Do any of you fellow bloggers have Google Analytics tracking installed on your blog, and if so: do you have any lurkers?
I should probably explain what I mean by lurkers. On my Google Analytics I can see that I get lots of visitors, many more than I should do for a reasonably new blog, although I know a few of you followed me over from an older blog. These internet visitors; if you didn’t already know are called “lurkers.” Wikipedia quotes this about lurkers:
“In internet culture, a lurker is a person who reads discussions on message boards, newsgroups, chatrooms, file sharing, social networking sites, listening to people in VOIP calls such as Skype and Ventrilo, Ventri or other interactive system, but rarely or never participates actively.”
I’m not sure that the term lurkers is very nice, or indeed friendly, given that any visitor that spends a bit of their spare time reading my blog posts is more than welcome; but even if they don’t leave a comment, I would love to know a bit more about them. For instance; I can look at GA, and see the visitors who drop into my blog, and know who a few of them are, especially some of my favourites from around the world. I know that from the USA, Nessa Roo of Words from the Wench visits from Amarillo Texas, and that Jonathon Manor from Evening Revolution comes in regularly from the pickup bars, and clubs of San Diego; and I think William of My Walkabout visits me from Utah - but who is the repeat visitor from Macedonia Ohio, or Forest Park in Illinois?
Way down under, I have lots of visits from blogging buddy Dan of My point being, a citizen of St.Kilda Melbourne, but who are the Ozzies that keep visiting from Sidney and Brisbane? Just a short hop across the water in New Zealand, and I can see that the lovely Fi from Four Paws and Whiskers has dropped in more than a few times – thanks Fi.
Working my way towards home, I hardly get any visitors from the Far East, apart from a few in Makati – is that the same for everyone else? - until I arrive in India where I know that the visitor from Chennai, is Shruthi of The Shh Diaries. Then as I get closer to home there is the excellent Starlight of Crazy Thoughts who resides in Ljubljana, Slovenia, before passing over Torino in Italy where I have a reader who visits regularly, but I have no idea who they are? Out in the Atlantic Ocean , I get lots of visits from Funchal, and they can only be from Joe, of Bits and pieces, obviously in-between sets at Moynihan’s.
Once in the UK it’s a little easier to tell who my visitors might be. From Reading, Berkshire is Happy Frog and I, and from somewhere near Bristol hails Moments From Suberbia, but who are the visitors from Leeds, Basildon and Lambeth? Another town in the UK where I receive lots of visitors from is Hull
So this is your chance Lurkers! Come forward and tell me a little bit about yourself. Who are you, where you are, what do you do, and most importantly – do you have a blog? By the way; if you do have a blog and you’ve listed dickycarter.com on your blog roll, but I haven’t done the same for you, please leave a comment on this post telling me, and I’ll add you onto mine (if you want).
I am a certified lurker.
ReplyDeleteAck! Stats and analytics will drive you crazy. My sitemeter often tells me I'm in Sheffield.... but I'm in Devon... one day it looks like I'm in Northern Ireland.... the next, somewhere in Scotland.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget, some of those lurkers are spammers.
Sx
no, I usually leave a comment and tweet your stuff. I'm probably what you would call a "friend"
ReplyDeleteI have a limited version of GA, so I can't tell everyone that stalks me, but you're more than welcome to lurk around my blog anytime!
ReplyDeleteHi, Dickey. I'm Macedonia, OH. Or Hudson, OH, totally dependent on the tower. That came to me from seeing myself on the widget that some bloggers use. Nice towns. I don't live in either. I look at my Google Analytics and truly wonder how such far away places stumbled on my little blog. Or which one is Michelle, a lurker who leaves such mean remarks that more than one of my fellow bloggers has resorted to screening. How sad. So, there you are--Macedonia is the story teller you already know. Great to make the connection.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an awesome post, well done Dicky! You know I'm your Utah follower ( I hope not the only one,as I tell others about your stuff all the time!), but with my travels sometimes you never know where I'll be reading your latest writings.
ReplyDeleteNever have worked out how anyone can find the stuff that tells you all this!! Interesting to know though, maybe one day I'll sort it all out!
ReplyDeleteI've always had fun looking at my GA stats. It's interesting to see who looks at my site. I wouldn't really qualify myself as a lurker on anyone's site though, if I read I usually will comment.
ReplyDeleteWell since you have that installed I will go ahead and tell you that I live in Plaquemine, Lousiana, and not Prairieville, as I believe it will tell you. Prairieville is on the other side of the Mississippi, but close. I don't really see "lurker" as having negative connotations, but I can tell you that I am not a lurker as I am new to your blog, and definitely not now since I have just commented.
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Spot on with my visits Dicky, and yes, between sets at Moynihans haha. The GA isn´t always right with locations but its an interesting guide. Hopefully all your lurkers will drop a comment. Interesting subject. Another one that gets me is the Blogger Stats of search words used to find your blog.I´ll be writing about that later. Over and out from Funchal :)
ReplyDeletebahaha...i get the same ones and it drives me nutso spazzo trying to work out who the hell in Funchal (yep) is looking at me....i also get ljubbljannanana or wherever that is and torino as well...
ReplyDeleteim thinking that it may be a lurker/spammer, but luckily i have a wall of death surrounding my mac so nobody gets in....
the funny thing is i get lots of spikes...yesterday i had 300 hits from a referring site that is from china and sells ladies intimate apparel...then another one selling car crash insurance in des moines iowa...go figure
I am from Nottingham but GA will sometimes locate me in Leeds.
ReplyDeleteI'm so behind with catching up...
ReplyDeleteAm wondering if I might be the Lambeth one? I don't live too far away from there. I admit that I could do better at commenting. Must try harder.
i usually show up as forest park, Illinois, though i don't actually live there. it is nearby though. i really am a lurker at heart. i like reading but don't always have the time or energy to concoct a witty comment. so yes, i read you much more often than i comment. oh, and i thoroughly enjoy all that i read here!
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