Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics*

Google really has improved a lot of things about the Blogger platform since I first started using it. I'm sure it doesn't compare to Wordpress, but oh well. At any rate, were I an aspiring something or other looking to increase traffic, the tools they provide would surely help. Since I'm not, and I'm pretty lazy about that particular issue, most of those features are wasted on me.

I still like to check in once in a while just to see what's up in the makeup of visitors to this joint. Browser and OS shares have always caught my eye. This time, the Chrome browser (which I use as well, and no doubt adds to the data total) beat out IE and Firefox. IE used to be king around here, with FF nipping at it's heels. Now, this data can no way be extrapolated to mean the whole of the interwebs follows - all it really means is the audience that finds it's way to this neglected corner of Algore's innertubes is mostly (just barely) using Chrome over the other choices out there.

Then, it naturally follows that Windows would be the elephant in the room. What I do find compelling is that Android beat out Linux and iOS - to me the iPhone and iPad data are basically the same and can be added together. Just like all the different versions of Windows out there. I know, I know, statistically speaking they (Android, iOS and Linux) are essentially identical in a big picture sort of way, but there is a slight difference. Again, this means nothing when looking at traffic on the Big Internet Highway, but it does seem worth noticing.

My biggest source of traffic is simple Google searches - a ton of image requests land visitors from all over here, and they don't come back. Which, when looking at my overall traffic keeps me humble. For a long time, according to Sitemeter, I was drawing fifty to seventy unique visitors per day. Now it runs from 150 to 175 or so per day. I strongly suspect that is more a function of a wide variety of posts on a ton of different subjects, to which more are added (at a somewhat glacial pace at times, for sure). There is simply more material that meets a lot of search inquiries. I have not become entranced with the idea that my mad writing skills are responsible, particularly when a lot of the posts that draw the traffic have very little text in the first place, and the pieces I have spent some time writing do not bring in much. Most of those type posts draw a fair amount of traffic when fresh, not so much down the road.

Well, then, if it ain't about traffic, then why waste my time, you might ask. Welp, it's simple. I like to write, I like the feedback I get, posting feeds a creative urge, and doing all that has led me to interact with a wide variety of people that are quite enjoyable to read and discuss whatever dribbles from our respective brains. I've met some of you, and I certainly want to meet more. I look forward to seeing what y'all have written on your own blogs, or what you have to say on mine, and so on. That is what makes "it" for me.

*with apologies to Samuel Clemens