More On Damned Internet Statistics

I really do not know what to believe, but at least I know what others may want to see and believe. A few months ago, I looked at blogging statistics, (see Lies, Lies And Damned Internet Statistics). My many questions about the odd overlap between bloggers and their audience, and their interest in blog traffic, remain unanswered, but my mind is rolling around with the various options.

But, let me be brief. It is interesting to gauge how popular are websites. I do not hold much interest beyond having a hint of whether what I write is finding an audience beyond the friends and relatives I know read with bated breath all of the outpourings that I offer. It is quite cool when my daughter says to one of her little friends, "My Dad is a blogger." I do not know if the other child has the faintest idea what mine is talking about. She may think that I am like a TV character: Dad the Blogger. But we have some stats to ponder.

I have put in a few widgets this morning, provided by Alexa.com that show how this blog fares against what I think are the main blog/news websites about Barbados. I am certain that someone will set me straight. So, let me say that of the sites that I think may regularly have interesting articles--though their commentary needs to be taken with a large dose of a purgative like Epsom salts or cerassee tea.

I'm really glad to say that my blog appears no where near the top of the rankings. Its lowly position fits with my own sentiment that its audience is limited--as it should be, given the esoteric approach I take and my tendency not to seek to make news or report it, but merely to assess what is going on from a different perspective.

What I find interesting is the relatively weak standing of the Advocate, apparently just a whisker better than one of the blogs. I can only speculate but assume a part of the lowish ranking relative to the Nation and the other 'major' Bajan blogs may reflect their odd policy on Internet archiving. It's not a good reason, but may be one. The other interesting point is the relative ranking of the two 'big' blogs, where BFP seems clearly ahead of BU, but that can change in the drop of a news splash.

One statistic not apparent from what I reproduce is that showing where most traffic comes from. For the two blogs, India seems to be vying for top spot with the USA! Why is that? Surely, it cannot be because Indo-Guyanese have sent the blog link to family and friends in India? It is probably that many robots and hosting centers are located there. But, it makes you wonder. I feel more comfortable because India barely features on my country listing of visitors, which is still dominated by places I would expect to see, such as the USA, Barbados, UK, Canada and othe Caribbean countries. But, it makes for a little fascinating reading.