Comments on: Extending User Defined Segmentation in GA

By: SF

SF — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:27:54 +0000

So, ¿when expires the utmv cookie? ¿After session? If one delete the cookies every day (as it set by the admin on all computers in my job place) then this cookie is not usefull. There are cookies that one can set the duration. I’m thinking “resize” for example (see in dynamic drive the javascript cookies section). Pls., confirm me if I understand the timeout of the cookie. The english isn’t my language (as u see :$). Thanks for your atention.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:44:50 +0000

John. much appreciated. Thanks.

By: John

John — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:11:39 +0000

Peter,

You can certainly use the User Defined Segment Variable for that purpose.

Just set the variable for a visitor as they log in. pageTracker._setVar(”authenticated”);
For the anonymous visitors, you would not do anything — everyone not tagged as authenticated would be anonymous.

Although you could set the variable equal to each particular user’s id, it would violate the Google Analytics Terms of Service, which disallow you from tracking personally identifiable information.

I don’t think there is a simple way to change the timeout of the utmv cookie. It would probably have to be altered by some custom JavaScript.

Hope that helps,

John

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:59:23 +0000

Meant to say “I could have UD=blank for anonymous and =user id for autheticated ones”.

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:58:05 +0000

Hi, I am trying to work out if I could use GA to report:
1) tracking anonymous versus authenticated users, plus
2) tracking each user id.

We are building a web app with some anonymous and authenticated user functionality.

Could the User Defined be used here? I could have UD = for anonymous user and = for authenticated ones. Would that possibly work?

That cookie - can it be dropped after a session/browser restart?

By: Robbin

Robbin — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:58:16 +0000

Amit, there are two issues here:

1) Yes, the script will work, updated, of course, with your values (however you were denoting the setVar on the thankyou.php page instead of ‘member’ above)
2) You might consider not worrying about this at all for your particular setup. Here is why: If two setVars are set during the same session, or if someone starts a session and already has a setVar — a utmv cookie — the first setVar “wins” for that session. And since your second setVar is on the Thanks page, that means when someone converts — if they converted through the campaign landing page — your GA will always show that the campaign’s setVar gets credit. Your problem matters only if someone converts and then comes back again OR never had a utmv cookie set besides the one on the thanks page.

By: amit

amit — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:48:00 +0000

Hi,
This was a post that is dealing with one of my key issues..
The thing is i couldn’t figure out of this, how to solve my problem..

That is because i lack the technical skills you perform here.

My issue is such:

I’m runing 2 major ad campaigns.
1- cpc
2 -Banners

I’d wish to add to each campaign’s landing page a _utmv cookie
so that i’ll be able to identify each stream (cpc or banners) and
his actions on site.

So far it’s quite easy i guess,
The thing is that in my goal page (thankyou.php) i have set
a utmv cookie as well…and probably some of the traffic
will complete conversion…and there for will get the utmv cookie designated
to the goal.

So…
Does that script can prevent the utmv cookie on the goal completion
page from runing over the utmv cookie assigned to the campaigns?