RE: Web traffic analysis

OK - personal experience;
1) These tools are only as good as the routing back to them to record the info 
- since they tend to use a "GIF file" which is really a CGI program to send 
info back.  That program can see the environment variables, and actually counts 
how many times "That page" is accessed.  Since they know where ALL the IP 
regions of the world are, they can also say things like you had 100 users in 
spain, 200 users in Russia etc...
2) Since these TEND to be placed at static portions of your page as if they 
were 1x1 pixel graphics, the links back to those servers are static in nature, 
and will be cached by ANYONE using proxy technology to view the internet, since 
these fancy "caching" servers will not see a change, and decide to send "back" 
the 1x1 pixel that it stored from the last time the picture was viewed.
3) Because of this, the results could swing VIOLENTLY, HOWEVER you can combat 
this!

@ the header of your CGI program, instead of returning a Content-type: 
Text/html return the Content Type for a JPG, and write your own!  I've done 
this twice and have been QUITE happy with the results!  Latest version captures 
(with Javascript) the Browser versions, the screen resolution, language the 
browser uses, and writes that to a DB2 file.  You then have a image on the HTML 
page such as <img src="/cgi-bin/yourpgmhere.PGM?page=THISPAGE" width="1" 
height="1"> and the program runs within your page irreguardless of the page 
being a static page, or a dynamic page.

Andrew Borts / Webmaster
Seta Corporation
6400 East Rogers Circle
Boca Raton, FL 33499

E-mail: Andrewb@setacorporation.com
Corporate web site http://www.setacorporation.com
E-Commerce web site http://www.palmbeachjewelry.com
                              http://www.myfreeitems.com
Voice: 561-994-2660 Ext. 2211 / Fax: 561-997-0774

-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Paris [mailto:Jon.Paris@Partner400.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 03, 2002 8:22 AM
To: web400
Subject: [WEB400] Web traffic analysis

I've been playing with Webalizer http://www.mrunix.net/webalizer/ and so far
I'm quite impressed.  Anybody out there had experience with this tool?
Anything I should watch out for in reviewing the stats?

Also - any experience with other tools?  Any personal favorites?  ("free" is
a good price point <g>)

Jon Paris
Partner400 - www.Partner400.com


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