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Posted by JDS on 09/30/23 11:40
Hi, all. I am constantly butting heads with others in my department about
the interpretation of web log statistics regarding viewership of a
website. "Page views" "path through a site" "exit points" and that sort
of thing.
On the web, there are two diametrically opposing views on the value of web
server log stats.
1) Web server log analysis is very useful and can provide detailed,
usable, accurate statistics
AND
2) It can't
Well, which is it?
Typically, companies (e.g. Webtrends) that sell analysis software say
the first. However, there are a number of articles pointing to the
second. Notably, the author of "analog", one of the original web log
analysis tools, says that you can't *really* get too much meaningful
analysis out of your server logs.
Well, the problem that I see is that the articles pointing to the
uselessness of web log analysis tend to be OLD. REALLY REALLY old in
internet years -- ca. 1994 and 1995!
examples:
http://www.analog.cx/docs/webworks.html
http://www.goldmark.org/netrants/webstats/#whykeep
http://www.ario.ch/etc/webstats.html
Now, technology has moved along since the WWW first hit the streets, so to
speak, and my question(s) is(are) simple:
What techniques exist to overcome the problems inherent in Web Server Log
Analysis?
I know there *must* be some techniques! Things like tracking users via
cookies and using "tracker" URLs (a server script that gets URLS and
redirects the browser, thus writing a log of what was clicked and where),
that sort of thing.
If anyone can provide some insight on the following, that's be great:
What techniques exist to improve Web Sever Log analysis?
How good are they?
What can I do to implement them?
How do different log analysis tools compare? (Examples I have considered
using are Analog, AWStats, Webtrends, and Sawmill.)
(All these factors are important to me in gauging a tools quality:
accuracy and usefulness of reports, "prettiness" of reports, ease of use,
flexibility, speed, and cost)
Golly, thanks, web denizens. I look forward to your responses. Have a
nice day.
--
JDS | jeffrey@example.invalid
| http://www.newtnotes.com
DJMBS | http://newtnotes.com/doctor-jeff-master-brainsurgeon/
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