulations to this superb site for making it to the 5 year mark. I am honored to be a blogger here and to be amongst so many intelligent and well informed commenters. I hope to be around here for many more years to come.
By the way, to all of the regulars here who I know as well as those I don’t, and to new commenters as well, part of what makes this site great is you. Keep up the good work.