Blog Stats: Addiction or Useful Information?
OK, I’ll admit it. I check my blog stats compulsively and too often. It took me a week of being out of town to realize just how often I checked. And how little difference it made.
You can check your blog six times a day, but it won’t make a difference. The numbers are just a report. And then it hit me–it’s an empty activity that makes us feel informed, up-to-date, and important. Just like checking emails and phone messages. Until you act on them, it doesn’t make a bit of difference.
WordPress gives you daily, weekly and monthly stats. Of course I checked all of them. Here’s the interesting fact: while I was chewing my nails over the rise and fall of daily numbers, the monthly numbers are on a steady rise.
And the follow-up question: what could I do with the time I saved if I didn’t check the stats? Here is my comparative list:
—read 150 more pages of a mystery novel, or
—read a whole issue of Art Calendar or Cloth, Paper, Scissors, two magazines that are connected to my art, or
—write down several ideas in my journal and develop one of them, or
—write another chapter for the book
The point is that compulsive number checking doesn’t help me be a better artist/writer. The others do. Time better spent. Notice the difference between writing a blog and simply compulsively checking the stats. Writing helps me be a better writer. Checking stats does not make me a statiscian. Lesson learned.
Image: www.theoildrum.com
–Quinn McDonald is a writer and certified creativity coach. Oh, and a blogger who is trying to make better use of her time than compulsively checking blog stats. See her work at QuinnCreative.com
I check my admin area every day. If i don’t, the external “references” that the garbagers try to add pile up. It has been useful also to see where my readers go, what’s most “popular” and for IPs to block!
–Checking the admin every day is smart. I, too, weed out the spammers and dumpers. And it’s great to see what works and what doesn’t. But I was checking states waaaaay too often. -Q
arlee
October 31, 2007
Funny – I’ve noticed a pattern. Post something new, let people know, hits increase. I guess I really don’t need to check those stats, huh?
–As Arlee noted, some checking is useful; but that constant, compulsive checking isn’t going to help. Good posts do. And yours are some of the best! -Q
shewolfy728
October 31, 2007
I agree, Quinn. The daily stats don’t say much but I am interested in the “search engine terms”. I am noticing some fairly consistent terms. Now the question is: do I write to accomodate what I know to be of interest to the general population or do I write about what is interesting to me?
Lori
November 2, 2007
Heh, I must admit I check my stats every day…
Mostly, yeah, it doesn’t have much impact – however last week my stats alerted me to the fact that my paintings had been featured on another blog, which resulted in a huge jump in hits – and I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise. It meant I could comment on the blog in question, and stay ‘in touch’ with the whole online arty community thingy
Jejune
November 4, 2007
I agree, Quinn. The daily stats don’t say much but I am interested in the “search engine terms”. I am noticing some fairly consistent terms. Now the question is: do I write to accomodate what I know to be of interest to the general population or do.
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allen
—Your thought seems to be cut off, but it looks like you are asking “do I write what I know will be of interest or do I write what I want to write about?” It’s the ancient artist question–do I paint what sells or do I paint what I want to paint. And the answer is the same–depends on why you are painting. Or writing. If you want clients, you write to clients. -Q
allen
October 29, 2008