Tag Archives: 2010

Analytical review of 2010

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As done in mid 2009, I decided I should take a look into this past year – with relation to website vistor analytics. For someone like myself, seeing these datasets is very fascinating and raise some very important technical points – with regard to technology (such as browsers, software platforms etc.)

Take a look at the post from 2009 (Review of noelharrison[dot]net) if you would like to compare results. When reading this post, do note that the data collected by the statistics package is not 100% accurate. It is near impossible to give exact figures when it comes to tracking visitors.

From the beginning of January 2010 until the end of December 2010, noelharrison[dot]net has seen over 5950 new visitors and over 165000 page hits. The blog has used over 1,6GB of bandwidth.

From the statistics generated, it is clear that the more I write, the more visitors I get (this is obvious). The monthly unique hits have grown from early January at 384 to 731 in December 2010.

When looking into the day and time that people view the website the most, the following was discovered; People view the website most on a Sunday and a Monday between 11am and 1pm.

The following I found most interesting. I am able to track great amounts of geographical information. Certain packages are able to break it down to suburb level, however for this blog post, I will keep it nation based. As it normally is, the United States of America ranks in first place. The interesting second runner is the Russian Federation. South Africa is third and Great Britain is fourth. Other nations in order – after fourth are;

  • The Netherlands
  • Canada
  • France
  • Germany
  • Romania
  • Ukraine
  • Brazil
  • Latvia
  • Australia
  • Japan
  • Italy
  • Indonesia
  • South Korea
  • Czech Republic
  • Malaysia
  • India
  • Finland
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Poland
  • Austria

The next bit of interesting information is the content that viewers have found most interesting – based on the number of views. Ranking very high up is the first blog post on noelharrison[dot]net, Government Intervention; Destroyer of the Free Market and the Hot Top: Gaza / Israel.

Again, on a more technical note, 67.9% of all viewers on the site were Windows users and 18,8% are Macintosh users. I have looked at the hits to date this year, I am very proud to say that Macintosh is on top in 2011 (I do wonder how long this will be the case).

Browser wise, in 2010, 47,2% of viewers were using Internet Explorer, 17,1% were using Firefox and a small 14,5% were using Google Chrome. In 2011, I have seen that Google Chrome is sitting at 49,1%, Internet Explorer at 26,2% and Firefox at a dismal 6,9%.

I have found that posting on Facebook is a huge traffic driver to the site, along with Twitter and actually interacting with other blogs – ie. commenting.  Some of the top keywords used to find noelharrison[dot]net are:

  • Economy
  • Free Market
  • Intervention
  • Forces (economic)
  • Production (economic)
  • Interference
  • Government
  • Africa
  • Life

In conclusion, there has been dramatic growth of traffic on the site, which is exciting. The site has made it onto the first page of Google, in 2 or 3rd position over the singer – Noel Harrison. Silly, but it is a rather large challenge to compete.

Im looking forward to huge growth in 2011. Thank you for reading. Comments are always appreciated and generally (if need be) responded to.

Noel Harrison

Realisations and happenings of late 2010 / early 2011

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The last few weeks have been a very eventful few. It has been a time for many positive things / changes in life – in fact all positive (well this post will only cover the positives – no need for me to grunt about my problems ;) ).

Firstly, I met my biological mother a few days before the new year. After over 13 years of no contact in any form – this was most definitely one of the highest points in my life. I had never really imagined this day – I guess I thought it would never come.

For me, I was able to have a number of questions answered, a number of personality features were highlighted – small things and then also a number of rather larger things. I’ve been spending great amount of times with her lately – I guess there is just so much to catch up on and so much to get to know. It really has been so very exciting. Possibly one of the best gifts someone could get around Christmas time.

I am very keen to see where this goes and to continue a good relationship with her in the future. (See photos below).

On a less eventful note, I have always been a very pro conservative kind of person. However I got speaking to a friend of mine, who listened to what I felt were my political views.

This friend has studied political science and works as a political strategist at the Cape Independent. After listening to my views, he informed me that I am more of a Classic Liberal. I did some reading later that evening – and it turns out that the views that I hold are in fact not entirely conservative – but in fact fall into the more Classic Liberal park.

Shock and horor?

Not really. For me politics is very important – especially in relation to Economics. The Classical Liberal view on economic is inline with those that I have adopted as my own. I will most likely be posting a little more on this a little later this month.

I think is about all I have to say for this moment.

2011 is here!

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Above: Photo taken on 1 January 2011.

So 2010 is gone. 2011 is upon us. I can honestly say that 2010 was an amazing year. I have learnt many new things, worked very hard, had great experiences and some not such amazing ones. I guess that is part of life – the good and the bad times. However, we learn from both – I finished this year with a very positive attitude with some amazing friends that I have got to know other the last 12 months.

As I traditionally do (if one can call it a tradition – considering this is the second year I am doing this), I would like to give an overview of 2010, and then also talk about my plans for 2011.

Looking Back:

  1. Possibly the most memorable experience this year was the experience of loving someone – for me this was very new.I mean, I love my family and many of my friends – so I speak of a more romantic type of love – I have gained love and lost love this year.

    However I do not regret it – I have learn so much from the process and also have come out as a better person – this person helped me make many important decisions in my life – for one – urged me to register to study in 2011.

    For this I am grateful  - I needed a kick to get that done. With love comes a fair amount of pain – this I have also experienced – yet again – I do not regret this at all – it was such an amazing experience.2011, I will be open to love. Something I was always closed to – I thought I never needed anyone else.

    So, thank you.

    “If you love someone, let them go: If they return to you, they will be your’s forever; If they do not, they were never your’s to begin with.” – Anon.

  2. In April 2010, I decided that I needed to follow my vision. I left a company I was working at for around 6 months and started my own business again – SpinningYourWeb.I started SpinningYourWeb in 2005 – when I was 13.

    It is now going into its 6th year of operation. It is finally looking financially viable and I guess this is testament to the power of hard work, consistency and dedication. I love my work – this helps greatly.

    Someone wise said something along the lines of – do what you love, then it is not work.I know where I want my business to be – I know where I want my life to be. I will succeed.

    “There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

  3. I have made many great friends. I love my friends. They are what keeps me alive, keep me from loosing my sanity and who are there for me when I am going through a rough time. Without them, I would be nothing.In 2011, I wish to get to know my friends better, to become more involved in their lives and in general, to build some more amazing bridges.

    “You can have friends as numerous as leaves on a tree, but only one good friend will change your life. My life has been changed” – Davide Mancinelli

Looking to 2011:

I have divided this section into two – personal and work.

  1. Personal:

    I have many aims in my life.  One of my aims is to be the best friend I can be to those who mean so much to me. I want to always keep my eyes open to new relationships and bridges that can be made. I find I have a very closed mind – this year, I want to expand my horizons and I want to be open to new things and new experiences.

    I start my studies this year, while working a full time demanding job. I made a decision to drop marketing and to move to my initial interest (which I was talked out of in 2010). I will be starting a long process of extending my education.I will be starting a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics. I would like to take this far – how far – that I am unsure of.

    I want to live a healthy life style in 2011. I want to remove things that make me stressed or add additional complexity to life.Life is not meant to be complex and difficult. Living a healthy life includes relationships (both friendships and romantic), healthy eating, fitness and such. I want to be fulfilled in all these areas – however I want to be open to what fulfillment is in these areas.There is so much I could say with regard to my personal life, however as I experience things – I will write additional blog posts.

  2. Work:

    With regard to work, I aim to continue my commitment and dedication to the businesses growth and success. I want to work harder – I often feel I do not put my all into my work.

    I guess it is important to do this – in order to reach the maximum potential. I need to be more harsh on myself and I need to force myself to work towards goals.In mid 2010, I launched a software project called Capital Software. This product has been in development for over 5 months. We have a number of clients wanting to license this software. This is very exciting for me – I would love for this to become the core of my business – and I know that it has the ability to become financially viable early on in 2011 as we expand the functionality and make the correct partnerships.

I think that is about it from me for now. I wish all my readers great success in 2011 and I hope that it is a productive year for all.

Here’s to 2011 and whatever it brings us, lets be open to anything.

A Year in Review: 2009

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A Year in Review: 2009
This is my last planned post before the new year. 2009 has been a year of great challenges and amazing successes. So as I did last year, I want to do a review of the website and the coverage it has had.
This year (up to now) has seen another 4812 new faces, which generated 18287 website hits and this lead to the viewership of over 41500 page views. This is an exciting growth for my small yet largely opinionated blog. Yet again, I do claim that this is my personal website and I write about things I enjoy and I do not claim that the content is unbiased. (Just wanted to throw my small disclaimer in).
I have seen a great increase in my website readership this year, with a few of my articles being published on news sites – mainly my Hot Topic: Israel and my Capitalism in a cup write up. My Hot Topic: Israel post became the top read item on this other news site by easily more than four fold and it generated and encouraged much positive debate between accusers from both sides of the spectrum. This is by far one of the most favorable achievements – I am controversial – and this I attribute the success of this website to.
Ok, so now more on a personal note, this was my last year of high school which I am now complete. I get my final results on the 30th of December, and this will be a huge deciding factor on the fate of my planned studying in 2010. I am studying part time through the University of South Africa (UNISA) and will be working full time during the day at a wonderful company – Umoya Network Solutions. The environment at this company is one which encourages productivity – but on a more important note – encourages the personal growth of individuals within the business. The development team I am working with are all under 23 and this is enjoyable for me too as they are on top of the latest technology and are still in that stage in which they are passionate about their work (dont get me wrong – you  do get older people who are). It is refreshing.
In part this change has been a sad one for me – as it has required me to close down the business I have nurtured and grown over the last five years (which too has brought me much experience and joy). It is the closing of a path.
From a social point of view, this year has been life changing. I hope to keep in contact with a few of the people from my high school career and in the last 6 months of this year I have made some very close friend. My closest being the girl I went to the Matric Dance with (Otherwise known as a Prom for my American readers). We have become really good friends during this time and I hope that we will keep in contact over the years – I too wish her all the success in the world with her choice in studying down the path of Law in the greatest wine town in the world (not the bias coming up here) – Stellenbosch. Talking of wine, I have taken a great liking to wine (much against the general grain for an 18 year old) – but quite frankly, I dont care.
I have too learnt that people are not as they seem (makes me think to Shakespeare’s Othello act in which Iago makes the comment that men should be as they seem). This in reality is not so – I have seen this first hand and it has caused great pain in my life – but from it, I have obtained many new experiences and am now am much more cautious about whom I talk to and spend my time with. Our time is limited – and I am not willing to waste time on those who do not invest in my life – as I like to think I did or would do in theirs.
I have also started talking to a guy I met. He is from Italy, but is living in America. He has taught me many important things about life and for this I am grateful. I hope to get to know him better as the days and years go on and I wish him all the success in the world as he pursues his path in life. You are special to me – for me it was so refreshing to get to know him a little better – he shared much about his family. You know, I have never know a family that is so close – It amazed me and touched me. One day when I have a family – I will demand this of them, but in all seriousness it is wonderful. It because they are Italian I say :)
Then my local friend – best friend Jonathan. This year, and I am sure he will agree has been one of great interest and amusement. We are the best of friends and I see that this will continue as is. Ill make sure of it.
So now looking forward, 2010 is approaching – “The big year” for South Africa. The world cup is here and it is going to be interesting. I say no more on this at this point in time, but I do hope that it is a huge success and that it brings much positive publicity to South Africa. As far as this website goes, I hope to expand it – into a wider array of topics, and I intend on doing this by widening my interests, but also by pulling in guest writers to assist in making this website as interesting as possible to you – the readers.
I look forward to creating new articles which will encourage and stimulate discussion and I look forward to sharing my interests with you in the New Year.
God bless you all in the New Year!
Noel HarrisoThis is my last planned post before the new year. 2009 has been a year of great challenges and amazing successes. So as I did last year, I want to do a review of the website and the coverage it has had.

This is my last planned post before the new year. 2009 has been a year of great challenges and amazing successes. So as I did last year, I want to do a review of the website and the coverage it has had.

This year (up to now) has seen another 4812 new faces, which generated 18287 website hits and this lead to the viewership of over 41500 page views. This is an exciting growth for my small yet largely opinionated blog. Yet again, I do claim that this is my personal website and I write about things I enjoy and I do not claim that the content is unbiased. (Just wanted to throw my small disclaimer in).

I have seen a great increase in my website readership this year, with a few of my articles being published on news sites – mainly my Hot Topic: Israel and my Capitalism in a cup write up. My Hot Topic: Israel post became the top read item on this other news site by easily more than four fold and it generated and encouraged much positive debate between accusers from both sides of the spectrum. This is by far one of the most favorable achievements – I am controversial – and this I attribute the success of this website to.

Ok, so now more on a personal note, this was my last year of high school which I am now complete. I get my final results on the 30th of December, and this will be a huge deciding factor on the fate of my planned studying in 2010. I am studying part time through the University of South Africa (UNISA) and will be working full time during the day at a wonderful company – Umoya Network Solutions. The environment at this company is one which encourages productivity – but on a more important note – encourages the personal growth of individuals within the business. The development team I am working with are all under 23 and this is enjoyable for me too as they are on top of the latest technology and are still in that stage in which they are passionate about their work (dont get me wrong – you  do get older people who are). It is refreshing.

In part this change has been a sad one for me – as it has required me to close down the business I have nurtured and grown over the last five years (which too has brought me much experience and joy). It is the closing of a path.

From a social point of view, this year has been life changing. I hope to keep in contact with a few of the people from my high school career and in the last 6 months of this year I have made some very close friend. My closest being the girl I went to the Matric Dance with (Otherwise known as a Prom for my American readers). We have become really good friends during this time and I hope that we will keep in contact over the years – I too wish her all the success in the world with her choice in studying down the path of Law in the greatest wine town in the world (not the bias coming up here) – Stellenbosch. Talking of wine, I have taken a great liking to wine (much against the general grain for an 18 year old) – but quite frankly, I dont care.

I have too learnt that people are not as they seem (makes me think to Shakespeare’s Othello act in which Iago makes the comment that men should be as they seem). This in reality is not so – I have seen this first hand and it has caused great pain in my life – but from it, I have obtained many new experiences and am now am much more cautious about whom I talk to and spend my time with. Our time is limited – and I am not willing to waste time on those who do not invest in my life – as I like to think I did or would do in theirs.

I have also started talking to a guy I met. He is from Italy, but is living in America. He has taught me many important things about life and for this I am grateful. I hope to get to know him better as the days and years go on and I wish him all the success in the world as he pursues his path in life. You are special to me – for me it was so refreshing to get to know him a little better – he shared much about his family. You know, I have never know a family that is so close – It amazed me and touched me. One day when I have a family – I will demand this of them, but in all seriousness it is wonderful. It because they are Italian I say :)

Then my local friend – best friend Jonathan. This year, and I am sure he will agree has been one of great interest and amusement. We are the best of friends and I see that this will continue as is. Ill make sure of it.

So now looking forward, 2010 is approaching – “The big year” for South Africa. The world cup is here and it is going to be interesting. I say no more on this at this point in time, but I do hope that it is a huge success and that it brings much positive publicity to South Africa. As far as this website goes, I hope to expand it – into a wider array of topics, and I intend on doing this by widening my interests, but also by pulling in guest writers to assist in making this website as interesting as possible to you – the readers.

I look forward to creating new articles which will encourage and stimulate discussion and I look forward to sharing my interests with you in the New Year.

God bless you all in the New Year!

signature2

Noel Harrison

P.S. – I have attached two pictures from the Waterfront yesterday, not that you really care. But take a look :)

photo2 photo1