RXMuscle caught fudging the numbers

[IndustryInsider]

RXMuscle.com and the Sacramento Pro show

http://www.anthonyroberts.co.za/2010/11/rxmuscle-com-and-the-sacramento-pro-show/

Ok…because I’ve gotten  numerous emails about this issue, it’s clearly something that interests my readers: RxMuscle.com is claiming to have gotten over 100k views for the Sacramento Pro (a relatively minor bodybuilding contest) on their site. For everyone playing along at home, their thread views jumped from roughly 2,000 to about 40,000 overnight. I mean this quite literally, when I say “overnight” – like, during the time when everyone is asleep, in the continental United States, they somehow registered 38k views – a fact which didn’t go unnoticed:



I think they’re manipulating the numbers, as I’ve caught them doing in the past. Here’s a look at their current views and posts for their Sacramento
Pro thread:



If we compare their current thread views for this latest show against their past numbers, there is a huge (and unexplainable) spike in traffic. Here’s two other contests they’ve recently covered, and the numbers for those shows:



As you can see, we’re talking a huge difference, without any logical explanation. Here’s a look at another couple of contest coverage threads:



See my point? You don’t jump from 100 views on your contest coverage to 100k views within a month, especially when we’re talking about the smaller shows; I’m not comparing the Mr. Olympia to a local show here…I’m just saying that the numbers don’t add up, and they’re not even close to being realistic. Here are the numbers from some of their other contest coverage threads (all of which are far bigger shows than the Sacramento Pro):

    The 2010 Jr Nationals: 21,733 views
    The NPC Nationals: 43,757 views
    The 2010 Mr. Olympia: 69,009 views

You’re telling me that the Sacramento Pro is getting more views than the Mr.Olympia? If we take a look at MD’s thread for the same contest, we find that it has less than 1/3rd the number of views, yet substantially more replies:



There is no way they’re not manipulating their traffic counter, and there’s no way RxMuscle is even coming close to the numbers posted on their forums. If they were, they’d be giving sponsors and advertisers access to a third party traffic counter (Google Analytics, etc…), and they wouldn’t be losing sponsors left and right (obviously).

Remember – Dave Palumbo is a bodybuilder, and bodybuilding is a sport based on illusion – whether it’s creating the illusion of a skinny waist by having huge shoulders, or the illusion of having a successful site by padding your stats, it’s the same thing.

[LMV]

good to see i only lube up for major events

[wavelength]

The best part is that they think it will somehow catapult them to great success.
Why even bother to do something like that?

[dr.chimps]

Good work. But where are the thong pics, Parker!?

[Ron]

Who cares - do you really think all those view are real.  You can set it up so that every hit is called a view.  That is why I don't care about numbers, I care more about having fun.   

Go to Alexa.com if you want to see the real numbers.  Everything else is just whatever you say.  I can add 100,00 hits to a thread quite easily if needed.  But who cares.

[~UN_$ung~]

they like to brag about how many views some of their threads get, but they fail to mention that for a thread of that nature

each person who is paying attention to the thread, looks at the thread multiple time...........and each time that counts as a new view

so look at it this way..............say they have a thread that has 20,000 views.........but people looking at the thread each look at or post in it 4 times

so simplisticly looking at it...........you have 5,000 people looking at the thread 4 times........... as compared to 20,000 new people looking at it once, and people who are followig threads like that,............usually view the thread even more............so its really like 2,500 people each checking the thread 8 times........or even more

so you see how a thread with 10 or 20,000 "views"..........is really just a thread where a thousand people or so look at it multiple times

[wavelength]

Who cares - do you really think all those view are real.  You can set it up so that every hit is called a view.  That is why I don't care about numbers, I care more about having fun.  

Go to Alexa.com if you want to see the real numbers.  Everything else is just whatever you say.  I can add 100,00 hits to a thread quite easily if needed.  But who cares.

This board is not the basis of your financial success? I'm shocked!

[Rami]

Maybe they fool their sponsors into paying more for banners etc on their site this way

[dr.chimps]

Who cares - do you really think all those view are real.  You can set it up so that every hit is called a view.  That is why I don't care about numbers, I care more about having fun.   

Go to Alexa.com if you want to see the real numbers.  Everything else is just whatever you say.  I can add 100,00 hits to a thread quite easily if needed.  But who cares.

The Getbigistrator has spoken. Let it be so!

[Butterbean]

Tampon thread here has 6454 views!   

[Ex Coelis]

Swede! reported this irregularity months ago

I don't think anyone's surprised either way

[225for70]

Tampon thread here has 6454 views!   

Pictures or it didn't happen..

[~UN_$ung~]

just like ron said.........the way its set up

if you have 5,000 people each check the thread 12 times............that their "60,000" hit


and that the way it works over there, palumbo has a core group of ball-suckers who post multiple times in every thread

[Ex Coelis]

more "traffic" = more sponsorship money

[Stark]

These guys need to go on an Webmaster internet course

What the fuck does "view" mean anyways? Who cares, that could have been anything from spiders to bots.

And depending what forum software they use its fucking easy to change the number of views a thread of forum has as an Admin - i am talking about
a 2 second job her fellas.

[Boost]

Look how clean and uncluttered Getbig looks compared to the mess that is Rxmuscle.

It's become a wall of ads with total disregard for the forum layout. Very hard to navigate.

[spinnis]

Swede! reported this irregularity months ago

I don't think anyone's surprised either way

Exactly. And they keep you on the "active users" for about 2 hours last time I checked. That is 2 hours after the LAST time you did anything you're still "active". epic scamming for sponsor money. I mentioned it but it was deleted right away obviously

[IndustryInsider]

I am sure they are using these fake numbers to draw in advertisers... Hopefully the advertisers have enough common sense to get a refund.

[Boost]

From the Rx Moderator:

"I honestly don't know why there are so many views for this show, so am not going to try and make any suggestions why. The same thing happened with the Jr Nationals - we had a hyoooge amount of traffic on our play-by-play thread for that show (more than bigger national shows and many pro shows)...but so did MD."

 

[Ron]

This board is not the basis of your financial success? I'm shocked!

I have a full time job that I do very well, and enjoy, working 60+ hours a week.

This board, and my photography is something that I have enjoyed (Photography from high school days), and will continue to enjoy.  Taking creative pictures, whether on stage, at photoshoots, or just around is lot of fun.  And having people thanking me for the great shots, or a good time on shoots is cool too.  

Some of you will learn that money isn't everything in life - satisfaction, happiness, friends, family, people who love you is very, very important.     You cover the basics (food, shelter, clothing) with a good paying job, and continue to strive to better yourself.

[Boost]

I am sure they are using these fake numbers to draw in advertisers... Hopefully the advertisers have enough common sense to get a refund.

You got any info on why RxMuscle has such a high turnover rate for their sponsers?

Is it a simple case of poor ROI or is Dave a nightmare to deal with?

I'd bet that very few people who visit the site actually frequent the sponsers.

[Stark]

I am sure they are using these fake numbers to draw in advertisers... Hopefully the advertisers have enough common sense to get a refund.

Mate most advertisers don't fall for that crap i know first hand how hard it is for any company to part with their cash to
advertise on your page. The view counter means fuck all - as i said could have been anything, bots, spiders and even if the thread was mentioned lets say on a huge page.  How much of the 100k is quality traffic as in members that stay and explore the page and see the advertisment? What advertisers look for is google analytics stats - and you cannot fake them

So in fact there isn't a valid legit reason why you would change the view count of a thread - its meaningless in a business sense.

[spinnis]

I have a full time job that I do very well, and enjoy, working 60+ hours a week.

This board, and my photography is something that I have enjoyed (Photography from high school days), and will continue to enjoy.  Taking creative pictures, whether on stage, at photoshoots, or just around is lot of fun.  And having people thanking me for the great shots, or a good time on shoots is cool too.  

Some of you will learn that money isn't everything in life - satisfaction, happiness, friends, family, people who love you is very, very important.     You cover the basics (food, shelter, clothing) with a good paying job, and continue to strive to better yourself.

60 hours a week? :/

you could provide for me if that would make you feel even better ron?   2k a month and im good to go. I could even moderate these forum with a iron fist  

[Stark]

I have a full time job that I do very well, and enjoy, working 60+ hours a week.

This board, and my photography is something that I have enjoyed (Photography from high school days), and will continue to enjoy.  Taking creative pictures, whether on stage, at photoshoots, or just around is lot of fun.  And having people thanking me for the great shots, or a good time on shoots is cool too.  

Some of you will learn that money isn't everything in life - satisfaction, happiness, friends, family, people who love you is very, very important.     You cover the basics (food, shelter, clothing) with a good paying job, and continue to strive to better yourself.

Ron you need to stop explaining yourself to lesser new members, you are our fearless leader and stand above any criticism.

88

[Insider X]

If Ron would ever get serious on Getbig, he can start making some money on it - get with it already, and update the site more, and get some help, everyone complains about it, yet the site is still up there.   Some of the sections are outdated, but I love this place.  None of the bullshit and made up numbers like others do.