Google Analytics
Apr. 20th, 2009 01:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foxfirefey posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
dreamwidth_metaLiveJournal has never allowed any real web analytics to be added to personal journals, although sponsored communities were able to get them. Sure, you could add stat counters or web bugs from LJ Toys. But I'm unaware of any way on LiveJournal to get the referral URL of people who were linking to your post, save for the recently implemented and entirely optional pingbacks.
Dreamwidth, however, is going to give paid users Google Analytics as a feature. This means that paid users will be able to know who in DW is linking to them, leading to some interesting changes from the way things used to be. I think this has the potential to surprise and upset people.
For instance, let's say you link to someone's post in a friends only post in your journal or use <user name="user"> to link to their journal in a locked post. Some of your access given subscribers click on that link, and if the user you linked to is paid and using Google Analytics, they'll know you were talking about them in a post they don't have access to, and if you linked to a specific post, they'll know which post you're talking about. Stealth talking about people has become that much harder and unreliable.
There's a limited ability to avoid this. URLs are automatically turned into links; you can do formatting to make it unlinked, so people have to copy and paste, but some people have browser extensions that will autolink anything that looks close to a URL, so you can't always depend on that. You'll have to go above and beyond to obfuscate the link to make sure that doesn't happen and not use user tags to link to someone--but if you don't do that, someone is bound to make a Greasemonkey script that could go to a highlighted name, and they'll still get the referral. Edit:charmian and kaki point out that URL obfuscators might get used more, like TinyURL and anonym.to. I agree with this! However, there are even browse add ons that resolve those services to their actual URLs, so even that is not a failsafe.
What effects do you think this is going to have on social interactions on Dreamwidth? What other effects will Google Analytics have on users?
Dreamwidth, however, is going to give paid users Google Analytics as a feature. This means that paid users will be able to know who in DW is linking to them, leading to some interesting changes from the way things used to be. I think this has the potential to surprise and upset people.
For instance, let's say you link to someone's post in a friends only post in your journal or use <user name="user"> to link to their journal in a locked post. Some of your access given subscribers click on that link, and if the user you linked to is paid and using Google Analytics, they'll know you were talking about them in a post they don't have access to, and if you linked to a specific post, they'll know which post you're talking about. Stealth talking about people has become that much harder and unreliable.
There's a limited ability to avoid this. URLs are automatically turned into links; you can do formatting to make it unlinked, so people have to copy and paste, but some people have browser extensions that will autolink anything that looks close to a URL, so you can't always depend on that. You'll have to go above and beyond to obfuscate the link to make sure that doesn't happen and not use user tags to link to someone--but if you don't do that, someone is bound to make a Greasemonkey script that could go to a highlighted name, and they'll still get the referral. Edit:
charmian and kaki point out that URL obfuscators might get used more, like TinyURL and anonym.to. I agree with this! However, there are even browse add ons that resolve those services to their actual URLs, so even that is not a failsafe.What effects do you think this is going to have on social interactions on Dreamwidth? What other effects will Google Analytics have on users?
no subject
Date: 2009-04-20 11:15 pm (UTC)* The URL that is linking to them.
* The page that is linked.
Note that anybody could have this ability if they were hosting content outside of LJ that gets linked. I know when my wikis get linked to, even when posts are friended/locked.
I don't really know if there is any good way to keep this from happening, as it's not Google Analytics on the friends post, it's the Google Analytics on the journal being linked to, and it would be very difficult to selectively disable it just for links coming from locked posts. Individuals can block Google Analytics pretty easily, but they can't rely on others having done so.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-20 11:35 pm (UTC)I disagree. Content is revealed even though it's only that the post contains a link. However, as you then go on to point out, this is already possible in some circumstances so the solution isn't to pretend it doesn't exist but, quite the opposite, give it as much publicity as possible (and adding it to dw as a feature would expedite that).
I'm biased though.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-20 11:51 pm (UTC)Overall, though, I hope that the effects are good instead of bad. I love pingbacks, I love stats and graphs, I love seeing where I get linked to, and I generally don't get too overly concerned if people link to me in a post I can't see. I think this is going to give value to the silent lurkers to paid users, as well, as people realize their posts are read more than they thought.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-21 12:14 am (UTC)Interesting point.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-20 11:37 pm (UTC)I also do know about the issue of hosting content outside of LJ and linkage to it.
You're probably right about the feasibility (or lack thereof) of trying to selectively block Google Analytics in that way. I was afraid that was the case when I commented, even though I'm not a tech-head. This is one major reason I wish that Dreamwidth would rethink the whole idea.
All that said, though, if it only operates on links, then I'd assume that safe venting could still take place in a post that was text only, unless a more invasive version of it comes along. If this is true, and we're all aware of the presence and pitfalls of Google Analytics, maybe I shouldn't worry quite as much. I'm still not wild about it, though. Too much fodder for the rumor/whisper mill, if it gets used a lot 'intramurally', as it were.
Catherine
no subject
Date: 2009-04-20 11:50 pm (UTC)In any case, I definitely wanted to start having this kind of discussion with people and get this out into the open before Google Analytics was enabled, so people won't be surprised or feel like they were submarined.
Overall, this is a good feature for a lot of our userbase. People making creative content love to know there is an audience watching, and giving paid accounts Google Analytics helps with that. It just has this one particular social caveat.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-21 12:15 am (UTC)I'm also grateful to you for starting this discussion. I think it is very important to know what we're in for. I also hope that DW will make it very clear to everyone signing up that paid users will have Google Analytics, and that links in locked posts could become visible to those who use the tool.
I'm on the fence about the benefits of Google Analytics, in my case. I do make creative content, and I love an audience, being a performer in RL, but I also block my inclusion in search engines at LJ, and take almost as many steps as possible to minimize the appearance of my fan-works to a wider audience. (I don't lock my stories.) I harbor no illusion that I'm invisible, but I'm not as visible as many, despite having a not-tiny flist and a fair bit of work out there. I suppose that Google Analytics may do more good than harm, but it does raise concerns both on the social front, and about how easy it might make it for makers of fan-fiction and fan-art to get targeted by deep-pocketed entities.
Again, though, I'm just worrying out loud. I'd rather do that and prove an idiot than keep it to myself and come to more serious grief. ;)
Catherine
no subject
Date: 2009-04-21 12:27 am (UTC)This isn't an "every paid user has it" sort of thing. Although I expect a lot of people and communities to take advantage of it.
(Just mentioning this in case it wasn't clear.)
no subject
Date: 2009-04-21 12:37 am (UTC)I had thought that each paid user probably had to pursue it a bit more actively than just by giving Dreamwidth money, so it's good to have that confirmed. :)
Catherine
no subject
Date: 2009-04-21 01:06 am (UTC)Google Analytics doesn't help anybody actually find your content, it just lets you know where people are coming to your content from. I don't think it will do anything to let deep pocket entities target makers of fan fiction and fan art, as nobody else but you and Google can view your stats without your say so. And if you don't like the idea of Google knowing the stats to your website, you don't have to set it up.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-21 01:22 am (UTC)Catherine
no subject
Date: 2009-04-21 12:45 am (UTC)