Archive for » July, 2007 «

30
Jul
Is A “Hit”, A “Visit”?

Over the weekend, I received an email from the owner of a website I “showcased” on my other blog. She had a question about “hits” on her website, Dare To Care – Alaska.

Her passion is to feed hungry children, who have fallen through the cracks for Federally funded school lunches. How her non-profit organization was formed, is a touching story. You can read it at: Hungry Children, In The United States?

In response to her email, I wanted to give her a simple explanation for the difference between “hits” and “visits”. Here’s what I wrote:

“HIts” is something I had to learn about, as it’s very misleading. “Hits” are not the same as “visits”. i.e. My first month of blogging, I was averaging 423 “hits” a day, but that was only an average of 34 “unique visitors” a day.

“Hits” are affected by the amount of graphics/images you have on a page. The more graphics/images, the more “hits” you’ll see for each “visit”.

My first month of blogging, I had a lot of ads on my pages. That drove up my “hit” count. Now I have moved those ads to a separate page “Sidebar Shopping”, so unless a reader clicks on that page, I’m not getting a “hit” for all of those graphics.

Now, I have an average of 652 “hits” per day, and my average visitor count per day is 139. See the difference? My visitor count is up-that’s what I’m looking at.

I don’t know what “statistics” program your webmaster is using. Some are better than others. From researching, and using different “stats” programs, I like AWStats the best. They do not count visits by Google bots, or any other “spiders” or “crawlers”, that are used to index your pages. These “visits” aren’t actual visitors.

To gain more extensive knowledge about “hits” vs “visitors”, many websites offer a detailed explanation, but for me, and the owner of Dare To Care – Alaska, , keeping it simple, serves us well.

Category: Archives, Lessons Learned, Stats  Tags: , ,  3 Comments
26
Jul
12 Great Excuses For Not Having A Web Log “Blog”

Way back, we used to write letters to each other. Then, the telephone came along, and everyone had a telephone number to share. After the telephone, came the fax. Then the cell phone. We probably have a minimum of three numbers for one person. Then, e-mail came along, and everyone, had an e-mail address to share. Then, instant and text messaging.

Now, it’s a “web address” for your blog.

But….not everyone wants, or even needs a web log “blog”.

Here are 12 great excuses to use, if someone asks for you, why you don’t have a blog.

1) “Blab? What’s a blab?

2) “I don’t have time to blog.”

3) “Computer language is “Greek” to me.”

4) ” I can’t spell, and my grammar ain’t no good, either.”

5) “I hate computers.”

6) “I only use my computer to play games.”

7) ” I don’t care to “make friends” with strangers.”

8.) “If I wanted to share with everyone, what I’ve learned, I would write a book.”

9.) “I can make more money on my full-time job, than you can, blogging.”

10) “I don’t need “spare change.”

11) “I don’t like to write.”

12) ” I don’t like to read.”

Or, you can get real creative, and combine all of the excuses into one.

“Did you say “blab”? Oh, a blog. Why would I want to set up a blog when I have no free time, hate the computer I have now, and only use it to play games. I don’t know the language of computers, don’t care to learn as I hate to read. I don’t like to write, can’t spell and my grammar ain’t no good either. I make more money with my full-time job than you could ever make “blogging”. And, if I wanted to share what I know, with the world, I would write a book. Plus, Momma told me not to talk to strangers. Does that answer your question?”

If you’re one of those people who’s not blogging, you’re probably having a great time actually visiting friends and family, sharing telephone conversations, living life to the fullest, and loving not being “tied down” to your computer. Enjoy each moment, create memories, and don’t feel guilty if you’re not blogging. You may be one of the “smart” ones.

Category: Archives, Lessons Learned, Life  Tags: ,  Comments off
25
Jul
Writing Your “About” Page

Writing an”About” page for your blog can be difficult. You’re telling the world, who you are.

Should you brag about your accomplishments, or downplay them?

If you’re young, with not much experience in life, how do you get readers to find you credible?

Should you try and stay anonymous?

Should you use your real name?

Should you include a photo?

I recently rewrote my “about” page.

I’ve always used my real name. When I first started blogging, I wrote a pretty general description of myself. When I recently rewrote my “About” page, I have included more information about myself, including accomplishments. The information I’ve included is basically who I am, where I came from, and where I hope to go.

With regard to a photo, I’ll add that at a later date.

If you’re struggling over your “about” page, ask family members or trusted friends to help you. They know you the best.

If you’re young, and don’t have a lot of accomplishments “under your belt”, write about your goals, tell your readers about what you participated in high school. Show your readers a little bit of your personality. Are you goofy, shy, a geek, a slacker, etc….tell your readers. Be honest about who you are. Sell yourself. Make your readers want to read what you write. Gain credibility through your postings. Do your homework. Use a spell checker. Use proper grammar. Not sure? Ask someone to edit your posts for you.

If you’re older, establish your credibility by listing your accomplishments. Tell your readers of some of your experiences. Experiences that made you who you are today.

If you’re a stay at home mom, you have a full time job, raising children. You have many roles that you fulfill. You’re the “President” of a partnership. You’re a supervisor of “younguns”. You’re a receptionist. You’re a chef. You’re the head of the Cheerleading Squad. You’re a professional shopper. You’re the President of the Debate Club. See, where I’m going? Take credit for all you do as a stay at home mom/dad. You have one of the toughest jobs out there. You’re raising the next generation of bloggers.

Have fun with your “About” page, but show your readers that what you’re posting is credible. Make your readers want to come back for more.

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