Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

                             — Seasons of Love, from the musical Rent

In postings, in page views, in website visitors, in Twitter followers, in comments…those are just some of the ways we measure a year at Logistics Viewpoints, and it’s been a great year thanks to all of you. Thank you for taking the time to post value-added comments on our website, for retweeting our postings on Twitter, for sharing them on LinkedIn, and liking them on Facebook. And for telling your friends and colleagues about us, which has helped us to grow our community.

Also, a big thank you to our sponsors for their continued support and guest commentaries, which provide unique and thought-provoking perspectives on current industry trends. We all appreciate the time and effort you invest in writing these commentaries and participating in our podcasts. Simply put, without your support, Logistics Viewpoints wouldn’t exist.

We published almost 200 postings this year, and the list below were the most popular ones. Some quick observations and takeaways: Amazon has pushed Walmart and Apple aside to become the new darling of the industry; supply chain and logistics executives are still trying to make sense of social media and what role this technology could play in their operations; and transportation-related topics remain top of mind for everyone in the industry.

1. The Apple Supply Chain: The Best in the World?
2. Why Companies Aren’t Using Social Media for Supply Chain Management
3. The New Amazon Distribution Model
4. Supply Chain and Logistics Conferences to Attend in 2012
5. Why Did Amazon.com Acquire Kiva Systems?
6. How Walmart Improved Fleet Efficiency by 69 Percent
7. On Amazon’s Quest for Same-Day Delivery
8. An “Undercover Boss” Works in a Warehouse
9. Kraft Foods Leverages Downstream Data to Drive Supply Chain Collaboration
10. Hours-of-Service Rules Changed, But the Big Picture in Trucking Stays the Same
11. Guest Commentary: Safety Stock Helps Buffer Against Variability in the Supply Chain
12. Google, Same-Day Delivery, and Container Tracking
13. Guest Commentary: How to Get a Read on Truckload Prices
14. Lesson from Pink Slime Incident: Social Media is a Supply Chain Risk
15. The Most Significant Problem Facing 3PLs and Shippers
16. Maps: The New “Killer App” in Supply Chain Software?
17. Competing on Supply Chain Analytics
18. 3 Simple Tips to Prevent Cargo Theft
19. Guest Commentary: When a Truck Driver Fires Your Customer
20. What’s Next in Transportation Management Systems (TMS)?

Finally, our love and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting last week in Newtown, CT. It was an incredibly sad and heartbreaking day for everyone across the country. We pray that the memories of the victims will serve as a source of strength and inspiration for the families and the community in the days ahead.

As I reflected on the tragedy last week, a few songs came to mind that echoed the feelings and thoughts I was having. One of those songs was Baby Can I Hold You by Tracy Chapman. “Years gone by and still, words don’t come easily, like ‘forgive me’…like ‘I love you’.” Sometimes we don’t have the courage to say “the right words, at the right time” to the people we love, or those we have hurt in some way. The best way to prevent regret down the road is to say those words today — I love you, or forgive me — to the people we care about in our lives.

On behalf of everyone at Logistics Viewpoints, I wish you much health, happiness, and success in the New Year. See you in January!