I couldn't agree more. Actual downloads is a much better statistic than feed subscribers. The problem is that we don't share those numbers.
Other than the fact that many vloggers use the VlogMap-FeedBurner page as a way to see rankings, I like to analyze my own FeedBurner readership numbers to see what the penetration for each aggregator is. It is disappointing to me when I cannot justify the numbers that are being reported, especially since I'm publicizing this feature on VlogMap. I've always thought that the FB numbers were at best slightly accurate, but at least we were all on the same playing field. Even the few aggregators that over/under reported were the same for all of us. However, that is not true the past few days. LeanBackVids has unfairly jumped in the ranks due to a huge increase in My Yahoo readers, but others have not. I just can't see how LBV got over 80% of its readers from a aggregator that was barely listed two days ago. Sucks - maybe the 2nd-most popular feature on VlogMap has become less valuable overnight. -Matt ----------------------- http://ridertech.com http://leanbackvids.com http://vlogmap.org --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Bill Streeter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I have no idea if they're stats are accurate or not. According to > their stats subscriptions have been pretty flat for about a month > now. No major spikes or dips. According to what they say on their > site they have some kind of algorithm so they aren't counting the > same client twice etc. But I gotta wonder, that with all the > variables involved if there couldn't be some mistakes made. I don't > really give as much weight to the subscriber numbers as much as > actual downloads; which is probably a closer representation of your > audience. But it's hard to account for the people who download > something every time they want to view I guess, rather than keeping > files locally for review. And I'm pretty sure that there are a lot > of people who do this, especially those who are less tech savvy. So > really I don't really see how you can get a very accurate number for > you audience. The best you can do is ballpark it. But I would bet > that you can at least safely assume that at least twice as many > people are downloading your videos as you have subscribers, since > the whole RSS aggregation thing hasn't really penetrated very deep > in to popular consciousness yet. > > Bill Streeter > LO-FI SAINT LOUIS > www.lofistl.com > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "LeanBackVids.com" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I guess, but 889 readers (84%) from My Yahoo seems very suspicious. > > > > VlogMap's Blog was featured on the default My Yahoo page a few > months > > ago and we didn't even get that many new readers then. Now > VlogMap's > > feed shows a ton of readers from Google Desktop (48%)? > > > > Until I see a traffic increase on my server stats, I'm sticking to > my > > bug theory. > > > > As for the image suggestion, each of our videos already has an > image > > associated with it. It doesn't help much since the total number of > > server requests from FeedBurner has never exceeded the listed > number > > of readers (for any of my sites). > > > > Of course, that is probably due to caching. > > > > -Matt > > ----------------------- > > http://ridertech.com > > http://leanbackvids.com > > http://vlogmap.org > > > > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Michael Meiser > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > Not so sure about that. > > > > > > I long thought feedburner was under-reporting. At least > according to > > > my stats. I believe it's do to both services like blogines and > the > > > fact that RSS aggregators don't hit your feed everyday. I sort > of > > > expected numbers would rise after they started inproving > tracking. > > > Probably the best thing to do would be to start putting a > tracking > > > image or something in the feed so you can track unique reads of > a > > > post over multiple days... This instead of requests or using > an > > > API... this would give you a better idea of how many people > were > > > reading your feed daily, every other day or once a week in > addittion > > > to giving more accurate subscriber stats... Then many of you > have > > > unique videos and unique images in your feed what do you think? > > > > > > -Mike > > > > > > > > > On Dec 15, 2005, at 10:45 AM, LeanBackVids.com wrote: > > > > > > I'm beginning to wonder what happened to FeedBurner's validity. > It > > > all started with the bloated Mefeedia numbers, but now I'm seeing > > > other aggregators get reported wrong (or at least I have good > reason > > > to think so). > > > > > > In less than a few days, each of my feeds have increased due > to "odd" > > > readers (not iTunes, FireANT or Mefeedia). Neither My Yahoo nor > > > Google Desktop has ever been represented very high, but now they > are a > > > major chuck of the pie. The fact that my server stats have not > > > deviated from the norm and do not show many referrals from these > sites > > > makes me think it is another bug. > > > > > > Here are my suspicious numbers... > > > > > > LeanBackVids = 889 from My Yahoo (yeah right!) > > > VlogMap = 48 from Google Desktop (doubt it) > > > Ridertech = 36 from My Yahoo (slight chance) > > > > > > This leads me to a point I made a while back... What happens if a > > > person wants to move off FeedBurner? The only answer I can come > up > > > with is that you'd be screwed. Oh well, bloated numbers are > better > > > than when the LBV feed got locked up in iTunes and we lost half > our > > > readers. > > > > > > -Matt > > > ----------------------- > > > http://ridertech.com > > > http://leanbackvids.com > > > http://vlogmap.org > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! 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