If I were to just consider the comments on my blog as proof of readership, it would appear that I only have 3 or 4 visitors a month. And that’s just a little bit sad; almost might as well just write in that journal I keep on my nightstand. Yeah, that journal full of completely blank pages.
Fortunately, I have a little something called google analytics installed at akaemi.com. Anytime I start to wonder if anyone even cares about my silly little blog, I log in and look at the map overlay of my visitors. Google is so thoughtful as to plot dots on a world map, to show me where my traffic is coming from. The larger the dot, the more visitors I get from that area.
The biggest dot is always Ashburn. Because that’s where I live. And, well, I am the most active visitor of akaemi.com. Then there are several other northern Virginia/Maryland dots, courtesy of past and present coworkers, as well as my husband’s coworkers. (I’m pretty sure my husband makes his friends read my blog. So as to keep me from getting all despondent about having negative google analytics numbers. It doesn’t matter, though, I’ll take pity readers …)
The next biggest concentration of dots is always Washington state/Oregon. Because that’s where my family lives. And there’s like 6 of them, so that makes for a HUGE concentration of my readership.
Following the Pacific Northwest comes Texas. There are usually dots scattered through the state. My husband’s family all lives in Texas – including somebody who apparently lives in Texarkana … there’s always a Texarkana dot.
The other consistent dot is Miami. Since the launch of akaemi.com, I have had Miami fans. I assumed that it was the one person I knew who lived in the sunny city, but when I thanked her for reading a few weeks back, she had to admit that she didn’t know I had a blog. She is now a faithful reader – my Miami dot has grown bigger – but even before her support, I could always count on Miami. So, thanks Miami!
And then I usually have random dots. Today’s random dots are Santa Clara and Singapore. In the past, I’ve had hits from as far away as Brazil, Germany, Japan and Malaysia. Usually it’s just one visit, so that means akaemi.com was really not what they were looking for. But it’s always fun to get international hits.
So, all in all, google analytics lets me know that I have 26 loyal readers, and that 3 or 4 of you visit my site every day. As far as a website is concerned, those are pretty pathetic numbers – I’m never going to find fortune and fame through akaemi.com. As far as I’m concerned, however, 26 is a pretty awesome number! I pretty much have to include everybody I know to come up with 26 people.
So, thanks, you guys! I’m glad you keep coming back. 🙂
6 replies on “google stalk-a-lytics”
I have been afraid to put Google Analytics on my site. Two reasons: 1. I have so few readers I would become despondant. 2. Computers are scary and I don’t trust them, or myself around them so I am sure I would crash my widdle site.
In regards to your first fear, I definitely hear you there. My zero to 7 readers a day doesn’t compare at all to the 950 hits a day that my husband’s strahotski enjoys. As long as you keep your dreams of fame minimized, then it can actually be kind of fun to see all the charts of website activity. I mean, as much as I like to *think* that I write as well as any New York Times top 10 best-selling author, or that my life anecdotes are so relateable and charming that people can’t help but to fall in love with my site … I do have to realize that I do not and they are not. And that’s ok – cuz I have 26 loyal readers. 🙂
We’re not pity readers – we want to know how we can out nerd you!
LOL – don’t even try, you’ll never win …
So. You can probably thank me for the Japan dot. Not that I went to Japan to read your blog (if you buy me a ticket I will definately do that for you), but I passed your site onto one of our previous homestay guests. I hope you don’t mind.
About the Texarkana dot, I think that would have to be relatives on Josh’s father’s side, as I don’t have anyone related to me in Texarkana, and that is in the general area of Arkansas/Oklahoma they are from. It is interesting, because I am surprised any of them know of your website.
Love, Mom-in-law in Houston