If you can't beat 'em... I caved in -after three years blogging, I finally put a stat meter on my two blogs! Actually I did have a very simple counter in this blog for about a year and I felt it was a bit silly. Too tempting to keep checking it and anyway the numbers weren't very encouraging so off it came!I have to admit though, I find meters and the amount of information they give the users a bit 'big brother'. I even stayed away from some blogs using Sitemeter. But I've gradually got used to them. However there is one thing I like, and that is finding out which countries the visitors are from. I still cannot quite believe that you can post a photo and within seconds it can be seen from Beijing to Buenos Aires! That's real magic! I often look at Teri's blog visitors and marvel at all the places they come from so last week I clicked on it, saw it was free, a quick copy paste and voila! I tried a couple of others but they either haven't worked or were unnecessarily complicated to install.
The second reason, is that last year wasn't an easy one and the art suffered a bit. Having to keep the blog updated forced me to keep drawing. Without a meter though, the only way to know anyone is reading is through the comments and I wondered whether it was time to throw in the towel. But the self imposed deadlines from the blog keep me going so that would be counter productive (I think there is a pun there somewhere).So anyway, I now have a meter, a 'live traffic feed', mostly as a bit of fun but hopefully to find out I do have some visitors! It's been up a day and already it's been a pleasant surprise and a bit of a revelation. I thought my only visitors were from subscribers but many are coming from other blogs that have linked me and many are coming from searches on Google and Google Images. The novelty will wear off soon don't worry, but I think I'd better pull my socks up and make my blog worth hanging around on!
9 comments:
Wait until you read my Google Analytics post! I'm currently having a break from it - it's a techie and not one for late night blogging - but it'll be posted later today!
I can certainly confirm that traffic can well exceed the number of people who comment. I think it's always worth getting a stats package on your blog - and you don't have to show everybody what the numbers are if you don't want to.
I know exactly what you mean Felicity. I always felt that it was so intrusive to have those traffic flow things, but to see where everyone comes from is too much fun to miss, so I finally succumbed also. If you go to the actual traffic home, there is a page of bloggers just from your area. I could not believe how many were in Tucson.
Well, now you know I'm from Mackay, but does it tell you I'm a regular reader,infrequent commenter? Does it tell you that I'm in my study, reading blogs at 0530 most days? Does it tell you that I tried to put Feedjit on my Wordpress blog and failed?
I've saved some of the blogs to read in batches;this is one. Yes, the Christmas nonsense becomes more bah!humbug every year. Moreso with the dreadful headlines and economic disasters.
I like to think I fit into the optimistic, positive slot, but having just read your thoughts on hope being merely a human trait...hmm. I think it probably is, like "time" as opposed to "seasons." But 60+ years of optimism are not easy to change! Am I a Pollyanna-Nellie Forbush hybrid?
Thanks for the interesting posts over the past year; I'll continue to show up on your meter now and again. Maybe I'll have something to say!
Thanks Katherine, I learned a great deal today!
Teri, I'm glad I'm not the only one, I'm still not that comfortable with them. Not many in Geneva unfortunately!
Moreidlethoughts, thanks for visiting - I could do with a positive perspective! I thought Wordpress had some sort of meter as part of the package? Oh, I'm glad it doesn't give away that much info - I'm often reading blogs when I really ought to be doing other things!
One surprising stat from my sitemeter is which days I have the heaviest traffic. I just assumed the weekends would show the most hits, but instead it has been Tuesday and Wednesday consistently showing the most traffic and by a substantial amount. Anyone have a theory about that?
Look! I'm back already! Yes, Wordpress does have a counter. Well, it will tell you the most-visited posts in the form of a graph, but not on the front page;you have to go to your details page(and that, mercifully, is private!) I seldom think about it!
Sheila, I have heard that from other bloggers too so there must be something in it. I noticed with my blog subscriptions that bloggers seem to do the most posting on Friday evening! Maybe they rush to post before their busy weekends and then read mid week?!
Moreidlethoughts - come back as often as you like!! That's interesting, I always wondered what sort of details Wordpress made available.
I put one on this past year and check it about once a month. It is interesting what days the blog is viewed. I do believe hit numbers are changing with the added gadgets that blogger has designed.
Also, be aware of how many of those hits are actually YOU coming back in to your own from other sites. I am not interested in trying to figure this one out.
It is useful to know that someone is reading for the time commitment.
Hi Robin. My old basic hit counter used to count my visits too which is why the numbers were useless! The traffic feed I have now can include or exclude your browser and the ones I looked into also had that so maybe there is some way you can get it to ignore your visits? I read many blogs without actually visiting the sites so I'm sure counters are not that accurate anyway.
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