it crashes when rerunning the reports additionally it can't handle flash, and the activex control never lines up the stats to the navigation

Posted by: faderisimo on August 26, 2002 10:56 PM

 

'Crashes' is bad...we take that very seriously. Can you give us more specific info ? I don't quite follow what 'rerunning' the reports means. I'd like to know more about the problems you're seeing so we can include a fix in 2.0

Can't handle flash : correct. A flash object is opaque to ClickTracks, and the web server log. We felt flash was not worth analyzing ( how much analysis of 'skip intro' does one need ? ) but MX changes the landscape. We're seeing what we can do.

Not sure I follow the comment about ActiveX & navigation ? You're thinking ClickTracks uses activex, or the site you're analysing uses it ?

John M
ClickTracks.

Posted by: jmarshall on August 26, 2002 11:59 PM

 

What happens when the web-site changes?
Does this tool allow you to see 'user behaviour' at your site as it was a year ago (assuming you had been using ClickTracks that long).

If not, then it is a type of LogPorn which would be very useful for busy marketing executives.

Posted by: Mac on August 27, 2002 04:58 AM

 

Hey folks, take notice of something here; very important. John Marshall, the second poster above, is the CEO of ClickTracks. Be sure to ask him good questions! We've got his attention.

Posted by: John S. Rhodes on August 27, 2002 07:12 AM

 

It's a nice variation on log analysis and probably useful for getting a quick and simple impression of traffic flow through a site. I might give it a try sometime.

Mac's point about changes is a valid one, perhaps the next version could include some kind of site-spidering tool to help the user keep & browse copies of the site as well as past log files..?

Posted by: Matt Round on August 27, 2002 08:16 AM

 

Actually the percentage of people who choose the "skip intro" link would be, to me, one of the most interesting stats on a site that uses a Flash intro.

Posted by: Mike Boyink on August 27, 2002 08:26 AM

 

We did think about the site spidering concept and eventually decided it would be too unreliable in action. Dynamic sites, etc. etc.

The problem remains with changing the site. We're not unaware of this issue. My comments :

1. We try to position the product as something interactive and responsive and focused on the most recent data. We really don't give access to meaningful data more than 1 month old because the feedback we got suggested this wasn't useful in the broader context. Probable disagreement, but we made certain design decisions and those define what ClickTracks does.

2. If you really really do care about this, you could keep a cached copy of the 'old' site and point ClickTracks there with the old log data. You can persuade ClickTracks to treat domain xyz.abc.com as equivalent to www.abc.com, so you stick the old content on another server.

3. Most realistic : print the stuff to a .pdf. Really.

does this cut it ? not sure. Tell me.

John M.

Posted by: jmarshall on August 27, 2002 11:52 AM

 

John M, the fact you've responded to these points in such a timely, straightforward manner has already made your product more appealing to me!

Posted by: Mac on August 27, 2002 12:30 PM

 

Plus, I like the no-nonsense attitude (such as the Flash comment). I do get so tired of people pussy-footing around things.

I'm intrigued - I've asked my team to look at the 60 second demo.

Posted by: Lydia on August 27, 2002 02:08 PM

 

You make me blush.

We try to listen carefully and speak plainly.

Please do tell me how ClickTracks can be made better. It's software, so *anything* can be done. It's just so hard to say 'no' to these 95 things so you can deliver these 5 things. Help us choose the right 5 things ?

Version 2.0 is just around the corner...days way ( hours away ? almost )

John M.

Posted by: jmarshall on August 27, 2002 04:36 PM

 

As a guy from the web management side...I am intrigued. And yes your openness and honesty only adds credibility.

I will wait and see v2.0

JR...referral fees?

Posted by: JB on August 27, 2002 07:32 PM

 

Posted by: JB on August 27, 2002 07:33 PM

 

Is it possible to 'replay' a single users session using the tool? It would be interesting to be able to see the route a specific user had taken through a site in simulated 'real' time.

Is it possible to exclude certain 'tagged user', from the system. For example: it is often useful to exclude employees who access a company internet site from their workplace?

Posted by: Mac on August 28, 2002 06:46 AM

 

Good questions.

Let's say you could follow an individual user. First, how would you identify them within the log file ? Second, what would you do with the data ? Usually the answer to this is to compare them against other users...and then of course you'd need to do this for many users...and then you're back at what we do now. So we conclude that looking at a single user is not useful within ClickTracks because all we have is the log file. If you could somehow also interview the individual, of course that would be useful.

Tagging could work for eliminating the employee requests based on IP address but this is so common we have a mechanism inside 'options' to do it more simply.

John M

Posted by: jmarshall on August 28, 2002 08:08 PM