[wcrossbow]

> But anything smaller than that and analytics are mostly vanity metrics

I removed any analytics from my blog because I'm already obsessed enough with silly star counts. It manages to completely suck away all the joy; ignorance is bliss here. I found that the rare email or comment from some random person saying that they found something useful is much more fulfilling and at the same time less invasive of my brain activity.

[joshmanders]

I don't use analytics on my personal sites for vanity metrics. I use it to see where people are coming to my site from and the stuff they seem to resonate with.

[wcrossbow]

Upon a bit of introspection I found that for me, such things were just ways of stroking my ego. I just find it liberating to not really care or give much thought about what my audience cares about or who they are. I write first and foremost for myself, second to help others and third to have something to show to prospective employers.

What those metrics mean to oneself is different for everybody. Also, being a vanity metric and being useful are not mutually exclusive either.

[joshmanders]

I like to know where my users are coming from and discussing what I wrote so I can engage them and have discussions with them too.

Not saying ignoring all that is bad, just my reasons for wanting analytics and not just ego stroking and vanity metrics.