Allo! Salut! Coucou! Bonjour La France!
Regular visitors to this humble Yorkshire blog may already be wondering why this post has begun with a happy greeting to our Gallic neighbours across La Manche (English Channel). Well, my jolly amis de Blogeur, it is all to do with this blog's statistics.
Regarding audience locations, Yorkshire Pudding's leaders have always been Great Britain (aka UK) and The United States of America. Other countries that have consistently figured in the audience top ten are Australia, Canada and Germany.
However, in the past month, the majority of page views have been from France - 24,481 in total compared with only 6,433 from the USA and 4438 from Great Britain.
It's hard to know what's happening - especially as there have been no visitor comments from France that I am aware of. . If you are French and you are reading this post, please suggest why there has been such a surge in page views from your jolie country. Merci beaucoup.
I have read a couple of articles recently about Russian involvement in Western European politics. Some believe that British social media and opinion polling were both infiltrated by Russian trolls ahead of our depressing Brexit decision. They may also be digging away under the surface to bring nationalist Marine Le Pen to power in France.
I don't fully understand what is going on but it is not inconceivable that this somehow explains the puzzling numerical growth in visits from France. Alternatively, a legion of innovative French teachers may be using "Yorkshire Pudding" on interactive whiteboards to illustrate the elegance and flexibility of the English language. Who knows?
Maybe you have blogged about something connected with France in the past and now have your faithful readers. I rarely look at my stats, so dipped in today to see where my readers come from. France is way down at the bottom of the list with only 9 and strangely enough 6 from the Philippines. My main readers are from USA and Canada - I suppose where alcoholism is far more prevalent.
ReplyDeleteNow I realise you have your own blog ADDY. I just went over to join you in the surgery waiting room. I will sell you half my French visitors if you want.
DeleteIt is very interesting to check your audience according to "all time", "month", "week", "day" and "now".
ReplyDeleteFor my blog, the US are always at the top of the list. Second on the list is sometimes Germany, sometimes Russia (I have no Russian readers I know of). Third place is shared between the UK and France (no readers from that country to my knowledge, either).
Last week's issue of DIE ZEIT (my weekly paper) has a feature about Russian hackers. I haven't had time to read it yet, but I am sure it will help me understand better what's happening, although I already do have a pretty good idea of it.
At first I thought that all that talk about Russian interference in Western politics was some sort of fantasy but I have changed my mind. Hiring hackers is cheaper than tank warfare. Brexit followed by Trump have destabilised the West. Old certainties look fragile. In a bunker somewhere in darkest Russia someone is laughing and rubbing his hands with glee.
DeletePerhaps it's because The Weaver hasn't been blogging lately and therefore her French readers have transferred to you to maintain their taste for Yorkshire.
ReplyDeleteI haven't a clue what countries read my blog, if any, I'll have to have a look.
I would guess that you have a lot of readers from North Korea Derek.
DeleteNo, I may upset a few people but I haven't got that pudding bowl haircut
DeleteI suppose that one day when I'm not pulling houses apart or putting them back together again I should look at where my readers come from. As I am more concerned though about my little group of blog friends and acquaintances and am not an inherently curious person I may never get around to it. Yours is a fascinating question though.
ReplyDeleteOne day in your busy post-retirement schedule there may come a time when you are so bored that you resort to checking your stats. In the top right hand corner go to "Design", then to "Stats"(see the left) then "Audience".
DeleteMight disappointment you though Graham. Majority of mine come from the UK, then the USA, then France and so on, but added together don't make anywhere near a 1,000.
ReplyDeleteDo what I did Derek. Tell them you're a male pole dancer then visitors come flooding in.
DeleteI'm always curious when I get hits from Russia and China. I cannot begin to imagine why they would be remotely interested in my silly ponderings.
ReplyDeletePerhaps they think you are a secret agent and that your hearing aid is tuned in to MI5.
DeleteHave always wondered about the origin of "sebunctious" meaning the greatest, happy, relaxed, joyous, feelings a person can experience.
ReplyDeleteThanks Duncan. I must declare that I have never encountered that word before... . Is it in the dictionary or is it a Shropshire dialect word?
DeleteAre you sure that sebunctious isn't another word for orgasm.
DeleteGiven Duncan's definition you may well be right Derek.
DeleteC'est bizarre!!
ReplyDeleteWee-wee!
DeleteG'day, mate! How ya goin'? It's the sheila from Down Under 'ere. Maybe they're just 'avin' a gander, or they've run out of snails an' frogs an' need a few for their escargots an' frogs' leg recipes from up your way. I guess youse didn't think of that... I 'eard the other day that there's a lot of legless frogs trying to 'op around over there across the channel...so youse never know...
ReplyDeleteMy Dear Madam George,
DeleteWith scholarship and determination I have managed to decipher the above comment despite the linguistic and cultural challenges it presented. Thank you for your ehm... interesting antipodean contribution.
Yours formally,
Sir Yorkshire Pudding Esq..
Zut alors et quelle horreur mon ami! C'est vrai !
ReplyDeletePlease don't swear at me CG!
DeleteI'd say take all the readers from France and run!
ReplyDeleteYeah! Run to Spencer Street, Red Deer and leave them there!
DeleteI'm not falling for the ol' "say something in French" trick. I learned my lesson a quarter of a century ago :)
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to think of why you have so many hits from French readers. I really can't come up with anything, even something far-fetched.
Perhaps I have become an internet sensation in France or maybe they come here in search of Yorkshire pudding recipes. You know how food-obsessed the French are.
Delete