I recently installed a snazzy device in my sidebar, which tells me the locations of people who drop by at my blog and the pages they read. Then, they plot the visits on a map of the world with a dinky star – thus giving me an idea of the geographical spread of page hits. (Now, I know some of the engineers would be sniggering since there is nothing very technologically advanced about this but I am rather wonderstruck with technology!)
Predictably, India, North Western Europe, the British Isles and the university towns of the USA make up an overwhelming majority of my readership.
But there are a huge number of locations from which only one reader had come – presumably while researching chromosomal disorders or Amitav Ghosh – and hastily retreated.
But their locations are impressively esoteric. A random sample includes:
Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania
Lima, Peru
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Honolulu, Hawaii
Rimouski, Quebec, Canada
Mega, Papua, Indonesia
Daegu, Taegu-Jhikalasi, Korea (South)
Vilnius, Lithuania
Helsinki, Southern Finland
Istanbul, Turkey
Even stranger than these one-off visitors – easily explained by wrong search terms – is the location of multiple visitors.
My most populous readership base in Bombay with 190+ readers till now, followed by Delhi (110+), Calcutta (90+) and Chennai (60+). If I sit down and list the readers, I think I can come up with about 10 people from each city whom I know to be reading this.
What about the rest? Are they all trying to find out about Dharmendra’s acceptance speech at the Filmfare awards?
There are 30+ readers in London – of which I know about 5. 15 in Dubai, of which I think I know 1. There are 10 in Muscat, of which I know 2. And 13 in Singapore, of which I know 1.
Then come the smaller towns all over the place.
Some 13 people from ‘Nokia, Western Finland’ have come here.
15 from Durham and 7 from Charlotte (both in North Carolina), 8 from Salt Lake City (Utah, not Calcutta) and 7 from Lansing (Michigan). Another 15 are from Austin, Texas.
17 from San Jose (California) would probably be Nilendu checking in from behind multiple firewalls.
And these numbers keep on increasing!
In India, there are 16 readers from Krishna district in AP and 7 from Lamba in Rajasthan. Are the distributors from my FMCG days trying to see if I still remember them? Of course I do, Srinivasa Rao-garu!
In fact, right now, somebody from Nagar in Rajasthan is reading the Shilpa Shetty post...
Obviously, so many people from these smaller towns would not be coming due to search engine misdirection. So, am I to believe that they are coming here on purpose?
What is the real reason? Or, is it a sleight of hand performed by my ‘snazzy device’?
If the readers from the aforementioned towns do exist, would they please be kind enough to raise their hand and give attendance? I mean, how the hell did the 7 of you from Erie (Colorado) land up?
Actually, if any of you have come back to this blog, would you identify yourself?
Damn, I so hated to do this in college. And now, I am asking others to record attendance!
Comments
Love your posts on Kolkata, books and cinema.
Me from Amchi Mumbai (none of the other fancy places u mentioned; sigh!!!)...A friend of mine (a Bong, who else) suggested me this site & am hooked since then...Am a big movie buff & love the way you write about movies...And books as well...
Keep blogging.
Cheers,
PK
Sowmya
I visit from Boston - I think I came by from Rimi's blog. Cinema and Life and Times in Delhi/Kolkatta - what's not to love?
Landed here thru MM's blog.
Rock On!!
Amsterdam reporting in for duty Sir!
And, tell me about this new tech gizmo, me want it too...if you are willing to part with the secret.
I read your blog because I want to read it - I owe no explanations.
Cheers.
I am a frequent visitor and commentator too...
Most of the smaller towns in USA that you mention are university towns as well. Don't know why, just thought of mentioning.
From Mumbai, wandered here from MM's blog, I like it and and will contibuw reading and commenting (albeit infrequently)....
Not a bong, but grew up in Kolkata amidst common surroundings ( my permanent address pin code is also 700 029..:D)..
did you name Goa? i am from this touristy place, not a tourist though. i love bollywood humour and other eclectic posts you carry on your blog.
keep writing.
-- ashish
PS: i am a teacher, who hates taking attendance :-)
-- ashish
coz i'm a bangalorean, studying at suratkal, and i shuttle between home and college quite frequently, and read your blog from both places... i stumbled on your blog when i was looking for quick gun murugan and sambar westerns.
That was many months ago, think it was in april/may, i've been a loyal reader ever since.
Path:greatbong-->Rimi-->dipta
I've read your blog from Boston, NYC, Mumbai, Chennai and London, so surely your system must be counting moi multiple times? considering they have all been from different comps?
also, for some strange reason I always, absolutely always, go to your page to go to MM's page! its almost as though I cannot type in a new id in the address bar! so your hit rate would have gone up quite a bit these past few months!
hmm?
Uma
I wandered on your page through MM's blog and have been a regular since. I enjoy your humorous obsession with movie, music literature and anything that makes life a smile.
I also enjoyed you wife's updates on your son. And still keep checking...
Keep writing,
Sorry, couldn't resist a soft dig at this thoroughly self indulgent exercise. I mean who gives a damn :))
And guess who is spending Pujo AND Kalipujo in Cal ... :))
@ All: Thanks. Normal programming will resume soon.
anywyz, abt me.. well i landed up here thanx to Rimi.. i.e. thru her blog!!
cheerio...
Love the Bollywood pieces, and the quiz ones.
Lot younger than you but share the same views as you on college days and I commented about it in one of your posts. Based in Berlin mentally and in Munich physically. Try to do research these days until the lab fairy forces me to say...damn...another failed experiment! and retire back to the comp to read your blogs. Came across you while looking for Samaresh's Arjun...i guess because of your post on books. Love it, keep going...!
Again, here from MMs. But she got rid of her blogroll, boo hoo !! So now I acually have to remember and type in URLs. Am too lazy to set up reader or RSS.
Minka
Am from Chennai - but if you wish, I can proxy for Timbuktu, Mali as well!
Shantaram
I visit your blog from Surrey, Uk.
K