Hello,
I sent the following email to Webtrends to ask them about what I
consider a very odd discrepancy in reports generated on the same log
file but with different filters. I run a weekly report where I use
the exclude filter based on referring url; the url I use is the site
in question; I only want referring urls from outside of the website
(external, not internal). No problems.
Recently I was asked to evaluate some pages on the site (and I have
some ideas on that for a later email). I combined all the logs into
one file (just under 500 meg). I ran webtrends with the standard
referring filter as always. I then took out that filter. And the
difference in user sessions prompted me to send the following email
to Webtrends. Who knows how long they will take to respond?
I was wondering if any of you have done something like this.
Peter
I searched the KB and found this:
...
All entries in the log file regarding user activity referred
by this site will be excluded
...
page in your site will not be counted in total page views or
total user sessions.
---------
And how, EXACTLY, does this work?
If someone types in my url then their referrer is "No
Referrer" which, btw, is always number one in my weekly
reports. That starts their user session and the root
referring url is "No Referrer". I use the default 30
minutes to limit a user session. So if a person remains for
more than 30 minutes and his last referrer was my site ....
then, perhaps then, depending on your algorithm, this person
might be excluded from a user session if I am excluding my
url OR..OR if I am not excluding my url then this person
would be considered a new user session because the user has
gone beyond the 30 minute period.
When is it EVER possible that a user session could begin
with my url as a referrer?
The reason I ask this question is that I have run webtrends
on a 500 meg log file. I ran it once excluding my url as a
referrer and once not-excluding my url as a referrer and the
difference in user sessions are:
excluding referrer: 44,732
no excluding referrer: 76,693
That is a major difference and I need an explanation for my
boss.
Thank-you,
Peter
--------
The enduring goodness of the American military character over the past
two centuries does not automatically derive from our nation's
nutritional habits or from a good job benefits package. This character
must be developed and supported, or it will die.
-By Daniel J. Rabil http://www.wbap.com/marknote/note111298.html
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