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I've noticed that any time I post a new question and go back to the question list view, my question always immediately has 2 views attributed to it. Why? Are these server bots? Do we have some extra dedicated mods? Is one of them me?

I added the tag, even though it may not be a bug. I can remove the tag if there is another explanation. Obviously this isn't likely a big deal unless its some sort of outside bot or something.

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  • Even this one had 2 views immediately after I posted it :)
    – sanpaco
    Dec 9, 2015 at 3:22
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    This would be network wide, so should be asked on meta.se
    – cde
    Dec 9, 2015 at 5:06
  • ... There's certainly always one view... your own... It's probably just coincidence that someone else saw your question immediately after it was posted.
    – Catija StaffMod
    Dec 9, 2015 at 5:51
  • Don't accuse me this time, i saw this meta now.
    – Ankit Sharma Mod
    Dec 9, 2015 at 6:08
  • I'd go with coincidence but I noticed it a while ago and it is pretty consistent.
    – sanpaco
    Dec 9, 2015 at 7:39
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    @sanpaco I have habit of clicking every question whenever i am here and maybe someone else also clicks instantly, so that might be a existing flow of traffic rather then coincident.
    – Ankit Sharma Mod
    Dec 9, 2015 at 7:57
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    Posted question. It showed me the question, said 1 View on the right. Clicked on "questions" at the top. Showed me 2 views. Clicked on the question, it now showed 2 views on the right. Unless someone looked at the question in 3 seconds from me posting... i.stack.imgur.com/cXUZN.png
    – cde
    Dec 9, 2015 at 9:46
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    Related: How are the number of views in a question calculated?. It doesn't adress the 2-views problem, but I'm pretty sure that has already been asked, too. But one of the two is definitely you. This could also be a start: Who are the other 2 people?.
    – Napoleon Wilson Mod
    Dec 9, 2015 at 10:04
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    As Napoleon noted above, I asked this very same question on Meta ("Who are the other 2 people?"). Not sure if the answer posted was legit.
    – Johnny Bones
    Dec 10, 2015 at 23:46

1 Answer 1

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On Meta I imagine there will typically be two views right away because meta questions get one-boxed in the chat room. That means they have one view from you and one "view" (more than likely) due to the request for the one boxing. The dev's probably don't see the spurious view as important enough to care about.

I don't have any hard evidence to back this up so it should be treated as reasonable conjecture until a reference/official answer is found.

This doesn't directly tie into your question but it is an example showing the opposite. Currently I have more votes than views on question outside of movies.SE. I think that just goes to show this is a fuzzy number and shouldn't really be taken seriously.

more votes than views.

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    I believe this applies to more than just META. Don't regular posts get a box in the chatrooms as well? That could account for the extra view if they count the chatroom boxing as a view.
    – sanpaco
    Dec 9, 2015 at 20:26
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    Not only meta questions, all main site questions get one-boxed as well.
    – Napoleon Wilson Mod
    Dec 9, 2015 at 20:56
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    Though, questions don't get one-boxed immediately but due to the bot's own (mysterious) scheduling that might post it many minutes after the question got posted. But I don't know how the feeds work either, maybe they still prefetch the question as soon as it's posted and it's only the chat bot that delays it. It's definitely a reasonable theory.
    – Napoleon Wilson Mod
    Dec 9, 2015 at 20:59
  • The One-Box doesn't happen for ten minutes on average. So any edited/updated title or text will be reflected at that time. That doesn't explain immediate double views.
    – cde
    Dec 10, 2015 at 1:03
  • @cde 10 minutes? Are you sure? I have seen chat bot posting question on chat in less then a minute
    – Ankit Sharma Mod
    Dec 10, 2015 at 7:41
  • @AnkitSharma from the last 10 posts on chat, it ranges from 1 minute to 16 minutes, 9~10 minutes average.
    – cde
    Dec 10, 2015 at 14:11
  • @cde last two appeared 4 minute late in chat to me but i have seen faster ones too i think. But i do agree there time is not fixed.
    – Ankit Sharma Mod
    Dec 10, 2015 at 14:24

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