Shortly after moving to Northern Virginia last month I began using Google Analytics, a free program that tracks visitors to my blog and all kinds of associated data. I have found it to be much more user-friendly than other tracking programs I have used in the past. Unfortunately, since I began using it after my move, I’m unable to compare data pre- and post-relocation to Virginia. And that’s a shame, because . . .
In the past three weeks, the top locations for visitors to this blog are:
- Washington
- Minneapolis
- Philadelphia
- unknown
- Fairfax (Virginia)
That Philadelphia and Minneapolis are on my Top Five cities make sense to me. They are both home to Lutheran seminaries, where students are likely to blog in a Lutheran fashion. I also have friends in both cities, and family in Philadelphia.
But Washington and Fairfax, VA? Since I only started using Google Analytics after moving here, I have no idea if the visits to my blog from the Metro DC region spiked in recent weeks or has been constant for several months. Since arriving I have not particularly talked up my blog with my new synod or congregational colleagues. (I have configured Google Analytics to not track hits from the IP addresses of my computers at home and at work – those Fairfax visits are not from me!) So why are folks from Fairfax and DC ranking so high on my hits list, as opposed to other regions of the country? Perhaps some folks thought it would be a good idea to Google the new Vicar’s name. If so . . . hello there!
Folks are spending an average of 4:14 on my Daily Prayer page (some more, some less, of course), which makes me think that perhaps some of you are using this for your own prayer. Wonderful! And among visitors who came to my blog via a Google search, those that used the keywords "lutheran daily prayer" spend the most time on my blog.
The most viewed picture on my blog is of my damaged Nissan following my run-in with a deer last year.
That’s it for now. Happy blogging to you and yours!
The Lutheran Zephyr 
I might be from the Great Unknown. Or at least you can see it from here. All the computer maps have us in the wrong place.
Chris, I am a new viewer of your blog. I googled for blogs re: CPE as I begin an extended session Oct. 5th at Goodwin House West in Falls Church, VA. I’m not in seminary (yet) as I walk a path of discernment to better understand my new call to ministry. Thank you for your insights & sharings. Please feel free to look in on me from time to time. Peace.
I always enjoy seeing where fellow bloggers who visit my blog are from. Sometimes I wonder about those great “unknown” bloggers. Who are they and where are they?
I put the G A on my blog yesterday to see what it would be like. So far, nothing shows up. I’m assuming I did it correctly, because I’ve done this with the Bravenet Counter, which isn’t all that good. I put it in the template. Do you think that is correct?
PS – it takes about a day for the first batch of Google Analytics data to appear. I simply inserted the code in my sidebar and after a day or so, I began getting data. Good luck!
I think I didn’t follow the directions on the “next” page. I’m trying again.