Canadian Press recently ran a snarky story reporting that the most commonly visited page on the government's website on the War of 1812 bicentennial was the home page -- closely followed by the "exit" page.
Ha ha.
But deep in the story, it is noted that the "exit" page actually refers to users clinking on links to other War of 1812 sites, noted on but not run by the government site. Many of the 'exits," indeed, were to eighteentwelve.ca, a bicentennial site run by the Historica-Dominion Institute.
The report also shows that marketing works. During an ad blitz run by the government of Canada during the London summer Olympics, visits to the government's site -- and exits to other War of 1812 sites -- increased by about seven times.
