USU SHAFT first met as an official club two years ago. It wasn’t until last August, however, that we decided to launch this site. (Nick Venturella is the technical guru behind the site’s creation and upkeep).

The SHAFT site has been a success that far exceeded anyone’s expectations. It has strengthened our group’s sense of community and served as an important forum for critical religious dialogue. And the site largely owes its success to you, the readers. You voted it “Best New Blog” in the 2009 William Law X-Mormon Awards, and your continued readership and participation have made this among the most popular sites of its kind.

Here are some of the site’s stats over one year of activity:

• 66,938 visits
• 124,045 pageviews
• Average time on site: 2:58 minutes
• 255 posts
• 2,812 comments
• Top content: Worst superhero partner ever, If Eve had a sassy gay friend, A tragedy close to home
• Viewed in 141 countries/territories (56% of the visits came from the US, and half of those from Utah)

Again, thanks for all your support!

If you’re a USU student and interested in writing for the site, please let us know.