User-tracking (was Re: UKNM: old chestnuts: upfront registration)

[Jay]

On Wednesday, August 25, 1999 9:12 AM, Tomski said:


> depends on how you define "customisation" vs "personalisation" vs

> "registration"

>

> cookies can and are used to customise content for specific users without

> them every knowing (targeted banners, bringing frequently clicked links to

> the top of a page etc)

> stef, what's the name of that really really pleasant company that bases its

> business on gathering such "anonymous" user profile data across a network

> of sites?

>

> cookies can also be used to allow users actively to personalise the content

> on a site, without the user being required to supply anything more than

> his/her preferences

>

> At 04:51 PM 8/24/99 +0100, you wrote:

> >Cait

> >

> >It is NOT possible to *register* users at a site without their knowledge.

The

> >absolute most that can be done is tracking with cookies, but cookies

cannot

> >extract information that they did not place there themselves.  Thus,

unless

> >you specifically ask a user for personal details, the most you can ever

tell

> >about them is the ip address and host name of their machine, and even

then,

> >you are most likely to pick up the proxy server/firewall/ISP that they go

> >through.


For an intro on user tracking see:

http://www.photo.net/wtr/thebook/user-tracking.html


There's a good paragraph that explains how disparate sites that use the same

ad/tracking server can share information and thus build up a lot of

information about their users.


It's from "Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing" which is a great book

(although does proselytize a little too much about AOLserver & Oracle).


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Jay Gooby

Tui Interactive Media [http://www.tui.co.uk]

34-35 Dean Street London W1V 5AP

+44 (0)171 734 7757   jay@tui.co.uk 

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