At least they ask before they track your web usage.

April 1, 2002 8:11 PM

At least they ask before they track your web usage. We're all familiar with Neilsen ratings and how a few select families get to decide when 20/20 will finally end. I guess it was only a matter of time before they came sniffing around looking to track popular websites. People who sign up get gifts, prizes and free technical support - at least that's the deal for Canadians.
posted by Salmonberry (4 comments total)

Oooh, so very sorry. It worked when I tested it, then I guess I buggered it up.

http://www.e-Trends.net
posted by Salmonberry at 8:20 PM on April 1, 2002

I think goatse.cx is the next big thing
posted by Settle at 8:47 PM on April 1, 2002

The 70s cop show "Chips" was partly my fault, as I was in the Nielsen tracked audience when the pilot aired. I clearly remember the thrill of talking to the polling lady on the phone and feeling that my sense of taste (or lack thereof, in retrospect) could actually have an affect on TV content.

Ugh, now that I think about it, maybe this event was more significant to me than I thought...
posted by bingo at 10:38 PM on April 1, 2002

When everyone has Tivo, Nielsen will become irrelevant. Tivo stats are more accurate, more complete, and will become moreso when more people adopt the technology. Eventually, they'll be able to track what everyone is watching, not just a few people.

The same thing applies to net traffic. But now, its more measurable than any company could hope, and they're just going to have to deal with it. I can ask any web site who sells advertising, they can tell me how many viewers they have daily, montly, annually.
posted by benjh at 4:41 AM on April 2, 2002