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November 29, 2007
Visitor tracking and pit of your stomach emotional weirdness
I read something last week that reminded me of the power of visitor tracking - I forget what - and I mentioned it to my collegial non-blogging but regular reader and occasional commenter next door office neighbor. Then I showed her what I get from Sitemeter for free. You can skim down in the right hand column and click on my Sitemeter badge and see some stuff too, I suppose. I hadn't really looked at the hit tracker much lately, but sitting here at home with my foot elevated (grrrr, sez the Gouty Professor) I happened to look again.
Someone googled me - http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Michael Tinkler. I click on the little link and discover that said googling was done from these scenic Colleges' own server - by a Windows user. This visitor spent a couple of minutes on my site and then clicked out via one of the dog pictures from last week.
So why am I feeling - um - observed? Because I figure that many people on campus who do read me have me bookmarked or can remember "Crankyprofessor.com." Those who are coming to look for the first time may well be - gulp - people reading my Tenure Box, a process I assume is going on right now. I made no mention of the blog in my tenure case, but one of the outside reviewers did, which might tip the committee off.
I don't think googling candidates for jobs or promotions is an invasion of privacy. I never tried to be particularly anonymous here; perhaps I was naive, but when I started blogging in 2002 (thanks to Amy Welborn and Megan McArdle, the latter of whom actually said something like "why don't you get a blog of your own?") I didn't consider possible professional implications. However, I've always assumed that I'm writing in public, and have consequently done my best to avoid annoying my friends and loved ones any more than I do in person.
Of course, maybe it's just the professor for whom I dog sat, looking at the cute picture of his dog in the snow.
Yeah.
I'll think about it that way.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at November 29, 2007 1:40 PM
Comments
Earlier today I read an article at NewAdvent dot com and saw your name as the transcriber. I highlighted your name which searched for it and looked at the lengthy list, ultimately opening one of the cranky professor pages and later hitting your home page.
Although I rarely search for the names of transcribers, who knows! Some of the traffic may come from just that source: New Advent, and then your name in a search engine.
By the by, "faculty" is a typo along the right hand side links! LOL.
God bless, and Merry Christmas. May your Rome trip and class be astounding.
Theresa
Posted by: Theresa at December 29, 2007 12:11 PM