Our Audiences

The Internet has created a medium of publication that is truly global: visitors come to our site from over 150 countries every month. At the same time, the nature of the audience will include anyone who is interested in Shakespeare, from the scholar to someone looking for an answer to a crossword puzzle. As an academic site, we are deeply conscious of the needs of the most demanding segment of this audience—the scholar; we require the highest standards of scholarship on the site, with texts clearly marked when they have been peer reviewed. At the same time, we ask our contributors to write in plain language, and to be aware of an audience that includes students, actors, and directors and what used to be called "the general reader," today perhaps "the general browser." Those who visit the site are in search not only of Shakespeare but of information on Renaissance literature, history, and drama.

Each month visitors download in excess of 1.5 million pages from the site. They come mainly from the domains ".net" and ".com," as most users access the site from their home address, but high on the list are the domains ".org," ".edu," and ".us"—addresses that indicate visitors from educational institutions.

Our reach is truly global. Each month we receive visitors from over 150 countries. Not surprisingly, most visitors come from the USA and other English-speaking countries, but Shakespeare is of interest across the world.

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