Comments on: How much traffic? Depends who you ask http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/ Where TV Finds the Future Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:58:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: JoeMo http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/#comment-533524 JoeMo Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:35:06 +0000 http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/#comment-533524 not sure why people aren't just running log file analysis to determine their page views. Download AWStats or purchase Sawmill, Mach5's or any other log file analyzer. Configuration is pretty easy and it will give you more realistic numbers, there isn't much you can do about your pages getting caught in corp proxies unless you have an integrated analytics tool, when you get in that deep things start to get complicated but..... not sure why people aren’t just running log file analysis to determine their page views. Download AWStats or purchase Sawmill, Mach5’s or any other log file analyzer. Configuration is pretty easy and it will give you more realistic numbers, there isn’t much you can do about your pages getting caught in corp proxies unless you have an integrated analytics tool, when you get in that deep things start to get complicated but…..

]]> By: Gorman http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/#comment-533367 Gorman Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:57:39 +0000 http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/#comment-533367 At least in my experience, Alexa has gotten downright goofy. We used to use it with the obvious caveat. What's frustrating is that in a market of three WorldNow stations, all using the same reporting system, we still had to rely on client intel to even get a hint of what the other sites were pulling in. At least in my experience, Alexa has gotten downright goofy. We used to use it with the obvious caveat. What’s frustrating is that in a market of three WorldNow stations, all using the same reporting system, we still had to rely on client intel to even get a hint of what the other sites were pulling in.

]]> By: Joe http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/#comment-533343 Joe Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:38:01 +0000 http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/#comment-533343 I work for a fairly large company that has properties related to sports gambling. As a result, the only trustworthy traffic monitoring service we have found is Hitwise, since it generates it's reports from actual web traffic logs. Why? Because panel-based services, such as Neilson and Comscore rely to a large part on the habits (and honesty) of the panel member. And do you think panel members are likely to openly admit to browsing porn or gambling sites while that are participating in a panel? Of course not. So you get a result that is filtered and shaded by the very fact that participants are participating. So, if you are interested in seeing results based on the type of sites that people who participate in panels would admit to browsing, then Neilsen and comscore are perfect for you. But if you want to see the actual sites that people are looking at, I think Hitwise seems to give the most likely numbers. I work for a fairly large company that has properties related to sports gambling.

As a result, the only trustworthy traffic monitoring service we have found is Hitwise, since it generates it’s reports from actual web traffic logs.

Why?

Because panel-based services, such as Neilson and Comscore rely to a large part on the habits (and honesty) of the panel member. And do you think panel members are likely to openly admit to browsing porn or gambling sites while that are participating in a panel? Of course not. So you get a result that is filtered and shaded by the very fact that participants are participating.

So, if you are interested in seeing results based on the type of sites that people who participate in panels would admit to browsing, then Neilsen and comscore are perfect for you.

But if you want to see the actual sites that people are looking at, I think Hitwise seems to give the most likely numbers.

]]> By: invitedmedia http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/#comment-532770 invitedmedia Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:49:53 +0000 http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/#comment-532770 reporting from molokai! i often cite alexa and get taken to the cane fields (which are history here nowadays). in doing so, i'm simply using them as an overall cross reference rather than for actual numbers. i think the argument the last time i mentioned alexa was it only counted those who had the alexa toolbar installed. fair enough. but why then... do almost all local tv web channels show a decline y-o-y but youtube and google do not??? matter of fact, in the case of ib/cnn- it is very demonstrable the day they hooked up. and nearly every huge story that a local covers and cnn gives homescreen placement delivers a large bump in "hits" and thereby in the graph which fades as the story circulates. i wouldn't discount alexa any more than any other service. reporting from molokai!

i often cite alexa and get taken to the cane fields (which are history here nowadays).

in doing so, i’m simply using them as an overall cross reference rather than for actual numbers.

i think the argument the last time i mentioned alexa was it only counted those who had the alexa toolbar installed. fair enough.

but why then… do almost all local tv web channels show a decline y-o-y but youtube and google do not???

matter of fact, in the case of ib/cnn- it is very demonstrable the day they hooked up. and nearly every huge story that a local covers and cnn gives homescreen placement delivers a large bump in “hits” and thereby in the graph which fades as the story circulates.

i wouldn’t discount alexa any more than any other service.

]]> By: James Cridland http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/#comment-532640 James Cridland Mon, 22 Oct 2007 05:30:21 +0000 http://www.lostremote.com/2007/10/21/how-much-traffic-depends-who-you-ask/#comment-532640 I blogged about this a while back (my link is a URL to it); using the stats that I have for my medium-traffic website. It seems that some services underestimate the traffic quite astoundingly. comScore is an almost fraudulent operation, according to my own research: in particular, workplace reporting in the UK has so little data flowing into comScore's computers, the figures aren't worth basing any decisions on whatsoever. I blogged about this a while back (my link is a URL to it); using the stats that I have for my medium-traffic website. It seems that some services underestimate the traffic quite astoundingly.

comScore is an almost fraudulent operation, according to my own research: in particular, workplace reporting in the UK has so little data flowing into comScore’s computers, the figures aren’t worth basing any decisions on whatsoever.

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