General Questions
Technical Questions
Definitions, Terms, and References
General Questions
  • What is BlogPatrol?
  • BlogPatrol is a free service that tracks and records web traffic statistics such as number of hits, number of visits and visitor information for registered blogs and other web sites. BlogPatrol tracks all the web pages on which you copy and paste the BlogPatrol counter code. The counter portion of the service provides a visitor counter on your website. The site stats portion of the service provides you with traffic reports to keep you up-to-date with every aspect of your web site.
  • Is BlogPatrol free? Can I use the BlogPatrol service free of charge?
  • Yes. Simply copy and paste all of your account's BlogPatrol counter code onto your web site in order for the BlogPatrol counter to work properly.
  • Can I use BlogPatrol for any web site, even if it's not a blog?
  • BlogPatrol works for any web site (blog or otherwise) that permits java script code to execute. Some blog hosting providers that currently do not allow java script-based counters such as BlogPatrol include: LiveJournal and MySpace. (We are currently exploring alternatives to provide a version of BlogPatrol that runs on MySpace.)
  • What counter styles do you offer?
  • We currently have 18 visible counter styles, plus 6 additional stealth options. Visible counter styles display the total number of visits (not hits, which you can view from the site stats portion of your account) above the BlogPatrol label. Stealth options show only a small logo (or a BlogPatrol label) without displaying the number of visitors. We enjoy adding new counter styles to offer you more choices that match your style. You can see all the counter styles that we offer as soon as you login to your account, or by clicking on the signup link.
  • Is it possible to get a custom counter?
  • We do not offer custom-built counters (yet), but providing custom counters is one of the items on our wish list for providing new features to our user community.
  • How do I get started? How do I get a free BlogPatrol account? How do I create a BlogPatrol counter?
  • started with a free BlogPatrol counter is as easy as clicking on this signup link.
  • How can BlogPatrol afford to be a free service?
  • BlogPatrol is supported by advertising revenues generated from banner ads, text ads, and Google AdSense. We thank our advertising partners for making it possible for BlogPatrol to remain free for our user community.
  • If I sign up for your service, will BlogPatrol display any ads on my blog or my web site?
  • No, absolutely not. BlogPatrol will never display any advertising that appears on the blog or web site of any user. The advertising model that BlogPatrol uses only displays advertising on BlogPatrol.com. Therefore, while you will see various ad formats when you visit BlogPatrol.com to view your stats and change your counter options, you will never see ads generated by BlogPatrol when you go to your own blog or web site.
  • Does BlogPatrol use pop up, pop under ads and spyware?
  • No. BlogPatrol experimented with using pop up ads in the past, but we were disappointed to find that some advertisers did not abide by the strict terms of service that prohibit pop ads from installing spyware onto users' computers. Such practices are in violation of BlogPatrol's privacy policy which is driven by our desire to provide the safest and best possible experience for our user community.
  • What can I expect from BlogPatrol in the future?
  • We are very excited to have completed the successful rollout of our web site redesign in June 2006. The redesign includes a much improved web site experience supported by a very stable and reliable PHP/MySQL software engine. In the future, we are looking at adding the following features:
    • + fun online events that include featured blogs and great prizes for BlogPatrol users
    • + online polls and surveys that give you the opportunity to tell us what's important to you
    • + blog articles featuring special guest authors on topics of interest to our community of BlogPatrol users
    • + an online discussion forum that helps build the BlogPatrol community
    • + an interactive help desk ticketing system and knowledge base that helps us to provide better customer support to our users.
Technical Questions
  • How does the BlogPatrol service work?
  • We provide you with the unique counter code for your BlogPatrol account, which you can add to any of your web pages that you want the counter to track. Simply copy the code and paste it onto the page(s) on which you want the counter to appear. When visitors load your web page(s) into their browsers, the BlogPatrol counter will not only increase by one, but also store some basic information about the visitor that you can view in the site stats portion of the service.
  • How do I create a counter?
  • Just fill out the signup form here to create a BlogPatrol counter and then add your unique BlogPatrol counter code into your web page.
  • I'm not a techie. Can you help me to add the BlogPatrol counter to my web site?
  • a) Login to your BlogPatrol account with your username and password (both case sensitive).
    b) Click on "Retrieve Counter Code".
    c) Highlight and Copy the code and paste it into your webpage.
    d) Save and publish/upload your revised webpage.
    If you have additional questions about adding the BlogPatrol counter, please send us an email at support@blogpatrol.com.
  • Something went wrong when I tried to add the BlogPatrol counter code to my web site, and now I can't find the code so that I can try adding it again.
  • a) Login to your BlogPatrol account with your username and password (both case sensitive).
    b) Click on "Retrieve Counter Code".
    c) Highlight and Copy the code and paste it into your webpage.
    d) Save and publish/upload your revised webpage.
    If you have additional questions about adding the BlogPatrol counter, please send us an email at support@blogpatrol.com.
  • How can I align my counter to the left, right, or center of my webpage?
  • You can add an HTML table around the copy/paste code to do this. Examples are included for you:

    To align to the right:
    <table align=right>
    <tr><td>
    << unique BlogPatrol counter code for your account inserted here >>
    </td></tr>
    </table>

    To align to the left:
    <table align=left>
    <tr><td>
    << unique BlogPatrol counter code for your account inserted here >>
    </td></tr>
    </table>

    To align to the center:
    <table align=center>
    <tr><td>
    << unique BlogPatrol counter code for your account inserted here >>
    </td></tr>
    </table>
  • How do I view the site stats portion of my BlogPatrol account?
  • a) Login to your BlogPatrol account with your username and password (both are case sensitive).
    b) The 'BlogPatrol.com : Members Login' page will appear.
    c) Click on the 'View Site Statistics' link.
    d) The summary stats report will appear with four different links that allow you to view different detailed reports. You can also click 'View All' to view the summary report and all detailed reports at once.
  • Why doesn't my BlogPatrol counter increment when I reload a page?
  • BlogPatrol tracks both unique visitors and non-unique pageviews (hits). For unique visitors, BlogPatrol will not count two sequential pageviews (hits) from the same IP address within a 24-hour period. The number of unique visitors is the number displayed on your counter icon (assuming that you have selected a 'visible' counter instead of a 'stealth counter). For non-unique hits, the part of BlogPatrol that counts hits will increase by one for every time that you refresh or reload your web page. When you log-in to your BlogPatrol account you can see both unique visits and total hits for your site. (You'll notice that the total number of hits is always greater than, or at least equal to, the total number of unique visits.)
  • I do not want BlogPatrol to count my visits to my own blog or web site.
  • If you select the 'ban IP' option, then the BlogPatrol counter Service will ignore visits and hits from your computer. This is achieved by placing a cookie containing the id number of your counter on your computer. This means that if you view your counter from someone else's computer, your hit will be counted. Also, if you disable cookies your counter will begin to increment again when you visit the page upon which the counter resides.
  • Everyone can see my counter stats. What can I do to make my stats private?
  • You can make your statistics private by doing the following steps:
    a) Login to your BlogPatrol account with your username and password (both are case sensitive).
    b) The 'BlogPatrol.com : Members Login' page will appear.
    c) Scroll down to the bottom of this page.
    d) Click on the checkbox to select 'Make statistics password protected'
    e) Click on the 'Modify' button to save your changes.
  • I lost my BlogPatrol password. How do I get into my account?
  • Just fill out the lost password form here with your username (case sensitive) and the email address that you registered with BlogPatrol when you signed up for our service. In place of your username, you can submit your user ID (which is a number) that was included in the confirmation email sent to you when you signed up for BlogPatrol.
  • I tried to get a new BlogPatrol password, using the 'Lost Pass' form, but the system tells me that my user information cannot be found.
  • Send us an email at support@blogpatrol.com with the URL address of your blog or web site. We can search our database for your blog and send you the information you need to access your BlogPatrol account.
  • I can't remember anything about my BlogPatrol account such as username, user ID, password, or email address registered with BlogPatrol. (I just know that there is a BlogPatrol counter icon on my blog or web site!)
  • Send us an email at support@blogpatrol.com with the URL address of your blog or web site. We can search our database for your blog and send you the information you need to access your BlogPatrol account.
  • How can I reset the statistics and number of hits on my counter?
  • To reset the statistics and number of hits for your BlogPatrol account, do the following steps:
    a) Login to your BlogPatrol account with your username and password (both are case sensitive).
    b) Click on the "Clear Stats" link.
    c) If you are certain that you want to reset the statistics and number of hits for your account, then click on the "Erase" button. (If you wish to cancel, then click on "Counter Options" to return to the main reports menu.)
    d) If you click the "Erase" button, you will get a "Success! " message.
    e) Finally, click on either "Counter Options" to return to the main reports menu or "Log Out" to exit your account.
  • How I delete my BlogPatrol account?
  • Send us an email at support@blogpatrol.com with the subject line "delete account". Please include information about your account such as username and/or the URL address of your blog or web site.
  • How do I get personal technical support from BlogPatrol?
  • Please email support@blogpatrol.com with your questions and comments. We are happy to receive your feedback (positive, neutral, or negative) and will do our best to answer your message promptly within 24 hours. (We are planning to install a Knowledge Base in summer of 2006 that will make it easier for users to answers to their questions.)
  • How do I add BlogPatrol to the new Blogger platform (released in December 2006)?
  • Get the detailed instructions at Blogger install instructions
Definitions, Terms, and References
  • What is a 'hit'? What is a 'visit'?
  • We refer you to the informative definitions and explanations provided by MediaCollege.com on: hits; unique visits, unique visitors and page views; and calculating unique visits and visitors.
  • When does the BlogPatrol Counter register a 'visit' versus a 'hit'?
  • A 'hit' will increment every time a person visits the site (including page reloads), while a 'visit' will only increment the first time a person visits the site from a specific IP address and every 24-hour interval after that. If a visitor has cookies disabled or does not have JavaScript enabled in their browser, the Counter may not be able to pull the full range of statistics from that visitor.
  • What does 'self-referring / bookmarker' mean?
  • The phrase 'self-referring / bookmarker' means that your web site visitor came to the site by typing the address directly into the browser or via a bookmark saved on the browser. Since it is self-referring, then no referring URL information is reported.
  • Why is there 'no referrer' information for some visitors?
  • Like the term 'self-referring / bookmarker', the term 'no referrer' also means that no referring URL information is being reported by the visitor's computer.
  • What is a 'blocked referrer'?
  • A 'blocked referrer' means that the visitor's internet security software or browser setting is set to the term 'blockedReferrer' or 'hiddenReferrer', rather than the true referring URL information. A 'blocked referrer' is a visitor whose referring source is somehow being made anonymous.
Recommended Online Resources  
Home | About Us | Privacy Policy | Store | Contact Us | Blog Forum | Blog Directory
Copyright © BlogPatrol.com, Inc. 2003-2008. All rights reserved.