(Updated 3/7/01)

Over 400,000 'hits' for Crufts' website!

THIS YEAR’S Crufts was a success by anyone’s standards, despite the unforeseen postponement from its usual March dates to the end of May. In terms of exhibitors, visitors and TV and newspaper coverage, this year’s show - the first at which foreign dogs could openly compete - the whole event was extremely positive, writes Nick Mays.

One area in which the show scored a big hit - or, more accurately, over 400,000 hits - was the official Crufts website which literally attracted the attention of visitors from around the world. The site’s Show Results service uploaded to the net by Fosse Data Systems in association with Homepage, received nothing but praise with prompt updates as soon the results of judging became available from the show office. The site in general was packed with useful information about the event which made it the natural first port of call for anyone wishing to know about the show at short notice.

The actual statistics for visits to the Crufts site make fascinating reading. The internet information service for website owners, Webtrends swiftly produced statistics relating to the Crufts site during the period May 20th to June 2nd, which took in the pre and post-show period as well as the four days of the show itself.

The entire site scored 436,799 successful hits during this period, averaging a staggering 48,533 hits per day.
With regard to ‘Visitor Sessions’, a total of 22,239 were recorded, averaging 2,471 visits per day, with the average length of each visitor’s session being 9.12 minutes. Interestingly, ‘visitors’ from the United States accounted for the bulk of the visits at 57.48 per cent, although this may have been distorted by the simple fact that all ‘.com’ addresses are logged as of US origin.

As to the visitors themselves, 10,878 visited the site once, accounting for 82.92 per cent of all visits, whilst 2,240 visited more than once. In fact, visitors logged onto the site more than 10 times, equalling 1.85 per cent of the total.

Although Crufts is renowned worldwide, it is classed, like Shakespeare as a British institution. Interestingly, like Shakespeare at Stratford-on-Avon, the show attracted more interest from the United States (as far as the website was concerned) than from the UK. The USA apparently accounted for 12,825 visits, almost four times as many as the UK’s 3,418. Australian surfers made 784 visits, followed by the Netherlands with 459, Canada with 361, Sweden with 242 and New Zealand with 218. In 8th place came Germany with 199, Denmark 9th on 173 and Belgium with 170. Ireland recorded the smallest number of visits with 45, only nine less than Japan on 54.

Fascinating

The statistics relating to the vast number of American ‘hits’ and the state-by-state web activity is also quite fascinating with the Webtrends information pointing out that Virginia was the State to record to greatest number of visits with 6,009, (probably distorted as this is the HQ of AOL) way ahead of the second placed State California with 633. Connecticut, in third place, managed a relatively paltry 83. This, perhaps, indicates the concentration of competitive dog owners in the USA who took an interest in the Crufts show, although New York state, home of the Westminster show only ranked 11th with 18 visits. Oklahoma and Wisconsin both scored the lowest with 11 visits apiece.

As for American cities which were most active, the city of Reston, Virginia (HQ of AOL again!) recorded no less than 5,711 sessions, far ahead of the second most active city, also in Viginia, Fairfax, with 282. Palo Alto, California came third, accounting for 270 sessions, followed by Redwood City, California with 247. Stamford, Conneticut was placed fifth, but managed only a paltry 74 sessions in comparison.

The Internet Service Provider which (ISP) which accounted for the greatest number of hits was British Telecom Net (btinternet.com) with 46,676 (11.98 per cent), followed closely by American OnLine (aol.com) with 24,130 (6.19 per cent).

As for the different types of organisation to visit the Crufts website, individual ‘companies’ accounted for 220,183 hits (70.91 per cent) and 13,283 visitor sessions. Networks were listed next with 84,405 hits, (27.18 per cent) and 3,942 sessions. Educational organisations scored 3,785 hits (1.21 per cent) and 115 sessions. For conspiracy theorists, Government organisations scored 656 hits (0.21 per cent) and 25 sessions, while Military organisations scored 49 hits (0.01 per cent) and four visits.

So, in conclusion, what do these statistics show us? One could be facetious and say that the American military, using a mainstream ISP based in Virginia are keeping a close eye on the dog showing activities of potential subversives in the “52nd State”.

But, more realistically, one could say that American dog enthusiasts take a keen interest in Crufts, the British institution and use the official website to access instant information. The fact the UK records less visits may not necessarily indicate that British dog lovers are any less interested in Crufts, but simply that there is more information pertaining to the show available in other, general media (i.e. newspapers and television).

When all is said and done, however, Crufts is the world’s most famous dog show and nobody does it quite like the Brits (whether good or bad) and it follows that the official website, so well constructed and full of information, should generate such a great deal of interest.

Top Ten most active countries for visiting Crufts Website: 1 United States 12,825, 2 UK 3,418, 3 Australia 784, 4 Netherlands 459, 5 Canada 361, 6 Sweden 242, 7 New Zealand 218, 8 Germany 199, 9 Denmark 173, 10 Belgium 170.

In the week after Crufts the word ‘Crufts’was the twentieth most searched item on the Microsoft Network (MSN).