Jan. 8, 2010

Who knows what accounts for a story’s popularity? Here at Echo we like to think that it has something to do with aggressive reporting and fine writing. But any number of factors contribute to whether one story rockets across the Internet more than another. You can go pretty nuts trying to predict which will go viral. Just ask us.

Here are five of the 10 most clicked-on-by-unique-readers stories reported by Echo journalists in 2009:

10. EPA plans to cap cement plant mercury emissions; Industry says limit will push production, pollution abroad

9. Presidential politics prompt soaring gun sales, help Great Lakes’ wildlife

8. Monday Mashup: Great Lakes music map

7. Great Lakes fish in the balance; biologists have little control

6. Big pigs, big problem: Feral swine spread to Great Lakes region

Tomorrow: The top five