lj_biz: Updates to Omniture on LiveJournal

theljstaff (

theljstaff) wrote in

lj_biz,
@ 2007-09-17 12:25:00

Updates to Omniture on LiveJournal
We’re making a change to the way we've been gathering statistics on LiveJournal and wanted to let you know the plan and details in advance.

Back in January, we announced that we'd start using Omniture SiteCatalyst as the system that lets us dig deeper into how members and visitors use LiveJournal. Back then, we had only used Omniture's tracking on the site-schemed pages of LiveJournal (those are the ones with the LJ menus and header, not the ones that follow your journal's style).

With this new change, we'll now also use Omniture on a very small random sampling (about 5%) of journals and communities, including profile pages, friends pages and comment pages. This change will take place on or after September 27, 2007.

Omniture is a website analytics service. The system will collect information that's pretty straightforward, including what browser you're using, what site scheme you use, your window size, how people travel through the site (what are the common links, where are people going after viewing their friends page, what people are or aren't clicking on), and things like how many page views different parts of the site get.

With this change we will be able to learn more about how you use the site and what areas are confusing or are in need of improvement. We'll also have a good way to help prioritize all of your suggestions based on what people actually use.

Some key points:

* We're only going to apply the cookie to a very small random sampling of users, about 5%.
* We're using the resulting stats to find out what to focus on in the future for LJ.
* The Omniture code doesn’t capture any private data such as payment information provided in the Gift Shop.
* Omniture does not have access to friends-only or private entries.
* You can opt out, and if you've already opted out, you'll stay that way.

As always, we are providing a way for any user to opt out of contributing to the stats-gathering (even though we know it runs the risk of statistically biasing our results). If you’d like to opt out, go to the Admin Console and type "set opt_exclude_stats 1". This opt out applies to the entire implementation of Omniture -- site-schemed pages and the new inclusion of journals, profiles and communities. If you've already opted out, you don't need to do so again.

We're looking forward to having more detailed data to help us make decisions about the best ways to improve the site!

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(Post a new comment)

	stashdrawer 2007-09-17 07:35 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks for giving us the heads up, and the chance to opt-out. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kashiichan 2007-09-18 10:18 am UTC (link)
	Seconded. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	itswhatiam 2007-09-17 07:36 pm UTC (link)
	And you'll explain the disabling of comments in your last post when? (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	cacahuate 2007-09-17 07:39 pm UTC (link)
	I would like an explanation for this too. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

	gwenhyffar 2007-09-17 07:36 pm UTC (link)
	Omniture does not have access to private entries. Clarification please! How does Omniture define "private"? The same way LJ does? And if so, does that mean that Omniture _does_ access friends only posts? (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	iwanttobeasleep 2007-09-17 07:37 pm UTC (link)
	This really doesn't make me feel better about using LiveJournal. Could you word it in a way that makes it sound less like you're spying on our personal conversations? Thanks for including directions on opting out, though. Sucks for the people not watching this small, relatively tangential community. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	talinthas 2007-09-17 07:45 pm UTC (link)
	Omniture tells them how many hits a page gets, and when it gets those hits, and nothing more at all. We used to use it at the website i worked at just to gauge how we were doing that week and month. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

	itswhatiam 2007-09-17 07:43 pm UTC (link)
	I'll bet you a half eatten cheeseburger and a dollar bill that your question goes unanswered. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	whetherwoman 2007-09-17 07:37 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks for providing clear information on how to opt out. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	whetherwoman 2007-09-17 07:38 pm UTC (link)
	Also, will there be a more public announcement of this change as well? Say, in lj-news? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

	First???? crimmson 2007-09-17 07:37 pm UTC (link)
	If the cookie is deleted (say on networked computers etc.) will it be automatically reapplied to the same journal the next time that user logs in or is it on a kind of as needed basis? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: First???? trukkle 2007-09-17 08:12 pm UTC (link)
	It's not a cookie, it's on their end. You have no need to worry about it once you've opted out. I think. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

	captainlina 2007-09-17 07:37 pm UTC (link)
	That's a little... big brother-ish, dontcha think? (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	mkb_technologie 2007-09-17 07:43 pm UTC (link)
	web analytics? not really. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	cacahuate 2007-09-17 07:38 pm UTC (link)
	OT, but may I respectfully inquire as to the status of the new policy document, as there have been no updates on it in more than a month? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	itswhatiam 2007-09-17 07:47 pm UTC (link)
	...we'll update on progress as that happens. That's from the post discussing the new policy. Obviously, since they said we'd receive updates on progress as it happens, there has been no progress. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	katskeep 2007-09-17 07:40 pm UTC (link)
	I don't like the data collection, but I like that there's a clear way to opt out. Thanks! (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	evawuqam 2008-07-16 04:50 am UTC (link)
	The fact that you can't opt out of this data collection scheme globally and have to opt out from each individual site (and only after they try to send data) is also a problem. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	twocorpses 2007-09-17 07:40 pm UTC (link)
	While I'm grateful for the instructions on how to opt-out, the whole venture seems very creepy. (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	girlfight 2007-09-17 08:11 pm UTC (link)
	You are aware that almost every site collects this type of data, except often far more invasively and with no opt-out, right? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

	steve_savicki 2007-09-17 07:43 pm UTC (link)
	Still awaiting a staff's opinion of how Livejournal is better than Greatest Journal. Also, is LJ gift shop merchandise high quality? What kind of stuff can you purchase? (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	aristoboule 2007-09-17 11:39 pm UTC (link)
	InsaneJournal is better than either! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

	moosical 2007-09-17 07:44 pm UTC (link)
	* Omniture does not have access to private entries. Could you please clarify what you mean by "access to private entries" does this include friends only entries!? (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	soleta_nf 2007-09-17 07:56 pm UTC (link)
	The current theory is "yes" but hopefully we'll hear a real answer soon. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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	cacahuate 2007-09-17 07:45 pm UTC (link)
	Also, why is this not being posted to news? Users who don't read lj_biz will also want to opt out. (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	anda 2007-09-17 08:47 pm UTC (link)
	I Agree With This Comment. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	maetang 2007-09-17 07:45 pm UTC (link)
	I'm glad of the opportunity to opt out of this. Like others have said, I hope you will post about this in News as well. Also, I wonder why you are implementing this in terms of opting out, rather than asking for people to opt in. That seems more respectful to me of your users' privacy. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	wolfsilveroak 2007-09-17 08:36 pm UTC (link)
	I opted out as well. Heh. I don't think LJ/6A has any need whatsoever to know about my internet usage. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

	entropy_house 2007-09-17 07:46 pm UTC (link)
	I personally would prefer it if information gathering schemes were all it Opt-IN. As it is, unless you are friended to LJ-BIZ, which is not even a default friended journal, you won't know that you have the option to opt-out. (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	entelexia 2007-09-17 08:11 pm UTC (link)
	I agree it should be an opt-in situation. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

	schmiss 2007-09-17 07:50 pm UTC (link)
	Do not want. It should be opt-in. (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	No no lorena_bee 2007-09-17 07:53 pm UTC (link)
	Tell them you want it opt - out THEN they'll make it opt in. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	giove_dea 2007-09-17 07:52 pm UTC (link)
	I've already opted out...but as others have said...this should have been an opt-in type of thing. (Reply to this)

	Re: how about you kill the admin console tweaks ksol1460 2007-09-18 09:00 pm UTC (link)
	I second this. (Reply to this) (Parent)