This post is somewhat of a test. There has been a substantial increase in views on my blog. I don't know if there are actual people reading my posts or not. I wish there was some way to determine the cause of increased views, but I don't know how.
The point of this blog is to help people suffering and to connect with others, not give info to whatever the bots are collecting. But I guess that's the risk we take when we post on the internet. I've tried to remain under the radar by staying anonymous and not monetizing this space.
I don't know if I should be concerned or not. So many things, including infertility, have been politicized in recent years. I do not want to contribute to anything other than helping people survive and ultimately thrive.
So, I'm not even sure if the answers to this question will help me determine the truth, but if you are reading this, are you an actual human?
I am a real person. Is that all you need?
ReplyDeleteYes! Thank you :)
DeleteHuman person in this insane world
ReplyDeleteAin't that the truth! Thank you Barreness.
DeleteActual human here, I really appreciate your posts, especially hearing about your hobbies.
ReplyDeleteOh cool! That's good to know. Thank you.
DeleteI am a human
ReplyDeleteThank you very much!
DeleteWell, you know I'm human. ;) You made me curious, I don't often look at my stats, but I had a look and yeah, my page views have definitely gone way up, over the past year or so (since mid-2023 -- with a huge spike in February 2024), but there's been a real spike in the last month or so. When I look at the locations viewers are coming from, the U.S. is first, followed by Singapore & Hong Kong (?!), then Canada, then Brazil (??), Russia, Germany, France, UK and "Other." Hmmm....
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that your views have increased too, Loribeth. Maybe blogs are experiencing a resurgence? Hey, as long as people are finding support and connection, then that's awesome. IF the views are from people...
DeleteUhh... I'm a human. And havent updated my own blog in 4 years. I just looked and have had 1800 views today. Something is WEIRD. I think I will take mine offline. That's kind of creepy.
ReplyDeleteInteresting... Your comment is much appreciated! Thank you.
DeleteHi! Actual human here. Good question though. We’re def being watched! 👀
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm glad to see another comment from an actual human. <3
DeleteHi, I am also human and really looking forward to every of your new posts. It got me through the darkest period in my life.
ReplyDeleteHi Edith, thank you for your comment. I am sorry you endured dark days. We have all been there. It feels so lonely, but we are never alone. <3 <3 <3
DeleteReal human and friend to all guinea pigs.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mel! And Quentin!
DeleteI'm real! Thanks for posting-I enjoy your blogs!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment!!
DeleteHuman!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I really appreciate these comments.
DeleteI still wonder though... Why the sudden, significant increase in views?
ReplyDeleteDear Phoenix,
DeleteThanks for bringing up this topic! I checked my own numbers and had an increase as well. My husband helped me research a little, and this is what we found (in short):
It's 'referral spam—fake visits that try to show up in your Google Analytics so you’ll click the link or buy their “traffic” service. It’s noise, not real customers.'
I have emailed you the rest of the response in case it helps.
Much love,
Elaine
Thanks, Elaine (and Phoenix), that's helpful. I thought perhaps it might be an AI bot scraping my posts to fuel their LLMs. Which is bad enough, but the idea that we might be being monitored for political reasons is downright creepy (and infuriating).
DeleteAlthough I've been pleasantly surprised at the number of human readers I have, I am still unsure about the increase in views. It is very significant. Referral spam is a likely suspect, but I'm concerned that's not all it is. This post is now the 5th most viewed of all time and my previous post is the 7th most viewed.
DeleteHuman!
ReplyDeleteThank you <3
DeleteThis happens periodically with my blogs too. (I think you know I'm human! lol) I figure some of it is bots, some might be human or unusual searches. Lovely to see all your anonymous human readers popping up here!
ReplyDeleteYes, hello fellow human! Lol. It's been nice to learn I have some anonymous readers. I kinda assumed I was writing to the same 10 people. However, as I replied to Loribeth's reply to Elaine, I am still concerned.
DeleteI am real! I am also seeing a surge. If you're in blogger and you go to stats, you can see where traffic is coming from, although sometimes it's not as specific as I'd like. Lately there's been a lot from websites that are...questionable.
ReplyDeleteGrrrrr to bots.
Hiiii Jess! Yeah, I looked at my traffic and there are some strange referral sites. (A car place? Why?) And some interesting ones. (Some universities. Ok, maybe they have a class that is discussing this topic?) I just don't know. I feel wary not knowing the reason(s) for the significant surge.
DeleteHuman ... at least, most days I feel that way 😜
ReplyDeleteHahaha, I can relate to that!
Delete