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Hit counts on BC fascinate me.
Like others have pointed out before, a hit count of 3000 has become a kind of badge saying a story is doing well.
However, a lot of very deserving stories get far less than their fair share. I use my favorites option a lot, but I am often confused to see other authors rarely, if ever, use this to promote stories that they think deseruve attention or inspire them. Raise those hit counts people! And in the process share just a bit more of what makes you you.
Melanie E.
Comments
Being A Doofus
Melanie, can you explain to me what this means? I agree with you that there are many stories here that seem to be undervalued (is that the right word?) but how would it help them if I put them on my Favourites option?
Joanne
Indirect
If someone looks at your profile they can see your 'favorites' list. I look at a lot of people's profiles and tracking lists. Why?
For new authors, I can see what they like to know if I might like what they write. A lot of forced fem? Probably not.
For people I know I like, it lets me see other stories I might enjoy but would otherwise skip without a trustworthy recommendation.
Melanie E.
Strangely inconsistent.
My 6 parter was posted like that because of its length and on successive days so there was no long waiting period but the hit pattern is odd. Parts 1 and 2 are about 3000; parts 3 4 and 5 have gradually reducing hit counts (as you'd expect as readers lose interest) and drop to 1800 but the final part 6 hit jumps to 2200 - over 400 more than part 5.
I expect that it's a simple set up which merely counts the number of accesses so a long story may acquire more hits as people who read on-line return several times to read it in stages. On-line reading is probably more common in these days of broadband always on connections; when I was on a dial-up I used to download and read off-line. I still do sometimes but not always. So that will automatically up the number of hits without necessarily meaning there are more readers. What would be better is if the hit count only increased with a unique access but that would be more complicated.
Geoff
Hmmm, Ok, ...
3000 is it? So this is the part where I break down sobbing for 10 mnutes or so and mumble a bit through the dribble and then go and get drunk and wander across a 12 lane highway singing old lang syne whilst blindfolded. My biggest hit is a few hundred short of 3000 so I think I'll retire and try and finish a bloody crossword or something. Bugger this writing thing for a laugh.
Um, well maybe not. Me obsessed with comments and reads? Nah... just because it's page... well late 20's in the all time faves list before I show up.... at all. Honestly I don't know about counts and reads, they are at best a rough guide. But a guide they are to what is most looked at for many reasons. Many things on that list I think are great, some I cringe at. So it goes, it's all relative.
As someone else said... I'm a doofus, well sort of. Um, what's this profile thing and I've never had a mug shot taken so... do I have one except in the abstract? I dunno. And if I do who wrote and it's all lies and... I'll sue... or maybe um, is it good?
Kristina
Don't cry!
I said 'profile' but you can get to your own by clicking the 'my account' button in the menu. You can see other registered user's favorites by clicking their name under the'who's online' label.
Melanie E.
On Being a First Class Pogue
Like Kristina, the revelation that anyone with fewer that 3000 hits is a dismal failure does distress me. I guess there is nothing left for me to do now but hang my head in shame, dump all my worthless files from my computer and head downstairs to watch QVC while working my way through a pint of Häagen-Daze chocolate chocolate chip ice cream in the hope it will sooth my shattered ego.
Nancy Cole
"You may be what you resolve to be."
T.J. Jackson
Visitors
Five or six thousand people visit BC everyday. About ten per cent come here just to re-read a favorite story, they have that story bookmarked and go directly to it then leave. Amazing. Almost twenty per cent more check out the front page and leave, either curious newbies or very picky old hands looking for something in particular.
More than half of the rest read a story or blog or whatever then leave, though some of them come back later in the day to maybe read another story. Some of these people are using the RSS feed to see what's new and skip the front page.
About 1000-1500 dust bunnies read two or more stories in one visit or visit the site three or more times in one day.
About 150-200 people post a story, blog, comment or PM on any particular day or visit the site eight or more times in one day or for more than one hour at a time. You have to look at a different page or refresh every five to fifteen minutes for it to count as one long visit.
The more new stories posted on a particular day, the more visitors that day and the next day. Each story post is worth 50-100 more visitors on each of two days.
Long posts will have higher hit counts than shorter ones, usually, because people don't read all of a long post in one visit. This can be a huge difference.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Personal Favorites
I would use the Favorites thingy to keep personal track of stories, things I might want to be able to refer to, etc; but Erin tells me there is no way to make it a private list visible only to me. Having gone through the online stalker bit already, I'm not anxious to reveal a lot of information about me to anybody who can click a mouse.
Just 'cause I'm paranoid doesn't mean I don't have any enemies. ;-)
KJT
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Private bookmarks
You can use your browser to keep a private list of bookmarks. The favorites feature is mainly to let other people know what you like. :) That's what it's for, so making it private wouldn't make sense.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Yeah
I do that, but it never seems to be very tidy! :-(
If people want to know what I like, they can read the comments. ;-)
KJT
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
I don't pay much attention anymore
The counts can be satisfying, but do they really mean anything? I look at my Runway story and the first chapter has 5494 reads as of today, but the last chapter has 1322, so where did all the readers go? Chapters in between have even less, so I look at that and say that the story is being read by 1100 readers. Number counts are fun, but I'm not going to make myself sick over them, Arecee
Most stories ...
... on BC have between 500 and 1500 actual readers. The rest of the hit counts are re-reads or people reading the comments.
A few stories that have been on the site a long time have really high read counts but those are mostly re-reads. Lainie Lee's "Robin Goodgirl" is an example, on any given day five or ten people are re-reading this story. More amazing is Alys's Price to Pay 3.01 which has 11,000 hits in less than eight months. Still, all but 2 or 3 thousand of those hits are likely re-reads.
Many people when a new episode of a serial comes out go back and re-read, or skim, from the beginning; this is why older episodes have more hits. Also, the most recent episode in a serial gets hits by people looking to see if they've already read it or just re-reading it while waiting for a new one.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Thanks for These Numbers Posts Erin
I've been somewhat about curious about site metrics. This comment and your previous one have more than answered my curiosity.
It Never Occurred To Me
That anybody would actually READ my Profile. Not that there's much in it. As for getting 3000 hits? Which planet is that? I know, it's Alys's Mars. Personally I care more about comments. It's so nice to know that a few people really read one of my stories and take the time to say something about it,
Joanne