Beyond

From the current apparent fault with the data supply to unreliable WordPress Stats Counter it would appear that Google Analytics use this counter’s data source as a source of information and data in the case of those blogs using WordPress software such as mine:

Yesterday (Saturday 13th September 2008) I noticed at mid-morning (British Summer Time) that the WordPress Stats Counter indicated that I’d only had 3 visitors since midnight. Assuming that I was in for a bad day I checked with the StatPress plugin I run, which indicated that I’d had ** visitors; still rather low for a Saturday; but it happens, and I got on with the day - Mainly online with IzeaFest.

Later in the day I noticed that the WordPress Stats counter still said that I’d only had 3 visitors, and again just before midnight. I checked with StatPress; which said that I’d had over ** original visitors; lower than usual for a Saturday, but reasonable. I checked Google Analytics; which also indicated that I’d had only 3 visitors.

Either this was the worst day I’d ever had and StatPress was an utter liar; or something else had gone wrong.

Today (Sunday 14th September 2008) I checked the WordPress Stats Counter in the morning; which said that I’d had zero visits; I also checked Google Analytics, which said same. I checked StatPress which indicated ** original visitors.

I checked all three again in the afternoon: Zero, zero, **; and again just now: Zero, zero, ***.

Verdict: The unreliable WordPress stats counter has broken down completely; and since Google Analytics has also started indicating that my blog is being mass-boycotted; I can only make a logical deduction that Google Analytics get their data from WordPress Stats Counter - Which has NEVER agreed with StatPress, and which displays inconsistent results; such as registering a hit on a particular page via a search engine, but failing to show that the target page has received that hit. Such as displaying a number of hits on a number of pages; but displaying a figure lower than the sum of the total number of pages in the final hits tally for the day.

While StatPress does show my own visits to the site as well as others and includes them in its final total, whereas WordPress Stats Counter ignores my own visits; I can tell you as a total certainty that I do not spend the entire day repeatedly visiting my blog to notch up visits. (That would be sad!)

So - Google Analytics: A very good service; but with a poor source for the information it gathers: Making it not so good.

OR could it be that I am not getting any hits; yet StatPress is generating them from thin air; including IP addresses, countries, browsers, operating systems… I doubt it very much. That is the alternative explanation.

I foresee someone commenting that StatPress also records the number of pageviews, visiting spiders, and RSS hits too: I can distinguish between shades of colour and between blue and orange. I’m not colour-blind. (I just use a black-and-white monitor. ) I can also read - In fact I’m rather good at reading. I have qualifications in English Language and Mathematics, in addition to General Science, Physics, and Electronics. Therefore I think I might have noticed beforehand: Thanks for thinking of it though.

I’m not overly impressed with Google if my theory is true; and it seems that it is from the evidence available. - Though having said that the service they give is free; so I suppose beggars can’t be choosers. - But I’d have expected better nevertheless, considering that they use the word "analytics", yet base such upon less-than-accurate data. That appears to be a bit cheap and tacky to my liking if indeed it is the case - Although having said that they must have to get the data from somewhere; and on the face of it this would appear to be a logical source were it not seemingly inaccurate.

WordPress do state that their calculations and data are generated using complex algorithms; therefore seeking to reverse-calculate the results may lead to a different answer: However in my mathematical learning if an equation reversed gives a different figure to the original data then either the equation or the method of operation are faulty; complex algorithms or not. - A bit like saying 1 + 1 = 3.14237 because I used a complex algorithm to work that out; so don’t be surprised if you can’t verify it by reverse calculation such as 3.1427 - 1, which doesn’t equal 1, as it should if the equation or the data were correct.

That’s it for now then: It’s late, but I thought I’d record this observation for posterity; considering that I’m sitting on my posterior typing this. - No; talking out of it is for mainly a percentage of the people who use blogspot.com and the like. (Do I hear a hornet’s nest stirring?)

If I’m wrong about any of this then I humbly apologise to those concerned; but I think I may well be onto something.

On that note I’m outta here.