A Promise Is A Promise…

I don’t usually pass on press releases, but this one, I think you’ll agree, is unique…

Traffic to DISCOVERmagazine.com set a new record in March 2009, drawing 1.7 million unique visitors, more than three times the traffic for March 2008.

CEO and Publisher Henry Donahue and popular Bad Astronomy blogger Phil Plait—whose blog garnered 2 million page views in March—made a promise last year (when traffic was one-third what it is now) that they would both get science tattoos if the site’s traffic reached its current level. With those traffic goals now realized, Donahue and Plait are making good on their promise, and inviting suggestions for their tattoo designs via the comments section of the Bad Astronomy blog.

Donahue explains, “Last summer at Comic Con, Phil Plait and I were marveling at the success of the online science tattoo gallery that Carl Zimmer brought with his blog to DISCOVERmagazine.com. Half kidding, we said we would get tattoos ourselves if we could triple the traffic to the site. Now that that has actually happened, we’re committed to doing it. I think I’m getting a fish and Phil is getting a galaxy, but we’re also excited to see what the readers come up with.”

I’ll be adding their tattoos when they’re ready to share. As one would expect, Phil is taking suggestions from his readers over at Bad Astronomy.

For my part, I remain an amused observer, my skin marked only by crows feet and freckles.