MOTM

http://www.alexa.com/data/details?amzn_id=&url=synthtech.com

maybe y'all have seen this before, but not me!!! I don't know quite what to think of it. It sort
of gave me the creeps.

Paul S.

What's creepy is the list of sites also visited...stop following me!

--- In motm@y..., "Paul Schreiber" <synth1@a...> wrote:
> http://www.alexa.com/data/details?amzn_id=&url=synthtech.com
> 
> maybe y'all have seen this before, but not me!!! I don't know 
quite what to think of it. It sort

> of gave me the creeps.
> 
> Paul S.

> 
> It *is* flawed because the sample isn't random - they only use data from
> alexa users,

The term you want to use is "representative", implying that some subset of
users reasonably indicates what the population of users does.  In this
case, as you pointed out, that population is vague, Alexa's 'method' of
assigning 'popularity' definitely is not considered to be any form of
valid statistical sampling design (in statistical jargon Alexa's method is
termed 'self-selection' [which is why you should not trust conclusions
drawn from 'surveys' based on questionnaires printed in magazines,
open access web questionnaires, 1-800-xxxxxxx radio/tv station 'polls'
etc].

In statistical sampling, "random"  connotes that there is some
well-defined a priori probability mechanism used to select units into a
sample or that the mechanism of empirical entries of units into a sample
is well-defined. As you pointed out, neither probably exist for the
tallies at this site.  In fact, having MOTM be at the 'favored' top of the
list (which I have no problems with) gives them a higher chance (whatever
that may be) of being accessed.  It is even an issue if these tallies are
representative of Alexa users (say I click on Paul's site 100 times just
to boost his site's tallies, just to "mess up" the set of tallies).

> who probably have certain tendencies because of the
> characteristics of the demographic.
Exactly on target, Paul.

  for example, go to their "100 busiest
> sites" and you'll see alexa right near the top (#5 or 6 or something).  of
> COURSE this is waaay out of wack, because alexa users ALL go to the alexa
> site, therefore messing with the data.
> 

Not really "messing with the data".  Data are data - it is the process
(statistical and otherwise) of collecting the data that can be at issue.
> 

Sorry for the novella, and not targeting Paul W. at all.  Just felt
compelled to comment on an issue that I know something about (maybe given
that I know so little about lots of other things :-) ).
Jeff

=^..^=
@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@
Jeffrey S. Pontius
Associate Professor
Department of Statistics
Kansas State University
Manhattan KS 66506-0802
pontius@...
@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@

> 1.3 Million hits (sheese I wish I had 10% of those as customers)

no, no, no... that's the PAGE RANK.  ie  your site is the 1,300,000th
busiest site on the net.  a big difference, no?  :)

paul

HEy I got one too!
http://www.alexa.com/data/details?q=Encore%20Electronics&p=DestSearch_W_t_40
_M1&mode=&url=http://www.encoreelectronics.com/

1.3 Million hits (sheese I wish I had 10% of those as customers)

It's is weird though...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Schreiber [mailto:synth1@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 7:10 AM
> To: MOTM listserv
> Subject: [motm] Thiis blew me away!
>
>
> http://www.alexa.com/data/details?amzn_id=&url=synthtech.com
>
> maybe y'all have seen this before, but not me!!! I don't know
> quite what to think of it. It sort
> of gave me the creeps.
>
> Paul S.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>

Ah, that's way different.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Wagorn (Worldbid) [mailto:pwagorn@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 10:02 AM
> To: Tony Karavidas; motm@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [motm] Thiis blew me away!
>
>
>
> > 1.3 Million hits (sheese I wish I had 10% of those as customers)
>
> no, no, no... that's the PAGE RANK.  ie  your site is the 1,300,000th
> busiest site on the net.  a big difference, no?  :)
>
> paul
>
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>

>How this works is they get people to install the "alexa toolbar" which
>gives them extr info about sites they are visiting, and they track who
>goes where.  They then extrapolate from their users the traffic to
>websites, and come up with a ranking.

I just read recently that Alexa only works in IE in Windows. No other
browser, no other platform. That leaves out a few potential guinea pigs.
-- 

Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

"If I can't be God I don't want to play"--Aleister Crowley

Hi Tony -

What's the status on the Frequency Shifter?  I'm planning to sell my 
Nord Micro Modular to finance this. The Nord is OK, I just think the 
sound is weak.  Plus I'm looking to add a big Kyma system to my 
studio and that ought to get my DSP yayas out...

Mike

--- In motm@y..., "Tony Karavidas" <tony@e...> wrote:
> Ah, that's way different.
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Paul Wagorn (Worldbid) [mailto:pwagorn@p...]
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 10:02 AM
> > To: Tony Karavidas; motm@y...
> > Subject: RE: [motm] Thiis blew me away!
> >
> >
> >
> > > 1.3 Million hits (sheese I wish I had 10% of those as 
customers)
> >
> > no, no, no... that's the PAGE RANK.  ie  your site is the 
1,300,000th
> > busiest site on the net.  a big difference, no?  :)
> >
> > paul
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

> >
> >
> >

This happens to be my first email of the day since total hell with the
computer happened this morning. My win2k crashed and was unrecoverable.

Anyway, I had a parts order get lost by (guess who??) UPS so my proto2
parts are delayed. I was hoping to have the new proto working any day
now, but it seems to be forever getting delayed.

With that said, I'm hoping to start production sometime in September.
I'll keep this list posted when that happens. That will allow about 2 to
3 weeks notice before I can actually ship something.

The site will get updated around that time too.

Thanks,
Tony

-----Original Message-----
From: mmarsh100 [mailto:mmarsh@...] 
Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 5:12 PM
To: motm@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [motm] Re: Thiis blew me away!

Hi Tony -

What's the status on the Frequency Shifter?  I'm planning to sell my 
Nord Micro Modular to finance this. The Nord is OK, I just think the 
sound is weak.  Plus I'm looking to add a big Kyma system to my 
studio and that ought to get my DSP yayas out...

Mike

--- In motm@y..., "Tony Karavidas" <tony@e...> wrote:
> Ah, that's way different.
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Paul Wagorn (Worldbid) [mailto:pwagorn@p...]
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 10:02 AM
> > To: Tony Karavidas; motm@y...
> > Subject: RE: [motm] Thiis blew me away!
> >
> >
> >
> > > 1.3 Million hits (sheese I wish I had 10% of those as 
customers)
> >
> > no, no, no... that's the PAGE RANK.  ie  your site is the 
1,300,000th
> > busiest site on the net.  a big difference, no?  :)
> >
> > paul
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >
> >
> >



 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Looks like you need to send them a glamour shot, Paul!  ;-)

"Avg. Traffic Rank: 1,663,550"


- Scott
____________
http://www.red-noise.com

> From: motm@yahoogroups.com
> Reply-To: motm@yahoogroups.com
> Date: 8 Aug 2002 03:47:19 -0000
> To: motm@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [motm] Digest Number 1393
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 09:10:15 -0500
> From: "Paul Schreiber" <synth1@...>
> Subject: Thiis blew me away!
> 
> http://www.alexa.com/data/details?amzn_id=&url=synthtech.com
> 
> maybe y'all have seen this before, but not me!!! I don't know quite what to
> think of it. It sort
> of gave me the creeps.
> 
> Paul S.

Interesting category name:

Top: Arts: Music: Anti-Music �(200)

*    Carey, Mariah �(2)
*    Dion, Celine �(1)
*    Eminem �

(but also in this category, the Beatles?!)


best,
- Scott
____________
http://www.red-noise.com