Knope Knows

Ready for your first summer challenge?

On Thursday, we’ll be playing And Then There Was One. It’s an activity (played through polls) that asks you to vote for your least favorite Parks and Recreation episode. The episode with the most votes will be removed from the challenge, and a new poll will go live.

By the end of the activity, we should end up with a a list that reflects your Parks and Rec episode picks from most favorite to least favorite.

Got it?

Here’s how last year’s challenge went: And Then There Was One (Season 1)

Also, here’s a refresher on how you ranked Parks and Rec’s 2nd season: Viewer Ratings (Season 2).

The difference between And Then There Was One and Viewer Ratings is simple: Whereas Viewer Ratings had you vote for episodes individually, And Then There Was One has you vote with the entire 24-episode season in mind.

Happy voting!

Good news, friends. You set a record!

May 2010’s pageview count — 32,000+ — broke the site’s pageview record by 48% (February 2010). Even better, May 2010’s pageview count was a whopping 332% higher than last May’s.

Some other fun stuff about May 2010:

• The Top 10 Google search terms that directed traffic to Knope Knows included: Duke Silver, April and Andy Parks and Recreation, Parks and Recreation spoilers and Parks and Recreation cancelled*
• Traffic hailed from 76 countries. After the United States, the countries boasting the most Knope Knows traffic were (in order): Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Portugal.
• All 50 states were represented. Internet users from California visited Knope Knows most often, while Internet users from Wyoming visited the least.
• The site’s most visited blog post was this one.

*Shame on you!

When you click the “refresh” button on your browser, you’ll notice that the look of this website has changed. That’s because I spent some time on Tuesday night tweaking Knope Knows’ appearance. So, what do you think?

A couple explainers:

• The page’s font — used in the main body and sidebar, including headings — is now Lucida Grande. Prior to the change, Knope Knows used Eurostile. I find Lucida Grande a heck of a lot easier to read than Eurostile, and I hope you’ll agree.
• Each blog post is now accompanied by a Facebook “Like” button. “Like” to your hearts content, people! And speaking of the social-networking site, are we Facebook friends yet? If no, friend me! Becoming Facebook friends with Knope Knows guarantees you’ll receive the latest updates to the website right in your Facebook feed. It’ll open up a level of interactivity on your end, too!
• Technorati tags and Related Posts have been deleted from individual blog posts. Additionally, the Fixed Social Buttons that used to lurk in the top right corner of the site have been removed as well. Over time, I found them to be more obstructive than anything else.
• The text/widgets on the right sidebar have been reordered for clarity. Hopefully you’ll find what you’re looking for faster!

There are a few additional style changes to the page that I don’t feel are as necessary to explain here. These changes have to do with block quotes and other minor elements of Knope Knows.

Over the next week, I may continue to tweak the new look some. But, know that what you’re staring at now will likely be what this site looks like in the long term.

Thanks!

As of midnight tonight, I’ll be on a red eye flight to an exotic locale. Costa Rica in fact. It’s how I’m spending my Thanksgiving.

Though where I’m staying will have Internet access, I don’t plan to log on for even a second. As such, you can expect a serious lack of updates to this blog starting now and extending through Saturday, November 28.

Graciously, my friend and web tech, Tony, has agreed to keep his ear to the ground for major Parks and Recreation stories that happen to break over the next week. So, if there are any updates to be had, they’ll be from him.

Thanks for your patience, and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Best,
Eric

P.S. — Bula-bula-bula!

OK, here’s the situation…

Since the day Knope Knows launched in late March, I made a vow to be the net’s best resource for all things relating to NBC’s Parks and Recreation. The site, however, has up to now been missing one considerably valuable ingredient.

To combat this sad fact, I spent a good portion of the weekend working on Knope Knows’ most ambitious site feature to date: Character bios!

By rewatching every episode in the Parks and Recreation catalog — and copying down tedious notes that came to exceed 3,000 words — I have assembled what I believe to be the Internet’s most comprehensive biographies of the show’s lead characters: April Ludgate, Andy Dwyer, Ann Perkins, Leslie Knope, Mark Brendanawicz, Ron Swanson and Tom Haverford.

In addition, I have also made a list of every location visited or mentioned on the show, as well as every character addressed on screen or mentioned by another character.

(There’s also a few other goodies in Character bios that you’re free to go and discover yourself. Take a look!)

After new episodes air, I will go into each profile and update the information as I see fit. Of course, if you notice anything missing, please let me know.

For future reference, a link to the biographies has been added under the Present tab on the right sidebar. Enjoy the new feature!

I introduce to you Knope Knows’ newest page: Guest Stars!

When did Leslie threaten Janet Restrepo? When did we first encounter April’s “boyfriend”, Derek? Who is Joan Callamezzo? Now you can easily access the answers to these burning questions (and others like them!) using a handy Guest Stars table located on the right sidebar under the Etcetera: Show tab.

Hope you like it!

Link: Guest Stars