I was checking for comments that might have gone into the Spam folder yesterday after writing a blog post ... happily less and less 'proper' comments are ending up in Spam these days ... while I was rootling around I decided to have a look at my blog statistics. It made for fascinating reading.
While 44 people at that time were reading the current post, a grand total of 333 people were reading various posts on the blog at the same time, and from all over the world. Interestingly someone was reading their way through Blogmas 2024, at the same time as five people catching up on the previous days post. One person was reading about my challenge last year of living on £100 a month for all my shopping and one person was reading the very first post of this blog.
I like doing this occasionally but it can be dangerous, as I tend to click on the posts that someone is reading to see what they are reading about and how wildly I rambled on and on at the time, and I usually end up losing an hour or more down a rabbit-hole of my own making.
If you're a blogger have you checked your stats recently?
Sue xx
I do very occasionally. I hadn't realised you could see if your posts were actually being read at that moment, fascinating. I shall investigate. And I haven't checked my spam for ages!
ReplyDeleteI check Spam most days as until very recently perfectly good comments, and even some of my replies, were being deposited in there by Blogger. To check who's reading at the moment you're looking, click on the drop down arrow where it usually says 'Last 7 Days'. It can be fascinating.
DeleteI do check my stats, occasionally. But, you get more detailed stats than I do, I think.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder about perfection being an illusion. I need to remember that.
If you are on 'Blogger' (and you seem to be) you should get exactly the same stats as me.
DeleteI also get approximate locations of readers via the 'Live Visitors Feed' gadget right at the bottom of my right-hand sidebar. This is downloadable from the internet. If you click on the tiny middle button on mine (right at the bottom of it 'Get Script'), you will be able to download the same thing for your blog.
I do look now and again when checking for comments going into spam - just recently it's been proper spam or my own replies in there - and like you say often have to look to see what people are reading right now - although actually the right now is really over the last two hours and I'm not sure I believe that so many people can be looking at one very old post at the same time, when there are 2500 post to look at! A real rabbit hole to look down!
ReplyDeleteSpam has been working much more effectively just recently hasn't it, it makes a nice change. We checked out the 'right now' by Alan clicking on it from next door, there was a ten minute delay for us ... but then we are literally feet away from each other through a few walls. :-)
DeleteThere were only a few people looking at each of the old posts not the whole 333 on one.
Hah - never. Not enough hour in the day as it is! Your stats sound more detailed than mine ever were anyway.
ReplyDeleteYou should have exactly the same stats as me, you are also on Blogger aren't you? It's just a question of pressing on the right links to pull everything up, and a bit of scrolling.
DeleteFor a very short period I installed a widget-thingy which gave me the sort of data you mention but it did not last long - primarily because I wasn't really interested, and partly because I was wasting brain-space wondering why the heck (for example) someone was reading a 4 year old post which seemed to have no relation to current posts, current affairs or anything else.
ReplyDeleteI always wrote for myself, no-one else, so it was not particularly relevant. There are enough tempting scroll-holes on the internet without visiting my own!
I mostly use the basic Blogger information that we all have access to, but I have also reinstalled a location widget after Revolver when out of business at the end of last year. I find it all fascinating, and sometimes when I get an email asking about something, it helps me realise why they are asking a question seemingly out of the blue if I know that someone is reading a specific post.
DeleteI write predominately for myself too, sort of an online diary, but I find I like to know who is reading my thoughts and musings, and who is actually interested, if it dwindled in any way I would perhaps make my blog private to only myself. I do like to briefly revisit my own posts occasionally to make sure I'm not on a repetitive loop ... which I am thinking perhaps I am. :-)
I do sometimes read the back posts of blogs I love. It can help give some background or even something simple like a recipe or book recommendation.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
I think that old blog posts by favourite writers, if read in chronological order can be like reading back through favourite books. I've been tempted a few times to re-read my old blog 'Our New Life ...' but I might hold my head in my hands and have an urge to delete the entire thing, so I have fought the urge.
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