Friday, June 5, 2009

What The Stats Tell You...And What They Don't

Visitor trackers tell you a lot about the visitors to your site. For example, based on my analytics reports, I know that there have been three visitors from Barbados, and one of them came back for another look. And I know that there have been three visitors to my site from a google search for "wedding limosine hire". Whoever you are, congratulations on your wedding. Sorry I couldn't find you a limo.

But there is a lot that you don't find out from the stat trackers. You don't find out what happens when the person comes to your site. Do they smile to themselves and say "I agree"? Do they feel an inner sense of calm, having now gotten the inspiration they needed to continue through the day? Did they laugh, despite a deep state of depression that had been engulfing their entire being for days?

You also don't know what they look like, and who they are. While yes, I got two visitors from the United Arab Emirates, I have no idea why they were coming to my blog, and what they spent the average of 8 minutes and 32 seconds reading. And while I do know that someone found my blog on a google search for "should I marry someone with type 1 diabetes", I don't know what the end of the story was. After they spent over half an hour reading who-knows-what on my blog, did they say, "oh, looks like a person with type 1 diabetes can be a very happy and well adjusted person. I think I will marry them."? I like to think they did.

And that person who searched for "frum girl diabetes blog"...did they find what they were looking for? I mean, I am a frum girl, and I do have a blog. Does she have diabetes also? Or was it someone who knows me and somehow heard that I have a blog? And those people who spent an average of 18 minutes on my blog reading "funny shidduch stories"...what were they looking for? Were they just coming home from a bad date? Feeling old and left behind, and wishing for any date? And that person who was looking for info on the "shidduch scene", well, I feel kinda bad, because I obviously know nothing about it.

I also wonder what they were doing while they were looking at my blog. That person who was searching for fashion of navy skirts, well, were they sitting there in pajamas, trying to decide which skirt to put on? And that person that was looking for a dvar torah for their bridal shower...were they sitting there, all dressed and ready to go, when they suddenly remembered that they were supposed to say a dvar torah? (I was apparently not invited to that shower. I don't think I have ever been to a shower where they said divrei torah. But then again, it could be my fault, as she obviously didn't find one here.)

Then I wonder about their age. Google analytics might tell me that you come from somewhere like Malaysia, or Singapore, or Poland, or someplace that I never heard of, like Qatar, or even somewhere perfectly ordinary like Israel or United States. But it won't tell me if you are male or female. What you look like, what you do, whether you enjoyed my blog or not....stuff like that. Only you can tell me......

So please, do. :-)

19 comments:

EsPes said...

this is exactly how i feel when looking at my stats!

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

very nice post, and funny too!

I was actually checking my feed reader for some blog posts to use in another blog's comment. When I saw this one, It caught my eye, because the post I was commenting on was about the same topic sort of. So I wanted to see what you had to say about it.

Those are good question you ask, I've never really wondered about those. The visitors I wonder about are the one's that I get to know, so then I already know those details about them.

Although there is a setting called "reactions" where people can click a reaction and tell you how they feel about the post, so you'll get to know if they were laughing etc.

MAK said...

Heh, I believe mine says either Miami, FL, or Palm Beach Gardens, FL, when it shows up on sitemeter, either way, it's SOMEWHERE in South Florida, and you already know my age and gender. But I love your blog, since you seem exactly like the kind of girl I could easily become friends with. Keep it up!

Cacti Don't Cry said...

Just stating for the record that the visitor from Barbados was probably me. :p

Mushkie said...

Maybe they came here from Chanie's blog and have been reading your posts for a good few months but have been too scared to comment :D.

Anonymous said...

Male, 30
→ sanguinarily eligible
→ socially ineligible (I'm not part of a community like yours.)
→ still interested in reading you
→ infrequent commenter
→ a dating process would be more fun than no process (I have little idea what I'm about, so I also have no idea what I would hope to see in another person.)

tonight's captcha: parcha

Anonymous said...

This is the first time that I have visited your blog (linked from someone else) and I think it's great! Normally I do not comment on things that I read, but after seeing this as the first post I thought I had to.

harry-er than them all said...

Since i check blogs most often from my phone, it shows up as United States. doesn't give you my location although its not so difficult to figure out.

tembow said...

you know where i'm from... no need to say

but i will say that i love reading your blog, though you know that too :)

frumcollegegirl said...

good post!

frum single female said...

until i had comments on my blog i always would wonder who was reading.sometimes you can match the comment to the time slot and figure out where they are from. you could put up a poll to see what the age range of your readership is.
well... you've seen my blog so you know a little bit about me.
i enjoy reading your posts and have recommended others to read your blog.

Something Different said...

EP- so are you also able to spend hours on analytics?

JSB- I don't want to know about their reaction as much as about the people behind the stats. Does that make sense?

MAK- hey! Thanks for the compliments! :-) lemme know if you're ever in NY and we can see. ;-)

CDC- oh cool! So you were on vacation? Or you live there? (but you only account for one of the visits.)

Mushkie- scared? Oh cmon I only bite on wednesdays. :-p

Anon- wait- how'd you find my blog? :-)

Anon- welcome! Please come back! :-)

HTTA- you're probably the unknown loction IP, right?

TB- awww....thanks! :-)

FCG- thanks. I thought so too! :-p

FSF- yeah I was gonna add aomethin to the post about how bloggers that read it at least give me a bit of info. But I have about 20 people who comment regularly, so I was shocked to see that there are hundreds of people who come back regularly! Anyway, whoever you guys are, welcome, enjoy and comment!

Cacti Don't Cry said...

Haha yeah I WISH I lived in Barbados... why can't I have visited three times??

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

SD: yea, I know what you mean. But that means becoming social with bloggers, to be able to know who they are and everything. (Twitter helps you get to know your readers/commenters)

Something Different said...

CDC- don't bust my bubble. I'd rather think it was three different people. ;-)
So maybe you vacationed in Qatar recently?

JSB- oh gosh. I simply don't have time for another time consuming Internet activity. :-p

Anonymous said...

I'm the one that when you see me on stat, you think I'm you. And when you're on mine, I think you're me. So no wondering where I'm concerned. Unless you wonder about yourself sometimes, like I do.

Something Different said...

Anon- I so didnt get that.

Anonymous said...

US NY 20 something female...

Found this blog while googling for Kedem grape juice. When I typed it into google, it had "Kedem + Tescos." Tescos is a popular United Kingdom grocery chain, and out of curiosity, googled that and came across the blog.

Read a story about your son buying non Kosher grape juice. Then enjoyed the ode to Chinese slippers.

Something Different said...

Anon- Hey! Welcome to my blog! Please make yourself a name so I can know who you are....
Its funny, I don't usually think of people who find me on google being repeat visitors, but there you are. Please come back! :-)