1/3 of my pageviews all fake!

For those of you using Blogger to blog, do you face the same problem?

Idiot right?

Guess from which countries are the top ranked when it comes to my readership?

Russia and Ukraine!!!???

And one some days, USA. Power right?

I have an international readership despite writing in my colloquial Singlish style and Chinese. Look ma! I or-yi-or Tarzan (泰山) or what?

Of course these are from those spammers or something. All fake readership lah!

Don't look at me; I've no clue how to stop them.

That's why its always good to have a counter-balance KPI measurement to keep us honest.

I have another free StatCounter to track my readership as somehow its able to filter out and not count visitors from "strange" countries.

Imagine I'm a "bei kambing" buyer of advertorials or ad spaces in new media. Bloggers print screen their readership and pageview statistics I believe. I toad or what?

But if I know what I know, since I'm an "insider" as a blogger myself, do you think I know better to look beyond the numbers and ask  for "trust but verify" re-confirmations?

Fundamental investor and street smart

If you are a fundamental investor, have you found yourself scratching your head when you "analyse" the numbers, the market price somehow don't move accordingly? Like no logic one?

Bad numbers; price goes up.

Good numbers; price goes down.

Want to bet these companies you analysing are in sectors you have never worked in or no clue about?

You work in banking and you trying to make sense of mining companies...

But when it comes to banking counters, you are super good at CSI. You know instinctively which rock to turnover!

Have you come across some forum members or bloggers who are very sharp when it comes avoiding certain listed counters despite seemingly great numbers?

I share one example.

When shipping trusts were first introduced, they offered a higher yield than REITs to entice yield hogs to bite.

Of course when you make an IPO, you put your best foot forward.

At this Valuebuddies forum, there were some sane voices who "warned" others on the sustainability of their business models.

I myself was acting Transport Manager for a time, and working in Supply Chain, I am in close contact with my shipping counterparts whom we have lots of exhilarating "battles" - I want shorter leadtimes, more carrier choices, and fewer stop-overs; transport focus on cost savings and fewer optionality.

And they hate me for knowing all their "bawu" (secrets) since I was in transport once...

Luckily, despite the then yield of 8-9%, I pass on Shipping Trusts.

Risk is not knowing what you doing

See? So what if we call ourselves "investors"?

If we can't read beyond the numbers, or ask the right "trust but verify" questions, how are you any different from a gambler?