Some yearly stats

Figured may as well give some stats for yearly blog visitors, and then talk about kind of things that run through my mind including what I like to think is a functional perspective.

And going to Google Analytics to make this post and just picking the fun things. That is, things most dramatic and country counts then:

84 countries for the year 2016, 547 cities within those countries.

And the language count is kind of interesting too, so: 57 languages

Presumably that's helped by Google Translate. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, Thank You! To those who visit here!

Need to express that more. So working on it. Um, back to stats.

And now am curious, so will go back to 2015:

49 countries, 247 cities

25 languages

Interesting big change. Can I go back to 2014? Yes.

65 countries, 325 cities

31 languages

And that's just some numbers. And I puzzle over such things wondering why. And is ONE blog where I have 4, and 3 of the 4 have these kinds of numbers. Where one tends to only have readership from around a dozen countries. Ok, should check. And yeah, my blog Lost in Commentary had visits from 10 countries for 2016, and 47 cities though in those countries. And 4 languages.

Usually I don't link between blogs. In the past they all linked to each other, but I was checking some things and delinked them YEARS ago and it's easier that way. Cross comparisons help though so I can see it isn't just some random thing! People aren't just maybe tending to visit tons of blogs or something and reality is, how do they know where a blog is anyway? It's a highly particular activity going to a blog.

Functionally I tend to post things and then start checking as best I can what is the impact of a particular post, which is more an art than science which I don't like. And yes, conceivably could look at making it a science but oddly enough, not very motivated. I'd just focus and focus and focus on those country counts and wonder.

So yeah am then known in a LOT of countries, probably, I guess, if you accept those stats from Google Analytics and why not? Easier for me when I just kind of shrug. But I don't think that's um constructive? Healthy? Adult?

Well it beats the alternative. When I post something? Yeah, I suppose there are people reading. And that's the way I like it.

And that is human interest reported by a third party. Why would Google lie? I have pondered such things and they have no reason. Sure you may wonder if I'm giving accurate info, which is why I've also referred to things that are public where the numbers are MUCH bigger. Like for my open source project Class Viewer with 4138 downloads from 109 countries. Ok will link to it here too, when usually don't.

The stats are publicly available as is an open source project on SourceForge but I don't link directly to the stats as I see it as a waste of the server. More people might click a link than really care, and those who care can do the work to get to them.

Each of my things is in its own lane though, which took me years to accept. People drawn to this blog aren't necessarily interested in my open source project even though it links to here. Part of a vague idea I had over a decade ago that didn't play out the way I thought.

Human interest fascinates me. Feel like I just sort of wandered into this reality of having things that can interest people in lots of places and started THEN to note, hey am a guy who knows things that interest people all over the planet, maybe I should study that, so I do.

Reading back through, prefer to give less of my thinking as is cleaner writing I think. But it is worth it to me to have that down, kind of thoughts that must drive decisionmaking too. Sometimes it's good to put them out there to study. And if helps others see my perspective, good too.


James Harris