Now, if you enable mechanisms that permit log files to contain ids across
sites AND you do not impose a policy to protect users, then the information
enabling technology called the Web, potentially becomes a disabling
technology. To me, the Web is about information exchange, not information
concealment, elitism, or "I'll give you this only if you give me that."
Interestingly, it seems that companies on the Web are asking for more
information about the effectiveness of their advertising then they can
get now. When I buy a magazine off a newsstand, no one knows how long
I looked at the pages, what my name is, etc. Instead, companies make
their decisions based upon reliable estimates of subscription rates and
the demographics that compose those readers. How effective is
an ad in Time? Measure it empirically for me over every issue.
Regards,
Jim.