Method & System for Providing Centralized Web Usage Tracking

Abstract

In accordance with a method and system for centralized network usage tracking, documents on a network server include a reference to content on a centralized logging server. When one of the documents is accessed by a client computer, the process of rendering the content at the client computer includes requesting the content from the logging server. The logging server, upon receipt of such a request, logs information embedded in the request and returns a trivial response which requires little time and which rendering of need not be perceivable by the user.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like components and/or features.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary network environment such as may be used in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the exemplary data flow in logging network usage at a centralized log server in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary web page including a tracking tag in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary trivial response.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for centrally logging server accesses in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a suitable operating environment in which at least portions of the invention may be implemented.

Claims

1. A method, implemented in a logging server, comprising: receiving a request for content, the request having been submitted so that access to a web page on another server could be logged;logging information embedded in the request; andresponding to the request with the content.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the request from a client computing device.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information embedded in the request comprises information regarding what content was being rendered when the web page was accessed.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information embedded in the request comprises information identifying usage of the web by a user initiating the request.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: receiving a cookie along with the request; andlogging information included in the cookie.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content comprises a transparent graphic image.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the responding comprises returning a small response to a device the request was received from.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the responding comprises returning a response of less than 50 bytes to a device the request was received from.

9. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 1.

10. A method comprising: sending a request to access a web page at a first server;receiving the web page including an indication of additional content to be obtained from a second server so that access to the web page can be logged at the second server; andsending another request to the second server for the additional content.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the other request has embedded therein information identifying usage of the web by a user initiating the request.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising sending, as part of the other request, a cookie that is associated with a plurality of servers including the second server.

13. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 10.

14. A method of tracking web usage, the method comprising: adding, to each of a plurality of web pages, a reference to content stored at a central logging server; andlogging, at the central logging server, information embedded in the reference, wherein the central logging server is accessed by a remote device to obtain the content when any of the plurality of web pages is rendered.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the information regarding the request comprises information identifying usage of the web by a user initiating the request.

16. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the adding comprises, for each web page, adding the reference in an area outside of the formatting of the web page

17. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the adding comprises, for each web page, adding the reference at the end of the web page.

18. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 14.

19. A method comprising: including, in a web page to be stored at a web server, a reference to content stored on a logging server, the reference having embedded therein an indication to the logging server that the web server was accessed.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the reference further has embedded therein information identifying usage of the web by a user initiating the access to the web server.

21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the reference comprises a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tag.

22. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 19.