Observer said “…still less than the lowest rated newscast in the valley”… I think it’s perfectly lovely that the Guardian spend a moment tooting his own horn, so to speak. This forum has been a great opportunity for some to share thoughts, brutal candor and a good hoot once in awhile. I surely think the page viewers ARE the cream of the crop! Most of all, I think judging by the content of the posts and the stir they cause on occasion, this blog makes a difference. Isn’t that what counts? When has the early show on KBCI ever done that? Go Dave! Great Job!

Tam, I hear what you are saying, however, Dave falls into the same group of media and government types who like to skew data for their own self-inflation when he reports his hit numbers. While Dave may be sincere in his attempts to bring to light the many controversies we face daily in the valley, he is still reporting crap when he reports his web statistics without fully understanding what they mean.

Back when Dave wanted to toot his own horn with a report of over 6000 hits, he and I participated in a dialog via email as I tried to explain to him the usage of the web statistics. At the time he stated “I won’t mention anything about web stats again.” He has done so twice since our discussion.

When I rain on his parade regarding unique visits (still not completely accurate as dial-up users get counted multiple times when they disconnect and reconnect, multiple computers being used by one person gets added to the number, plus deletion of cookies by users can inflate numbers) I do so not out of spite but out of a sincere desire to share knowledge with someone who states he is against self-serving data often used by COMPASS, the county, the city, and the state. Now that Observer has also shared knowledge with the editor, it will be difficult for “Team Dave” Frazier to hide behind his self-inflating numbers.

EDITOR NOTE–I feel compelled to jump in and defend myself. I offer up the numbers only to point out interest in the site has multiplied. Regardless of how you compute it, the readership has multiplied many times over the past year. Agent, thanks for monitoring so closely it keeps my numbers up every time you check!

I personally think that page hits is a good number. Even Unique visitors is a good indication of traffic. TECHNICALLY, agent is right about all those things that can skew numbers. Though, I doubt you are doing them, so your numbers are a good indication of your presense. If you keep using the SAME number, from year to year, it gains more strength. But, as was posted in the first comment, avoid using hits. They are deciving. 🙂 (I really annoyed people at the place where I work, when their little PR paper showed last year, they had 100k people visit this site, and last year, they only had about 30k. We then had to explain the difference between hits and page views/visitors. With your site consisting of mainly one page, I think that page views is a good gauge of your site.

LIBERTARIAN/LIBERTY/LIBRARY/LIBERAL/LIBEL- REDNECK SAYS THANK YOU.

Since June of 2005 I have been a reader. My first comment (I think?) was on the over-paid undercover (complete Orvis set-up) cop wading in the Boise River busting those ‘durn law breakin’ drinkin’ floaters. I’d like to see some enforcement in the river right now…

I enjoy the format of this site and how it’s been run. Those that read and comment have insights and opinions that help me to develop a more insightful and less ignorant opinion. Alas, I am still ignorant so please don’t point it out in the following comments.

For a final note to readers: The lib.Redneck is moving from his home state. Off to the Olympia, Washington area by the end of June. Celebrate if you must; cry if you will.

Keep up the good work Guardian readers and Editor.

EDITOR NOTE–We will miss you, but you are always welcome. On-line you are as near as your keyboard. Also, the cops SWEAR the fisherman was not one of their’s. It was still good fun.

Guardian… I feel like a late arrival! (But I hit the ground running.) Shoot, I can’t remember the exact timing, but I heard the website mentioned on the broadcast media… perhaps on KIDO Saturday morning, and maybe back when the city council campaigns were percolating.

Your diligence at “moderating” is appreciated… many of those other blogs, discussion boards, etc., that are self-edited turn into juvenile name-calling forums. Disgusting.

Congratulations on the milestone. (And you should be grateful to Observer and the Agent… maybe you won’t need that bigger-size hat after all! hahahahaha!)

I hope Lib.Redneck and others don’t feel they don’t have a voice, just because they don’t live in the flood zone. The beauty (and mystery) of this relatively-new medium is how it can bring people from across the Fruited Plain to discuss their common interests. Unless Lib.Redneck announces it, he could be from Boise, or Star, or Rawlins, Wyoming, or Muskogee, Oklahoma! (Just so you know… people say I look a lot like a young Tom Sellick, except more “buff.”)
(-;

I extend a Laurel, and Hearty Handshake to you, Guardian. Let us Pajama People know where to meet for cake!

The Guardian is the most interesting thing to happen in Boise in recent memory. With the new Statesman, BG will soon be the only interesting thing in Boise. Oh I forgot to mention, the freakin predictable 6-8 bloggers on BG. Redneck, I’m going to miss you dude! Hope you like tofu because where yur going, they think it’s meat.

Give it up for the FRAZ.

Wow! Boise Guardian turning 1 and “The Fraz” turning 60 — all within a month of each other! Can hardly wait to see what 2 and 61 brings about. 🙂

Dave,
Congratulations on one year of service to the citizens of the Treasure Valley. Thanks to you, the “good old days” of bypassing the voters for dubious projects are gone for good. Keep up the good work!

If you ever want to have some fun (meaning, a lot of city council blunders to report on), just look into the City of Garden City council! One key item, which they fail to address, is the fact that, years ago, Garden City residents were all charged $1.00/month surcharge for “backflow valve inspection.” Well… the city decided to make us directly responsible for getting our backflow valve tested each year (at an average cost of $35), but they never bothered to rescind the $1/mo fee that they tack onto our water bill for it!

So, Fraz blows his own horn, and Agent specializes in trying to pop other people’s balloons.
Which is better — being proud of what one is doing or trying to knock the wind out of other people?
Hey, Fraz, I love what you’re doing and believe it’s well worthwhile — hell, if stomping on the ignore-the-voters bonds and closed meetings is the only thing you ever accomplish, you still have done a helluva lot more good than most of the rest of us will ever do.
Hey, Agent — get a life … do something you’re proud of so you can blow your own horn, too, instead of just trying to mash someone else’s bugle.

— gp

Happy Birthday and may next year be as productive as the last!~! Boise has really needed a forum to inform, educate , and entertain us all! And sometimes we can even rant!! And someone has to watch the City officials underhandedness and you Dave do it well!!!

City Insider,

You realize that the city is currently conducting ethics training. They make it a point to tell employees of the proper paths to follow to air their complaints and concerns.

They prefer that the Boise Guardian and others get their information through public news releases and the freedom of information act, not employee leaks.

I don’t know of an employee that wouldn’t want to work within that system, if only it worked as advertised.

It doesn’t matter if its Public Works managers being allowed to go astray or how our tax dollars are being spent, the Boise Guardian has become a growing voice for the informed public.

Happy Birthday Guardian…