As 2010 comes to an end, it is time to sum up:

Here are the five most popular blog posts at digital media blog BetaTales this year.

BetaTales is a blog about digital media trends. I try to write about issues that will shape the media industry I work in, for better and worse. The blog is targeted at digital media professionals around the world.

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As for all bloggers, some articles receive more attention than others. Here is the list of the five most popular blog posts at BetaTales in 2010, as measured by Google Analytics.

1. Even the most eager newspapers readers in the world are dropping out

In no other country in the world people read as many newspapers as in Norway. Now readership numbers show a dramatic drop, according to the latest numbers.

But why was this blog post the most popular article on BetaTales this year? Are digital media experts, who are the most frequent readers of the blog, that interested in the fate of printed newspapers in Norway?

Maybe not. But the story was picked up by the satirical Dutch blog Geenstilj, which apparently must have enormous traffic. One small link far down in the text of a story suddenly gave 8000 visitors to BetaTales in a few hours.

Talking of linking power!

2. Eight digital media trends to watch in 2010

Written in January, I tried to predict some of the trends that would influence online media this year. They included user payment, location, real-time news, etc.

To try to foresee what will happen is always hard. So therefore: Was I right? Please read it and be the judge yourself. And don’t hesitate to tell me about your conclusions

3. Five things journalists should learn from bloggers

In digital storytelling many professional journalists would be wise to study and learn from the best bloggers, I wrote. Then I tried to give some tips to journalists.

The article created a lot of discussion in different groups on LinkedIn. It was also the most shared article from BetaTales on Twitter in the past year.  Many thought I hit spot on, other argued that I undervalued the quality of current journalism.

4. Five ways to build Unique Value for paid digital content

What really makes people willing to pay for digital content? My answer: The product must provide Unique Value by clearly fullfilling at least one of five uniqueness attributes.

Based on this blog article, the model has been presented on a number of digital media conferences during the last year, both by myself and others.

The main message is: Willingness to pay for content comes from much more than the content itself.

5. How print journalists can fall into the typographers’ trap

Many newspaper journalists are now making the same mistake as typographers did before: They ignore the massive changes affecting their profession.

It is truly amazing that they dare to do so, I argued, because in only a few years they will find themselves in less and less demand.

A far better idea is to do the digital makeover now!

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That was the most popular articles in 2010. What do you think I should write about in 2011?

As 2009 is coming to an end, it might be time to sum up a little bit. Here are the 5 posts which have been read my most people on BetaTales this year.

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Here is the list, as measured in Google Analytics. Hopefully you might find it useful to look at a couple of them again.

1. Social network sites violates users’ privacy

User terms at major social network sites like Facebook and Twitter are highly questionable, according to a survey by the Norwegian Consumer Council.

2.  Five social media trends in 2009

Here are some of the social media trends that are taking place in 2009, at least as we predicted them in the beginning of the year.

3. How journalists use Twitter

One in two journalists have used Twitter, according to a survey in Norway before the summer. Twitter was used both as a research tool, a source for story ideas and a way to connect to readers.

4. Five great Twitter tools for journalists

Written in January, I probably would have mentioned some other tools today. Please free to suggest in a comment.

5. Where everybody visits newspaper sites

Newspapers own less than 1 per cent of the time spent online in the US. This is in strong contrast to the situation in Scandinavia. In fact, Norway’s largest newspaper site, VG.no,  have more page views than any newspaper site in English, despite the fact that only 4,7 million people live in the country.