racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

Performancing has recently re-launched its pMetrics blog analytics package. While there are a multitude of blog stats software and services out there, this one is specifically intended for bloggers, and is intended to be as intuitive and easy to use for tracking blog stats and performance.

Ryan Caldwell has announced that Performancing will give 12 months free premium subscription to bloggers who will review pMetrics. The service is actually free, but this is only for blogs that get less than 1,000 page views per day on average. I’m afraid the J Spot gets more than this (thankfully), so here I am reviewing the service so I can get the premium package.

*Disclaimer*: Performancing is part of Splashpress Media, the group I work for and help manage. However, this review is intended to be as objective as possible. I could prolly get pMetrics free, anyway, but to be fair to all concerned I’m reviewing it here.

My co-editor over at Jack of All Blogs has reviewed pMetrics already, and he has included some of the screen caps I intended to be part of a review on JOAB. However, I thought of passing it on to another contributor there so I can review pMetrics here instead (and get the freebies!).

Fast, user-friendly

I’ve been using the old Performancing Metrics, and I can say pMetrics is a whole different thing. Metrics was a bit slow (sometimes slowed down loading of my site), and the stats interface wasn’t too user friendly. pMetrics, meanwhile didn’t seem to cause slowdowns in loading (as is characteristic with some javascript on any site). And what I really like is the fast and straightforward interface.

I agree with Performancing that pMetrics indeed lets you see important stats at a glance, and without having to dig down deep.

That’s actually one of my gripes with Google Analytics. I guess it’s able to get the same amount of information as pMetrics, but it doesn’t present the data the way I like. Besides, Analytics is designed not only for blogs, so pMetrics has an advantage in terms of tracking the important stuff when it comes to blogging.

I particularly like the Spy feature, which lets users watch in (almost) real time what people are doing on their blogs.

Other features, which I think should be standard with any blog analytics software are those that present data and ranking on popular posts, keywords, and referrers.

Some recommendations

The Performancing team says it will continue adding features and functionalities to pMetrics. Here are some suggestions.

* Considering blog softwares like WordPress let users sign in with their own usernames (such as with team blogs, or for leaving comments), pMetrics could also keep track of users so blog owners could track the actions of each member. Big Brother-y, I know, but I think this would be interesting.
* pMetrics requires users to dig into their theme files to paste in a few lines of code. Maybe Performancing can also create a plugin (for WordPress, for instance) for this purpose. It might make it easier to install.
* I wonder if users of hosted services without access to their theme codes (like WordPress.com) can use pMetrics on their sites. Perhaps Performancing can partner with these services.
* Perhaps pMetrics should also provide analytics on where people actually click (hot spots, as they call it). This would help improve site usability and design, and even in optimizing placement of links/ads.

To conclude, I think pMetrics would be a useful tool for any blogger interested in watching his/her stats. An analytics package is an indespensable tool in blogging, whether you’re analyzing your stats to improve your readership, optimize for searches, or just watch what your readers are doing. If you’re just starting out, then pMetrics is very ideal because it’s free. If you already have good readership, then the $14.99/year (or $2/month) is reasonable enough.

And I’m not just recommending pMetrics because they’re giving me a free premium account (Hint! Hint!).

Here are some interesting info tidbits I picked up from yesterday’s One Internet Day Manila event. Maoi Arroyo, who presented on blogging for buzz (the most engaging presentation during the event, IMHO), cited some figures pertinent to blogger demographics in Metro Manila.

Based on the latest Blogosphere report (available only to Digital Filipino members), there’s an untapped way of talking to the young and upwardly mobile segment of Manilenyos:

* 18% of internet users read blogs
* 55% of bloggers are < 20 years old
* 20% of bloggers are between 20 to 29 years old
* 71% are male
* 84% are single
* 48% are students
* 97% have their own computers at home

I’d be interested in seeing the full details of the report. I guess I’d have to sign up for a membership for that (do you offer discounts for bloggers, Janette?). From this summary, though, one can surmise that there is still a good proportion of the Philippine market that can be tapped by blogging services or as blog readers, with only 18% reading blogs (knowingly or unknowingly, I’m not aware–there is a difference). I think there are about 10 million Internet users here in the country of about 80 million.

Thing is, most of our Internet users do not have their own computers at home. Some may have access to computers and the Internet at the workplace, but most others access the ‘net from cafes. The fact that 97% of bloggers have their own computers at home is indicative that the inconvenience of having to blog from an Internet cafe is a barrier to entry.

The figures are quite as expected, though, as they reflect the usual expectations from blogger/Internet user demographics. Most bloggers are younger than 20–perhaps teenagers–, most are male, and most are students. One notable concept from Maoi’s presentation yesterday was that the age group that comprises the 20-29 year-olds are probably what the marketers should target. They are, after all, the group with the most disposable income (as a ratio to total earnings) and probably the ones who have a higher propensity for consumption rather than saving.

Okay, sorry for the econ speak here. But you get the drift. When you’re young, unmarried and already earning–and you probably have stacks of credit cards–you’re bound to splurge on stuff for yourself. And this is just the ideal target for firms that sell clothes, apparel, gadgets, and other such things.

I think it’s a good idea to conduct a survey among my readers, just to know what my “market” is. After all I’m selling some things. And these are ideas.

Taking the cue from Elliot Back, I tried the speakeasy.net speed test and came up with the following results:

I got a download speed of 543 Kbps and an upload speed of 479 Kbps. Not bad, since my Sky DSL subscription’s published speed is “512 Kbps.” Actually, I could throttle that to 768 Kbps during offpeak hours, but I have to change my login username, and it’s quite a pain to have to configure the router manually to switch between on- and offline login. I think 500-something Kbps is good enough for the casual web-surfing and blogging. I’ll switch to 768 when I need to download some crazy large files (like what my bro, whom I share the DSL connection with via WiFi, did last night without telling me).

One caveat, though: at the time this test was taken, the local time was about 3:30 a.m.–hardly useful as a gauge for my connection’s usual speed because everyone else is frickin’ sleeping by this time. Well, it’s useful enough for me, since it’s usually the time I’m connected and working online.

But I would sure love to have the speeds Elliot’s getting via Cornell’s network! That’s 5.8 Mbps down and 1.1 Mbps up! Sweet! I think you could reach those speeds with some Verizon broadband setups. In Korea (South, of course) and Japan, you could get ten times that. On a mobile phone!

That’s broadband technology for you.