The internet has some powerful tools for determining readership. Platforms like WordPress have simple statistics built into the user accounts. We'll explore the pros and cons of two other free services: Sitemeter and Google's Analytics. Both supply you with code, which then should be pasted into your blog's template. To place either in the sidebar:
- Click the "Add a Gadget" link in the footer area of your blog's layout. (screenshot)
- Select the "HTML/JavaScript" gadget. (screenshot)
- Leave the title field blank and paste the code you copied above into the content area. Click Save. (screenshot)
- Back in your blog's Layout page, click the Preview button just to make sure nothing got completely messed up. If not, click Save.
(Tips & Tricks has more details about Analytics, as well as an alternate installation method, directly on to the template.)
Sitemeter's free service is more stripped down than Analytics. It shows a week's worth of reader data: location, computer type, browser version, referrals (how the reader found you), outbound clicks (where they left from and to) and what search terms land users on the site. It has just two advantages over Analytics: simplicity and IP-revelation.
An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a 32-bit number that identifies an entry point to the web. Analytics doesn't display this information: Google considers it an invasion of privacy.
Why should you care, really? Well, some obsessive types can triangulate their scoundrel exes reading from all this data. Others use it to block brute force attacks or for censorship. In July 2003, techfocus.org banned the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) due to content-pirating issues. Many Nigerian IPs are wholesale shut out, due to the number of scams that originate in that country.
Mac users can determine theirs by clicking on the top left apple icon, then selecting location>network preferences. PC-fans should click the the two little computer icons in the system tray on the bottom right (next to the clock). Select status, then the support tab. As long as you're connected to the Internet, the IP address will display. If you are behind a firewall or proxy server, you can use any number of services such as IP-Adress.com and WhatIsMyIPAddress.com.
A universal quick, easy way to escape IP-detection is through proxies like HideMyAss.com.
We've included a detailed breakdown of Google's tools under Tips & Tricks:
We "quarantined" this information as it got way nerdy way quickly. These tools are amazing – and much advised for anyone serious about blogging. But we didn't want to bore folks on WordPress or those more interested in content, than new-media savvy.
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