Site Meter: If It Ain't Broke, "Fix It!"

By: Lowell
Published On: 9/14/2008 12:26:55 PM

I don't know if you noticed, but Site Meter has "upgraded" itself. Based on my experience, when techies tell you they're "upgrading" something, it's usually time to run screaming for the hills.  Sad to say, but a lot (most?) of these people don't have the slightest clue about how actual humans think, behave, etc.  On that note, here is a great list of why the new Site Meter sucks.

# the new SiteMeter is much slower than the old one; it takes 20 seconds to get to the statistics page (useless clicks, unlinkable subpages, initiation of the Flash, illogical default settings for sorting criteria that have to be changed)
# the fonts are too small and ugly and they cannot be magnified; characters in Flash are not designed to look as pretty and flexible as those in the full-fledged HTML
# the new SiteMeter doesn't seem to show the number of visitors during the last week or month (and not even the total number for today, as far as I can say)
# the new SiteMeter doesn't seem to show the (verbal) domain associated with the IP of a visitor
# most of the lists in the new SiteMeter don't fit the space reserved for them which is why only a few visitors/pages are shown, each having a small number of initial characters of the URL (in my case, all URLs are displayed as http://motls.blogs)
# consequently, it's impossible to understand the URLs without scrolling down and right for each of them separately; this problem significantly increases the time needed to extract something useful from the page
# I still don't know how to access the statistics of other users who have made their data "public": it was easy before (and conversely, I don't know how to allow you to access mine)

Great job, guys, you took something that wasn't broken and you "fixed it!"

P.S. Oh yeah, and thanks SO MUCH for all the advance notice!

Comments



Google Analytics (7oby - 9/14/2008 2:00:03 PM)
A good time to consider it, even though it's considered overused by some, so is sitemeter.  Also, I was going to mention quantcast but i was able to find one whiney blog post on the internet about it so maybe not.


Yeah, we use Google Analytics (Lowell - 9/14/2008 3:24:09 PM)
The problem is that Site Meter was the best way of comparing traffic across national and state blogs.  Now, who knows...argh.


I cant (JamesBenjamin - 9/14/2008 2:44:56 PM)
I can't even log in to check mine. I "upgraded" my account, and now it doesnt like the password. I'll try again tomorrow, when they're probly not as swamped, i guess.  


It's FUBAR (Lowell - 9/14/2008 3:25:16 PM)
SiteMeter may have just killed itself.


I couldn't login earlier today either. (Terry85 - 9/14/2008 11:49:03 PM)
And Lowell, I can view the RK stats just by clicking the Sitemeter logo/link at the bottom of the RK home page.  Not sure if that's what you're talking about or not??

I agree, though, that it would have been nice to have some sort of advanced notice.  Also, depending on which version of the Sitemeter code people are using I believe it actually caused some web sites to be totally inaccessible for a period of time today.



Looks like this one has united right and left (Lowell - 9/14/2008 5:12:23 PM)
Everyone hates it.

Just got my first look at the new format for SiteMeter statistics. It sucks, big-time.

Like Windows Vista, is how bad it sucks.

The old Site Meter was simple and elegant. The new Site Meter is clumsy and awkward.

Dear SiteMeter: Please make SiteMeter Classic an option.

So true.  SiteMeter used to be great, now it sucks. Why?!?!



Another one slams SiteMeter (Lowell - 9/14/2008 5:14:12 PM)
Ann Althouse says:

This is the worst non-improvement of a website I've ever seen. "Seen" is an exaggeration. I feel like I can't even can't see the new charts. It is ugly and unreadable. The statistics were once so clear and sharply presented, featuring the information that was most useful to the blogger.

Complete, utter crap.  If SiteMeter has any brains at all, they will immediately revert back to the original and apologize to its thousands of users. Dumbasses.



Maybe there is hope after all? (Lowell - 9/14/2008 5:15:23 PM)
According to SiteMeter:

We have received and heard your feedback concerning the latest changes to the website. We will implementing a rollback to the website immediately. We will also be responding to each of your support requests as soon as possible. If you have any questions please let us know.

Note to SiteMeter: next time you think of doing something like this, TEST IT ON REAL HUMANS FIRST!!!



Great comment (Lowell - 9/14/2008 5:17:59 PM)
by Donklephant about the disastrous new SiteMeter:

Burn it. Drown it. Kill it. And then burn it some more.

And seriously consider firing whoever thought this was good design. Because they nearly destroyed your company.

Oh, and don't ever launch something without user testing it again.

Thank you.



New Sitemeter, New Facebook, New Coke (TheGreenMiles - 9/15/2008 8:44:03 AM)
New for the sake of new gets old fast.


I hate the new Facebook. n/t (Terry85 - 9/16/2008 3:10:13 PM)