scienceofsleep is using Google Analytics

[foxfirefey]

So lately I've started to use NoScript for FireFox so I could write a loverly guide up for it, and I was checking out scienceofsleep to see the latest trainwrecking and what do you know, even though I've whitelisted everything that comes from LiveJournal itself, I get a popup saying "Scripts Partially Allowed". But I thought I whitelisted LJ! What else could

Comments

[beckyzoole]

I think scienceofsleep may already be in TOS violation, anyway.

The LJ FAQ on acceptable ads states that:
LiveJournal will not accept advertising that contains or links to other sites that contain offensive language, images, or other content

But the ad-site scienceofsleep is for a movie that has an MPAA rating of R for "language, some sexual content and nudity".

Yes, the prototype sponsored community is for a movie containing offensive language, images, and other content.

Anyway, I'll check out NoScript. Thanks!

[foxfirefey]

Mmm, I think I see a loophole. The advertising cannot contain offensive language, images, or other content. And the advertising cannot link to sites that contain offensive language, images, or other content. But does that mean the product itself cannot contain any of those things?

[beckyzoole]

That is a good point.

I think that if I check out all links and content in scienceofsleep, I may find a screencap with something in it that LJ would not allow in a default icon. If I do, there's a TOS complaint ripe for the making.

[smackfu]

That search would be a good use of your time.

[burr86]

Augh, this went through several sets of eyeballs and nobody caught that. I'll update the post to make it clear that we're referring to protected content, etc etc, anything you mark as "Friends only" or "public" to avoid any confusion at all on that point.

We do give them access to put the Google Analytics code in, but if it's anything like Hitbox stats (which I have seen -- I haven't seen GA), it reports the most incredibly mundane things: browsers, referalls, flow through the community (first I clicked on entry A, then I clicked on entry B), how many people visited, etc.

So unless it does something that I'm not familiar with through looking at Hitbox, it's a beefed-up implementation of the third-party graphic. It can do a bit more than a graphic can, just because of the differences between JS and images (obviously), but ultimately they record pretty much the same information.

[foxfirefey]

Okay, thanks for the quick response! I do advise letting people know that this kind of tracking is happening before this news possibly ripples via the comment riot, which has a tendency to distort and exacerbate the issue at hand. I remember the HitBox debacle, and I can see two main responses to this:

"OMG NO TRACKING BWAAAAAH HATE HATE HATE!"

"Dude, when do we get to use it with OUR journals and communities, HUH HUH HUH, I WANT TRACKING TOO!"

Tracking was one of the concerns I've seen listed in the whole mess, and I did read the posts and haven't really found anything that would lead me to the conclusion that this is happening. Since this is a behavior sponsored communities have that is different from what regular LJs do, it really does need to be addressed.

[ex_uniquewo]

I think making a new post would be fairer to users who have already read that and therefore won't get to see the edit.

[foxfirefey]

The posts are pretty long and an edit could get easily lost.

[ex_uniquewo]

We should make a master post listing useful anti-ad and anti-nasties extensions and linking to guides/posts when we have ones. I'm thinking of:
Adblock, AdBlockPlus and Filterset G. Updater
Flashblock
NoScript
Stylish

What else? Someone mentioned something about cookies, no?

[foxfirefey]

Yeah, there's a cookie extension, too, but I haven't gotten the chance to play around with it yet.

This is very FireFox centric. Possibly we should start editing the FireFox wiki page to reflect those? I know that we have wiki articles already for some of these.

I really want to start using the wiki more for these things--that way anyone who wants to start helping and editing them can do so, and it's just easier management overall, I think, because then we get to keep a history of what's been there, know who has edited what, etc etc. And then the_unadvocate could post links to those articles so people can still comment like usual. I also need to start converting all of our old guides onto the wiki. OI. SO MUCH TO DO.

[tooner]

CustomizeGoogle (or here) has an option to specifically Block Google Analytics cookies.

[foxfirefey]

Thank you very much--even blocking the JavaScript doesn't seem to stop the cookies from being set, since they're first party cookies.

Third Party Javascript on Sponsored Communities

[byrnereese]

Our customers approach us about creating a sponsored community on LiveJournal because they all wish to connect more directly with their customers, their users, and even I dare say, their critics. In a nutshell, and as the name implies, they are building an honest to god community.

I think it is important to acknowledge though that it is a *business* that engages with Six Apart, and as a business, they need the ability to gauge for themselves the success of the community. They need the reassurance that they are indeed reaching users and meeting the goals that led them to choose LiveJournal in the first place.

To help our sponsors gain this visibility, we offer the ability for them to embed a tracking code of some kind into every page of the community. scienceofsleep chose to use Google Analytics, but technically they are interoperate with a number of third party stats and user analytics services (like Web Trends for example

Re: Third Party Javascript on Sponsored Communities

[foxfirefey]

This information really needs to be posted to lj_biz in my very silly and naively idealistic personal opinion, although I honestly do appreciate the time you spent to write it up. Thank you very much. I believe this because you are right: some users are going to have concerns about this. And if you do not explain these things in a clear and forthright fashion, it is going to look like it was being obsfuscated or hidden when those users do find out. And those users are panicking and the information they do not know can end up being escalated in hysteria about what it could be doing.

Users can only be tracked anonymously - meaning we would never allow a third party to track users in such a way that they would ever know WHO specifically is requesting a page. These services may use cookies to follow your movements through out the community, but the cookie is not bound in any way to your LiveJournal username or any other personal identifiable information.

As far as I can tell, Google Analytics gives referral links. Those can be

[ex_uniquewo]

"This information really needs to be posted to lj_biz in my very silly and naively idealistic personal opinion, although I honestly do appreciate the time you spent to write it up."

I'll join the club of silly, naive and idealistic users. I think we may be a few.

TRYING ONE MORE TIME

[foxfirefey]

It's such a good write up, for the most part, that it'd just be a shame to let it languish here in relative neglect in our small wee comm.

I mean, 'cause if they don't make some kind of post like byrnereese's, I'm just going to have to improve my parent post's summary and then go spread it myself, wouldn't you agree? People oughtta know! I mean, granted, these things take time to get out the door, so I'll probably wait until later tonight after business hours to do so unless I get a note that they intend to notify people tomorrow or something, but still, I abhor a vacuum.

[stewardess]

I also use noscript, and noticed that immediately. I assumed the comm would use some sort of tracking script.

[foxfirefey]

The main problem I have is, the posts to lj_biz were supposed to clear up all sorts of privacy and tracking issues and how sponsored communities are different from regular communities, but as far as I can tell, they have not mentioned it in the slightest until I pointed it out here.