Is This A Bot?

yes it is a bot.

Yep !


Hide The Bots ! Please!

http://fineartamerica.com/controlpanel/statistics.html?tab=visitors

count on most of the visits being bots.
see, if we no longer had visitor counts, then no one would be concerned.....

True, Marlene.
Hypothetical...?....do visitor tallies affect FAA stats? Bottom line? Ergo, even Bots are good, for FAA, of course. Us, too, I know.

But....why not hide them? Must be because FAA wants them seen......?

Total intrusion on reality! Nobody's fooled.

Here are the simple rules for deciding whether a visitor is a bot:

1. If it's Roubaix, Kiez, Kista, Beverly Hills or New York, it's a bot.

2. If it's visited more than 2 of your photos, it's a bot.

3. If you even suspect that it might possibly be a bot, it's a bot.

4. It's a bot.

If it's Roubaix, Kiez, Kista, Beverly Hills or New York, it's a bot.

Not true I am afraid We have customers from some of those places

M'thinks 'customer' patterns of viewing are totally different to bot patterns of repeated,daily,twice-daily,hourly viewing,same subjects, every single day................it wears me down, quite frankly. And always wipes out 'good' visitors, with manners, lol.....

I have done a study on my FAA "visitor" stats. I estimate that about 80% of my "visitors" are from bots and the rest are human visits.

I am guessing that of the 20% that are human visits, one third to one half seem to be from fellow FAA artists and the rest are from "real" visitors.

Of the real visitors, a certain percentage of them might be other artists checking out FAA or people looking for free pictures. The remainder, perhaps 3% of all visits, are people interested in maybe buying a picture.

These are just my personal observations and may or may not be relevant to visits to other artists' portfolios on FAA.

Dave Gordon
http://dgportfolio.net

"...if we no longer had visitor counts, then no one would be concerned....."


I would. At least I know someone or something is looking. :)

Greg, and what do you do differently knowing that something or someone is looking?

bots mean free advertising on Google Images.

I like bots. I like living clients even better.

Dave

Not long back, one of my images received sooooo many visits, I quoted the Recent Visits to our Bug thread. And, the bot visits were blocked!
I assume by admin. It was embarrassing! If a client looked at recent visits and saw only bots, it makes a mockery of the "visitor" count value.

Compromise....please....hide the bots.

Vivian,

The clients can not see any more than the views total.

The clients dont know where the views are coming from. Just tell them you are popular.

And you are.

Dave

To this day, Dave, I never realized that! !.....

And, thank you, twice, therefore.

They do still interfere with reality, though.

Vivian,

Behind the scenes the bots put your images onto Google Images. And elsewhere.

I do not really understand others carping about this.

Dave

To answer .. Personally, hiding them gives me a view of real visitors.....the more I think about this, and, due to knowing that carping never changes anything around here, I don't care now......am embarrassed that my audience is not what the count infers by the bottom line including bots......not my "show", though......is it !

Vivian,

I go out of my way to encourage the bots. I use Twitter to stir up Google and they send out the bots.

LOL

Not my show either, but I like it when they dance for me.

Dave

Yes, I get it also.

I have seen this new "bot" around lately. I personally like them and the visitor count...at least I know someone or something is looking at my work. On my other website, not AW, I don't have a clue if anyone goes there. What I can't figure out is why they are all over some pieces and others not so much? It seems the Kiez "bot" likes everything and shows up as soon as I upload a new piece.

I just posted this in a different thread but this is what I wonder about....yesterday I uploaded two images...exactly the same except for color...and a slightly different title. NY, Beverly Hills, San Francisco were all over the one but not the other...why? LOL...they liked the one I liked better of the two.

I don't mind seeing bots.

I only mind seeing sales.

There is a world of difference between liking bots and liking them counting or even showing up in the visitor statistics.
No one is complaining about bots hitting up our work.
Some even love that these grossly inflated numbers trick them into thinking they have real visitors.
I live in the real world.
Do you think I believe any of these "visits" matter?
Location

Date & Time of Visit

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/16/2014 at 7:18 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/16/2014 at 7:18 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/16/2014 at 3:22 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/16/2014 at 3:22 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/16/2014 at 2:54 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/16/2014 at 2:54 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/16/2014 at 2:00 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/16/2014 at 2:00 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/16/2014 at 2:00 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/16/2014 at 2:00 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 1:29 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 1:29 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 1:19 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 1:19 PM

Richmond Hill, Canada

11/15/2014 at 11:43 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 9:54 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 9:54 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 9:15 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 9:15 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 5:54 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 5:54 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 4:34 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 4:34 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 4:34 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 4:34 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 4:07 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/15/2014 at 4:07 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 11:38 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 11:37 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 11:37 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 11:37 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 6:46 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 6:46 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 1:39 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 1:39 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 1:26 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 1:26 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 9:46 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 9:46 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 7:42 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 7:42 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 7:18 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 7:18 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 7:18 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 7:18 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 12:19 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 12:19 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 12:19 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/14/2014 at 12:19 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 11:56 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 11:56 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 9:04 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 9:04 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 8:57 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 8:57 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 8:40 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 8:40 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 7:37 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 7:37 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 7:37 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 7:37 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/13/2014 at 7:37 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine


11/12/2014 at 9:42 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/12/2014 at 8:32 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/12/2014 at 8:32 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/12/2014 at 8:32 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/12/2014 at 8:32 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/12/2014 at 8:32 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/12/2014 at 8:32 AM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 11:14 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 11:14 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 11:14 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 11:14 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 11:14 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 11:14 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 6:46 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 6:46 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 6:46 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 6:46 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

11/11/2014 at 6:46 PM

Alchevsk, Ukraine

Lol Marlene...I hope that bot doesn't find me!

Case in point, Val...I have a real client hiding in there.she has already bought a collection of 10 rather large prints and giclees. She's looking again and if I could have found her easily, Iwould have dropped her a line..or be more prepard when she calls again to order.
Beyond being impractical to search through these endless lists of bots, it's nearly impossible to make the visitor stats work for me.
It's nothing more than playing "where's waldo."

"Greg, and what do you do differently knowing that something or someone is looking?"

Not a damn thing. :)



Awhile back I had an image that was getting hammered by one bot, much like the one you have listed down the length of the page. To do a sort of a test, I moved it from an active gallery into a pw protected gallery where it was no longer available for sale. The bot visits stopped immediately. I left it like that for almost two weeks I guess, and then moved it back into an active gallery. The bot visits, from the same place as before, started immediately. Oh, the location was Ghanzou (sp?), China, which I have not seen make an appearance in quite awhile.

Greg, I also experimented and changed one image that was getting slammed to one of my mean looking raptors....nothing changed.
If this was only happening to a few images, it's no big deal...but when the bots skew every darn image, it is problematic.

"...If this was only happening to a few images, it's no big deal...but when the bots skew every darn image, it is problematic."


Concur on that. The excessive hammering only happens rarely from what I've experienced and heard of. What intrigued me, was that the image of mine that was being hit so much isn't really that great of an image, but I leave it in the gallery anyway.

@Harold

Although you need the IP address to be sure (hover your mouse over the text to get the IP) , as the 'text' doesnt really help that much, it is a bot on atleast the 1 image I checked of yours.

Looking at one of your images, and the associated IPs, the one you are getting (and probably most people) is the AHref BOT.

See here: http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2172371#2192681

Some people are incorrectly saying 'all bots are good'... that is absolutely incorrect, 'some' bots are good, but there are many that are useless, possibly harmful or just waste bandwidth.

Rob.

Okay so as someone who is fairly new and now finding out about these "bots"...Are we getting any "real people" looking at our work? I really like the site and how it helps our work to look so organized and professionally displayed..that is all nice..If nobody is really looking at it then why am I going to this trouble??

Rennae, yes you will get a few 'real' viewers if you have something that connects with a popular subject, place or interest; and it's titled, described and keyworded in a meaningful way. You can also get some views by participating in groups and contests. But without your own, outside marketing, you can't expect too much. And if you're doing common subjects you're a needle in a haystack here.

Yes, there are real people looking at the site, and there are lots and lots of sales.

As has been said many times on these forums though, you have to market outside FAA also.

What needs to be 'fixed' is the views and stats on our images though, as they inflate the figures with bot traffic.

Bot traffic is nothing special to FAA, the whole internet is plagued with a massive amount of 'noise' in traffic, due to bots.

What they really need to do is give us Google Analytics on our FAA pages, then majority of bot traffic will be filtered out, and it will help us more to see where traffic comes from etc etc.

We have that on our AW sites, which is all good and fine, BUT organic Google search traffic comes directly into the FAA search results and our own images on FAA, not AW. We cant stop that, as FAA has a high ranking factor in Google, so our own web sites and links are unlikely to out rank FAAs own.

So Organic traffic is always going to direct people to our FAA pages, and THAT is why we (or atleast I would like, and I believe would be useful for others, looking at the amount of views/bots post there are) need to have GA on all pages, not just AW.

Because at the moment, its impossible to judge or track organic searches.

Rob.

http://fineartamerica.com/newsletters/promotional-artwork-new.html?promotionid=154603&emailid=db751fb96790e6fa16c70e7adbf9a194

LOL. So, is this a bot? Received at my gmail account................lucky for some !

@ Abbie

Of course we can sell to New York, San Francisco and even Roubaix. But You will never ever sell to Kiez. This place does not exist in Germany. I don't know how they can show this name, but it is like You would read crater Tycho, Moon.

Kiez is a colloquial name for an old district in town, where people feel very associated. It is a word from Berlin sometimes also used in Hamburg.