Studying the Statistics

Like Shelina, I regularly review the statistics and other information collected by the sitemeter on my blog. While my readership fluctuates, I average a modest 120 visitors per day mostly from the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Many seem to pop in after spending time with Melody; others are referred by the comprehensive listing generously compiled and maintained by Maria Elkins; and others appear to be traced from comments I have left on other people's blogs where people have clicked on my blogger profile. I currently have 38 subscribers via Bloglines and many of those subscribers seem to click onto the actual blog rather than reading the Bloglines page. This is my preference too especially as images sometimes don't show up on the Bloglines page.

Some people pop in and out quickly - others linger. Some click to enlarge images - some don't.

The search strings make interesting reading too. Judging by the number of people looking for Marcia Hoipo, a member of the Facets textile group whose exhibition I viewed earlier in the year, she would be well served by getting a blog or website of her own. There are a lot of bloggers out there too that wish to personalise their blog banners - I hope they find my tutorial useful.

However, all the statistical analysis in the world is no substitute for reader feedback via comments either on or off-blog. I really prefer dialogue rather than blathering into the ether! And, in response to this post, I found out this week that some men actually read my blog on occasion.

As I write, my sitemeter reads 19,677 so I expect to clock up 20,000 readers this week. Probably on Wednesday (Tuesday US time). In the spirit of the season, I have a small gift for my 20,000th reader. Of course, if you leave a comment, it will be easier for me to track you down!