Blog Counters

/ Tracy Abell

DISCLAIMER:  I’m a total computer illiterate.  I can word process just fine (although it took some time to break the habit of hitting the Enter/Return key as if I were using a typewriter) and I’ve mastered Photobucket, but that’s about it.  Well, that plus I don’t share Senator Ted Stevens’ misconception that the internet is a series of tubes.  I do, however, have a weird electromagnetic field that causes my computer to freeze up and do all sorts of insane things never before witnessed by man.  Or so says my mate.

Anyway, here’s my situation:  I’m toying with the idea of putting a counter on this journal because it seems like a cool idea to know how many people stop by to read and where they’re reading from.  But I’m overwhelmed with the choices PLUS I’m a little freaked out by the info that can be gathered.  I was just reading the BlogPatrol site and it offers (among other features): Detailed Analysis. Information on your 10 most recent visitors, including date/time, IP, Browser, Operating System, and Screen resolution of visitors.

Does anyone else feel like this stuff is a bit Big Brother-ish?  Is everyone already doing this?  Am I the only naive person who hasn’t jumped on the info collection bandwagon?  I wouldn’t know what to do with this info but I guess others are making use of it somehow.  I mean, I like the idea of knowing where someone is reading from but how specific does it get?  (We’re not talking Bat Cave computer capabilities, are we?)

So here are just a few questions:

Do you use a counter? 
If so, which one? 
Why would you recommend it?

Do you feel weird using an invisible tracker/counter thingy that collects info without your readers’ consent?

Am I just stressing about something that I don’t need to worry about because (1) that ship has already sailed (2) I’ve already got a laundry list of worries keeping me up at night and (3) my time would be better spent finishing my revisions?

42 thoughts on “Blog Counters”

  1. I have no idea how counters work – I just know I couldn’t put one on my site because I would spend way too much time tracking everybody and thinking about how cool it is! And I’m behind in revisions as is…

    Like

    • That’s kind of my worry, too.
      Hey, what’re you doing here when your revisions are due very soon?! 🙂

      Like

  2. I have no idea how counters work – I just know I couldn’t put one on my site because I would spend way too much time tracking everybody and thinking about how cool it is! And I’m behind in revisions as is…

    Like

  3. StatCounter
    here’s the output of StatCounter
    adsl-70-240-6-180.dsl.stlsmo.swbell.net (Pppox Pool – Bras1 Stlsmo)
    Missouri, St. Louis, United States, 120 returning visits
    Date Time WebPage
    3rd March 2007 18:10:22 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:18:32 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:18:45 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:19:16 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:19:40 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 21:43:41 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 21:44:02 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 21:44:34 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 22:10:32 No referring link
    That’s pretty inocuous information. It’s kinda cool to see all the places your visitors come from.

    Like

    • Re: StatCounter
      Where does it show where your visitors came from? And you’re right, it’s innocuous as listed here.

      Like

      • Re: StatCounter
        city, and ISP – although that info relates to the ISP and you’d have to know where your readers are anyway. When someone replies to an entry, you can usually figure it out from the timestamp on their post. Of course, that’s too much like hard work.

        Like

  4. StatCounter
    here’s the output of StatCounter
    adsl-70-240-6-180.dsl.stlsmo.swbell.net (Pppox Pool – Bras1 Stlsmo)
    Missouri, St. Louis, United States, 120 returning visits
    Date Time WebPage
    3rd March 2007 18:10:22 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:18:32 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:18:45 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:19:16 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:19:40 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 21:43:41 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 21:44:02 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 21:44:34 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 22:10:32 No referring link
    That’s pretty inocuous information. It’s kinda cool to see all the places your visitors come from.

    Like

  5. StatCounter

    here’s the output of StatCounter

    adsl-70-240-6-180.dsl.stlsmo.swbell.net (Pppox Pool – Bras1 Stlsmo)

    Missouri, St. Louis, United States, 120 returning visits
    Date Time WebPage
    3rd March 2007 18:10:22 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:18:32 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:18:45 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:19:16 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 18:19:40 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 21:43:41 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 21:44:02 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 21:44:34 No referring link
    3rd March 2007 22:10:32 No referring link

    That’s pretty inocuous information. It’s kinda cool to see all the places your visitors come from.

    Like

  6. I use the site meter counter (when I remember) — it’s pretty easy, and although I’ve looked at the extended info they offer (which is interesting), I don’t check it every time. My counter isn’t invisible, so every time I remember to put it on the site, people can see it there in the corner. (I need to work on revisions too 🙂

    Like

    • So you have to remember to put the counter on the site? I thought once it was installed, that was it.
      How are the revisions coming?

      Like

      • There might be a way to have the site counter automatically go in place, but I don’t know what it is…so I have to copy and paste each time (which I usually forget to do). I haven’t started my revisions yet, sigh. 🙂

        Like

  7. I use the site meter counter (when I remember) — it’s pretty easy, and although I’ve looked at the extended info they offer (which is interesting), I don’t check it every time. My counter isn’t invisible, so every time I remember to put it on the site, people can see it there in the corner. (I need to work on revisions too 🙂

    Like

  8. This is from anon, but I’m a friend of yours. I bet you can guess why by my writing style.
    I use StatCounter, but for some reason it stopped working a few months ago, which really peeves me off b/c I miss checking stats! I’d recommend it if it were currently working for me! I need to delete it and reinstall it.
    StatCounter is free. It has the stuff you mentioned in your blog, as well as a google map with balloons on it that you can click on and get a world map of all your hits. Then you can keep clicking and it will take you to the street where the person’s internet server is houses. Freaky, huh? But very interesting when it’s in Europe or South America or Australia!
    Stat Counters won’t give you a person’s home address, unless the server is in their house which I don’t think is usual. (but I have gotten hits from HarperCollins and Maxim, so they must have servers in house in their name)
    And stat counters won’t give you the person’s name, only their IP address.
    Okay–if somebody is anonymously reading your blog, don’t you have the right to learn some anonymous info about them? If you had a statcounter on your blog right now, you’d know my city and state, and probably be able to guess who I am! 🙂

    Like

  9. This is from anon, but I’m a friend of yours. I bet you can guess why by my writing style.
    I use StatCounter, but for some reason it stopped working a few months ago, which really peeves me off b/c I miss checking stats! I’d recommend it if it were currently working for me! I need to delete it and reinstall it.
    StatCounter is free. It has the stuff you mentioned in your blog, as well as a google map with balloons on it that you can click on and get a world map of all your hits. Then you can keep clicking and it will take you to the street where the person’s internet server is houses. Freaky, huh? But very interesting when it’s in Europe or South America or Australia!
    Stat Counters won’t give you a person’s home address, unless the server is in their house which I don’t think is usual. (but I have gotten hits from HarperCollins and Maxim, so they must have servers in house in their name)
    And stat counters won’t give you the person’s name, only their IP address.
    Okay–if somebody is anonymously reading your blog, don’t you have the right to learn some anonymous info about them? If you had a statcounter on your blog right now, you’d know my city and state, and probably be able to guess who I am! 🙂

    Like

  10. This is from anon, but I’m a friend of yours. I bet you can guess why by my writing style.

    I use StatCounter, but for some reason it stopped working a few months ago, which really peeves me off b/c I miss checking stats! I’d recommend it if it were currently working for me! I need to delete it and reinstall it.

    StatCounter is free. It has the stuff you mentioned in your blog, as well as a google map with balloons on it that you can click on and get a world map of all your hits. Then you can keep clicking and it will take you to the street where the person’s internet server is houses. Freaky, huh? But very interesting when it’s in Europe or South America or Australia!

    Stat Counters won’t give you a person’s home address, unless the server is in their house which I don’t think is usual. (but I have gotten hits from HarperCollins and Maxim, so they must have servers in house in their name)

    And stat counters won’t give you the person’s name, only their IP address.

    Okay–if somebody is anonymously reading your blog, don’t you have the right to learn some anonymous info about them? If you had a statcounter on your blog right now, you’d know my city and state, and probably be able to guess who I am! 🙂

    Like

  13. I use SiteMeter to track the number of hits I get on a certain topic, but I’m too busy, really, to obsess over the number/general location of my readers. Although…it’s interesting to note that some consistent visitors come from as far away as Pakistan, Germany, Australia, and Dubai!

    Like

    • To busy to obsess. Hmm, I am, too, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t do it anyway!
      And that’s very cool about your far-flung visitors. Dubai? Wow.

      Like

  14. I use SiteMeter to track the number of hits I get on a certain topic, but I’m too busy, really, to obsess over the number/general location of my readers. Although…it’s interesting to note that some consistent visitors come from as far away as Pakistan, Germany, Australia, and Dubai!

    Like

  15. That’s kind of my worry, too.
    Hey, what’re you doing here when your revisions are due very soon?! 🙂

    Like

  16. That’s kind of my worry, too.

    Hey, what’re you doing here when your revisions are due very soon?! 🙂

    Like

  17. Re: StatCounter
    Where does it show where your visitors came from? And you’re right, it’s innocuous as listed here.

    Like

  18. Re: StatCounter

    Where does it show where your visitors came from? And you’re right, it’s innocuous as listed here.

    Like

  19. So you have to remember to put the counter on the site? I thought once it was installed, that was it.
    How are the revisions coming?

    Like

  20. So you have to remember to put the counter on the site? I thought once it was installed, that was it.

    How are the revisions coming?

    Like

  21. Re: I meant who! Bah.
    Whoo who HA HA HA.
    I tried responding to your above but failed the spam filter thingy. Now look what you’ve done!?

    Like

  22. Re: I meant who! Bah.

    Whoo who HA HA HA.

    I tried responding to your above but failed the spam filter thingy. Now look what you’ve done!?

    Like

  23. To busy to obsess. Hmm, I am, too, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t do it anyway!
    And that’s very cool about your far-flung visitors. Dubai? Wow.

    Like

  24. To busy to obsess. Hmm, I am, too, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t do it anyway!

    And that’s very cool about your far-flung visitors. Dubai? Wow.

    Like

  25. There might be a way to have the site counter automatically go in place, but I don’t know what it is…so I have to copy and paste each time (which I usually forget to do). I haven’t started my revisions yet, sigh. 🙂

    Like

  26. Re: StatCounter
    city, and ISP – although that info relates to the ISP and you’d have to know where your readers are anyway. When someone replies to an entry, you can usually figure it out from the timestamp on their post. Of course, that’s too much like hard work.

    Like

  27. Re: StatCounter

    city, and ISP – although that info relates to the ISP and you’d have to know where your readers are anyway. When someone replies to an entry, you can usually figure it out from the timestamp on their post. Of course, that’s too much like hard work.

    Like

  30. Sorry, I’m late to the discussion. I use Site Meter and I really like it. Whern I first got it, it freaked me out a little because I found out that there are sites that are programed to post recent Live Journal posts and photos. Then I just decided that is the cost of posting things on the web for the world to see.
    I warn you, for the first few days you use a counter, you will check it constantly! I did like Newport2newport did and spent all my time on the map going–Wow! Moscow, Australia, Siberia, Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, etc, etc, etc. It’s really neat!

    Like

  31. Sorry, I’m late to the discussion. I use Site Meter and I really like it. Whern I first got it, it freaked me out a little because I found out that there are sites that are programed to post recent Live Journal posts and photos. Then I just decided that is the cost of posting things on the web for the world to see.
    I warn you, for the first few days you use a counter, you will check it constantly! I did like Newport2newport did and spent all my time on the map going–Wow! Moscow, Australia, Siberia, Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, etc, etc, etc. It’s really neat!

    Like

  32. Sorry, I’m late to the discussion. I use Site Meter and I really like it. Whern I first got it, it freaked me out a little because I found out that there are sites that are programed to post recent Live Journal posts and photos. Then I just decided that is the cost of posting things on the web for the world to see.

    I warn you, for the first few days you use a counter, you will check it constantly! I did like Newport2newport did and spent all my time on the map going–Wow! Moscow, Australia, Siberia, Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, etc, etc, etc. It’s really neat!

    Like

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