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The online world is a strange place full of all kinds of temptations. Today I would like to address the temptation to spy on one another. It is so easy to do if you have a site of your own. Simply check your site statistics. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about site statistics are various details about the visitors to your site provided in different categories such as:
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Location – This tells from whence the visitor came it is usually the location of their internet provider’s service.
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Referrals – This tells where the visitor came from on the web. It could be a link to your site on Google or on another search engine or perhaps a link on the web somewhere like for example if someone came to the Junction through the Save Jericho Again site I would be able to tell that.
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Out Clicks – This tells where the visitor went after leaving you.
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There are many more but I think you get the picture. Site Statistic programs for your blog or website are available for free and their intended use is for a webmaster to be able to gauge whether or not their site is reaching its intended audience. But I think you can see how they have an enormous potential for spying.
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When I installed a site meter on the Junction I had no real intention of letting the statistics get the better of me. At first it was simply interesting to see where in the world all the people who were interested in Jericho were coming from. But I have to admit that after some time I was able to recognize many of you. It got to the point with the Junction that I would come home and check for comments on the blog and then I would immediately check to see where my visitors of that day had come from. It was turning into a very unhealthy obsession. I did not like the effect it was having on me.
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The Apology
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I am sorry to each and every one of you whose privacy I violated by spying upon you. I sincerely hope you will believe me when I say that all Meters and Counters have been removed from the Junction. I have learned a valuable lesson about respecting others privacy online and even if these programs allow spying to become standard practice for some; I say to you that it is something that I will not henceforth participate in. You have my word.
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