This is just a little blog. I started writing it primarily for me, just to blow off steam, or have a way of saying I was here, or keep track of things I might forget as years advanced like those final months with my Dad. In some cases it was to try to communicate with the people whom I trusted least to keep reading it regularly just because they know me, even though I hoped they would. I do know a few people who do keep track of me this way, and I thank you. You do matter to me. I do know my number one fan, the loving man sitting in the chair next to me who reads every single one of my posts, letting me know where I missed a typo or when something doesn't make any sense. Ironically, his reading never gets counted in the stats.(I can check in the stats after he reads it on his laptop and the count is still zero, or whatever it was when he started. I just assume it's because we use the same household internet system, though different computer systems, and somebody years ago decided we both must be the same person trying to cheat the statistics. Back then I didn't even know there were statistics!
If you wonder, I have no way of knowing who you are unless you tell me you learned something by reading it here. But I have found that I can get a picture, planet-wise, of who you are and in some cases guess why you ever popped over here in the first place. I'll probably be wrong, but at least you did.
Blogger offers the blog writer a chance to pore through scads of information on readers as a whole. There's a section called "Stats". I can learn what you as a unit read, what brought you over here, where on the planet you live. I can't tell how many times any particular one of you visits a second time or a third, for example, or whether you stopped by one time and read two words before deciding never to return. (Really? Two words? But you're reading this far and that is already way more than two words!)
One thing I can tell, from total number of visits, is the most popular post of all my years here was the one on the Jobs Daughter's Secret. I was disappointed over my experience after a big secret was built up to tease us initiates with before the initiation and wound up being little more than confusion. I hope you weren't as disappointed in the reading of the post, but some of you had to have come back to read more. There are a few other posts which are perennial favorites, with total readership numbers on them continuing to build.
This wasn't that popular until about three years ago. Graphs on readership were fairly flat up till then, but suddenly started to climb. Was somebody promoting it? Was it because I finally figured out how to reliably add photos about that time? (I popped one in the top as a bribe or a thank you, just in case that was it - my favorite wildflower shot from Arches National Park.) But not that long ago I noticed the new numbers, took a deeper dive into the information provided me on the generic you, just because it is there. Plus I could discover which posts were still getting readers.
Where were all of you coming from? There are pie chart graphs in multiple colors, accompanied by names of countries written out with numbers of views from each category. I had assumed you would all be from primarily English speaking places. US first of course. Then maybe Canada? Great Britain? Suddenly there were so many of you from overseas countries that I started to wonder if somebody thought this was a good way to learn idiomatic English, which is a hoot when one considers my age and how likely I am NOT to be hooked in to the latest slang and nonsense like "six seven". Maybe ex-pats feeling nostalgic and hoping for an unofficial take on what's going on over here? Perhaps just the few people out there who understand my sense of humor but keep coming back regardless? My biggest question is why Canadians aren't counted in the stats at all. I know our government is horrible to you, but a whole lot of us on the northern tier love you dearly. I assume the rest of us simply haven't met you yet.
Here, in order from high readership to low outside of the US, is where you come from up through today: Singapore, Brazil, Germany, Vietnam, Hong Kong, France, India, Seychelles. After that the percentages per country as part of the whole readership get lower. Somebody decided the list was long enough. But hey, not only is my mind blown, but I want to ask you all what are you doing over here without having it in the remotest sound like I don't welcome you to read whatever draws you here.
Blogger also keeps track of your operating system, like the percentage who use Windows, Macintosh, Android, iPhone, and much further down until it reaches "other". How many more are there after all that? I fully confess total ignorance here. But at least they all work to bring you here, so "Howdy!"
Nine different browsers are listed, with "other" tacked on the end, of course. I have actually heard of almost half of them.
How you got here, meaning referring URLs, is listed, but somehow a majority of them contain some iteration of "Google" as part of their identity. Then we get to lynda.com, theguardian.com, and americanexpress.com. (Now if the Guardian has a strong enough connection to be high on the referral list, then why isn't the UK listed as country whose people pop over here?) 1,260,165 are listed as "other". I can guess why they quit naming them at that point. Apparently that is important for some bean counters somewhere to distinguish that category from what you actually typed into your search bar to get here, but I hate to guess how many kinds of "other" there are out there. I have numbers for how many knew the blog title for their search, how many looked for my name, and how many actually started from a place I go to myself and may have commented at, or know people who run the sites, or even places I might have (Gasp!) complained about on occasion(s). Some of those names have actually popped up in the stats (and I'm looking at you Walmart!)
Hey, does somebody actually pay attention to criticisms and/or ridicule? Are you still there? Did you have any power to act, and did anything change? Or are you still laughing if you think about it at all? Am I now on a list somewhere of people who hate our unsane, hate filled, uneducated, narcissistic, corrupt president? If so, would y'all mind my taking pride in that particular accomplishment? Please note that I wield no weapon more pointy than mere words on a screen, and have no inclination whatsoever to approach that individual close enough to sniff his fouled diaper, much less come close enough to touch or throw any item or substance in that direction. Full disclaimer, if I did somehow get forced to be close in any way, my worst weapon would be laughter, and in revenge for the forced closeness I'd make it as loud and ridiculing as possible, so if need be, you can write that in your little threats books.
Meanwhile, I'll sum this up by referring you back to my poem on the opening page. Whoever you are, whatever reason you stopped by, your touch has made a difference. So each and everyone of you, thanks for stopping by. Come again some time! And if you did come for the pictures...
No comments:
Post a Comment