Section 1
Introduction
Section 2
The Maestro Interface
Section 3
Defining a Job
Section 4
Defining Recipients
Section 5
Defining Content
Section 6
Defining Tracking
6.2 Types of Tracking
Section 7
Sender and Delivery Options
Section 8
Outbox
Section 9
Delivered Jobs
Section 10
Reporting and Statistics
Section 11
User Settings
Appendix A
24 Hour Clock
Appendix B
International Character Sets
Appendix C
Comma Separated Files
Appendix D
AOL Rich Text
|
6.2 Types of Tracking
LISTSERV Maestro supports four different levels of tracking
information about e-mail recipients. Each type of tracking
will yield different data sets based on the recipient list
and any database information available to the system. However,
not all types of tracking are available for all recipients.
Choose the level of tracking desired based on the kinds of
information already in the system and the permission received
from recipients, keeping within the boundaries of what is
legally allowable in the user’s jurisdiction.
- Personal Tracking – Records open-up and click-through
events traceable to the individual who triggered them. Very specific
information can be gathered about an individual’s interaction with a
message such as how many times a link has been clicked. This data can
be augmented with information from the database from which the recipient
data was extracted. Personal tracking is available:
- For recipients uploaded from a text file when the option "Use
additional recipient data for mail merging and tracking" is
selected from the "Recipients Details" page in the recipients
wizard.
- For recipients selected from a database by LISTSERV Maestro and
the option "Use additional recipient data for mail merging and
tracking" chosen on "Recipients Details" page in recipients
wizard.
- For recipients defined by a LISTSERV list with the option "special
list message" chosen on the "Source" page in recipients
wizard
- For recipients defined by a database selected by LISTSERV.
- For recipients defined "Based on Reaction to a Previous
Job" chosen on the "Options" page in the
recipients wizard.
When personal tracking is used, LISTSERV
Maestro creates a profile for each individual mail
recipient and stores this information in an internal
or external database. The creation of this profile
takes place during the delivery of the mail, as
the job is being transferred to LISTSERV. With a
large recipient list, the additional work of creating
profile entries in the database will make the transfer
to LISTSERV noticeably slower. If general statistics
are required, without the need to trace events back
to individuals, use unique tracking instead because
the processing time is much faster.
- Anonymous Tracking – A unique ID is
assigned to each recipient that cannot be followed back
to identifying information about the individual recipient,
but that is associated with non-identifying demographic
information, such as age, gender, or zip (postal) code.
It is the responsibility of the user to analyze the data
and determine what is and what is not identifying data.
For example, if the data contains one zip code that corresponds
to just one recipient, then the zip code becomes identifying
data for that recipient and should not be used, unless
the input data is changed so that sparsely populated
zip codes are all lumped together into an "other" category
for the purposes of tracking. Anonymous tracking is available:
- For recipients uploaded as a text file and the option "Use
additional recipient data for mail merging and tracking" chosen
on the "Recipients Details" page in recipients wizard.
- For recipients selected from a database by LISTSERV
Maestro and the option "Use additional
recipient data for mail merging and tracking"
chosen on the "Recipients Details" page
in recipients wizard.
- For recipients defined "Based on Reaction to a Previous Job"
chosen on the "Options" page in recipients wizard, as long
as "Use additional recipient data for mail merging and tracking"
is chosen on the "Recipients Details" page in recipients wizard.
When anonymous tracking is used, LISTSERV
Maestro creates a profile for each individual mail
recipient and stores this information in an internal
or external database. The creation of this profile
takes place during the delivery of the mail, as
the job is being transferred to LISTSERV. With a
large recipient list, the additional work of creating
profile entries in the database will make the transfer
to LISTSERV noticeably slower. If general statistics
are required, without the need to trace events back
to anonymous profiles, use unique tracking instead
because the processing time is much faster.
- Unique Tracking – Records the number of times open-up
and click-through events happen to unique recipients but is not associated
with individual users or other identifying data. Unique tracking is
available:
- For recipients uploaded as a text file and the option "Use
additional recipient data for mail merging and tracking" chosen
on "Recipients Details" page in recipients wizard.
- For recipients selected from a database by LISTSERV
Maestro and the option "Use additional
recipient data for mail merging and tracking"
chosen on "Recipients Details" page
in recipients wizard.
- For recipients defined by a LISTSERV list with the
option "special list message" chosen
on the "Source" page in recipients wizard.
- For recipients defined by a database select by LISTSERV.
- For recipients defined "Based on Reaction to a Previous Job"
chosen on the "Options" page in recipients wizard, as long
as "Use additional recipient data for mail merging and tracking"
is chosen on the "Recipients Details" page in recipients wizard.
- Blind Tracking – Collects unspecific
tracking data, recording only the number of times open-up
and click-through events occur. In other words, blind
tracking cannot discern between one person clicking a
link 100 times and 100 people clicking a link once. The
total count will be 100 events in both instances. Therefore,
all blind tracking events are considered "non-unique."
This has specific implications for "Sum of Events" report
types. See Section
7.3 Running Test Reports and Section
10.1 Tracking Reports for more details. Blind tracking
is always available.
The table below summarizes the types of tracking available
based on how the recipients are defined.
Types of Tracking Available Based on
Recipient Definition
Recipients
defined from: |
Types
of tracking available
|
Blind |
Unique |
Anonymous |
Personal |
Uploaded
text file
with
non-identifying fields
with only identifying fields
|
X
X
|
X X
|
X
|
X X
|
Database
Connected to LISTSERV Maestro
with non-identifying fields
with only identifying fields
|
X
X
|
X
X
|
X |
X
X
|
LISTSERV List
standard list message
special list message
|
X
X
|
X
|
|
X
|
LISTSERV Connected Database |
X |
X |
|
X |
Based on a previous job |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Figure 36 Selecting
Tracking Type
Click Next -> to continue.
If Personal Tracking or Anonymous Tracking is selected,
the Type Details screen appears. Because both of these types of tracking
are linked to individual recipients, it becomes necessary to select a
value that is unique for each recipient, and in the case of anonymous
tracking, traceable columns, those associated with identifying information
such as a name or telephone number, need to be separated from anonymous
columns.
There are three versions of the Type Details screen:
This version is for personal tracking when the recipients
are defined from a text file or from a LISTSERV Maestro selected database:
Figure 37 Tracking
Type Details
Select the column from the recipient list that contains
the recipient ID. The recipient ID must be a value that is unique for
all recipients on the list. Click Next -> to continue.
This version is for personal tracking when the
recipients are defined from a database selected by LISTSERV
or by a LISTSERV list with the option "Special list message"
selected.
Figure 38 Personal Tracking
Type Details
Type in the column that contains the unique recipient ID
in the box labeled "ID Column:"
Click Next -> to continue.
Anonymous tracking is independent of recipient
type, but columns have to be selected as either anonymous
or traceable. Traceable columns contain information about
individual recipients than can be used to identify them, such
as name and telephone number. Using traceable columns in recipients'
profiles creates profiles that are not anonymous, and
could violate recipients' privacy. Anonymous columns, on the
other hand, contain information about individual recipients
that cannot be used to identify them, such as gender, age,
or city. Using anonymous columns creates recipient profiles
that will not identify individual recipients. See Section
10.2.3 Recipients Details Reports for more information
on running reports from anonymous tracking jobs and downloading
demographic information.
Figure 39 Anonymous
Tracking Type Details
Click Next -> to continue.
A summary of the tracking behavior will be presented. Click
<-Back to return to an earlier screen to change selections.
Click Finish to return to the Job Details screen and the Workflow
or Summary diagram.
|