Don't believe hit counter -

[Janelle]

I don't understand how the hit counter (page detail) on the control panel works. I just posted a gallery and password protected it - then went back to the control panel to get a base count of hits before I forwarded it to the customer. It showed that I had 343 page views already and the gallery had only been up for 10 minutes (with 54 images). I don't understand how that works. I know it probably counts all the times that I went to the photos as I was adding them and arranging them, but I certainly didn't view them 343 times.

Update - there are now 1700+ thumbnail views this morning. Again, the gallery is password protected, so I don't understand how that many views could be possible.

What does this really mean?

[Malte]

I don't understand how the hit counter (page detail) on the control panel works. I just posted a gallery and password protected it - then went back to the control panel to get a base count of hits before I forwarded it to the customer. It showed that I had 343 page views already and the gallery had only been up for 10 minutes. I don't understand how that works. Is it misleading? I know it probably counts all the times that I went to the photos as I was adding them and arranging them, but I certainly didn't view them 343 times.

What does this really mean?

I havn't looked at mine in ages, but it separates thubnails and other sizes, right? For thumbnail size it might hold true?

Malte

[Janelle]

Andy - I posted this last week but still can't figure it out. I go check my page view stats (hit counter thing) everyday just out of curiousity since I am just starting my business. Two of my galleries just don't make much sense to me. They are both password protected and have only been up for less than a week, just show 2575 and 3317 thumbnail views respecively. There are only 55 or so pics in each gallery, so even if 50 people went to each thumbnail, it still would not equal 3317. How does that work? I read the bottom of the stats page where it explains it....I just still can't imagine that it is accurate. Are my passwords not working and the general public is logging on, or what most likely is elevating those numbers?

Janelle
www.janellerodgers.smugmug.com (http://www.janellerodgers.smugmug.com)

[SteveM]

Andy - I posted this last week but still can't figure it out. I go check my page view stats (hit counter thing) everyday just out of curiousity since I am just starting my business. Two of my galleries just don't make much sense to me. They are both password protected and have only been up for less than a week, just show 2575 and 3317 thumbnail views respecively. There are only 55 or so pics in each gallery, so even if 50 people went to each thumbnail, it still would not equal 3317. How does that work? I read the bottom of the stats page where it explains it....I just still can't imagine that it is accurate. Are my passwords not working and the general public is logging on, or what most likely is elevating those numbers?

Janelle
www.janellerodgers.smugmug.com (http://www.janellerodgers.smugmug.com)

Janelle, do you have external linking enabled in those galleries and by chance do you use any of the photos in those galleries elsewhere on your page, say a slideshow, or banner/buttons/graphics?

Steve
http://www.downriverphotography.com

[Janelle]

Janelle, do you have external linking enabled in those galleries and by chance do you use any of the photos in those galleries elsewhere on your page, say a slideshow, or banner/buttons/graphics?

Steve
http://www.downriverphotography.com

That would be a good guess, but I double-checked and the external linking is checked no (as is most of the buttons). I don't have either of those galleries posted anywhere else either (most of the images on my page are photoshop collages, so they are embedded in a graphic anyway.) I also have not advertised one bit (other than listing my web address in posts on this site.) But the galleries are password protected so that shouldn't matter either. Any other ideas? I hate to have 3500+ people visited a gallery that I promised would be confidential to the customer.

[SteveM]

That would be a good guess, but I double-checked and the external linking is checked no (as is most of the buttons). I don't have either of those galleries posted anywhere else either (most of the images on my page are photoshop collages, so they are embedded in a graphic anyway.) I also have not advertised one bit (other than listing my web address in posts on this site.) But the galleries are password protected so that shouldn't matter either. Any other ideas? I hate to have 3500+ people visited a gallery that I promised would be confidential to the customer.
Hmm. I'm at a loss, but I highly highly doubt anyone is able to get into your galleries without the password, so I think other forces are at play here. Do you use StatCounter? It's free and even if you only use it to gain some insight on this particular issue, it's worth the trouble to install it. It will show you everything you need to know, including IPs, which galleries and even individual photos are being viewed by whom. Think it over.

Steve
http://www.downriverphotography.com

[Janelle]

Hmm. I'm at a loss, but I highly highly doubt anyone is able to get into your galleries without the password, so I think other forces are at play here. Do you use StatCounter? It's free and even if you only use it to gain some insight on this particular issue, it's worth the trouble to install it. It will show you everything you need to know, including IPs, which galleries and even individual photos are being viewed by whom. Think it over.

Steve
http://www.downriverphotography.com

Steve - that is a great idea. I went to www.statcounter.com (http://www.statcounter.com) and signed up. Now what do I do? I copied the code they gave me in the footer section of the customization thing. Is that the right place? Is that going to let me know the stats on every gallery within my site, or just the first page? If not, how do you make it work on each gallery? I appreciate your help...
www.janellerodgers.smugmug.com (http://www.janellerodgers.smugmug.com)

[Andy]

Steve - that is a great idea. I went to www.statcounter.com (http://www.statcounter.com) and signed up. Now what do I do? I copied the code they gave me in the footer section of the customization thing. Is that the right place? Is that going to let me know the stats on every gallery within my site, or just the first page? If not, how do you make it work on each gallery? I appreciate your help...
www.janellerodgers.smugmug.com (http://www.janellerodgers.smugmug.com)
http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1092684

[SteveM]

Steve - that is a great idea. I went to www.statcounter.com (http://www.statcounter.com) and signed up. Now what do I do? I copied the code they gave me in the footer section of the customization thing. Is that the right place? Is that going to let me know the stats on every gallery within my site, or just the first page? If not, how do you make it work on each gallery? I appreciate your help...
www.janellerodgers.smugmug.com (http://www.janellerodgers.smugmug.com)
Yep, sounds right. Follow the link Andy provided to make sure you followed all the steps. Being that it's in your footer, and your footer is on all pages (hopefully!) it'll record every hit/page/view from any of your pages. StatCounter is updated realtime unlike Google Analytics which is updated once a day, so even you yourself should be able to visit your page(s) and check back at StatCounter to make sure it's working. Afterwards, you'll probably want to download StatCounter's cookie so it stops logging your hits, so you don't skew your own results.

Good luck!

Steve
http://www.downriverphotography.com

[Cason]

Was there an answer as to how the smugmug hit counter works?

[SteveM]

Was there an answer as to how the smugmug hit counter works?

http://www.smugmug.com/help/acctreport gives a pretty detailed account of how SmugStats work and what triggers them. Janelle's just happens to be on the fritz somehow and we're trying to track it down.

Steve
http://www.downriverphotography.com

[Allen]

After installing Statcounter and seeing that it works by looking at you own
hits, go into profile and set a blocking cookie. Then your free 100 hits will
not be used up by you. And make sure you do this for all the pc's on your
personal network. My wife used to sit in the kitchen on the laptop and use
up all my hits.
Al