Page views. How valuable is that statistic to you? It indicates the number of times an image has been viewed. But there is more to it than that. A low number of page views means that people are either not returning to the post or are passing it by. That can be disappointing and can be construed as a silent comment in itself. It tells me that there is something about the posted image that is not "quite there yet". A high number means people are stopping to look but if the ratio of page views to comments is low then it could mean the image is not "quite there yet" again.
Sometimes the page views are off to a slow start and by the time the bottom of the page has risen to meet it, the number has increased significantly. Page views can also be given a boost if it is the first on the list for awhile. A rarity in ESS Gallery.
Personally I find page views of value and am happy when I surpass the 200 mark by the bottom of the page. And when the comments fall into the double figures I am overjoyed and very thankful
What are your thoughts on this? Thank you for your replies.
I agree, Will, to some extent. I look at page views as having some value in terms of how many people felt the thumbnail was worth opening. I've always wondered if certain thumbnail views would generate a lot more views than others, even if the photos are similar. I have a feeling that a thumbnail with, say, a rainbow and high dynamic range would get a lot of views, regardless of the quality of the actual image.
That being said, I'm still glad when I know that at least my image is being looked at based on the number of views, but some subjects will just natually yield more views. (Just as some photographer names will.) Certain galleries are much more heavily visited, as well.
I personally don't use the thumbnail pages, and just start going through all of the images using the "Next Photo" links. Most times I don't even know which gallery an image has been posted in (although it would be nice if this showed up somewhere on the full image).
Interesting thoughts Will. I have long looked at the page views as an indicator that the thumbnail has peaked an interest and warrants further scrutiny by the viewer. But I think that it's the combination of photographer's name (reputation), thumbnail & title that form the basis of a high page view number.
As an example, I have an image on the Flora forum right now titled "Ivy Patterns" which has a fairly low page view number but the comments to view ratio is very high. The title "Ivy Patterns" probably doesn't stimulate much interest from the casual viewer but for those consistent participants on the forum I've gained enough creditablity for them to open my images even if the subject is not something they are particularly interested in.
So to answer your question, page views are fairly important to me because they are indicators that I'm addressing at least one of those components.
On a related note, in this thread the OP was considering the high ratio of views to comments on most photos. I have reposted my response to that below;
I guess my reason for this post is wondering why there is only about 3% of the members who view the posted photos on NPN who will take the time to leave a comment about other photographers work.
Once again, a few critical points to consider before trying to draw any conclusions;
1. The NPN IC galleries are open to public view. Not only that, but no registration or log-in is required to simply view the IC galleries and all of the images they contain. As you know, a registration/log-in is required to post comments.
2. Go open up a new browser window right now and go to Google. Then type in the following search phrases and look what you find;
Those three phrases cover much of the world of nature photography, wouldn't you say? How hard was it to find NPN?
3. Now take points 1 and 2 above and consider them together - anyone surfing the Internet who is interested in nature photography will usually end up on this site! As proof of this, check out this screen shot from our stats program. As you can see in the "unique visitors" column, nearly 100,000 people visit NPN monthly - and that includes perusing the NPN IC galleries!
Rest assured not all of those unique visitors are "members" - if that was the case, The Lovely Donna and I would be able to quit our jobs and live a life of luxury ($49 a year times 100,000 wouldn't be such a bad living, would it?).
Conclusion - NPN is visited by tens of thousands of nature lovers each month, most of whom are not photographers - much less NPN members. They surf into the NPN IC galleries, enjoy the fantastic nature photography posted there and then leave. A tiny percentage of them are active NPN participants who are posting their own photos and commenting on others.
Please keep this in mind when considering the ratio of views/comments on photos posted on this site.
Jim, I was not concerned about the ratio of views/comments but just for the views in themselves. I did mention ratio of page views to comments but only as an example on how I would analyze the number of views. I have seen some posts with an enormous number of page views and only two comments. Clearly it has been visited by many of the "unique visitors". What drew them to that thumbnail to click on it? Another thing I wonder about the page views is how many are return visits? It would be interesting to know because the image has something going for it if someone comes back for a second look. It could also mean that some have reserved commenting for later. Whatever the case returns are meaningful. I often go back for another look even after I have commented. Sometimes to see if there is a response; other times simply because I enjoyed the first visit and want more.
I find it a pleasure and a privilege to be an active NPN participant and enjoy commenting and posting whenever I have the time. It is also very satisfying to be able to display my work to so many.
Discussion
6 repliesSometimes the page views are off to a slow start and by the time the bottom of the page has risen to meet it, the number has increased significantly. Page views can also be given a boost if it is the first on the list for awhile. A rarity in ESS Gallery.
Personally I find page views of value and am happy when I surpass the 200 mark by the bottom of the page. And when the comments fall into the double figures I am overjoyed and very thankful
What are your thoughts on this? Thank you for your replies.
Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
Guy
That being said, I'm still glad when I know that at least my image is being looked at based on the number of views, but some subjects will just natually yield more views. (Just as some photographer names will.) Certain galleries are much more heavily visited, as well.
I personally don't use the thumbnail pages, and just start going through all of the images using the "Next Photo" links. Most times I don't even know which gallery an image has been posted in (although it would be nice if this showed up somewhere on the full image).
As an example, I have an image on the Flora forum right now titled "Ivy Patterns" which has a fairly low page view number but the comments to view ratio is very high. The title "Ivy Patterns" probably doesn't stimulate much interest from the casual viewer but for those consistent participants on the forum I've gained enough creditablity for them to open my images even if the subject is not something they are particularly interested in.
So to answer your question, page views are fairly important to me because they are indicators that I'm addressing at least one of those components.
Once again, a few critical points to consider before trying to draw any conclusions;
1. The NPN IC galleries are open to public view. Not only that, but no registration or log-in is required to simply view the IC galleries and all of the images they contain. As you know, a registration/log-in is required to post comments.
2. Go open up a new browser window right now and go to Google. Then type in the following search phrases and look what you find;
nature photography
wildlife photography
landscape photography
Those three phrases cover much of the world of nature photography, wouldn't you say? How hard was it to find NPN?
3. Now take points 1 and 2 above and consider them together - anyone surfing the Internet who is interested in nature photography will usually end up on this site! As proof of this, check out this screen shot from our stats program. As you can see in the "unique visitors" column, nearly 100,000 people visit NPN monthly - and that includes perusing the NPN IC galleries!
Rest assured not all of those unique visitors are "members" - if that was the case, The Lovely Donna and I would be able to quit our jobs and live a life of luxury ($49 a year times 100,000 wouldn't be such a bad living, would it?).
Conclusion - NPN is visited by tens of thousands of nature lovers each month, most of whom are not photographers - much less NPN members. They surf into the NPN IC galleries, enjoy the fantastic nature photography posted there and then leave. A tiny percentage of them are active NPN participants who are posting their own photos and commenting on others.
Please keep this in mind when considering the ratio of views/comments on photos posted on this site.
I find it a pleasure and a privilege to be an active NPN participant and enjoy commenting and posting whenever I have the time. It is also very satisfying to be able to display my work to so many.
Thank you for the response.
Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
I think some photos "size down" better as thumbnails than others, which may explain at least part of it.