REFERRAL TRACKING

When I added my referral trackers to my website and this blog, I doubted that I'd have much use for most of the statistics they generate. I was just interested in the time-zone and international trackers. The other things such as knowing types of browers and operating system down to the actual IP addresses of all visitors held no interest for me.

But I have, from time to time, checked out the incoming referrals -- those websites and search engines which steered visitors towards my endeavors. For example, when I wrote about the (short-lived) death of EzTree and about my newfound fascination with BitTorrent downloads, my blog received a lot of hits from people searching for those topics. My comments about the recent U2 and Bruce Springsteen concerts also generated some traffic.

This morning, I discovered a "new" (to me, anyway) message board because of links from a Fiona Apple site. Adagio Breezes looks to be a very active forum of her fans. I had no idea it existed when I wrote my post about her unreleased album a few days ago but happily discovered it by clicking one of my referral links. I duly joined and hope to participate in some of the discussions. It really is gratifying when you find others who enjoy the same interests as you do -- particularly when it's a performer who may not have as many dedicated sites as a Bruce Springsteen or a U2.

Now, to find a use for the IP addresses and domains...