The internet is quite old now. It’s no longer amazing to us that people can visit a blog from overseas. — Skelliewag
I recently visited the International House of Pancakes for breakfast, a small feat considering I have let my passport expire.
Despite its name or catchy acronym, there is nothing really international about IHOP. Sure, its International Passport breakfast allows you to choose French- or Swedish-style pancakes — even, as I found out, when I ordered the Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity — but dining in one of these restaurants is as American an experience as you can get.
What is international, as I recently learned, is blogging. And thanks to Google Analytics, I have learned quite a lot about exactly how international my blog is.
Since installing Google Analytics (a behind-the-scenes application that tracks blog stats more comprehensively) five months ago into my blog , I have been able to view how many visitors I get from other countries. I can also view not only what country they’re visiting from but also the specific city and state/province. This has led to some pretty interesting observations.
Of the 48,000+ visits I have received since September, more than 90% come from the U.S. Canada ranks second (hey, H!) followed by the U.K. (hey, British Guy!). No surprises there.
By clicking on the United States hyperlink, I can see from which states people are visiting. As a “DC blog”, it’s again not surprising that District of Columbia (not a state, by the way) is number one, followed by Virginia and Maryland. New York, California (represent!), and Texas rank immediately after the Big Three.
Where it gets interesting is not only where the other states rank but why they rank where they do.
For example, the state that visits me the least is Wyoming, with only 13 hits since September. I don’t know why nearly no one from the Cowboy State is visiting but they must have their reasons. Maybe they don’t have too many computers in Wyoming. The thing I do know is that I can make fun of Wyoming and no one will get upset because, well, odds are there are no Wyomingers reading this.
Google Analytics also lets me see from what cities people are visiting. For example, I know that of the 904 visitors from Pennsylvania, 10 have come from Intercourse, clicking on an average of 2.10 pages per visit and spending nearly 12 minutes on average on my site. Five of these visits came on December 31, which makes me wonder what they were doing on New Year’s Eve in Intercourse, PA.
Internationally, I have received visitors from 123 countries. Though I’m not exactly ready to join the United Nations with this worldwide collection, I am amazed at where people are visiting my blog from. I have received, for example, 22 visits from Malaysia, 10 from Iceland, and 4 from Serbia and Montenegro.
Hell, even Iraq has sent me 2 visits and 4 have been from Iran. Sadly, none from Afghanistan.
You would think Argentina would send me a decent number of visits. Nope. My native land only ranks 15th on the list with a meager 48 visits (come on, Grandma!).
What about Israel, home of my Chosen peeps? Ranked only 19th with 40 visits.
The biggest surprise in all of this was the 12th-ranked country on my list of visits. This country has sent me more visits than either Argentina or Israel.
Djibouti!
This African republic on the Red Sea has visited my blog 68 times! From what I can tell (based on the 1.47% “new visit” statistic), all these visits have come from only one Djiboutian. Thanks, dude!
Since the only thing I knew about Djibouti was its name (thanks to that Coke commercial where an old man tries to prove to his son that he’s not losing his mind), I decided to do some research on this country look it up on Wikipedia. I learned that Djibouti is a pretty arid place where the people speak Arabic and French and whose national anthem is, simply, called “Djibouti”. That’s about it.
Wherever you are, Djiboutian visitor, I thank you. You haven’t visited since December 6, but I hope to see you again.
I’ll even invite you to IHOP.
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
I have a friend who is moving to Djibouti for a year. He’s not moving until August, but I’ll make sure that he reads your site when he gets there.
By the way, how exactly do you add Google Analytics to your site (I can’t quite figure it out)?
Sean’s last blog post..Super Bowl XLII Notes
I’m not sure if you can do it to Blogger, but I’ll send you an e-mail.
Montenegro seceded from Serbia last summer, I think. (What? I’m not that big a nerd, I used to live in the former Yugoslavia.)
I have a friend in Djibouti, there is really not much to do there. I’m surprised you don’t get visits from every Djiboutian. There are 12.
Shannon’s last blog post..Never Eat a Meal Larger Than Your Head
So Google is actually behind the times when it comes to S&M?
Boy. Arjewtino really likes talking about my booty.
I-66’s last blog post..Bloggentines by I-66 - 2008 Edition
Slapping and talking about it is always fun.
So, of all of your Pennsylvania visitors, only “10 have come from intercourse”? I think they’re doing it wrong.
I’m not sure what amuses me more, the fact that I accidentally write these lines or that astute readers like you catch them.
Thanks for cracking me up.
excellent post. kudos from a reader in india.
squid’s last blog post..Please Note
Ever been to Djibouti?
Stat-dropper!
(Nice baseball post the other day, btw. Glad to see that Jobu doesn’t discriminate and that he was able to take the curse off your bat.)
Doing the Allstate commercials must have done the trick.
I’m also fascinated by these kinds of stats. Although they’re international, most of the searches to my blog are via a “hot old men” google search, which makes it kinda creepy.
And shannon is right, serbia and montenegro are now separate countries.
jo’s last blog post..If it makes you happy
No one should break up S&M. It’s just wrong.
I wonder if some of them, including your African ones, are scam artists phishing for information … i saw it on 20/20
I know, I’ve received countless offers from people from African countries telling me I can become a millionaire if I just give them my info.
“i saw it on 20/20″. You don’t hear that very often.
Yeah, I am also much more interested in how people find me. For instance, just today someone found me by searching, ahem, “ass to mouth”.
Lemmonex’s last blog post..Blogger Buffet: A DC Foodie Funfest
Makes perfect sense.
I old man lechery giggle every time I see the sign for Intercourse, PA on a road trip. I think I may be a teenage male trapped in a woman’s body…. You know what’s fun? Saying Djibouti over and over quickly. Seriously.
OK, I know you have a photo of you standing in front of the Intercourse sign giggling. Go ahead, send it.
I always feel bad for the people who are actually searching for information about metallurgy and get me instead. And then I laugh.
The Maiden Metallurgist’s last blog post..I’ll Give You a Kick in the Pants
That’s because you’re an evil (and by evil I mean awesomely evil) metallurgist.
Ah, google searches! I’ll have y’all know I’m the Number Two destination for “my boyfriend thinks I’m high maintenance.”
Shannon’s last blog post..Never Eat a Meal Larger Than Your Head
And you know hundreds of chicks are searching that everyday!
Google Analytics has turned you into Big Brother watching all that read you. Next time I am over your place, I expect to see a map with pins marking all of your readers.
I can’t see how this somehow doesn’t give you an advantage. You know what I mean.
Please don’t get me started on IHOP. They give you that small OJ and no free re-fills. What a scam.
rs27’s last blog post..Man I Promise, I’m So Self Concious
Yeah, but on the plus side, you get all the crappy coffee you want.
I actually know who your djibouti person is. He visits me too. Email me if you would like details.
Slightly Disorganized’s last blog post..Forgiveness lies in a triple word score…
Since you mentioned IHOP, you’ll be glad to know that they are giving away a free short stack (three) of buttermilk pancakes next Tuesday. While this isn’t that good of a deal, it is going for a good cause, the Children’s Miracle Network.
RS27 - I agree with you about the IHOP OJ policy; however, no one gives refills for OJ.
Sean’s last blog post..Traveler IQ Challenge and Referrals
Not a bad Tuesday: vote in the primary and celebrate democracy with some flapjacks.
Actually, Arjewtino, I’m worried that I’m the second-highest-maintenance girlfriend on the entire Internet.
My poor boyfriend, huh?
Shannon’s last blog post..I’m Not a Doctor, I Just Play One on the Internet
The Internet is a pretty bug place so that’s some pretty ambitious self-deprecating ranking there, Shannon.
See, I thought I was the highest-maintenance girl in the world. I’m disappointed that I only came in second!
Shannon’s last blog post..I’m Not a Doctor, I Just Play One on the Internet
That’s what hopes and dreams are for! I had fantasy baseball camp. You can have fantasy highest maintenance camp.
Boy. Intercourse, PA is by far the best weird name I’ve ever heard for a town. And I thought that honor belonged to “Salsipuedes, TX”, a place we found on the map years ago while doing a roadtrip to Mexico.
(For the non-Spanish speakers, “sal si puedes” means “get out if you can”)
Not So Little Woman’s last blog post..Moral questions, vol. I
It could also mean “salt, if you can/please”.
I took E to IHOP because she wanted a real American meal. That, and where else were we going to go in College Park?
Don’t forget the other town names in Lancaster — Paradise, Bird-in-Hand, and, of course, Blue Ball. Which even has its own bank (Blue Ball National Bank). and in another county over is Virginville. You just wish you grew up in a place as cool as I did.
I can’t be the only Canadian IP checking your site…. am I? I swear I haven’t visited 1210 times!
Holy crap, Blue Ball? I’ll have to check to see if I got any visits from there.
I think it’s very charitable of you to still count canada as “another country.” After visiting toronto and montreal in the last year, I would rank them above Pennslyvania but below Massachusetts.
Romney sucks!
why did I put that in quote marks? Have I turned into “unnecessary quotation mark guy?”
“Yes” I have.
You were going crazy with the “air quotes” last night. Maybe this is just a phase each of us has to go through.
837 visits from the UK in the 161 days since the beginning of September works out at 5.2 visits per day.
My obsession with you is out of control. I’m beginning to wonder whether the Arjewtino neck tatoo was a mistake.
Something that crazy and permanent can never be a mistake.
OK- I live in Milwaukee Wisconsin- love your blog- next time I go far up-north, in WI - I ‘ll read your blog from Spread Eagle WI !!!
I’ll be looking for it!
Oh… “salt, if you can/please†for “Salsipuedes”? Eh.. Yeah, technically, but how often do you actually say that? I’ve never really asked for salt like that… “Pásame la sal, si puedes”, sure. But at any rate… I’m itching to go down there and see if it’s a shithole. Then again, you never know, once you get to Salsipuedes, you may never leave it…
Not So Little Woman’s last blog post..Moral questions, vol. I
Would it ruin your moment to know there’s a U.S. base in Djibouti and your blogger is probably an American soldier? That said, still the most fun country name ever and therefore definitely deserving of your recognition.
Having been to Djibouti, I’ll just add that it’s 115 degrees in the shade and the national flower is a black plastic bag stuck to a fence. (Oh, and there’s a lovely homo-erotic French film about Djibouti, Le Beau Travail.) Is that way more information on DJ than you wanted?
I was told who the “Djiboutian” blog reader is and I know him. You’re right, the reader comes from that U.S. military base.
I need to start stalking again to get Jersey’s rank up there again.
Zen’s last blog post..Masked and Autonomous