nz blogosphere March/April survey: traffic issues
Russell Brown has linked to the projectX blog who use - although I can't find any disclosure of the fact - the Alexa traffic rankings as a basis for their Rankr list rankings of NZ websites.The Alexa rankings have been described by Russell as "really just a string of random numbers" - although my own survey has largely disproved this. Other queries regarding the nz blogosphere project have been answered in an earlier post on this blog.
The question of multiple re-loads and thus multiple page impressions on publicaddress.net when you try to go back to the home page is still odd, but may be understood in terms of one of Russell's responses: "The key commercial measure for us in taking advertising is page impressions (or views)". As I pointed out after his comment, to view two of the blogs there is multiple unwanted page views - it's annoying as well as rendering an artificially high page view rate...
...in my opinion based on the information available, my own observations using different computers and browsers and Russell's own comments. Since he has linked to and mentioned download speeds in his post I think it entirely fair to point out how annoying his website is to navigate and the possible motivations behind what seems at odds with how a real tech-head, like Russell, would run his own website. I'm sure he'll thank me for my concern :)
Which gets me back to Alexa and whether that is the right measure. Why is it that Alexa ranks publicaddress.net so low - as compared to say whaleoil.co.nz? I agree with Russell that his site would have more unique visitors than Whale Oil (which has roughly twice the traffic that this blog has at the moment). It's either Public Address or Whale Oil that is out of whack on Alexa - and I don't know which or why. *RB: because they're random numbers dumb-arse!*
Aiming for the survey to be released Sunday or Monday. Just working through the minnows now. Have improved the formula somewhat too - though it seems to have caused no great changes to the upper half of the list.
posted by Tim Selwyn @ 1:58 pm
8 comments
8 Comments:
Tim I appreciate the time you put in to this endeavour.
I find it hilarious that Russell and other squealers take time out from their day to try to prove they have more traffic than me.
I not from the Rankr Site that around October my stats dramatically changed. I can share with you that I spent some quite considerable time improving my site and researching search engines etc. The things that I changed had an almost immediate result. They involved better meta tags etc.
One of the techniques that I don't employ is extensive own site linking something that the Standard does in almost every post and NRT as well, where they have a minimum of one link back to another page of their own.
I run about 8 stat packages. Most are web based like Sitemeter, Woopra etc and have the flaws inherent with that method, I also run two server based stats packages, one is new and is the Opensource Piwik project, the other stats I am happy to share with you for verification.
Another factor is that I post about 10 posts a day, Public address would be lucky to have 10 a week and so it is frequency related.
It is interesting that the unique visitors and the pageviews stats from the server systems match identically while the web based stats packages including Google vary hugely.
I know Russell like to quote his own server stats so again i am willing to share those with you for verification.
You can contact me via my contacts page.
Oh and another thing it surely can't be a coincidence that with my and David high profile around Oct fighting the EFA that my stats improved dramatically.
Russell on the other hand along with the other Labour client-blogs all supported the EFA and languish down the rankings.
And you're saying WOBH isn't just another National Party mouthpiece?
I too appeciate your work on this Tim and you could be getting the role of the official 'chart'.
I have looked at Alexia rankings too and while I am open to arguments that there are better methodologies, I cncur with much of what Whale Oil says.
Yes, Russell Brown is much lower on the rankings I have found, but while Russell who has blogged for years has become part of the latte left furniture, roles on TVNZ 7, etc, he has not promoted himself to the masses.
Whale Oil has done much, along with David Farrar on issues like the Electoral Finance Act. It seemst here is barely a week without Whale Oil appearing in the gossip columns of either of the Sunday Papers.
And he comments more regulalrly too.
Is Russell sitting on his laurels, losing his former lead to the newcomers, who are perhaps more in tune with public opinion?
Indeed, David Farrar has also earned 'national treasure' status and is now a familiar face on tv and radio.
Anyway, keep up the good work Tim.
And might I add, hearing about your rankings has now made your site a daily 'must' read.
I only go to whaleoil blog because it saves me so much money not having to pay for those trashy weekly women's magazines that focus on woman's bodies and important issues like cellulite. I bet lots of 14 year old high school boys really enjoy whaleoil as well.
I'm sure they do, Helengrad. No doubt they go to all the other sites you enjoy as well.
me so horny......
I wanna be a gun gurl...
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