March 9th, 2006
Using Google Analytics can mean downtime
I just tried to browse to a site that’s never been down before, and discovered it was unreachable. Strange! I saw my browser trying to connect with Google Analytics, but couldn’t do it.
The reason to why the site was unreachable? Google Analytics.
Registering with GA enables a user to insert a little bit of javascript code into a web site, and presto, one gets very nice stats of how many visits the site. I’m sure techy-enough people are able to code the problem away. Hey, if it affected everybody using GA, it could actually affect my site, ha. Wait a minute…it did! This blog was unreachable, trying to knock on the unopenable door of GA.
GA has been under a lot of stress as the number of users taking advantage of their very nice, free services is surely staggering, so I’m not surprised it backlashed, taking a few sites with it.
I’ve deactivated my GA plug-in for the time being.
edit: others have noted this bug.
March 9th, 2006 at 17:35
I don’t know how they require you insert the code, but maybe try putting it at the footer of your page rather than the header. I think web browsers read top to bottom, not sure though.
March 9th, 2006 at 21:28
[...] Kom på att jag inte har nån koll på webserver-loggen eftersom jag misslyckats med rättigheter för awstats och inte orkat chmodda. Kör ju ändå Google Analytics (som det var nåt strul med tidigare idag så att folk inte kom fram till sajter som använder Google Analytics). Men idag tankade jag hem alla mina loggar och körde dem i gratisprogrammet WebLog Expert Lite för att se lite mer detaljerad info som inte Google visar. Som fullständig referer, t ex. Det var ett par hotlinkade bilder, och nästan 1 Gb uppladdat sen september. Men det är ju ingen större fara. [...]
March 9th, 2006 at 21:44
[...] read more | digg story [...]
March 9th, 2006 at 23:04
This tends to happen when the GA code is placed at the top of the page. I’ve found the code works best when placed lower (at the end of the html).
March 10th, 2006 at 00:57
Wouldn’t the same be true for any other traffic-statistics service?
Answer: Duh.
It’s the nature of how it works. All traffic analysis services use the same exact technique with Javascript.
Are people going to boycott Analytics just because it had a very short downtime? If you do, you are on my “officially an ignorant retard” list.
March 10th, 2006 at 07:02
Dear Steven,
From Googling your name, I understand you work under the moniker “Jizz Mopper” at some factory called Moe’s Sperm-A-Thon, where “very short downtime” and “official” mean interesting things, but not in accordance with what the rest of your species think. By the way, this “very short downtime” is still very much in effect (and has been for almost 24 hours – as this is written 2006-03-10, 10:12).
Of course, this GA-kerfuffle would be easily had been done away with, if Google had done something to prevent it beforehand, e.g. by redirecting traffic or have set up a server-environment where redundance would have steered people clear of the numbness of yesterday.
I am sure your elegantly expressed opinion will very much clarify and matter singularly for the people who were affected by all this, e.g. Slashdot. Give them a ring, will you?
Cheerio,
Niklas
March 10th, 2006 at 09:19
” something to prevent it beforehand ”
It’s a limited beta, part of the T&Cs say that there may be problems and downtime. Why should they have to provide DR system when it’s not live?
If you are that worried, don’t use it! You have a pop a Steven but he’s right, it’s your choice to use it, nobody forced you.
March 10th, 2006 at 10:46
Dear Darren,
I am not “that” worried, neither have I ever felt “forced” to use the script (which, incidentally, is why I disabled it, as I wrote in my post) whatever that may mean, but am curious to why there is no redundancy available; Google Analytics is not beta, though – it’s “invite only”.
What is “DR system”? I’ve tried to find an explanation, but no cigar.