Another Potentially Obvious Puzzle
Okay. I've now posted two obvious questions: What language is this? (Polish.) And why did someone hijack my blog? (Answer: it's nothing personal: all of blogspot points to the same shitty site if you transpose two letters.)
So here's another question that seems thoroughly baffling to me, but might well have a very obvious answer.
I was checking my Blogometer the other day---the one that lists how many hits, how long people have stayed, where they come from, etc. Normally, in the "Referring Links" list, Eric Berlin's blog is at the top of the list with 3 referrals. This time it was still there with 3 referrals, but was sharing the top spot with the following blogs:
moresemantic.blogspot.com --- 6 referrals
radiofreesawatdee.blogspot.com --- 3 referrals
Also normally, After Eric's blog, I get one or two from Tomato Nation, one or two from Jason's "Emailinator" blog, and that's where the list ends. However, this time, the list went to fourteen terms, with referring links from a dozen blogs I've never heard of, including the following (the top three all referred twice).
vijaypm.blogspot.com
rwzy.blogspot.com
bag-of-words.blogspot.com
shiningcityatopahill.blogspot.com
twistedsnowwhite.blogspot.com
www.what-always-goes-wrong.blogspot.com
Since several of these sites aren't even written in English, I confess to some non-plussedness and stymying. I'm aware of the irony, of course: by asking what's up with these links, I have in fact created the very links that are puzzling me. But anyone who looks at my site will see the "referring links." They're right there above this paragraph! But I saw absolutely nothing similar on any of these blogs; no direct route from theirs to mine. I didn't even see anything that would, say, cause my site and any of these to show up on the same Google search.
Come join me in my head-scratching, won't you?
So here's another question that seems thoroughly baffling to me, but might well have a very obvious answer.
I was checking my Blogometer the other day---the one that lists how many hits, how long people have stayed, where they come from, etc. Normally, in the "Referring Links" list, Eric Berlin's blog is at the top of the list with 3 referrals. This time it was still there with 3 referrals, but was sharing the top spot with the following blogs:
moresemantic.blogspot.com --- 6 referrals
radiofreesawatdee.blogspot.com --- 3 referrals
Also normally, After Eric's blog, I get one or two from Tomato Nation, one or two from Jason's "Emailinator" blog, and that's where the list ends. However, this time, the list went to fourteen terms, with referring links from a dozen blogs I've never heard of, including the following (the top three all referred twice).
vijaypm.blogspot.com
rwzy.blogspot.com
bag-of-words.blogspot.com
shiningcityatopahill.blogspot.com
twistedsnowwhite.blogspot.com
www.what-always-goes-wrong.blogspot.com
Since several of these sites aren't even written in English, I confess to some non-plussedness and stymying. I'm aware of the irony, of course: by asking what's up with these links, I have in fact created the very links that are puzzling me. But anyone who looks at my site will see the "referring links." They're right there above this paragraph! But I saw absolutely nothing similar on any of these blogs; no direct route from theirs to mine. I didn't even see anything that would, say, cause my site and any of these to show up on the same Google search.
Come join me in my head-scratching, won't you?
posted by Cowboy Dave Dickerson | 8:01 AM
3 Comments:
I've had the same experience on my blog. I can't say for sure, but I've always assumed those folks came by clicking the "Next Blog" button at the top of the page.
Joshua is right on. When you publish a new post, Blogger puts you at the top of a random list of "Next Blog" botton hits. Have you noticed when you hit the "Next Blog" botton yourself, you frequently get new blogs with only one or two fresh posts? At the very least you will get an established blog with a recently updated posting. Sometimes the "Next Blog" button will get stuck and you will get two or three referrals from the same blog. I get that all the time, too. I'll be referred by a portugese blog out of Brazil or something. On one occasion a reader found me by a "Next Blog" hit and linked me to her site. That was Atomic Bombshell and I've been getting hits from her ever since.
oh your god! one of those is my blog! and i have never heard of your blog. wow... i must tell the co-author of the blog of this potentially obvious puzzle!
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