Blogger is very clever. If you maintain a blog hosted by Blogger you will be able to peruse your vital statistics by clicking on "Design" on the top bar and then going to "Stats".
In "Yorkshire Pudding" the all-time most popular blogpost is one that I made back in 2009. It was titled "Chavs" and it has attracted 26,000 views. Why this should be I have no idea.
Recently another post has been steadily gaining in popularity. I wrote it last June when Shirley and I were on the Greek island of Santorini. I gave that post a Greek title - namely φεγγάρι which means "moon". This month alone the post has attracted over 3500 views. Click here to link to that blogpost.
If anyone out there can sensibly suggest why that particular post is attracting so many hits I would be most grateful.
Meantime, here are this month's "audience" stats for Yorkshire Pudding. At the top the battle for supremacy between the so-called United Kingdom and the good ol' USA continues with Russia and Ukraine figuring strongly alongside Canada and Australia. Interestingly, given the popularity of my φεγγάρι post, Greece does not appear in the top ten :-
United Kingdom 6550
United States 6279
Russia 3069
Canada 1914
Ukraine 1706
Australia 1148
Ireland 731
Italy 540
France 533
Poland 279
Thank you to everybody who has just read this post - wherever you may be. Receiving genuine visitors from around the world is inspirational - like fuel to keep this fifteen year old blog trucking along. But may I end by saying that bots are not welcome! Are you listening Russia?
I often think people judge how well their blog is going by the comments, but I quickly realised that they are only a small part of how many actually visit and read the blog and like you say, the stats show that .
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
Many people just read and do not comment. Often they themselves are not signed up to Blogger which means commenting becomes less straightforward.
DeleteNah, YP, I am not signed up to Blogger and they are not the obstacle. It's the bloggers. Well, some. Little dictators in their echo chambers, ever ready to delete you! Because they can. At this point I won't make a very tasteless (general) remark which just popped into my mind. A still birth as it were.
DeleteI am fascinated by people who watch their statistics almost obsessively - I am not saying you are. For that you appear not vain enough. It means nothing. I had hundreds of followers when I ran my blog; few had the wherewithal to formulate a considered reply.
As to the numbers game, I don't "follow" anyone officially, so don't get any notifications in my inbox when a new post pops up. However, there are certain blogs I visit more than once a day, not least to check out what's going on in the comment boxes. Which means stats are like making soufflé. Appearance quickly deflates.
I bet your "chav" post was so popular because there a lot of chavs out there glad to be mentioned - or maybe not, and secondly because nothing attracts people more than the opportunity of a bit of chav bashing. May I stress that I never use that expression. By the same token I am glad that I don't live in Essex - you know, guilt by association.
Since you didn't provide the chav link I will seek it out myself. Stand by for further observations.
Santorini greetings,
U
Ursula I hope that you won't mind me being pedantic but 'signing up to Blogger' basically means having a Google account because Google links all you do to your account(s). That's why all the plonkers who spam blogs can get through with impunity: they have Google accounts even though the don't activate Blogger.
DeleteOf course I don't mind, Graham. Always grateful to be put to rights, learn something new. As an aside, I can't tell you how happy I am (Big Brother Sydnrome) that I still have a facility (called elevated typewriter aka "word processor") that's not linked to the internet. I also make a lot of notes by hand, pencil on paper. It's so lovely, soothing, to know that your every thought isn't (potentially) recorded in the mysterious world of the wide web.
DeleteIt's strange. Once upon a time we were told that God sees everything, then you realize that's, logistically, impossible; so you relax if you haven't done so before, only to find yourself caught in the twenty first century where total strangers are (potentially) privy to anything you put out there. To put it another way: If you wanted to start a revolution I'd say, best to take to the barricades and avoid twitter et al. Gives you a head start.
U
That's a good point you make Ursula. Once, allegedly, God was watching everything and now it's internet spies. Perhaps we should build places of worship in which we can beg forgiveness from Google and Zuckerberg and the Russian bots. It's the new religion.
DeleteI gave up looking at my stats a long time ago. It was too hard to put it all in perspective.
ReplyDeleteI'm not obsessive about it. I just take a look once in a while.
DeleteSo are you spying on me? Can you see that I've visited and not commented?
ReplyDeleteOoooo. Very big brother.
It is very Big Brother, Christina. Creeps me out. Particularly those - as happened to me with an amazingly paranoid blogger - she'd actually check your ISBN, no, what's it called, you know, your internet identifier just in case you had the audacity to comment under another name. It's crazy (making) stuff.
DeleteHowever, I hasten to add that, in YP's case, it's perfectly amusing to learn that Chavs and (not in) Santorini were such hits. As research goes a sociologist bound to be delighted.
U
The word "chav" is becoming passé. It had its time in the spotlight but now it appears to have been overtaken. At least that is my impression.
DeleteIt IS interesting that Greece doesn't even figure in your top 10. Google is a mystery, honestly. There are entire careers built on "search engine optimization," which makes me think it's not at all as straightforward as it appears. I should check out my own stats. I have no idea what's popular on my blog. (If anything!)
ReplyDeleteAny posts involving computer chargers will be very popular.
DeleteI found "Chavs", 28 September 2009 and left you a comment. On pressing "publish" I see that it awaits your "approval". Holding my breath.
ReplyDeleteU
I think I put a two week limit on blog comments. I wonder if your comment will appear in my e-mail inbox. I will look later.
DeleteI'm going to have to get a new mouse though. All that clicking has just about worn it out.
ReplyDeleteAsk Madam Dunham to buy you some castanets for your next birthday. Then you'll be able to click to your heart's content.
DeleteI do look at the Stats section from time to time, mainly because I am intrigued to see how many views are coming from Ukraine and Russia. I wonder what they can find of interest in my inane mumblings each day?
ReplyDeleteInane mumblings? No way! You are a fine example of British womanhood - like Boadicea.
DeleteI have often found that if I Google something, relevant blog posts come up because they are part of Google. I wonder how new the word 'chav' was in 2009. I don't know what a chav is but when I Googled it just now lots of answers came up but not, sadly, your article. Moon/φεγγάρι is more puzzling.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling the only time I've looked at my stats was a time when you mentioned them previously.
PS Did you get my email about roast potatoes the other day? I say that because you didn't reply (it didn't call for one) but neither did you make an alteration (which I thought you might have done). I ask the question because one friend, despite whatever, she does finds that all my emails, unless a direct reply to one of hers, go directly to junk.
I did get that e-mail Graham and I hope you didn't burn your spuds! Sorry I didn't reply beforehand but most days by inbox is filled with similar messages about roasties and how to make Yorkshire puddings, spotted dick etcetera.
DeleteThe roasties were possibly the best I've ever made. So I'm glad despite the rapeseeed (sic) I found it. You'd have laughed, though. We got to the end of the meal when I realised that I'd not put the YPs out. I'm losing the plot.
DeleteI get a kick out of checking stats once in a while. It is interesting to see how many and what countries show up in the stats. However, I do wonder about the accuracy of them.
ReplyDeleteThe stats are pretty accurat, Bonnie. The IP address of each computer, tablet, smartphone etc. is usually transmitted (along with a large amount of other data) when someone uses that device to visit a certain website, such as this blog. The IP address allows the recipient of that data to geographically locate the device - not specifically by saying "Oh, this is Bonnie, and she lives at this or that house on this or that street", but at least by country.
DeleteThanks for your explanation. It is amazing and maybe a little scary that this (and I'm sure so much more) is possible!
DeleteYou do not need to go the long way round (through "Design") to get to your blog's stats. Simply go to "Stats" on the menu to the left of your dashboard when you open blogger.
ReplyDeleteI have not looked at my blog's stats in a long time, but your post prompted me to check out what keywords were most used in searches leading to my blog. Maybe you'll find out what people were looking for when they found your post with the Greek headline if you look at "Traffic Sources" in your stats.
I know that your job and training have made you more knowledgeable about these matters than most people are - myself included. Thank you for the suggestions.
DeleteI've picked up on Librarian's suggestion to look at keywords most used in searches and ironically the top all-time keywords were "how not to procrastinate" :D
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I think she had a great suggestion there. It might solve your mystery.
I've been getting a ton of visits from Ukranians over the past several months. I imagine they're from bots too, just from the sheer number of them.
I understand that there are many donkeys in Ukraine.
DeleteI read a blogger yesterday that said someone linked a gambling site through his comments. Maybe something like that is happening to you. I can't remember where I read it but maybe someone else will have seen it.
ReplyDeleteYou are referring to things that are beyond the scope of my pea-brain Barbara.
DeleteStats are interesting. a while ago I had some weird stats like 1000 for a post in a few hours. I don't know what that was all about but it probably wasn't good.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of dark stuff going on under the surface of the internet.
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