Hi, My Name Is Jeremiah And

[jmfargo]

I'm a statistics junky. It started when I got a blog on another service, and I realized I could customize certain things. I could put in code on the layout that told me how many people came to the website, and in very specific cases, it could even tell me who, or at the very least, how they got there. Well, that's not what I figured out at first, but that I could put code in the layout to change how it looked, and what I had? That was new to me.

I started small, of course, because that's how it always starts. I found this neat little place called Project Wonderful, and thought "what can it hurt?" I put a couple of ads on my site, and almost immediately, before there was even content on my site, I was generating money. Not a lot, but when you've been blogging for years for free, and suddenly you're making 5 cents in a day, it seems like a lot.

I began checking the stats on my ads constantly.

Then I found out about this site, this thing that Google called Analytics. I looked into it, and a few people I thought were my friends suggested it to me. They actually suggested it!

But I can't blame them. I have to take responsibility for my own actions.

I.

I put it on my site.

I know, in a moment of weakness, I couldn't help myself. I wanted to see how many people were coming to the site, what they were looking at, how long they stayed, and where they came from. I wanted to see how many loyal visitors I had, and how many new people were finding me day-by-day.

I couldn't stop. I would check, over and over, hitting the refresh button as soon as I thought "Ooh, I wonder if someone new has stopped by." When the stats didn't move, I felt like a worthless human being, like somehow, I had failed at some untenable goal.

But I'm here to say that's changed. No longer will I be bound by these chains that have pulled me down. No more will the siren call of "one more hit" have me in its grasp.

Today, I'm no longer looking for that goal I'll never get.

Mostly because yesterday I had the biggest day of my little picture blog's life. No, seriously! Almost 40 whole people! Isn't that great? And most of those were unique, with only a 33% bounce rate! It's absolutely amazing!

Hold on. I have a feeling someone else just checked it out. I have to refresh. I'll be right back.

Comments

[conscience.livejournal.com]

hehheh! I so know the feeling!
I used to do that on eBay, when I listed something.
I'd be all WOOO! on nights like 5 peole looked at my item.

[conscience.livejournal.com]

PS...don't look now, your picture site just got another hit ;)

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

Heh. Thanks. :)

It is a weird feeling when I see that number go up. It's like "Yes! Whoo!" and then I think about the webcomics out there where even bad ones get 10x the amount of hits I get. :)

So, I just strive harder to get even more people. Is that...wrong?

[conscience.livejournal.com]

oh, heck no! It gives the world the chance to see ya! That's a goodness!

[killians1978.livejournal.com]

don't forget about all the people who read you through RSS Feed.

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

*nods* I keep careful track of that as well. Because I'm a numbers junky.

I really am, though, all seriousness. Things like working out become a numbers game. "Okay, on this machine I burn 10 calories a minute, but on that one I do 15. If I push up the incline I can get 20, and if I do that for 30 minutes it should be just about right. Now, I need to figure out..."

It just goes on and on.

[(Anonymous)]

Hows your City doing anyway?

-tt

[jfargo.livejournal.com]

Fargocity (http://fargocity.myminicity.com/ind)? It's doing fairly well, I suppose. Unemployment's quite high, but the population seems content. It's a small city, with a good spread between urban and rural. There's even a nice little pond!

But damn you, sir.

Now I'm pulled back in, and have to get my little city into a thriving metropolis. You are evil. :-p