RESOLVED:Looks Like the Stats are Only Up-to-date & Valid Twice a Week

1. 52

   janderson99posted 9 years ago

   The stats have frozen again,  and have not been updated for 12 hours (heading for the weekend). Earlier in the week they were stuck for 3 days. That means that the stats are only OK, twice a week - very disappointing! It has been getting worse lately.
   Please fix this HP staff.  Thanks.

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      LongTimeMotherposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not convinced the most recent update is accurate ... because, again, accounts page and hub stats don't necessarily match.

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      Matthew Meyerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      If you would like more granular and timely information related to visitors to your Hubs, we suggest using Google Analytics.

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      1. 52

         janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I use Google Analytics which is updated daily, but it does not provide the level of detail provided by the stats page that I need to manage my hubs. I would be happy if the stats page reliably updated once or twice a day. The instances where the stats are clearly wrong that have occurred over the last few weeks are very annoying. Even when they are accurate they are often out of date. What occurs is that the stats freeze and the hour counter starts to extend out. Then the system clicks back into action, but the stats take several hours to catch up and to match the stated time. The stats are very useful during the first few days after a new hub is added or edited as an author can track how traffic is responding. Please restore accurate and reliable stats twice a day, at a stated time, if the rolling update can't be delivered reliably. Thanks.

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            CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I'm so disgusted with the lack of professionalism from HP that I haven't posted anything new in 2 weeks.  I used to do 2-3 new hubs a week. It would be professional to give hubbers notice: "Stats AND earnings are delayed because we are working on upgrading the site" Then give an estimated time for when things will be normal again. The silence from HP makes me feel like one morning I'll turn on my computer, click on HP, and it will be gone. It feels like something is very, very, wrong.

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         TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Matt,
         
         As I have told you, pointing writers towards using GA is not an adequate response when it comes to lowering frustrations and morale about stats that do not update regularly.
         
         Clearly there is some flaw in your system that is causing this problem.  To not fix it is to rub salt in the wounds of people who are honestly trying to do their best and need this information in order to be able to make corrections, etc.
         
         This may not be your decision, but it is Paul Edmonson's.  You guys need to fix this once and for all.  The few people who are asking you for help are the tip of the iceberg and represents many others who simply do not want to speak up for fear of reprisals, etc.
         
         Their frustration, however, is every bit as painful as that of those who keep asking you to fix this issue.
         
         I urge the team to meet, examine this problem and do whatever is necessary to fix it.  To not do this is an insult to every writer here and will eventually turn many people away from the site.
         
         Is this really what Paul wants?

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            CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Time traveler amen.

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            littlethingposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            +1

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            peeplesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            +1, yet I see there doesn't appear to be an updated explanation. Why is giving a simple explanation of what's going on such a hassle? It seems Hp would want to tell us what is going on that is causing the delay so that we can all make informed rational decisions. It makes me wonder if HP is losing control of the website. Are they having an issue with advertising? Does it just make more sense for them to update a couple times a week? There has to be an actual answer, and I can't think of a logical reason one hasn't been provided.

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               CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Yes, peeples. I'm sure many of us are having the same questions and doubts.

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               calculus-geometryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               The truth would make them look bad, therefore they say nothing and let everyone go on speculating best-case scenarios.
               
               They have unfixable server problems, mixed with some garden-variety employee incompetence.

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                  Sue Adamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  How do you know this?

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      3. 85

         Jayne Lancerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I hate automated responses like this. I wish there were somebody able to give a decent reply - I think many of us are interested to know what's going on with the stats.

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      4. 67

         makingamarkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I'd quite like all the information that Google Analytics does not give me - but the HubPages stats do.
         
         Is there no recognition that only having part-time statistics begins to undermine any confidence in how these statistics are counted and work re the way the money is divvied up between HubPages and account holders?
         
         I've noticed I now visit much less often now the stats are so often out of date
         
         I wonder how many account holders are doing the same thing
         
         I wonder what sort of impact that's having on traffic - and ranking within Google.

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            +11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

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      Matthew Meyerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I made a new forum thread with related updates.
      You can find it here.
      http://hubpages.com/forum/post/2742823

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         janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks very much for the update and the commitment to fix the stats. Very much appreciated. Thanks.

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2. 94

   LongTimeMotherposted 9 years ago

   I'd appreciate official word advising us just how often we should expect updates - including whether or not we are to forget about receiving updates during weekends.
   
   If updates are only to be expected every few days, we should be told so we can save ourselves from the frustration of checking unsuccessfully.
   .

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      jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      +1 I would like to see a basic standard: an automatic announcement on the stats page after 8 hours of no stats, followed by fresh updates every 4 hours. Is that too much to ask? We would have realistic expectations and stop talking about it in the forums.

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3. 0

   calculus-geometryposted 9 years ago

   This post assumes they are able to fix it. What if they are unable to?

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      In the past this problem never existed, so it only makes sense that there is a way to fix it.  The team needs to hire a tech person who can explore this issue and repair it.  If it worked once, it should be able to work again.  If it works at all, it should also be able to work regularly.  At the very least page views should show daily.  The money can wait if that is what's getting in the way.  Matt has already said they are two different systems.

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   2. 52

      janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It is a matter or priority I guess and a willingness to fix it, rather than having the ability to fix it. HP does not seem to see this as important enough to devote the resources to fix it - sadly. That it needs to be fixed is clearly evident from the thousands of forum posts about it over many months. It is worse now than it has ever been. When that stats are wrong it affects many things - hub score, unfeaturing, rankings, etc. It also triggers panic from authors that their traffic has plunged etc.

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         calculus-geometryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I think they are incapable of fixing it and will never admit it.

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         1. 52

            janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Stats from a database is basic stuff. If they want or care to fix it they would do so. Keep complaining and one day it will happen - like the demise of related search ads. Never give up. They need the stats to run the site - hub scores, hubber scores, de-featuring etc. So they are important and should be correct.
            
            Update: Stats 10 hours behind now and so will probably remain frozen over the weekend. Sad

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               TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

               +1

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               calculus-geometryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               If they were capable of fixing them, they would have done so by now.

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         2. 78

            TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            If that's the case, we are all in trouble because we'll never be sure with regards to what we actually are earning, how many views we are getting, etc.  This could bring the site down.

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               janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Earning are complied separately.

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               1. 78

                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Yes, I know, but earnings are based on page views and ad revenue.  When we have incomplete or inaccurate information, how do we know if the earnings truly match the page view stats?

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                  1. 52

                     janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     I agree. The earnings stats were reviewed and changed recently, after several people complained that the views remained identical for 3 days in a row. Accurate stats from both sources are needed.

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                  2. 94

                     Susana Sposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     I believe earnings stats are provided to HubPages via the ad providers (just like adsense stats are given to us) so any irregularities should be down to the ad network rather than HP.
                     
                     That glitch with the number of impressions was a bit weird as there has never been anything like that happen before, but as the earnings were different for each day it leads me to believe that they were accurate, despite having the same number of impressions shown.

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                        Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        No, they weren't accurate, because when Matthew M. reported those stats were being fixed all of the earnings figures changed!

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   3. 77

      psycheskinnerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Then they should remove it entirely, or automate a field saying when it was last updated.

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4. 84

   Chriswillman90posted 9 years ago

   I won't bother complaining about this issue anymore as it happens too frequently. At least there are occasional updates, but Google Analytics should be everyone's go to by now. If it ever gets resolved then great, it would at the very least increase the morale of several hubbers.

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      ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      +1 It would be nice to have it fixed, but this has been an issue off and on for a long time, not just the past few weeks.  I like the stats to work here, but I've learned to use analytics as well because at least that is reliable.

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   Susana Sposted 9 years ago

   My guess is that they don't have the money to fix it in which case I'd rather they leave it at the bottom of their priority list.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      We can guess all we like, but nobody but the team knows what the real issues are.  I wish they would just come clean instead of making excuses or remaining silent on the issue.

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6. 60

   Mark Ewbieposted 9 years ago

   With no working stats there is less need for me to visit daily.
   
   Cheers.

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7. 53

   paradigm searchposted 9 years ago

   @HP Please stop updating the traffic stats. They're too depressing.
   
   Sorry, couldn't resist.
   
   I shall now rapidly depart so as to not be shot by my fellow Hubbers.

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      Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      

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         paradigm searchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         
         
         Jeez, that 104 is grim. Seems like yesterday we were 65.

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            That was before we had an update lol!

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   2. 52

      janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Don't worry stats are busted again!
      16 hours+ tick tick tick

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8. 52

   janderson99posted 9 years ago

   Still busted => 22+ hours now
   Can the record of 3 days be exceeded??????
   Very disappointing. Stats are important. Come on, please fix this.

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9. 52

   janderson99posted 9 years ago

   Now its 36 hours +
   So no stats over the weekend
   ad program pending since last Wed
   Amazon also pending
   Everything is on hold.

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      paradigm searchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I, too, was concerned. So I stopped by their office. The door was ajar. I went in. All the computers, furniture, and everything else were gone.
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      Just kidding....

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      1. 41

         Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         

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      2. 41

         Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         You lied.  I know the computers are still working because my Hubber Score just dropped by a point! 
         
         Isn't it amazing how the Hubber and Hub Scores are updated more frequently than the traffic and earnings stats.

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         1. 52

            janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Worst still the Hubber and Hub Scores updates are based on the incorrect and out of date traffic stats. Good reason for the stats to be fixed. We are victims of the churn and wild ride due to poor stats. Traffic sources are also affected. The stats do matter!
            
            The best way to see your Hubber Score drop is to make more friends (>5 a day) via following more people.  Silly! Needs to be fixed as well.

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            1. 95

               jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               I've noticed the same, janderson99. The pattern is very consistent: hubber- and hubscores are tied to the stats and activity more than they were before. For example, mine drops immediately after I post a Q&A answer. When stats are stuck, hubberscore goes down, then back up when stats are updated. It's like clock work.

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      3. 77

         colorfuloneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Well, I have to admit that is funny!

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            paradigm searchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Figured I'd better include that "just kidding" part. Didn't want to start another riot around here.

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               colorfuloneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               What, you start a riot?  No way! 

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10. 52

    janderson99posted 9 years ago

    Stats are updated BUT they are WRONG - perchance they will improve with time. The sea of blue arrows due to only half the traffic being displayed. Stand by for Hubber score to plunge. Ho Hum! The trials and tribulations of HP stats.

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       jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       +1

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       paradigm searchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       True. Caused me to check GA. I'm happy to report my traffic is actually higher today than yesterday.

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11. 52

    janderson99posted 9 years ago

    Now they have caught up and look OK. But who knows - that is the issue
    Includes data from 5 hours ago.
    So they are probably correct once in 3 days,

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12. 52

    janderson99posted 9 years ago

    Now the Stats are frozen again and the hour counter is increasing.
    So the stats were correct ONCE in the last 3 days. At all other times they were incorrect (out of date) or simply wrong (the counter seems to take 4 hours to catch up once the systems gets defrosted). The important point is that it is hard to know when the stats are correct or impossible!

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13. 52

    janderson99posted 9 years ago

    Stats appeared correct for 2 hours, but then froze and have not been updated for 12 hours and counting.

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       Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       

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          janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

          

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14. 52

    janderson99posted 9 years ago

    Stats now frozen solid and stuck for 16 hours - tick, tick, tick
    Progress graphic so far - Correct once in 3-4 days!!!
    
    

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    janderson99posted 9 years ago

    No change - now 11 hours plus since last update - tick tick tick

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16. 98

    littlethingposted 9 years ago

    I wouldn't mind even if they were updated every 12 hours or so now... just as long as we don't have anymore 40+ hours where there's nothing at all

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       CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Anything is better than nothing. Just as long as it is regular; same time(s) everyday.

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    janderson99posted 9 years ago

    CONCLUSION
    
    Monitoring the Stats over 2 weeks has revealed the following:
    
    => The rate at which the stats are updated has declined to once every 8-12 hours at best. It used to be every 2-3 hours
    ► Expect to see "includes data from 5-12 hours" most of the time i.e. data is from 5-12 hours ago
    
    => Once or twice a week, especially at the end of the month, or over the weekends the traffic is delayed by 2-3 days
    ► Data is 2-3 day out of date once or twice a week, and this affects many functions such as the scores and 'unfeature' decisions
    
    => Once or twice a week expect the data to be WRONG for 3-5 hours. What appears to happen is that the stats are compiled hourly(?2, 3 ??) After a reset from a delay or broken period, the 'buckets' start to fill but do so gradually. This means that data is only from a 3 hour (6? 12?) period and it will be only 1/3 to 1/2 of the stats over a 24 hour period. There is no way of knowing when these errors occur and how to know when the stats are WRONG
    ► If the stats are very low, maybe half what you expect, then don't trust them. Wait until the hour counter shows a refresh OR check Google Analytics to check if it an error
    
    OVERALL COMMENTS
    
    ► I am shocked at how bad the stats system really is. Authors depend on their stats to monitor how their pages are performing and to make decisions about editing etc.
    
    ► Hubpages uses the stats traffic data in many different ways - Hubscore, Hubber score, whether to 'unfeatured for traffic' and to display the red and blue arrows etc. Bad data also affects traffic sources information.
    
    ► The roller coaster ride of the stats and the fact that they are wrong at least once a week and more, and often days out of date, is probably a major reason why hubscores and hubber scores fluctuate so much, causing so much trauma in the community. Look at all the forum posts!!!!
    
    ► The statement from HP that people should go to Google Analytics is not good enough. The data there are much harder to see, view and sort, for individual hubs, and you cannot see the connection between hub scores and traffic, etc.
    
    ► Stats is fundamental for HP authors. It should be easy to get from a database. Why is it so hard and why is it being wound-back in terms of regular updates and reliability? Look at the huge number of forum threads about stats and it is clear that the HP community wants and deserves GOOD UP-TO-DATE STATS. Its fundamental!!
    
    HP PLEASE FIX THE STATS
    
    Down Scope

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       littlethingposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Agreed. Totally agreed. I have no clue what changed past the new look and ad partners. Neither of which would seem to cause such a major problem with the stats. I'm also shocked at the lack of response. Even just being told that they are aware of the issue is better than radio silence.

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          Sherry Hewinsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          The main reason I log on to HubPages is to check my stats. Now I guess there is no reason to log on.

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             Sue Adamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Exactly, looking at the stats page is a waste of time these days. So...
             
             If stats define hub scores and hubber scores and they are not updated regularly and are often incorrect, then there is no point in having them. Maybe just get rid of scores and stats altogether. No more frustration! All we need to know on a daily basis is how much money we have in the kitty. Maybe it's time to move on and concentrate on more important issues like improving the site's design for mobile first as suggested by janderson99 in this post:
             
             http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/131050#post2740514
             
             PS we might even be lucky and get the share buttons back in the reader's face.
             
             I am starting a new thread on RWD.
             
             What's that? Find out here:
             
             http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/131085

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                LongTimeMotherposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                Hi Sue. I think getting rid of the stats would be a huge disservice to the community. I explained why on your new thread.

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                TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                I disagree.  Many people use the stats to help them analyze how their hubs are doing.  There is much more to this than just what you earn.  Even when they are not totally correct and show up only randomly, at the end of the day they do get corrected and the money balances out.
                
                I would really hate to see the stats pages go, and suggesting that they do is a disservice to many who write here, including me.

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    2. 52

       janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       PS data updated to 2 hours ago just now => 2/3 the traffic level it should be. Buckets are filling!!!!??? Analytics shows no change in hourly traffic.
       THESE DATA ARE SIMPLY WRONG!!!!! Not Good Enough HP

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18. 90

    peeplesposted 9 years ago

    Mine finally updated with an unbelievable # and 9 down blue arrows!

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19. 80

    Sed-meposted 9 years ago

    In 7 mos. I have earned one dollar and twenty-two cents... money I do not ever expect to see, to be honest.

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       TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       That is probably because
       
       1 you have not written enough hubs.  You won't start earning until you have around 50 unless they are on topics people really want to read, like Rob Hamptons  swimming pool care advice hubs.
       
       2.  you are mostly writing poetry, fiction and blogs with a few recipes sprinkled in.  The first two don't do well on HP and the third has tons of competition.

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          Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I realize that. My style of writing is not a good match for Hubpages. I did have over 80 hubs on my last account and it only made slightly more, but then I would go back to my first comment.

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    paradigm searchposted 9 years ago

    Well now, my traffic so far has been higher this week than last week. Who'd have thunk it...?
    
    As for our ongoing HP traffic stats page adventures, I shall defer to others. My GA training sessions are coming along quite nicely.

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    janderson99posted 9 years ago

    PS
    The stats that have been displayed for the last 21 hours +
    ARE WRONG (2/3 of actual traffic)
    Please fix the stats

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       CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I checked GA past 30 days against HP past 30 days. They are fairly close--is about 3% higher which could be because GA is more up to date.

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          janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Yes, it averages out longer term, but day-to-day there are major errors.

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    paradigm searchposted 9 years ago

    Ya know..., the whole thing has probably degenerated into spaghetti code after all these years. My guess is they need to rewrite the whole thing from scratch.

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    The Examiner-1posted 9 years ago

    So far this week I have had mine Monday through Wednesday.

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    janderson99posted 9 years ago

    Stats have upgraded (3 hours ago) [after being stuck and wrong for 2 days] - Looks like they are correct!!
    Here's hoping!!!!

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       Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       

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          janderson99posted 9 years agoin reply to this

          
          
          No regrets for trying to get stats fixed. [unlikely but hope springs]
          A stopped clock is right twice a day

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             paradigm searchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Love that pic!

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