Comments on: Web Analytics Transparency, Notification, Choice and Control to Visitors http://visualrevenue.com/blog/2008/11/web-analytics-transparency.html Increasing Front Page Performance for Online Media Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:20:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dennis R. Mortensen http://visualrevenue.com/blog/2008/11/web-analytics-transparency.html#comment-14837 Dennis R. Mortensen Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:05:55 +0000 http://visualrevenue.com/blog/?p=150#comment-14837 Hey Olivier Thank you for taking the time to comment on this issue. Much appreciated. AND the disclaimer; should it not be obvious by now, I do indeed work for Y!. >>When we run web analytics, we don't rarely focus on the individual user if ever. I actually agree with you than we, the practitioners, and we, the vendors, rarely focus on the individual. However; and that tends to be the issue, it is in that _rare case_ that you want to make sure that you are transparent. If not, we give people the false indication of us not collecting PII when we in fact do. Most web analytics solutions today are moving towards not just visits based systems, but more true visitor based systems, which includes full and rich visitor profiles. Profiles that are either used for off-site re-targeting or even on-site real-time targeting. So rare might even become more common. >>Yahoo's move seems much more PR orientated Since I advocated for this inside Y!, I can honestly say that this is less about PR (not to much value here anyway) and actually just about transparency (believe me, we hype everything else.. he he). So to conclude, I actually think you are right, it is rare that practitioners use PII and people are to some degree always "tracked". BUT :-) I do think that it is a decent thing to inform that you track people and if they don’t like it, give them an option to opt-out. Cheers :-) Dennis Hey Olivier

Thank you for taking the time to comment on this issue. Much appreciated. AND the disclaimer; should it not be obvious by now, I do indeed work for Y!.

>>When we run web analytics, we don’t rarely focus on the individual user if ever.

I actually agree with you than we, the practitioners, and we, the vendors, rarely focus on the individual. However; and that tends to be the issue, it is in that _rare case_ that you want to make sure that you are transparent. If not, we give people the false indication of us not collecting PII when we in fact do.

Most web analytics solutions today are moving towards not just visits based systems, but more true visitor based systems, which includes full and rich visitor profiles. Profiles that are either used for off-site re-targeting or even on-site real-time targeting. So rare might even become more common.

>>Yahoo’s move seems much more PR orientated

Since I advocated for this inside Y!, I can honestly say that this is less about PR (not to much value here anyway) and actually just about transparency (believe me, we hype everything else.. he he).

So to conclude, I actually think you are right, it is rare that practitioners use PII and people are to some degree always “tracked”.
BUT :-) I do think that it is a decent thing to inform that you track people and if they don’t like it, give them an option to opt-out.

Cheers :-)
Dennis

]]> By: Olivier Amar http://visualrevenue.com/blog/2008/11/web-analytics-transparency.html#comment-14828 Olivier Amar Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:56:42 +0000 http://visualrevenue.com/blog/?p=150#comment-14828 Although I'm very much for transparency, I think that this borders on meaningless. When we run web analytics, we don't rarely focus on the individual user if ever. The numbers are too large and we don't usually look at samples smaller than 500. That being said, I don't see what kind of privacy issues could be violated when analytics software are used. Moreover, with the available logs at the webmasters disposal, clickstream data is always available regardless. Short of the user supplying his IP (which more often than not is variable) to filter the user out, he's in. Yahoo's move seems much more PR orientated than anything else. Although I’m very much for transparency, I think that this borders on meaningless. When we run web analytics, we don’t rarely focus on the individual user if ever. The numbers are too large and we don’t usually look at samples smaller than 500. That being said, I don’t see what kind of privacy issues could be violated when analytics software are used. Moreover, with the available logs at the webmasters disposal, clickstream data is always available regardless. Short of the user supplying his IP (which more often than not is variable) to filter the user out, he’s in.
Yahoo’s move seems much more PR orientated than anything else.

]]> By: Dennis R. Mortensen http://visualrevenue.com/blog/2008/11/web-analytics-transparency.html#comment-12796 Dennis R. Mortensen Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:34:47 +0000 http://visualrevenue.com/blog/?p=150#comment-12796 Hey Joost, Thanks a lot. You are of course Mr. transparency, so I would have been disappointed if you did not agree :-) Cheers.. D. Hey Joost,

Thanks a lot. You are of course Mr. transparency, so I would have been disappointed if you did not agree :-)
Cheers.. D.

]]> By: Joost de Valk http://visualrevenue.com/blog/2008/11/web-analytics-transparency.html#comment-12792 Joost de Valk Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:45:50 +0000 http://visualrevenue.com/blog/?p=150#comment-12792 I think it's a great move, Dennis, and I highly commend you for it! I think it’s a great move, Dennis, and I highly commend you for it!

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