Tracking pixel and Boomerang

[bukwus]

Hi

I'm hoping this is the right forum. One of my company's clients would like us to start using 1x1 tracking pixels and/or Boomerang Spotlight tags to better track the traffic that is sent from our site to theirs.

Does anyone know of these techniques and are they reliable/useful/etc.?

Many thanks,

Andy

 

[Trotter]

Hmmm. All of the uses of this I have seen have been in connection with spammers who use it to verify that the email was opened, letting them know the address is valid and being used.

We've also had a few spammers come here and attempt to do something similar (cookie stuffing), but we have banned them as we have found them.

That's not to say that the use of it is not legit; it very well could be. Using something like this without letting the other party know could be unethical, however. It would be akin to recording a business call without informing the other party as the pixel's use (opening the email) is noted on your end by it being accessed from your server.

 

[bukwus]

Thanks for the reply, Trotter.

A question, just to clarify. Does your answer apply when these techniques are being used on a web site and not in email?

Many thanks
Andy

 

[Kharn]

If you are just after monitoring traffic use google analytics's and if you really want to be anal about it read your server logs.

 

[Trotter]

Sort of the same thing in my book. It can be used in an email, but it is still a deceptive practice in that you are using a secret method to get a read confirmation. If i were aware of someone doing this to me i would immediately drop any business I had with them.

As for a web site, we ban for it and so does any other forum that becomes aware of it.