This guest post is by Deb of Science@home.
Do you spend enough time looking at your stats?
What a statement to start with, given that the mantra seems to be to check once a week and don't waste too much time on your stats. And I agree with what seems to be the reasoning—if you are spending all that time looking at your stats, what else could you be doing that's more productive? There also seems to be an underlying feeling that for us little guys the stats might be just too darn depressing, so staying away might be good for your mental health and motivation.
Readers are people (image is author's own)
Your stats are the key to finding out what is important to all those people who have found you and like you but aren't saying anything. I know it's traditional to try to talk to those people and get them talking to you, but to get those comments in the first place you need to learn about the silent majority. The more you find out about them, the more likely you are to hit on what's important to them.
Here are four ways your stats can help you learn about your community.
Nationality
It's obvious, but can be important. Do you need to be aware of the seasons, holidays, and traditions of your readers? Even though I'm Australian, many of my readers come from the US and a large number are from Europe. This makes me consider how to balance my stories of running around in the bush and make sure I offer indoor activities too when my readers are snowed...
