One doesn't need to have more than a few turns at writing about the week's 10 most-clicked-on stories to become accustomed to seeing a certain pattern.
The biggest news story - unfortunately, almost always a disaster or terrible injustice of some kind - generally takes the top spot. It's usually accompanied by some related items, such as a photo gallery or a Your Say message board.
It's common to see an outrageous yarn (like the man who tattooed a giant penis on his mate's back after a disagreement), and a science story (3D NASA pictures, for example) hovering close to the top of the list, with serious stuff appearing again further down.
But this week it was a bizarre combination of the serious and the popular that came in first, as child star Macaulay Culkin was tipped to play Julian Assange in a movie about WikiLeaks.
And why the speculation? Because Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg has just snapped up the rights to a book about the whistleblower site and its platinum-blonde Aussie founder.
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Our gallery of Sydney's mardi gras sashayed in next, hand-in-hand with a story about the parade's focus this year on gay marriage.
Bear Grylls - the man famous for eating disgusting things on national TV - didn't have to do anything except visit Sydney to click himself into the Top 10.
Some may say it's astonishing, but the transcript of PM Julia Gillard's speech to US Congress came in next, though perhaps readers' interest was piqued by the rapturous reception she was given at the joint sitting - something like eight standing ovations was the word.
America's press gave it scant air time, though - almost as little as Aussie media gave the Mongolian PM's Canberra visit. But then, he didn't give a teary speech or even mention space travel!
Halfway through the list, it looked like the topics may sober up, with our factbox on carbon taxes around the world gaining popularity as the debate on carbon pricing took centre stage back home.
The government announced its scheme would begin in July, 2012, but few details were given before the PM headed across the pond.
And speaking of influential women, our gallery of some of history's most notable came in next, as the world marked International Women's Day.
But the absurd retained its hold on this week's list for the next two items, which were Obama denouncing Vegemite as 'horrible' and Russia's 'sexy spy' Anna Chapman going online (hard to tell why that headline was popular...).
However it is telling that the very last item rocketed on to the list despite happening late-ish on Thursday. The government's approval of Tasmania's Gunns pulp mill sparked enough debate in a short time to highlight the fact that - contrary to the appearance of the rest of the list - SBS news audiences really are all about the big issues.
