Stats and Facts

Wow! I just discovered a feature of Blogspot.com that I had never noticed before. While I was wasting time fiddling with the tabs entitled 'comments,' 'settings', and 'design,' I completely overlooked the best one of all - 'stats.' That's right, this tab allows me to see statistics and information about this blog that I never could have even imagined were available. Through the wonder of modern technology and a bit of mysterious digital magic people call the internet, I can lie in bed at 11:00 at night and check in on who's checking me out. Cooooool.

First off, I must thank you (my faithful reader). Without your pageviews, the 'stats' tab would be a very boring place, indeed. But, because you've been willing to read my brain droppings and check in every once in a while to see what new adventure I've been having, I can share with you some fantastic statistics. For example:

•People have come to find this blog in a variety of ways. Most are linked from Facebook, but some did a Google search to get here.

•Some of the people who did a search for the blog used the predictable search words of 'andreafarrier' or 'andreafarrierblog'. However, four people managed to find their way here (apparently) by searching for 'winter cartoons.' And, a whopping 18 visits to this page came about because someone searched for 'scared deer.' Who knew?

•The top five posts (by sheer number of views) were: Getting My Hopes Up (52), Corrupting the Youth (55), O! The Humanity (61), Moving On (78), and Rondo Meets Bambi (207). (What on earth made that one so popular!?)

•Apparently my readers mostly use Internet Explorer (47%), but Firefox is gaining popularity (34%). Someone out there, however, is using a browser called Flock, and has viewed my blog five times from it. Who are you, oh mystery Flock user?

•You are clearly a PC crowd - with 86% of the pageviews coming from Windows, and only 8% from Mac. There have also been 25 views from IPhone users, and 6 from my Blackberry contingency. I'm so proud to have such a diverse, tech savvy following.

•And, finally - the part that made me actually giggle aloud in bed - I'm thrilled to announce that, while the vast majority of my pageviews come from the U.S., I have been read in ten different countries, including 50 views from South Korea, 21 from India, and 12 from Iran. We're like a giant, online family from all over the globe. Makes me smile every time I think of it!

So, what does all this mean? Well, first off, I can see that I'm going to have a new, time-consuming hobby in checking the 'stats' tab at least a dozen times per day. You can be assured that there will be much rejoicing at my house when new search terms or countries pop up.

Secondly, I might start trying to be more “professional” in my posts in light of the much wider audience than I previously knew. Nahhh… probably not. The only change this new information is likely to bring is an increased sense of gratitude that people really do want to read what I have to write. I am humbled and overjoyed beyond words. Thank you!