Strategic Website Usability

Why Do You Hate Me, Feedburner?

Apparently, no one told the folks at Feedburner that I have a mild heart condition. Of course, I probably signed away any rights to litigate when I clicked "Accept" without reading the online service agreement, but still, cruelty is cruelty. I'm getting ahead of myself: yesterday was the second time this week that Feedburner showed a dramatic decline in RSS subscribers. Although I don't post my Feedburner stats in the usual widget, I'll come clean with my most recent subscriber graph:

Feedburner Graph

All in all, it's been a very good month for User Effect. After first breaking the 100 subscriber mark on October 16, I experienced some unexpected link-love, pushing me past 150 subscribers just two weeks later. Then came last Saturday: 88 subscribers, a 44% one-day drop. At first, I thought my post on becoming an internet curmudgeon had alienated everyone under 30 or over 50 who reads my blog. I contemplated the usual responses: (1) a public apology, or (2) ritual suicide. Luckily, my panic subsided later that day, as reports came in from across the blogosphere. To their credit, Feedburner was quick to explain the count drop, citing problems with Google Feedfetcher.

Things quickly returned to normal until this morning, when yesterday's stats registered another dramatic drop. Piled on top of Google's recent PageRank shuffling, it's getting to be more than a stats junkie can bear. This morning, Vanessa Fox says not to panic, and it's hard not trust the person who brought us Google Webmaster Tools. Still, for my health, try to go easy on me next week, ok?

4 Comments · Subscribe · Friday, November 9 · Dr. Peter J. Meyers

Mike Maddaloni

 · Friday, November 9
That happened to me as well - I looked on Saturday, then on Sunday my numbers were back again.

I guess what else should you expect for free, from both FeedBurner and Google Reader?!

mp/m

Dr. Pete

 · Friday, November 9
It's a bit funny that this only started happening after Google bought Feedburner. I've gotta be fair to them, though; Feedburner is a great tool and made my domain-name transition much easier. Plus, as you said, it's free.

Peter

 · Friday, November 9
Don't worry Dr Pete, we are still subscribing! I should actually take a look at my feedburner stats, I go through phases of obsessively checking google analytics and feedburner and subsequently go for weeks without looking.

Dr. Pete

 · Friday, November 9
Your way is definitely healthier, Peter. I think we all get carried away with our benchmarks sometimes. Happiness shouldn't rise and fall on my Technorati rank or Feedburner subscribers.
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