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Year End Stats Improvement?

  1. grhgraph
    Member

    Thank you for providing me with my year-end stats. I have just one suggestion for making this information more useful to me. Would it be possible to put the total number of views for my blog into the context of all WordPress blogs? I myself had 35,000 views in 2012 but it doesn't mean much without knowing how that compares to others. A simple percentile rank would be infinitely more informative than a static number without context. I can see for myself that my views have grown significantly in 3.5 years of posting but a comparison to all other WP blogs would give me a measuring stick. In my particular case, I have made no effort to use any SEO techniques because I wanted the writing to stand alone. As I go forward, it would be helpful to understand where I stand without the assistance of SEO.

    As always, you all have earned my highest respect for the way you run your site. WordPress continues to be a fun experience for me and a tremendous outlet for my creative side. Hopefully, you will see my request as another useful improvement to an already first-rate site. Thanks again.
    Guy Horst

    The blog I need help with is grhgraph.wordpress.com.

  2. absurdtimes
    Member

    All of the past stats seem to have been deleted with your "improvement". What happened and why? it is Czar Donics blog

  3. jblz
    Staff

    Guy,
    Thanks much for the kind words and the excellent suggestion. We'll add it to the list for next year and hopefully be able to offer an elegant and compelling way to compare your metrics with other sites and the network as a whole.

    Happy New Year!

  4. timethief
    Member

    @jblz
    I have blogged here for almost 7 years. I'm fully aware of the Google page ranks my blogs have and of their quancast and alexa stats. I have been using sitemeter for longer than the WordPress.com stats program has been in existence. Additionally, I have tried every other third party stats program I could locate that can be run on WordPress.com blogs. Throughout that time myself and other Volunteers answering support forum question have told the new bloggers who post looking for such "apples to oranges measuring stick" ie. comparisons that they don't exist and that we would assign no value to them if they did.

    I'm not supportive of this idea because the raw number ranking of my blogs out of for example 38 million WordPress.com blogs is of zero interest or consequence to me or my blogs. Comparisons of my blogs' page view numbers across all of the various niches of WordPress.com blogs with dis-similar content, both new blogs and well established, would be an apples to oranges comparison lacking any real value ie. usefulness.

    However, if what is being suggested is comparison of blogs of a similar age, with similar content ie. within in the same niche, then and only then, would I derive any value from Staff devoting their time to coming up with such figures. If that's not what is proposed, then IMHO it would be a colossal waste of Staff time.

  5. jblz
    Staff

    Hi, @timethief:

    For the most part, I agree. Because there are a _lot_ of variables in play with regard to web metrics (& their resultant analytics), direct comparison with other sites usually doesn't provide a significant amount of actionable insight. There are innumerable external influences on web traffic in general which are outside of anyone's control.

    It's most informative to compare your own metrics to themselves across time so you can understand the impact of your work.

    That being said, I'm hopeful we'll be able to do something along these lines for the Annual Report because:

    • The timeframe of a year better lends itself to a generalized comparison than does the real-time stats page
    • As you mentioned, the most important aspect of this sort of comparison is using a proper cohort. I'm hopeful we can :)

    And _that_ being said, we'll only work on it if it's compelling.
    Cheers!

  6. timethief
    Member

    @jblz
    I'm smiling. :) Thanks for your cogent response and very best wishes for a Happy New Year.

  7. grhgraph
    Member

    Timethief,
    Thanks for giving me another view. I can clearly see now, how many variables are actually at play here and in that context it really is apples to oranges. The last thing I want is time wasted on data that most people would find useless. If it's easy to produce a percentile rank then great but only if it doesn't take much time.
    Guy Horst

  8. timethief
    Member

    Hi Guy,
    I'm glad you understand what I mean. For example any statistical comparison of my 5 year old blogging tips blog to a new or even 5 year old sports blog would be useless to me. Any statistical ranking that blog of mine has among 38 million blogs that vast and overwhelming majority of which contain unrelated content has no value to me. Also any comparison of statical data re: that same blog of mine The Daily Post would also be useless to me as that blog is a prestigious multi-author Staff blog that's highly promoted throughout the WordPress.com site and beyond.

  9. timethief
    Member

    P.S. I apologize for the typos and missing words. I'm visually challenged and working with only one eye today.

  10. czardonic
    Member

    Well, I finally found my data, somehow, but would have to use my "History" bookmark to find it again. I'm not really worried about comparing my readership to that of others, either in the same field or in general, but I do like to keep track. This, of course, is because I write simply because it is an impulse or need with me, not a contest. I don't get a cent, either. I Have enjoyed this forum, however, the first one I've joined. I thank all of you for that.

  11. timethief
    Member

    @czardonic
    Hi there,
    To be clear I'm not "worried". I'm also not in the least interested in monetized blogging and have purchased a No-Ads upgrade to keep all advertising off my blog. I choose to answer support forum questions free of charge for hours almost everyday rather than hanging out a Shingle and paid offering support by Skype.

    I was attempting to articulate the fact that no apples to oranges comparisons would hold any value for me. I apologize for my lack of clarity.

  12. czardonic
    Member

    I should have said "concerned" rather than "worried," but if an apology is in order, I hereby offer it. I meant no offense. I did get the "apples to oranges" point, however, and support it. Thanks alot, timethief. I have to steal time as well. :)

  13. timethief
    Member

    @czardonic
    Hey there,
    No offense taken and no apology needed. Best wishes for an excellent New Year. :)

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