Timestamped rivals

List every competing explanation by name, and stamp each with the date you wrote it, before any results arrive. The date is the point. It fixes the field of contenders so nobody can add or drop one after the numbers land.

List every competing explanation by name, and stamp each with the date you wrote it, before any results arrive. The date is the point. It fixes the field of contenders so nobody can add or drop one after the numbers land.

Example

On February 3 you write three lines: "new headline drove signups," "podcast spring push drove them," "normal seasonal lift." Each dated. In May, when traffic is up 8 percent, no fourth explanation can quietly join the list and claim it called this.