Why "RCounter" | License | Contents | Installation | User documentation | The analysis of site audience



RCounter
© 2001 Bendersky Maxim
© 2001 Rusin Alexander

RCounter home page
Buy source code or
order software development

Why RCounter?

Here you can find answers, which help you to become acquainted with RCounter.

What is the RCounter system? What advantages and disadvantages does the product have? Why should you prefer exactly our product? Read this document to get all answers about the RCounter system.

Contents

  1. ANNOTATION
  2. “WHY RCounter?” - DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF THE SYSTEM
       
    2.1. Main advantages of the RCounter system
       2.2. Detailed comparative characteristic with analogs

       2.3.
    Disadvantages of the RCounter system
  3. COMPARISON TABLE OF THE RCOUNTER SYSTEM WITH ANALOGS
  4. PLANS ABOUT IMPROVING THE SYSTEM
  5. WHERE CAN YOU FIND FULL INFORMATION ABOUT RCounter?
  6. WHERE CAN YOU BUY THE SOURCE CODE OF THE RCounter SYSTEM?

1. Annotation

RCounter is a system for gathering and reviewing statistics, analysis of web-site attendance (and separate web-pages).

The basic functions and advantages of the system:

  • a plenty of diverse kinds of statistics (hits, hosts totally and by dates, unique IP-addresses, “where from” statistics);
  • support of statistics on separate pages of a large site;
  • access to statistics (review) via Internet;
  • setting the Rcounter system through Internet (Web-access);
  • storage of site statistics in the separate database completely belonging to a site owner;
  • support of “skin” technology for set-up of counter appearance on the site, capability to disable show of the counter on the site;

The special advantage of the system is the reliable registration of site attendance. As RCounter is placed on the same server, as the site contents, - a visitor who opens the site “is inevitably counted” unlike other counters and rating systems (for example, Rambler, Hostglobal), which by virtue of the congestion periodically are unavailable and “skip” some part of visits of your site.

2. “Why RCounter?” - distinctive features of the system

You may ask yourself – Why should I use exactly this new product? Especially, when there are many analogs on the market, in which the similar problems have already solved. Such question is lawful for the RCounter system. In this chapter you can find answers for such questions, which certain will allow you to make right choice - whether it is necessary to use RCounter and buy its commercial version, or it is possible to work with more simple analogs.

2.1. Main advantages of the RCounter system

  1. Many kinds of gathered statistics;
  2. Statistics for separate pages of the site;
  3. “Where from” statistics;
  4. Rights on the statistic base;
  5. Access limitation of to statistics;
  6. Editing the statistic base;
  7. Quality of count of visits;
  8. Possibility of skin editing (creation);
  9. Ignoring “debug” site visits;
  10. Handy representation of statistics;

Below you can read all these advantages in detail. It is explained why the RCounter system may be important for you as a site owner.

2.2. Detailed comparative characteristic with analogs

1. Many kinds of gathered statistics

RCounter: The system as a whole contains and displays many different kinds of statistics. All these statistics are in process simultaneously (synchronously) and agreed among themselves. It enables to do very interesting analytical conclusions at usage of the certain techniques, the part from which is described in the documentation accompanying the product.

Rating systems such as HostGlobal, SpyLog, One.ru: as a rule, have smaller number of different kinds of statistics. The most advanced systems have comparable number of kinds of statistics.

Freeware/shareware CGI-counters: as a rule, they have extremely primitive statistics (usually they consist of simple hit/host amount, not always even there is distribution by dates).

2. Statistics for separate pages of the site

RCounter allows conducting detailed visit statistics of separate pages. It is done very simply and there are no by-effects. There is possibility to compare attendance of different site pages. It is possible to analyze from which page and to what page of your site the users pass. It opens a lot of wide opportunities for analyzing audience, optimization of structure and contents of your site, so it allows increasing the number of your site visits!

Other rating systems and CGI-counters have no similar possibility. This function, in some cases, can be realized by an indirect way, but it requires the large expenditures of labor at creation of the site, its registration, and mainly - at the audience analysis. Thus, it is very difficult to realize the regular audience analysis of separate pages (for example, weekly) with the help of other systems.

3. “Where from” statistics

RCounter allows receiving “where from” statistics. It is an indication of site addresses from which your visitors have carried out transition to your site. This statistics is of great value, as it allows after site registration in various catalogs and search systems defining from which ones the visitors goes, and from which ones it is not present. Besides, this statistics allows finding out that the reference to your site occurs on other Internet resources, where you did not order it. Also, such kind of statistics allows defining the value of the different catalogs (search systems) for your site. Because, sometimes, some popular catalogs may bring to you on business as many visitors as your friend’s home page.

Other rating systems and CGI-counters have no similar possibility (at least, among known ratings and counters the given possibility has not been detected).

4. Right on the statistic base

RCounter creates the separate database (separate file in the *.esf format) for statistics of each site, which belongs to the site owner. The file (the statistic database) always can be copied, transferred on other server. Also you can make a backup copy of the statistic database. You are always sure that nobody will delete and change statistics or change count principles of one or other parameters of your site.

Rating systems, such as HostGlobal, SpyLog, One.ru store the united base with statistics of all sites using the system. You can not get the base of separate site. If you are going to change your site name and complete site processing or move your site on other server – you may have difficulties with continuation of the former statistics in some cases. Periodically, when the rating system (the principles of rating account) are corrected – some part of statistics of sites is deleted, or its interpretation is changed. It occurs at request of the rating system owners, without taking opinions and wishes of the owners of concrete sites into consideration.

5. Access limitation to statistics

RCounter allows you (at your discretion) to open or limit access to statistics for web visitors (your site visitors).

Rating systems, such as HostGlobal, SpyLog, One.ru: generally, all statistics, gathered by these systems, is accessible not only for the site owner, but also for everyone. Sometimes, it may breathe on the site image.

6. Editing the statistic base

RCounter allows you to edit various parameters. There is special utility for this purpose. In particular, it allows you to continue the work with statistics, which has gathered with the help of other rating systems. Also, this function can be used for solution of other problems.

Other rating systems and CGI-counters do not allow the site owner to edit statistics independently. But there are rare exceptions among the CGI-counters.

7. Quality of visit count

RCounter can be placed on the same physical server as the site does. Thus, every visitor of the site will be registered and taken into account in statistics.

Rating systems, such as HostGlobal, SpyLog, One.ru: as a rule, place on remote and busy servers, therefore not always at visiting your site the call of the counter of this system can be successfully executed. Thus, the probability of “missing” visits is very high. The more popular a rating system, the higher probability that there are “missing” visits for your site. It is also true for the distance between a rating system server and your site server.

8. Possibility of skin editing (creation)

RCounter allows you to create an absolutely arbitrary skin for the counter, or to disable displaying the counter on a page at all (but the counter will gather statistics). It can be used almost any graphics editor for skin creation. The preparation and installation of a skin in the system is very simple (there is the special utility for this purposes). Besides, there will be the skin exchange system among its authors, for their publication on the Internet.

Rating systems, such as HostGlobal, SpyLog, One.ru in principle do not allow you to install an arbitrary image of the counter (as they require installation of the image in their stylistics). In the best of cases, you may select one of the several standard fixed size images. It is impossible to disable displaying image of the counter on your site (just gathering statistics).

Freeware/shareware CGI-counters in some cases allow you to change appearance of the counter, but as a rule their mechanism is not flexible. At the present time, there are no freeware/shareware CGI-counters, which allow you to disable displaying the counter.

9. Ignoring “debug” site visits

RCounter allows you to set IP-addresses of computers, the visits from which should completely be ignored. It is useful, that “debug” visits of employees who developing and testing your site were ignored. Such visits may be useful for increasing of site rating, but they are very harmful, if you are going to receive reliable and objective statistics.

Freeware/shareware CGI-counters have no similar possibility.

10. Handy representation of statistics

RCounter allows you to view statistics via a browser, as a usual Internet-page (web-access). At viewing, it is possible to pass from one page of statistics to another, change the modes of sorting in the lists very fast.

Rating systems, such as HostGlobal, SpyLog, One.ru generally have the comparable convenience of displaying statistics, but at displaying the lists, the modes of sorting, as a rule, are not adjusted.

Freeware/shareware CGI-counters, as a rule, have no similar possibility. Usually you can view only total visits shown on the counter image via the Internet. If these systems have other kinds of statistics, as a rule, it is impossible to view via the Internet.

2.3. Disadvantages of the RCounter system

We know and responsibly tell you not only about advantages of our system, but also about its disadvantages in comparison with analogs (competitors). However, most of disadvantages we are not simply declaring, but also we are going to correct in the following versions of the system. See disadvantages of the "RCounter" system below:

  • There is no displaying graphs (diagrams) on pages of statistic review, that reduces visualization. Correction of the disadvantage: It is planned to apply graphs (diagrams) in the following version for all kinds of statistics;
  • RCounter does not show statistics by geographical distribution of visitors (statistics, from what regions/countries visitors come in your site). Correction of the disadvantage: the necessary information for displaying this kind of statistics in the database is present, its displaying is planned to realize in one of the following versions of the system;
  • The distribution of visitors according to the time of day is not displayed. Correction of the disadvantage: the necessary information in the database is present, displaying diagrams of the visitor distribution according to the time of day is planned to realize in one of the following versions of the system.

Except correction of the listed disadvantages, it is planned to introduce some important improvements to the RCounter system, which absent for analogs/competitors. See the list of such improvements in the separate chapter.

3. Comparison table of the RCounter system with analogs

You can find the results of comparison of the RCounter system with other systems (both concrete systems and classes of systems), deciding similar problems in the table below.

Possibility (function)

Rambler Top100

One.ru

CGI-counters

RCounter

Statistics by separate pages of a site

No

Indirectly

No

Yes

“Where from” statistics

No

Announced, but it doesn't work

No

Yes

Statistics by visitor geography

Yes

No

No

No, but
it is planned

Distribution of visits by days

Yes

No

Usually is not present

Yes

Using graphs (diagrams) for reviewing statistics

Yes

No

No

No, but
it is planned

For what period the statistics (not including total visits) is accessible

1-2 months for different kinds of statistics

A Week

Usually no more than a week

all period

Access limitation to statistics

Partially

Partially

Yes

Yes

Review of statistics via the Internet (web-access)

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Possibility to set ignored IP-addresses

No

No

No

Yes

Possibility to disable displaying the counter

No

No

No

Yes

Free skin editing

No

No

Usually not

Yes

Editing statistics

No

No

No

Yes

Accessory of the base to site owner

No

No

Yes

Yes

Separate base of statistics on a site

No

No

Yes

Yes

Possibility to place application of the counter on one server with a site

No

No

Yes

Yes

Type of the server, on which the application for account of statistics is placed

-

-

Different

Multiplatform

4. Plans about improving the system

The developers of the RCounter system plan to develop it in the following directions and realize the following improvements:

  • Display of geographical distribution of site visitors;
  • Using graphs (diagrams) for reviewing statistics;
  • Account and display of distribution of visitors according to the time of day;
  • Open the rating of sites using RCounter pages (participation of sites in the rating at desire of site owners) on www.rcounter.noonet.ru;
  • Account of enclosure of site pages, count of total parameters for groups of pages (by site sections);
  • Preparation and issue of statistic report in the form of Excel tables;
  • Writing detailed journals of visits of sites (optional).

5. Where can you find full information about RCounter?

There are two main sources where you can obtain full information about the RCounter system:

  • www.rcounter.noonet.ru;
  • The RCounter documentation (all versions of the product has the detailed documentation);

6. Where can you buy the source code of the RCounter system?

You can order all source code of the RCounter system. So you can order adaptation of this product for your problems. Just visit www.rcoutner.noonet.ru.

 
RCounter v1.0 multiplatform. FREE
Count your visitors!
WHY RCOUNTER?

Developed by Bendersky Maxim © 2001
Tested and documented by Rusin Alexander © 2001
English translation by Sheremet Dmitry © 2001
November 09, 2001.