A sportswriter here at the Chronicle tweeted a link to this article by Jason Fry a couple weeks ago, extolling the benefits of learning about your online traffic numbers. Of note:
Some writers instinctively resist learning about their traffic. They see their job as getting and telling the story — pretty hard jobs in their own right. How the story is presented to readers is someone else’s responsibility — and numbers are the province of the bean-counters on the business side. Moreover, there’s a suspicion that publishers will use traffic numbers to make coverage decisions, opting for a diet heavy on slideshows and scandal.
Not a bad read, especially for writers who think that they can insulate themselves from the Web the same way many think they can insulate themselves from the money side of the business.