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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 ( Read more... )
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 ( Read more... )
And actually, no, it's not right there in the post; the post doesn't say no content will be examined.
What this post says is that the data gathered will INCLUDE things like page hits and paths; it doesn't say; however, page content will not be checked in any way. It says it will not capture private date such as payment information, but does not say it won't capture other content information. It says it will be used to find out what's confusing (crazy idea here: ask?) but not how that will be implemented, and those of us who have felt burned by communication failures before are predictably likely to be concerned that things which remain unstated will be used to hurt us again. For instance, one way to determine what's confusing by gathering data without asking the question would be to track how people get to the whatever page, but that's hard to measure from paths because you don't know whether the roundaboutness of a path is deliberate, or even, which part if it is actually a path, so as a means of measuring confusion, it doesn't make a ton of sense. In any case, I can think of ways to attempt to gather the same data by looking at content of posts, and since this post does not say content will not be examined, well.
Paranoid? Maybe, but then, an organization can only do things they said they wouldn't so many times before the affected users start to wonder.
And yes, I am aware anything I post unlocked is able to be examined anyway, but the potential for a machine crawling through and possibly looking for content cues to flag for the attention of a human (and again, this post does NOT say that is NOT going to happen; it only lists some thing that ARE going to happen) makes me wonder. The concern here is 100% predictable based on interactions the last few months, and honestly, again with the communication, how hard would it have been to simply include in the bullet points "content of the pages being tallied will not be searched" in order to avoid the obvious question?
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The post also doesn't say that they will replace your Livejournal with a massive .gif of an elephant doing a tap dance.
It says it will be used to find out what's confusing (crazy idea here: ask?)
Statistical indicators are better in a lot of ways...and far more efficient than wading through 100,000 written accounts of all the particular methods people use on LJ.
how hard would it have been to simply include in the bullet points "content of the pages being tallied will not be searched" in order to avoid the obvious question?
I think people would take this to mean that LJ thinks there is suspicious content but they are benevolently choosing not to seek it out. Cue more drama.
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Dear LJ/6A
While I know the whingers are stil whinging, I like this post since you've included an opt-out option, and I like the last post dealing with Barak leaving. Bollocks to anyone who doesn't 'cause you're slowly starting to get back on the ball again. Keep up the good work.
luv
trin
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ty. and totally agree.
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