The Joys of StatCounter

Let me tell you all how much I love StatCounter. For those of you who already use it, hang in there- I know you already know what you can find out, but trust me, there is a point to this post. For those of you that don't know, there is a little counter on my blog. That links to StatCounter, where I can sign in and see exactly how many people have visited my blog, where they came from, and most importantly, their IP information (which, in some cases tells me exactly who they are).

So, to the douche that tried to report me for "questionable content" this morning at 6:43 AM, I know who you are. Even your ISP is on StatCounter, which if you were at work, is your company's name. Furthermore, just because you don't like something that someone has said, does not mean there is questionable content and their blog should be taken down. Trust me, Blogger doesn't just shut down a blog because someone doesn't like it- they investigate to see if there actually is anything questionable; which in my case there isn't. And by the way, as soon as I get a chance (and after you read this) your IP address will be blocked from this blog.

Now, normally I don't really pay attention to the stats, other than the number of visitors, because as some of you know, the free version of StatCounter only gives you the information of the most recent 100 visitors, so if you happen to get well over that 100 visitors a day, you won't be able to see most of the activity. However, when something interesting happens (in the comments section- usually), I do take a much closer look.

Here's a hypothetical situation to give you an example of how great StatCounter is. Say you notice that a certain IP address (in your area) has been popping up on the visitor activity several times a day, with no referring link. You wonder- this must be someone I know, since there was no link referring them to my blog. But you dismiss it, thinking nothing of it, because you can't think of anyone that you know that works for the company who shows up as the ISP. Now, say you post something (to finally get it off your chest) that has been on your mind for quite a while, but would hurt someone's feelings if they read it ; thinking that the person you wrote it about no longer reads your blog. Then, a strange thing happens. This friend suddenly visits your blog within a few hours of you posting it- and they comment. A little while later, their girlfriend comments and questions your motivation in being friends with him- even going so far as to imply that you may have not-so-good intentions (which you don't). Remember, this is all hypothetical.

This is where the greatness that is StatCounter comes in. You can look at the timestamp of her comment, along with the friend's comment. If you have statcounter, you can see who was reading your blog at that time. You may also notice that the friend was referred to your blog through their email- which means someone emailed them the direct link to that particular post. You compare the timestamp on the girlfriend's comment, and low and behold- she is that mystery visitor who has been trolling every day. She is also the one who emailed the post to her boyfriend, thus starting a shitstorm and pretty much ending a friendship.

So you start to wonder, what are her intentions? Why would she send him the link, knowing it would hurt his feelings? What was her reason for reading your blog so frequently? You know that your blog is great, and everyone should be reading it, but why,when you barely know her and she is not a blogger herself, would she be visiting you every day and never commenting? HMMM.......

But remember, this is a purely hypothetical situation.....