April was quite a month around here. Hit leader “What the Heinleins Told the 1940 Census” has become one of File 770’s most widely-read posts ever. An improbable discovery in the newly-released census records left everyone asking – did Leslyn Heinlein really give a bunch of bogus answers, or did the census-taker make a bizarre transcription error? It’s a mystery.

Only three posts still rank ahead of it — ”Peter Watts Receives Suspended Sentence”, a breaking news story from 2010, and a couple of posts frequently accessed for their images of Pratchett’s coat-of-arms and the giant squid at Sea World.

April’s second leading post, “2012 Hugo Nominations: Instant Analysis,” might have led any ordinary month — it already has climbed into the top 50 all-time. The secret of its success was being linked to by an array of bloggers who were compiling lists of commentaries on this year’s nominees.

Several other posts featuring intramural scrimmaging between zine fans and bloggers compelled people to rise from their stools in the brewery and join the fray, accounting for their places on the list.

Other posts made it by igniting debate over the next Eastercon’s adoption of the gender parity policy, Chris Barkley’s YA Hugo proposal, and concepts for expanding the Hugo voting base by means that won’t grow the Worldcon’s in-person attendance.

Here, then, are the Top 10 posts for April 2012 according to Google Analytics:

1. What the Heinleins Told the 1940 Census
2. 2012 Hugo Nominations: Instant Analysis
3. Orlando in 2015 Manifesto
4. James Bacon: 2013 Eastercon Adopts Gender Parity Policy
5. YA Hugo Proposal
6. Aidan Moher Made Me Look
7. Priest’s KTF Review of Clarke Shortlist
8. Further Pixel Clippings About The Hugo Awards
9. Delusions of Masses
10. Thanks For Playing