I love looking at the data behind this newsletter and the podcast. It’s fascinating to see what “hits,” to use a word my teenagers say often, and it’s important (for me) to examine trends such as traffic sources to this newsletter. For example, it was notable that for as much time as I spend putzing around social media, neither Instagram nor TikTok were a top-5 traffic source that led people here. I started the newsletter on Mailchimp in 2013, the year before the friendship column began. Back then my “beat” was writing about writing, parenting, book reviews, and a few other topics. Many of you have stayed with me from well over a decade ago! I’m grateful. In early 2016, I moved to TinyLetter, which was owned by Mailchimp, but was much simpler to use. Mailchimp was HARD to format though the data was superior even to Substack. TinyLetter looked like a normal email, which was sometimes confusing for readers. TinyLetter was so simple, in fact, that it had zero bells and whistles and eventually Mailchimp phased it out. So in mid-2022, I moved to Substack, which has been the best of the best for formatting, but is not as clear for data. There’s a reason so many writers moved here, but I’m not going to bore you with stuff like the joy of font sizes and color swatches. There are several steams of analytics I examine to see which friendship topics are resonating with listeners and readers. I get basic numbers from my podcast hosting service, and slightly more nuanced ones from Apple and Spotify. Then I get data from Substack. I’m sharing that 2024 information today! The Top 5 Free Posts
The Top 5 Paywalled Anonymous Letters(If you’re not a paying subscriber, please consider an upgrade for 2025.) Top 5 Podcast Episodes
My Husband’s Top 3 Episodes of 2024(Worth a mention as he’s my #1 fan and the only person I know who listens to every episode) 1. Lose Track of Who Makes Plans and 7 Other Tips From Dr. Ruth — #116 with Allison Gilbert 2. The 10% Rule in Friendships and The Negativity Bias — #125 with Ann Imig 3. Five Friendship Issues to Address With a Therapist — #94 with Roxanne Francis Two Special Mention Episodes with People Close to Me
Top 5 Cities Where Listeners Live
Top 5 Countries Where Listeners Live
Top 5 Traffic Sources to This Newsletter(Note that for as much time as I spent on Instagram and TikTok, neither makes it to the top five.)
Books, Shows, etc. I’m Into These Days
Want to connect outside of this newsletter? You can find me most often in the Facebook group, Dear Nina: The Group, where we discuss books, shows, recipes, and of course, friendship. All the social media links are below. Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | LinkedIn | Threads | Twitter | Bluesky |My Website Have an anonymous question for the newsletter or an episode? You can do that here, and I will never know it was from you. A FAVOR: If you’re enjoying the podcast, please leave a review and 5 stars on Apple Podcasts. Scroll down after you arrive at the main page of Dear Nina on Apple Podcasts to highlight all 5 stars and press the “write a review” option. It can be one-sentence. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! If you listen on Spotify, you can leave stars there too! Have a great week everyone! Links to bookshop.org and Amazon are affiliate links You’re a free subscriber to Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. For anonymous friendship dilemmas and my answers, and to show support for my work, become a paying subscriber.
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Tuesday, 31 December 2024
Our Friendship Year in Review
Sunday, 29 December 2024
TV Reviews 2024
Hello TV lovers!It’s the annual Dear Nina TV review list! I organize the shows I watch each year by “The Best,” “The Very Good,” “The Good,” and “The Just Okay.” I’m a collaborative TV watcher, which you know if you’re in the Dear Nina Facebook group. We have TV and book chats in there every few weeks. And of course we discuss friendship goals and dilemmas first and foremost. In the comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the shows you loved, sort of liked, didn’t like that much, and so on. In case you missed it: Last week I sent out my annual 2024 pithy book reviews. Before the TV Reviews: The Top Episode of 2024I recorded a new intro for the encore episode of the top-downloaded Dear Nina episode of 2024. The episode was, “Is it Time For a Friendship Cleanse?” brainchild of Anna Goldfarb. Anna’s book, Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections, is a must read for anyone looking to improve their friendships. Don’t feel put off by the word, “cleanse.” This discussion is about reconsidering how you’re approaching friendships and how you’re treating your closest friends.
FIND EPISODE #126 on Apple, Spotify, Youtube, and anywhere you listen to podcasts! The Best Shows I Watched in 2024Julia: This was the first show I watched in 2024 and also one of the most delightful. I loved the acting, the storytelling, and pretty much everything about the show. Hacks, season 3: The dynamic between Deborah and Ava is one of the more original ones I have the pleasure of watching. Excellent, dynamic writing on this show. Shrinking, season 3: The most current season of Shrinking is a masterclass in forgiveness. I love watching every character. Even Derek grew on me this season. The friendship between Gaby and Liz is the so much fun to watch. The Very Good ShowsSuits, seasons 3 through part of 6: My husband and I have been watching Suits for a few years (he doesn’t watch that much television.) People keep telling me it gets bad, but I’m still enjoying it. (My husband will probably give up on it soon because I just know him.) Bridgeton, season 3: Penelope got her storyline. I liked it a lot! I’ll watch a season of this show every year if they will keep making them. Curb Your Enthusiasm, season 12: I’m sad it’s over even though it’s definitely time. Larry is my favorite curmudgeon. The Perfect Couple: Enjoyed the setting and the characters even though the plot felt rather tired. Tell Me Lies, season 2: This show is so juicy and over the top. I love it! The Good ShowsAbbott Elementary, season 3: I’m always a season behind on Abbott since I catch it on Hulu here and there. It’s consistently good, but for sure a bit of a background show for me. One Day: I started the show then remembered how much I loved the book back in 2009. Here I am talking about it on Valentine’s Day. As I kept watching, I remembered how it ends and almost didn’t want to continue the show. I do understand why some people hated this one once they finished. Disclaimer: I liked this show as a whole, but it wasn’t so pleasant episode by episode and the first few episodes were very confusing with the time jumps. Cate Blanchett, however, was excellent from start to finish. Emily in Paris, season 4: It’s never “great” but I appreciate this show for the eye candy, the music, and the familiarity. Nobody Wants This: No, it wasn’t “perfect” and yes it’s completely implausible that Kristen Bell’s character would have never heard the words Shalom or Shabbat in Los Angeles in the year 2024. It’s also implausible that Tova Feldshuh’s character would have the accent and characteristics of a mid-20th century Jewish grandma who was born in Eastern Europe. But what can I say? Adam Brody as a rabbi was heartwarming to watch. The Jewish camp scenes made up for some of the rest. The Martha Stewart Documentary: I watched it right after listening to Ina Garten’s memoir. It was the perfect back-to-back experience. They could not be more different. Just OK But Watched AnywayBeef: I love Ali Wong and appreciated the premise of this show, AND, I watched the entire series. But I didn’t exactly enjoy it, per se. The Bear, season 1 and part of season 2: I just don’t like this show. I gave up halfway through the second season. The Diplomat, season 2: The plot felt jumpy and not that interesting, but I will always adore Keri Russell and watch anything she’s in. Felicity and The Americans won me over forever. Please tell me the shows you loved, or did not love, in 2024!Want to connect outside of this newsletter?You can find me most often in the Facebook group, Dear Nina: The Group, where we discuss books, shows, recipes, and of course, friendship. All the social media links are below. Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | LinkedIn | Threads | Twitter | Bluesky |My Website You’re a free subscriber to Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. For anonymous friendship dilemmas and my answers, and to show support for my work, become a paying subscriber.
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The Quiet Shame of Not Reaching Out to Your Friends
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