Watching You Watching Me
Doesn't that title sound deliciously stalkerish? I-66 already stole my thunder a bit on this, but its a topic I've been meaning to address for a while anyway, so I think I will just dive in and blog about it anyway. Ever since I installed it, I have come to delight in my site meter. Sure, posting is a joy and reading your comments makes my day, but checking my site meter to see who has visited is becoming a favorite procrastination activity. Some of the time I can deduce who has visited because site meter, lovely site meter, registers the company or organization that somebody logs on from. Since I know where most of my friends work, It's pretty easy for me to tell when certain regulars have been reading. Other visitors register as IP addresses, which does me little good but I can tell that the same IP addresses are Hey Pretty regulars. Most readers are from the area, although I have noticed an increase in visitors from New York, interesting because I don't know anyone there. Also intriguing are the referral links. Last week when traffic skyrocketed due to links from Wonkette and the Express, the majority of my readers were there through those links. My favorite however, are referrals from internet searches. The Ophal Mehta fiasco brought me some traffic, but more often than not its people who like to do Google searches in order to answer vexing romantic issues. That particular activity basically amounts to treating Google like a Magic 8 ball, but many people don't realize this, so I occasionally get referrals from searches such as "what does the 3-day rule mean?" And then I laugh because it means that somebody actually read my blog in search of romantic advice. Suckers. Once I caught a friend reading my blog after doing a Google search on himself, which also made me laugh. A few of the referrals are confusing as I recognize the organizations but can't fathom who I know who works there, so its sort of interesting seeing them return to the site again and again. But its also flattering. Since I seriously doubt any of you are trying to be slick and stealth about your reading habits, none of this should come as a surprise to you. But if you are, then you have been warned. Oh, and if you're my semi-regular reader who is in possession of my email, but whose email I don't have, could you kindly email me your email so I will have it for future uses for exciting things party invites? If you are unsure if you are that reader, you sent me an evite to a Kentucky Derby Party a while back.
posted by Red Photography @ 8:50 PM
6 Comments:
Wow.
I never thought that I would see Hey Pretty venture into this territory. Sure things have been very random lately, but come’ on, a post that discusses Site Meter? Is there a law somewhere that everyone who blogs is required to do a “guess what, you’re not anonymous on the internet” feature at some point?
I am me @serovy.org - there, now you have my e-mail but now am I a stalker or a stalkee? I think the latter since I don't know your add. Your site meter probably shows something in bos.east.verizon.net which means that you know someone (else?) in Boston. So on the internet you know where I am, but as the cartoon in The New Yorker said, you don't know what.
I think that I fall into the category of a random, regular reader who was first linked to your blog from another. I find your writing to be clever and your experiences relatable, so I return semi-regularly to read more. On another level though, I read your blog because blogs in general fascinate me. I am a fairly private person, so it seems odd that someone would share what is essentially their diary with whoever wants to read it. I suppose you're privacy is protected by the anonymity of the internet. I have to say though, that I'm put off by the idea of site meters because they seem very "big brother is watching you".
My day wouldn't be complete without a bit of snark or gossip from Hey Pretty.
And HP, you laugh at people looking to your blog for relationship advice, but you know you're one of the best people for giving relationship-advice to others.
Do as you say....
DS
what an interesting barrage of comments. I guess I'll just clarify that the point of the entry wasn't to make a point about anonomynity on the internet, it was truely to praise site meter much in the way that I might also praise edith wharton, expensive zin, the pretty blue shirt le garcon wore yesterday, 7-11 coffee or ticker tape. yeah, that was a ramble.
7-11 coffee? There's gotta be sarcasm in there somewhere... Or do you like it in the same way you enjoy drinking a bottle of Boones?
I'm not a coffee snob (just make it hot, strong, and not flavored honey-nut-crunch) but I'd cross the street for Dunkin Donuts over a 7-11.
- DS
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