Google analytics and an equitable society

My first impression of Google Analytics is not the stats

[Receptional]

So I admit it. I've moderated in her for a few years now, but never really had the need to "get down and dirty" with Google Analytics. I guess it's a bit late for me to then come to the table with my opinions.

So I'll just have one. WOW America is small! So is Spain and pretty much all of Europe.

I am very impressed that Google - as usual - seem to have ignored the mundane when it comes to the way they have shown their globe. Have they have used the "Peters Projection" of the world? The traditional maps show the developed world much larger than it actually is. The Peters Projection, on the other hand, goes to great lengths to try to keep the land mass correct on each country (not an easy thing to do when mapping a globe onto a flat screen).

Call me Geeky, but that made me smile. right. Back to work.

[zCat]

The map I see is very definitely Mercator projection, i.e. with Greenland looking about as large as South America. It exaggerates the more northerly countries, particularly Europe.

[DamonHD]

Yes, looks like standard Mercator to me, ie with degrees N and E projected onto a flat grid which tends to shrink the look of anything near the equator.

In terms of my visitors we could compress everything between Jo'burg and Cairo into the space of London and I'd still look kinda unpopular in Africa. Bv<

Rgds

Damon

[Receptional]

I guess you are both right - maybe Google aren't as enlightened as I thought!

Maybe they need a bigger map or maybe I need better glasses :)

So I vote Google changes it to a Peters projection anyways....

[Pengi]

I just find it a wonderful tool to see where some of the places are. (Although it's disappointing that most of my New Zealand visitors are shown as being in the ocean!)

In some respects, a projection that more accurately represented land area would be good. On the other hand, as Damon pointed out, there is already have the problem that most visitors are from a few small areas of the map without making those areas look even smaller.

(G. If your listening, smaller "blobs" and a zoom facility would be nice)