(WARNING – Reading this post may bore you to tears.)
I discovered my IP address has changed. Very weird.
For those of you who track visitors to your blogs via their IP addresses, please note. I am still visiting your blog – just via a different address. I haven’t abandoned you.
I use Site Meter. When I first starting blogging, I checked the stats religiously (i.e. daily) to see if anyone was visiting my blog. Now, I rarely do.
However, every Monday morning I receive an e-mail from Site Meter with a summary of the week’s action. I usually just take a quick peek and delete. This past Monday I noted that on a day I DID NOT POST I had tons of traffic.
(Very telling. People like to visit my blog when I have nothing to say.)
Anyway, I investigated further – went to Site Meter to check things out. That’s when I discovered I had a new IP address.
On a day I had posted I’d had an early morning visitor on my site for 15 minutes!
Wow. I figured that person must really love me. I took a closer look. The person had been visiting at the exact same time I’d been publishing my post. Oh. That would be ME. (Well, I do love me.) An unfamiliar IP address was showing.
Interesting. Talked with my computer savvy son. We both Googled the words “what is my IP address.” Many, many sites appeared and each one we clicked on showed that new IP address.
We went further – clicked on links to show the geographical location of this new IP address. (Specifics such as street name and # are not provided.) One site showed “we” were coming from the border between Nunavut Territory and Manitoba. I don’t think so! My trusty computer and I have never been there.
The rest were correct – Toronto. No big secret there.
Then I got hooked on what IP addresses are all about – started surfing the Internet until that “little person” in my brain said, “Stop! Get a life!”
Okay, okay.
But if you’re interested, try Googling those words.
You’ll get quite an education. Or a headache.
24 comments:
Oooo, thanks for that heads up...I have been wondering about IP addresses and just how accurate they are and how much can be found out about you through them. I'm going to look that up.
Beth, you can change your IP just by unplugging your modem and then reconnecting it again. Locations are rarely ever accurate. It usually shows where one of your ISP hubs are located. If you look up my IP it will show me as being in New Jersey or PA, but I swear I am in Oregon.
oreneta:
Have fun. Some of it makes sense - some of the information just boggles my mind.
guy:
Hey, so maybe it happened when one of my kids was having trouble with his computer and unplugged the modem.
And I did look up your IP on Site Meter - you're not there! How did you sneak in like that? (Maybe you'll show up later?)
Huh? Wha? You said something? I'm sorry, I was napping....zzzzzzzz...
I love checking to see where people are visiting from. It's sort of like a modern day version of license plate game (was this maybe just an American roadtrip pastime?).
patrica:
You're mean - I'm telling on you...
(I know, I brought that on myself.)
mamma:
Oh, yeah - it is fascinating to see visitors from all over the world. I do still check - but not with that initial frantic fervour!
Hee hee...couldn't resist.
I really should know more about IP addresses I guess...but I must confess that computer stuff like that just makes me wanna have a nap.
Hmmm vewy vewy interesting. I will have to go look that up...although I haven't even checked my stats for months it's always a good thing to know.
patricia;
You're forgiven - 'cause you're funny.
Have a nap...
trish:
Well, stuff like this is something you feel you should know but then what do you do with the information once you do?
A mate of mine is in Azerbijan(?) working for BP, but his IP address is somewhere in the US. Hardly call that accurate!
Apparently you get "floating" addresses too.
I find it all rather interesting, and when I'm in a substantially better mood I'll go check it out!
all mod cons:
"A substantially better mood??"
This is supposed to be a great week for you.
all mod cons (again):
Just read your blog.
Now I "get" your mood.
I had heard something similar recently. It can get all very confusing, very quickly.
myutopia:
For me, it can get very confusing very quickly and very easily!
What lovely tidbits. So great that we can unplug our modem and get a new IP. (I like to be sneaky that way.)
no, no, no, NO!!!!! I can't do this!!! I am so lost when it comes to this crazy stuff....you're driving me crazy!!!!! ;)
What's an IP address? ;)...sorta
When your IP address changes, it is usually because Sauron has located you.
My IP address says I am from a random suburb, actually. Glad to know it isn't a secret tracking device.
Wow - my sister - a computer geek - you go girl!
angela:
Yeah, that is a plus - really never occurred to me to do it on purpose. Maybe I'll give it a try. Sneaky is good.
grundir:
Thanks for the head's up - I'll keep an eye open for Sauron. Probably wears black, right?
beth:
Not to worry - you and I can keep plugging away without knowing all this behind the scenes "scary stuff!"
princess pointful:
But maybe it is a tracking device for those who know how to use it? That's my secret fear.
megan:
I'm only 1/16th geek - if that.
And that's enough for me!
I never paid any attention to IP addresses until I got Sitemeter. LOL. I have to "ignore" my presence on the computer. Sometimes the history or memory would get wiped and then I am there again, being "timed". So I have to re-ignore myself. Now I have the Sitemeter ignore my IP address. It showed the location of my Internet Provider, not my own address. Which is good, considering. Sometimes when I see a long visit, I try to match up a comment with the time, and some people are "far" from home. I get a lot of hits from googlers, too. Makes me understand how sometimes when I google, I can't get the info I am looking for on a particular site. It's too far off the subject. I better go before I end up writing long enough to make a post.
shari:
Well, hey, do write a post about your adventures with Site Meter, hits from all over the world and figuring out how to "ignore" yourself. Makes for an interesting read!
Didn't bore me at all. Mine is somewhat correct but shows up as a few towns away. At least it's somewhat close to the right region of the state. As for knowing it, I don't and I should because my last job entailed TONS of IP address work in setting up networks and all that boring crap. Now who's boring?
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