Topic: Some interesting info about our site from Google Analytics

[scottws]

Recently we set up Google Analytics on this site, which gives you all kinds of information about your visitors (nothing that raises red flags for privacy concerns though).

Here's some info:

• 98% of our traffic is the result of direct access, meaning we are seeing very little in the way of outside users coming across the site.
• At least one person reached our site by searching for "pugnate nickclone" on Google.
• People seem to be really interested in duel mail in The Witcher.  Almost all of the search results that brought people to us are about that.
• We've seen traffic from Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, where I don't believe we have any regular users.
• While Internet Explorer may be the most used browser overall, we don't see that on OW.net.  It only makes up about 8% of the traffic.  Firefox dominates with a full 90%.

[Ghandi]

Interesting stuff. The Firefox thing makes sense, since most of the regulars here are smart enough to use it.

[Antares]

Apparently only 90% of us, I wonder who the 8% are who still use IE.  Come, on you know who you are... fess up!

[JacksRag(e)]

I have both, but I still use IE just because it loads faster for me and whatnot.
The way I see it is that Firefox users are gaining characteristics similar to the typical Mac user.

[scottws]

Ant, since you're an admin you can see what browser people are using in the newer, modified Who's Online section I put up a couple months back.   You can even see the version and OS if you hover over the browser name.  Windows 5.1 is XP, 6.0 is Vista.  There are actually quite a few Vista users, I've even caught a few people using Linux.

That's one thing I'm surprised Google Analytics doesn't flesh out... the OS.  Are your most site visitors stodgy senior citizens still running Windows 98 on their old Pentium II's?  Or are they California-hip Mac users?  Are they people who recently plunked down some cash on the new Microsoft OS or a new computer that came with it?  Are they tech-nerd Linux users?  It just seems like something it would be useful to show, in addition to what's already there.

[shock]

Linux for the win!

[scottws]

Yeah I've been using Kubuntu 7.10 on my laptop for several months now and I love it.  The array of features is amazing.  There is FTP and SFTP browsing available right in the Konqueror browser, and it's drag-and-drop just like Dolphin (similar to Nautilus in Gnome or Windows Explorer on Windows), even between Konqueror and Dolphin.  You can seemlessly SSH into other PCs right from the terminal without the need to install or open a separate program like PuTTY on Windows.  Both of these features are very useful to me because I operate a Linux virtual server, Linux web server, and Linux file server, none of which have a GUI available (I don't even have a monitor, keyboard, or mouse hooked up to the PC).

Kubuntu uses KDE vs. Ubuntu which uses Gnome.  I have more experience using Gnome in the past with older versions of Ubuntu and Fedora Core.  KDE is much more "Windows-like" than Gnome.  This is in the sense that Ctrl-C copies, Ctrl-V pastes and things like that.  I prefer KDE now, but not for those reasons.  I actually prefer some aspects of Gnome that are less Windows-like such as highlighting something automatically copies it to the clipboard.  Rather I prefer KDE because it is just a lot more customizable.  I also find myself liking the K-apps more than the G-apps.

You can do almost anything.  Anything you don't have by default is easily attainable, and it's pretty much entirely at no financial cost to the user.  I'm also definitely coming around to preferring the *nix idea on what a file system structure should be rather than Microsoft's drive-based methodology.

There are a few problems though.  Something frequently happens to the mouse cursor where I can't click on anything.  Usually rapidly right- and left-clicking repeatedly fixes it, but sometimes I have to switch to another terminal and back to get it to work again.  This only seems to happen when using the touchpad though.  If I use a USB mouse it doesn't happen.  Also, even though I installed the restricted codecs pack (MP3, MP4, MPG, Flash, etc.), several videos like those on NFL.com do not play.

Still though, I find myself using this laptop far more than my Vista desktop.

[angrykeebler]

Pugnate and Nickclone- The forbidden romance.

[sirean_syan]

I bet you the traffic from Vietnam was probably Raisa at one point. I sorta remember her mentioning she was there for a bit of time at one point. Of course, she moves around so much it's hard for me to keep it all straight.

[Antares]

Ant, since you're an admin you can see what browser people are using in the newer, modified Who's Online section I put up a couple months back.   You can even see the version and OS if you hover over the browser name.  Windows 5.1 is XP, 6.0 is Vista.  There are actually quite a few Vista users, I've even caught a few people using Linux.

That's one thing I'm surprised Google Analytics doesn't flesh out... the OS.  Are your most site visitors stodgy senior citizens still running Windows 98 on their old Pentium II's?  Or are they California-hip Mac users?  Are they people who recently plunked down some cash on the new Microsoft OS or a new computer that came with it?  Are they tech-nerd Linux users?  It just seems like something it would be useful to show, in addition to what's already there.

Interesting.  I've always been able to access the percentage information from the hosting account data provided, but never what specific user was using what.

[Antares]

Here are the top search query words according to Godaddy:


1.   overwritten   72
2.   overwritten.net   12
3.   overwritten angrykeebler   6
4.   www.overwritten.net   5
5.   ekszbox abx_v1.6   4
6.   windandconfusion   3
7.   bioshock content.ncf   3
8.   ameratsu okami   3
9.   the wizard failed to download the bioshock patch   2
10.   angrykeebler overwritten   2
11.   overwritten idolminds   2
12.   geometry wars gcf   2
13.   site:overwritten.net   2
14.   witcher duel mail   1
15.   overwritten net angrykeebler   1
16.   the witcher: duel mail   1
17.   meshuggah re nothing   1
18.   overwritten.net angrykeebler   1
19.   overwritten.net forums   1
20.   quake 2 server status   1
21.   wonderella   1
22.   smf movie action register inurl:index php   1
23.   geometry wars ncf   1
24.   bioshock content.gcf download   1
25.   overwritten pugnate   1
26.   bioshock engine.gcf   1
27.   titan quest cd vs dvd   1
28.   geometry wars steam gcf   1
29.   collect 3 shards titan quest   1
30.   bioshock gcf / ncf   1

[Antares]

... and in case anyone is wondering, the top 30 referring websites (sites with links to ow.net)

1.   http://www.overwritten.net/   2,899,563
2.   http://overwritten.net/   5,686
3.   http://profile.myspace.com/   171
4.   http://www.google.com/   129
5.   http://anonymouse.org/   116
6.   http://www.whois.sc/   110
7.   http://s7.invisionfree.com/   90
8.   http://z7.invisionfree.com/   69
9.   http://64.233.183.104/   56
10.   http://www.bit-blot.com/   47
11.   http://search.live.com/   46
12.   http://steamreview.org/   31
13.   http://www.pingdom.com/   24
14.   http://216.239.59.104/   20
15.   http://comment.myspace.com/   19
16.   http://search.msn.com/   18
17.   about:blank/   18
18.   http://search.yahoo.com/   13
19.   http://152.10.23.203/   11
20.   http://72.14.203.104/   8
21.   http://www.pcgamer.com/   8
22.   http://majestic12.co.uk/   8
23.   http://www.daniweb.com/   8
24.   http://mail.google.com/   8
25.   http://by123w.bay123.mail.live.com/   7
26.   http://www.netauthority.org/   7
27.   http://crujonessociety.com/   7
28.   http://by108w.bay108.mail.live.com/   6
29.   http://www.bloodymonkey.com/   6
30.   http://forums.2kgames.com/   5

[Ghandi]

Here are the top search query words according to Godaddy:

3.   overwritten angrykeebler   6
10.   angrykeebler overwritten   2
15.   overwritten net angrykeebler   1
18.   overwritten.net angrykeebler   1

Either keebs is infatuated with himself or someone really likes to search for him...

Also:

9.   the wizard failed to download the bioshock patch   2

What the fuck?

[Quemaqua]

Heh, that's funny.  What's even funnier is looking at the referring sites I totally know when and why people came here from a lot of those.  I also know what the ekszbox abx_v1.6 thing is and why it was searched.

I also find it amusing that someone searching for Okami-related stuff doesn't know how to spell Amaterasu.

[scottws]

I bet you the traffic from Vietnam was probably Raisa at one point. I sorta remember her mentioning she was there for a bit of time at one point. Of course, she moves around so much it's hard for me to keep it all straight.

Well I just set up Google Analytics a week or so ago, if that.  All of the results are from that point forward.  We had traffic from the Philippines too.  I'm not sure, but I always pictured Raisa living there.

Hmm... I wonder if that referring site list really means it linked to OW.net or someone just was previously at that site before coming to ours.  Because I'm pretty sure about:blank doesn't have any links.

[Cobra951]

I'm pretty sure Raisa is from the Philippines, though I have no idea where she is now.

[angrykeebler]

i type my name into google when im on another computer and cant remember the address for the forums lol

[Antares]

i type my name into google when im on another computer and cant remember the address for the forums lol

haha.  You suck at life.

[gpw11]

Haha, that's pretty damn funny.  I use IE7 sometimes if I'm on my laptop for various reasons but firefox the majority of the time.  Honestly, IE7 isn't that bad at all from my perspective.


EDIT:  What the fuck?  Who's using myspace so much?

[scottws]

i type my name into google when im on another computer and cant remember the address for the forums lol

There are links to the forum on the homepage.  And if you accidentally go to ./forums instead of ./forum, it redirects you.  How hard is that?  LOL

[angrykeebler]

There are links to the forum on the homepage.  And if you accidentally go to ./forums instead of ./forum, it redirects you.  How hard is that?  LOL

i totally forgot we even had a homepage

[nickclone]

Someone other than myself looked me up on Google? I Am Legend!