The Google Empire.

Sure, we're all going to die. Google has reported its first quarterly drop in sales. OMG! It is also, however, accompanied by a more-than-pocket-change $17.8billion in cash and equivalents...

But I'm not here to talk about their overly boring financial statements, as interesting as some may find that, I'm here to talk about what I've dubbed the "Google Collective Principle". In my mind, it consists of a series of ever more complex statements effectively summarising people's behaviour with Google through my eyes. For your benefit, here is the biggest foundation of my principle in simpler terms: "Anyone who uses a Google service is incredibly likely to continue using other Google services".

Just to be clear, i'm not suggesting that using Google search will make you into an active Google advertiser. What I'm saying is similar to handing someone one end of a piece of string. Eventually, they're going to get mighty curious about what's on the other end and work their way down the string.
What I'm trying to prove here is that once someone starts dabbling in Google, even just for Gmail (but it's not the best example) they are probably going to wind up heading further into Google products. Who knows whether it is a benign curiosity, an overwhelming desire to have an online presence or what, but someone like Google having services for everything and anything gives rise to an explosion in the services used. Google's dominance over Yahoo! and Microsoft helps, but also the differing approach between Yahoo! (everything on one page, whether you like it or not, and loads of ads) and Google (autonomous services, each with a Google touch, and only minimal ads) stands out.

For example, Yours Truly has had a Google account (but not a Gmail one) since about 2005. Since then, i have replaced that with my current Google profile  and it accompanied an explosion in the Google Services I use from a simple Gmail account and iGoogle page, then Google Reader, then the floodgates opened and suddenly I had almost every service they offer. On my account settings page, I now have icons for :
1. AdSense
2. Blogger
3. Calendar
4. Gmail
5. Picasa Web Albums
6.Web History
7. Alerts
8. Bookmarks
9. Docs
10. iGoogle
11. Reader
12. Webmaster Tools
13. Analytics
14. Book Search
15. FeedBurner
16. Notebook
17. Talk
18. Youtube
19. News

Yes, 19 different services. In case you're wondering, Google has only 4 remaining services, being Groups, Directory, Scholar Search and Code. I even use Google Mobile!

This blog is the perfect example of my Google Collective Principle. First, I saw a couple of other people's blogs, and decided I wanted my own. So, already having a Google account, I chose Blogger. My Blog of course needed some tracking, so after my disastrous attempt using StatCounter, I reverted to Google Analytics, which is truly legendary, then I wanted to track my RSS feed, cue FeedBurner, indexing management, cue WebMaster Tools, picture integration, cue Picasa, and if I could be bothered I would have AdWords on my blog by now.

Feel free to comment and tell me I'm horribly, horribly wrong, but I still think that the Google Collective Principle stands...

Come on Aussie!

Australia has now slipped to a lowly 4th on visitor rankings for this month! (Mar 17-Apr 17)
We only have 8 more visitors than Romania. Yes, Romania. We are lagging behind the USA, UK, and Canada.

Returning to the full history (since about December last year), Australia maintains its second position, but we are falling behind rapidly.

Yes, my Aussie friends, the Americans are demolishing us by a solid 50%, and Canada is breathing down our collective necks with a miniscule 1.89% buffer.

At least we still have 11.36% on Mexico....

For now...

The Broswer Wars continue...

After some positive starts from Google Chrome, it seems its support is dwindling somewhat. Firefox meanwhile has managed to stay pretty much the same while IE seems to have been gaining support.

At least on Ferret Tech Firefox/Windows still reigns, but we have some very weird setups going, including PS3's, what i think is my PSP, Konqueror (?), and all and every kind of weird Browswer/OS combo

Yes, you poor buggers, Chrome sits on a miserly 8.5% of my visits while Firefox romps home with a solid 55.36% majority. IE has made a big jump forward (BTW, 19% use IE6, 73% use IE7, and a random 7% use IE8. n00bs!) leapfrogging Chrome into second position with 17.6%.

Peculiarly, focusing on just Browsers (rather than Browser/OS combos) sees Firefox pull out 66% of the share, but IE and Chrome staying almost the same.

But of more interest are some of the weird choices. I've mentioned the Playstation 3/Playstation 3 entry but then we get some really odd Apple entries. The typical Safari/Macintosh ones sitting in a lonely 6th behind Firefox/Macinstosh! The we have Safari/Android? Who has an Android phone?

While on the topic of phones, what on Earth is a Danger Hiptop? Don't tell me it's that stupid little Hiptop Slide piece of cr** actually looking at my blog!

There was Firefox/Linux (probably Jackson), but Konqueror/Linux? Who? Why? What's wrong with you?

Safari/iPod. Yay! I have someone reading my blog who also happens to be such an iPod fanboy they couldn't be bothered using a real Web browser.

Camino/Macintosh? What even is Camino?

Mozilla Compatible Agent/(not set). i think that is my PSP there, but not so sure. If you're wondering, yes, the PSP's NetFront browser does run on the Mozilla engine/code.

PS3! Yay! Yay! Lots of Yay! PS3's will rule the world. (as long as we don't begin calling the PS3 the Skynet)

Safari/Windows... You're using Windows so use a real browser, idiot!

And last but not least. Safari/iPhone. oh my god, my life has just lost all colour and meaning....

UPDATE: RSS feeds are now delimited and complete reflections of the posts again.

We're being invaded!

There are now more visits coming to this site from the USA than from Australia. OMG!!

There are now 10 different countries sending me visits, including Bulgaria, and , South Korea... Right...

There are even 18 different cities in the USA alone. Worrying...

Hmmmmmm...

I have begun using Google Analytics after the disastrous lack of usability from my last Traffic Analysis Host, and so i have discovered a couple of useless but nonetheless interesting things about the traffic to my site, in particular about my readers browsers habits:

1. Chrome is the most used browser

Chrome holds the lead with an impressive 63% of my traffic, Firefox holds 25%, and IE a lone 12%.

2. Chrome users tend to stay longer, Firefox users return more often

Chrome users make up most of the new visits, whereas Firefox kicks ass at the returning visitors. Chrome users have 73.68% of the time spent on my site, Firefox 26.32%, and IE somehow has 0.00% of the average time on the site (?). Just 28% of my readers bothered to dig through my old posts (i.e. continue away from the landing page), the other 71-odd percent only reading the one page.

3. You are not all in Australia

In fact, all but one of you are in Brisbane, but someone visited my site from, wait for it, Ireland. That's right,a Paddy in Dublin actually looked me up. They were (funnily enough) a new visitor, but they were actually following me up after i commented on his blog, Oscar and Friends.

4. You guys spend more time on here than Average Joe

But you don't go as far into the site!

5.You all speak English

Kind of a given, but not all the same language. All but one of you are using en-us, but one of the Brisbanites has changed to en-gb. Odd...

6. Only 15% of you have widescreens

Just 14.29% of my traffic was running at 1280x800, the other 85.71% was using 1280x1024. Primitive.

7. You are spread across four different ISPs

42% use powertel limited, almost 30% use telstra, 14.2% use optus, and our resident Irishman uses ntl communications (Ireland) ltd

8. You come from all over the place

14% of you came from my other blog, the rest came from Google, Blogger, directly, or in the case of our favourite Irishman Oscar, from his own blog.

9. Connection speeds

43% of you use the speed referred to as T1, the other 57% weren't recognised. Probably too slow for our high standards.

10. You're an odd bunch.

No scientific backing here, just my instinct.

UPDATE: My blog is becoming truly international! I now have visitors from Hoboken, New Jersey, as well as from Orange Park, Florida (both came from google searches), and also from Danderyd, Sweden (this is actually our very own Irishman Oscar, but now hes in Sveden, probably driving a volvo, and listening to Abba CD's).

UPDATE II: We now also have a visitor from Singapore. Again from a google search using the keywords:

how to change to snipe in socom navy seals tactical strike in psp

Not going to find that here!