Discrepancy between number of "views" and number of "likes" on posts

• 

  babsjeheron · Member · May 9, 2014 at 5:26 pm

  • Copy link
  • Add topic to favorites

  Hello –

  I’m not clear on how views are calculated. Fir example, yesterday evening, I published the following post;

  Spring Flings – erm, Spring Wings

  The number of “Likes” it has received is more than  double the number of total views. Here’s the breakdown:

  Likes as of 1:16 pm EDT today = 48
  Views today as of 1:16 pm EDT = 8
  Views yesterday = 13

  Why is the count of views not reflecting all instances of readers accessing my post?

  Thanks in advance. Babsje

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

• 

  timethief · Member · May 9, 2014 at 5:28 pm

  • Copy link

  Hi there,
  Our stats are not real time stats. For details see here http://en.support.wordpress.com/stats/ and note the views and viewers take hours to update.

  What you report is not unusual. Please do not assume that everyone who clicks a like button or a share button actually reads the post on your blog because odds are they may not. Also note that those who follow your blog in the Reader or by email don’t have to click into the blog unless they wish to.

  Likes and shares and comments and reblogs and follows are not page views. In fact, likes, shares, comments and reblogs are completely misleading when you are talking about page view stats. Your followers and anyone with a WordPress.com/Gravatar account who is logged into WordPress.com can “follow” your blog, “like”, “share” and “reblog” your posts in several locations such as the Reader, without ever clicking into your blog and creating a single page view stat.

  Logged in visitors using a mobile can read the full post without creating a page view stat. https://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/wordpresscom-reader-show-full-text?replies=31#post-1373606

  You can control the length of the entry sent out on your RSS feed here > Settings > Reading. Choose the “summary” setting for your RSS feed rather than to “full text”. That will compel followers who are not using mobiles to click into the blog to read the full post which will create a page view stat.

• 

  babsjeheron · Member · May 10, 2014 at 5:58 pm

  • Copy link

  Many thanks, timethief, for your always speedy and thorough responses to questions. I get it now (tho there’s something a bit sad when people “like” a post without even having read it or seen the photo). Best, Babsje

• 

  timethief · Member · May 11, 2014 at 6:30 pm

  • Copy link

  I agree that clicking a like button without reading a full post is an irresponsible act but there’s no doubt that people do it. :(