The flowers of Echeveria albicans. Looking good enough to eat – though they are probably horribly poisonous.
ooOoo
These last few days, I have been smugly purring to myself (in my best George Sanders*) because my daily stats have skyrocketed. From a few dozen a day they have gone up to well over a hundred and increasingly from fairly unusual places around the globe. (Why hello Armenia, welcome Iran and golly but I’m big in Switzerland). I’ve always had hits from around the world and some of these visits might be pukka but suddenly Iran is my eighth most popular country ever and Switzerland my seventh!
Alas, when I studied my blogger stats properly, I realised something was amiss (damnation) and a simple google search for “blogger stats too high” confirmed my fears. It seems I’m not alone. These “ghost visits” are from blogs that link to me and me to them and so are not spam referrals. Jason over at “A Gardener’s Life For Me” hasn’t had this problem but then he is with WordPress. Wish I was.
My second problem with blogger in just a few weeks. Great. Anyone else suddenly (but not really) hugely popular?
* Do click on this clip – it’s only 14 secs long and he is well, the master. I really wanted a clip of him as Jack Favell in Rebecca but sadly couldn’t find one.
The Anxious Gardener 
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and
look forward to seeking more of your great post.
Also, I have shared your web site in my social networks!
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Hi Dave,
Great photo, as they always are. I think the Echeveria might have to be an addition to the garden.
So Blogger is a bit iffy then? I heartily recommend transferring to WordPress. Such a shame though that the global reach was not genuine but I am sure that one day it will be!
Jason.
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Hi Stacy, you shouldn't worry. I'm always the first to fall for a ruse. Mr Gullible, that's me.
Hi Nellie, not actually too bothered by the figures it was just a little disappointing to find out that it was all mostly fake.
Hi GS, you might just be hugely popular in Germany, do you think?
Hi Janet, interesting that you transferred to WordPress. I've been thinking of doing the same. Can I ask why you did so and how easy/difficult it was?
Dave
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Sorry your stats are not a true reflection of growing fame – but hey, the Echeveria albicans is stunning! I shall try to avoid the smugness associated with having transferred to WordPress from Blogger over a year ago…
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Hmm, I've become inexplicably popular in Germany. Good to know it's not so inexplicable, but just a Google hiccup with Blogger. Thanks to everyone who commented.
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I haven't had that problem (yet) I do have followers from all over the world, but it has been a very gradual build. (almost too gradual at times.) I am also on wordpress, but never write there. They don't allow advertising at all. I like linking to Amazon books that relate to my nature and/or gardening post of the day. It is fun for me to see what is out there that relates and it is a good offer to people interested in the same stuff.
The field of vision focus is perfect for that photo of Echeveria
nellie
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Oh, fer cryin' out loud. I fell for the April Fool's post. Even more sadly, now there's no longer a reason to cut them a little extra slack… (Take 2, w/ html code intact.)
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Hi EE, gosh. Your stats only wobbled? Mine were seismically shaken. I hanker for the day that mine might wobble only. {I use sitemeter and it was their figures that alerted me to the error in blogger}.
Dave
P.S. I love that “wombling” is a global verb!
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That was an April fool joke. Google does own Blogger as your link says …
Hmm so that is why my Blogger stats wobbled up last week? I also use StatCounter and that is wombling along as ever.
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Hi Stacy, the stats are addictive aren't they? I can now access my blog and stats from my phone, so can be heard muttering, “Guten Morgen, Deutschland” or “Blimey, busy today” in all manner of places. And no, whilst stats are not very important in the great scheme of things, I was enjoying watching how the pageviews were slowly (with glacial speed) increasing. Now most of the blogger data seems worthless.
I thought that Google already owned Blogger? Have a look at http://www.blogger.com/about.
And please Stacy, don't you go changing your blogging style.
Dave
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Dave, I've run into that, too. Huge numbers of hits, from all over the world, yet also supposedly from the same handful of blogs. For the first day or so I was incredibly touched that certain bloggy friends would visit multiple times in one day. Then it began to look like they were freakily obsessed, and just at the “Eww!” point the penny dropped. I suspect some of the recent quirks have to do with Blogger's pending sale to Google. Until recently, they really did hum along problem-free. I looked into switching over to WordPress, but to transfer all your old work, including links, etc., seems more complicated than I want to deal with. Yet.
Of course, I don't really even know why I look at the stats–it's not as if I'll change my blogging style to improve them. But that little adrenaline rush on a good day is kind of addictive…
And what a gorgeous photo, by the way. Where is a good confectioner's shop when you need it?
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