Reader Meet Author

While fiddling around with WordPress today I discovered a feature that I’m sure has existed for a while but had eluded me until now. There’s a nice stats tracking feature built into the WordPress dashboard that I use to see what folks are reading and how they’re getting here. Many times in the past I’ve thought it’d be nice to see a summary of some kind… to see on a more broad scale what posts are getting read the most and who is sending me the most traffic.

And that’s exactly what I found today. I’ve decided to share my findings, partly to once again test making posts with Flock and partly just for the purpose of sharing. So without further delay… the stats:

Top Posts (Last 30 Days)

1. I Love You Today. I Hate You Tomorrow.
   • Posted May 4, 2006
   • 54 Views
2. Sometimes It Is The Destination
   • Posted June 3, 2006
   • 23 Views
3. Enabled to Not Enable
   • Posted May 12, 2006
   • 18 Views
4. Buffet of Manliness
   • Posted May 23, 2006
   • 14 Views
5. Prozac Nation… or Lazy Nation?
   • Posted April 9, 2006
   • 14 Views

Also of interest to me was the fact that my oldest post, What’s the Big Deal About Love?, was only two spots lower on the list. That post is pushing two years old (posted on July 12, 2004)! I’m glad it’s not just the new stuff that folks are running across. It’s a little funny that Buffet of Manliness, which is just a commercial (not to mention a hokey named post), has been viewed so often in the short amount of time it’s been up.

Top Referrers (Last 7 Days)

1. Various Search Engines
   • Close to 200
2. MySpace
   • 37
3. Atlantic Times
   • 17

The referrer stats aren’t quite as detailed as the post stats. I had to do a little math of my own and they only go back seven days. Some of the things people search for to find me are funny. Some of my favorites are “remote noise maker”, “eating camel”, and “payless jobs”. A lot of searches have to do with self esteem, love, and depression. Which, depending on how you take it, could also be a little humorous. No doubt the MySpace hits are coming from friends of mine who follow my links to new posts there. And of course, I must thank MDX for the linkage from his blog, Atlantic Times. I only hope I’m returning the favor.

Looking at stats like these is helpful. For one, it tells me where folks are coming from, and hence, where I might still need to do a little work as far as exposure goes. And since my dream is to one day be known as an author, I’m always looking for a little more exposure. It also gives me some clues as to what people are interested in reading about. I’m still curious as to why so many folks stop by here, but so few comment. Maybe they’re not quite as stimulated by my interests as I am… haha.

Finally, thank you to everyone who does stop by, whether you comment or not. Hopefully something here will at the very least peak your interest. And thanks to everyone with a link pointing here. I’ve tried to link back to all that I’m aware of, but if I’ve missed someone, please let me know.