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You Might Be a Stat Junkie If…
September 16, 2013 3:52 pm
How often do you check your stats?
You might be a stat junkie if…
- You bought a cell phone mainly to check your stats away from home.
- You check a different device when nothing has changed just in case that might be the problem.
- You can’t resist the temptation to check your stats during a movie. Especially, a good movie.
- You actually spend more time during the day checking your stats than doing anything else.
- Your spouse calls from the room, “Honey, are you checking your stats again?” And your spouse is right.
- You checked your stats when you saw this post. Hey, they might have changed.
- You experience withdrawal symptoms when the internet is down, when your cell phone doesn’t work, when the site needs maintenance, when the phone line is out, or when you otherwise can’t check your stats for few minutes.
- You’re a member of Stat Checking Anonymous. Or, if having heard the name of this organization, you feel the need to join it, until you realize that it’s fictitious. Even worse, you feel like founding such a program because it should exist.
- You hardly get any writing done because you spend so much time checking your stats.
- You check your stats every time even the smallest thing doesn’t go your way, hoping the stats will make you happier.
- You get out a calculator to see how many sales you’ve averaged per day, or to figure out how many more you need to get back on track.
- You wish that you could receive an email every time a sale is made.
- Your stats control your mood.
- Your muse doesn’t come around anymore because you’re too busy checking your stats.
- You’ve ever checked your stats twice in a row (or more) because you forgot what the number was as soon as you logged out.
- You’ve ever cried because your stats disappointed you.
- You’ve ever walked into a wall, tripped, or otherwise mis-stepped because you were checking your stats while walking.
- You’ve ever bought your own product just to see the stats change. Then repeatedly became upset that haven’t changed yet.
- You can’t go to sleep until you finally get that one last sale. And when it doesn’t come for many hours, you start begging for it. Out loud.
Related Posts:
1. I got this idea from Victoria Grefer’s recent post: http://crimsonleague.com/2013/09/15/bloggers-why-you-shouldnt-be-a-stat-junkie/
2. If you missed my previous clockwatcher post, you might enjoy this: https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/06/29/authors-are-you-clockwatchers/
Chris McMullen, author of A Detailed Guide to Self-Publishing with Amazon and Other Online Booksellers, Vol. 1 (formatting/publishing) and Vol. 2 (packaging/marketing)
Posted by chrismcmullen
Categories: authors, authorship, entertainment, humor, publishing, royalty reports, sales, sales reports, self publishing, statistics, stats, writing
Tags: authors, authorship, books, entertainment, humor, publishing, royalty reports, sales reports, self publishing, statistics, stats, writing
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hahaha! lots of wisdom in the muse deserting you point…. that can happen. Stats are fun but…. yeah, perspective is key 🙂
By Victoria Grefer on September 16, 2013 at 3:58 pm
I’d like to see the stats of how many people check their stats daily and the average number of times they check their stats per day. 🙂
By chrismcmullen on September 16, 2013 at 9:37 pm
that would be fascinating!!!
By Victoria Grefer on September 16, 2013 at 9:44 pm
I’m guilty of a few of those. Think there needs to be a help group for indie authors and bloggers.
By Charles Yallowitz on September 16, 2013 at 4:50 pm
Absolutely. We could all sit down and check our stats together. 🙂
By chrismcmullen on September 16, 2013 at 9:37 pm
Oh my, this is so funny, Chris! I’m embarrassed to say that I’m guilty of more than a few of these! Victoria really started something with her post—I feel like I need to go to recovery meeting!
By change it up editing on September 16, 2013 at 5:14 pm
Which is more addicting? Stats or chocolate?
By chrismcmullen on September 16, 2013 at 9:38 pm
Is this like having “Rich People” problems? 🙂 I’m thankful I live on a mondest stat budget. It seems that acquiring a lot of stats may lead to and cause “real problems”. 😀
By Oldest Daughter Redheaded Sister on September 16, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Not at all. You can get addicted to stats even if you just sell sporadically. No matter what the numbers are, they can always be better, so the stats tempt you to see if they’ve improved. 🙂
By chrismcmullen on September 16, 2013 at 9:39 pm
Great post, Chris. I don’t have a stats plug-in for my site, and after reading the recent posts about the addictiveness of the whole process, I might just leave things the way they are.
By Kathy Steinemann on September 16, 2013 at 8:55 pm
It might save you much time and let you maintain better control of your emotions. 🙂 Though if you can check them in moderation, they may be interesting and even give a little potentially useful information. Good luck avoiding them.
By chrismcmullen on September 16, 2013 at 9:40 pm
I haven’t gotten caught up in that yet, maybe because I am still writing for fun and pleasure.
By sknicholls on September 16, 2013 at 9:32 pm
Good for you. 🙂 You can certainly get addicted to stats even if it’s just for fun and pleasure. There are bloggers, for example, who don’t sell anything, but are addicted to their WP stats. And authors who, like you, just write for the enjoyment, but are addicted checking what attention their books are getting (not the number of dollars). But I suppose if one were strongly focused on the money, the stats would seem more dire and less fun.
By chrismcmullen on September 16, 2013 at 9:44 pm
LOL…. I guess I just haven’t had time to think of it. LOL I did have one person get upset with me because they thought I was actually trying to get “followers”…LOL. I’ve never been the “leader” type, but then I’m not the “follower” type either. Guess that’s good or we’d probably all go over the cliff if I was in charge… haha. Cute and enjoyable. Maybe now I’ll try to actually check my stats… do I even have stats? LOL
By kelihasablog on September 17, 2013 at 1:58 am
That’s neat. You weren’t interested in your stats until you learned about all the problems they can cause. 🙂 I guess you can enjoy the experience, too.
By chrismcmullen on September 17, 2013 at 2:14 am
LOL… I think it’s that I know I won’t remember them by tomorrow, so why bother with it today… LOL 😀
By kelihasablog on September 17, 2013 at 2:18 am