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How many users block Google analytics? (2017)

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Re: How many users block Google analytics? (2017)

#111
post #99
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad you reposted your comment. If you want to read the data behind many of the decisions, read these papers [0]. [0] https://exp-platform.com

That page has 30 papers so it is basically a (hopefully unintentional) "go fuck yourself".

Additionally, that page tripped Canvas Blocker a half dozen times..so I intentionally told it where to go.

Re: How many users block Google analytics? (2017)

#112

> There was also one BSD user in the sample, who blocked google analytics. There's always one

That one needs to up their anti-fingerprint game. Showing up as BSD narrows your identity group very significantly, and I would wager is enough to identify you uniquely in many cases when correlated with all other information.

Re: How many users block Google analytics? (2017)

#113
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just ask people!

People are bad at analyzing their own behavior. I don't use Google analytics but I have seen time and again vocal users who seem ignorant of their own usage of an application...and very much not representative of the majority.

People are bad at analysing metrics, too. You make a change and users spend half as much time on a page. Did you make the page twice as easy to use, or so bad that they gave up?

Re: How many users block Google analytics? (2017)

#114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I turned off my Windows 10 Telemetry, I expressed a clear choice that I'd rather not give my data, and it's fine for my voice to not be heard. I just really don't care about Windows 10 that much. On the other hand, I turned on all the telemetry for OctoPi, Steam, and a bunch of other softwares I care about. I want my voice to be heard for those cases. Just curious, what's so inexcusable about that?

Customers should not have to surrender their information to be accounted for by the business they pay. Giving a business your data is an act of charity. It should never be an expectation. Yes, it costs more to collect the data manually. It usually costs more to behave ethically when you aren't legally required to.

I get where you're coming from, and this is a problem, but this isn't a practical or pragmatic stance. Typical web/app tracking is orders of magnitude cheaper than research.

> Yes, it costs more to collect the data manually.

Not just that, but you also get data biased to people willing to spend two hours answering questions for a $25 Amazon gift card.

Re: How many users block Google analytics? (2017)

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

so that makes spying and pervasive tracking okay? because it makes money? no! businesses have managed without previously. the world won't end without GA.

Google Analytics spies you? Lol. Those tools that you use daily on the browser that saves you time and makes your life easier got to that point because they had a way to learn how they were used. Seems that you don't make a difference between ad related tracking and product based tracking.

> Google Analytics spies you?

That is literally its purpose, yes.

> Seems that you don't make a difference between ad related tracking and product based tracking.

Now that's an interesting question - does Google combine data from GA into their other tracking, or does that data stay separate?

Re: How many users block Google analytics? (2017)

#116

would it be naive to say that sites can get around the blockers by proxying their analytics through their own domain? Isn't the lazy way of sending everything directly to ga from the client the cause here -- and any thoughtful site owner should be able to circumvent this if they truly care to?

ssshhhhh. Don't give people ideas

Re: How many users block Google analytics? (2017)

#117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Customers should not have to surrender their information to be accounted for by the business they pay. Giving a business your data is an act of charity. It should never be an expectation. Yes, it costs more to collect the data manually. It usually costs more to behave ethically when you aren't legally required to.

I get where you're coming from, and this is a problem, but this isn't a practical or pragmatic stance. Typical web/app tracking is orders of magnitude cheaper than research. > Yes, it costs more to collect the data manually. Not just that, but you also get data biased to people willing to spend two hours answering questions for a $25 Amazon gift card.

> Not just that, but you also get data biased to people willing to spend two hours answering questions for a $25 Amazon gift card.

Sure, but the whole point of this article was that the telemetry data is also biased.

There is no magic bullet. Your options are to get biased data the cheap way or the ethical way. Either way, the data is biased and you have to consider that when making decisions.

Re: How many users block Google analytics? (2017)

#119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How I use a software is not an indication of how I want to use a software. It’s what I’m doing with the options the software has given. If I’m really lucky, I’ll be like everyone else, and an inefficiency in the software will be spotted and fixed so the software will be slightly easier to use. In practice, I’m just doing workarounds to accomplish things the telemetry won’t explain on its own; and even if other users…

It really sounds like you’ve never worked on a product team that actually used analytics tbh. > In practice, I’m just doing workarounds to accomplish things the telemetry won’t explain on its own This is one of the most obvious things people are looking for in analytics. People will always use your product in unpredictable ways to get the whatever functionality it is that they really wanted. This is one of the things…

> But if you choose not to share any information about your use case with the company that makes the product, then you don’t have much right to complain about it not doing what you want it to.

I generally disable the analytics in software I buy, but I do participate in surveys they send my way. Would that count for you?

Forums can also be a rich source of use case info for software developers who really care.

Re: How many users block Google analytics? (2017)

#120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I turned off my Windows 10 Telemetry, I expressed a clear choice that I'd rather not give my data, and it's fine for my voice to not be heard. I just really don't care about Windows 10 that much. On the other hand, I turned on all the telemetry for OctoPi, Steam, and a bunch of other softwares I care about. I want my voice to be heard for those cases. Just curious, what's so inexcusable about that?

Windows 10 telemetry is pretty scary. I used to do the Windows Insider program, but noticed that they want to collect every website you visit, which seemed a little much to me. Now every week or so Windows complains that I'm not getting insider builds anymore and asks me to reenable the telemetry. The hilarious thing is that I still am getting those builds; when my computer "blue screens" it's green and claims to be…

What's your build number? You may still be on an Insider build and since a new "stable" build hasn't been released, Windows had nothing to upgrade to.
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