New widget, old statistics

Blogger Buzz, news about Blogger, is strategically located directly below the blog dashboard after login. I do not pay close attention to everything posted there, sometimes it is simply part of the atmosphere, but lately there have been posts regarding Google, Feedburner, and Blogger in Draft that have snagged my attention - especially the new search box widget. Since the navigation bar at the top of each blog has a search box that allows users to search the web and/or search the displayed blog, I wondered what the widget would have to offer.

I logged into my account via Blogger in Draft and added the "beta" search box (it was simple, just follow the add a page element directions as if adding any other blog widget) to the sidebar below above the blog labels and did a sample search. What I like are the search result display properties; within the blog, above the most current post. It appears to actually be a "box" and includes the proverbial "X" to close it when finished and return to the basic blog layout. A more visually appealing option than the navigation bar as well as more efficient. What I don't particularly like is the specificity needed for the search. For example, I searched "cambridge whos who" and did not have a hit but searched a second time with cambridge who's who" and it retrieved the three posts pictured to the right. Overall I'm satisfied with the widget and may move it farther up in the sidebar for ease of use. This brings me to the second portion of this post, statistics.

While posts on children's literature, ALA, recreational reading, and dailing post information continue to be popular, far and away the most frequent search continues to be for Cambridge Who's Who. A quick look at my Statscounter account this evening reveals out of the last 100 search terms (keyword analysis, information rolls over and the log remains at 100), 48% of them are in some way, shape, or form looking for information on Cambridge. Sixty-six terms were used leading people to the blog, thirty-two of them were as follows:

• 11 cambridge whos who scan
• 6 whos who among executives
• 5 whos who cambridge edition
• 3 cambridge whos who
• 2 cambridge whos who among
• 2 cambridge whos who fee
• 1 reviews cambridge whos who
• 1 cambridge whos who among executives and professional women
• 1 cambridge who's who

It is the topic that does not go away, a never-ending-story (if I may). If their mailing budget is any indication of profit, they must be doing well. But I would guess for every person who purchases the service, there are an equal number of potential customers searching the web for information.

Tags: Blog widgets, Blogger draft search box, Blogger draft, Widgets