If you have not heard already, Google has a new tool for tracking Flash Analytics. Unlike the first version we tested a year ago, this new code base requires no javascript to implement. Why is this important?
Here is the scenario:
I create a killer Flash widget and would like to track how users interact with it. If the widget is only on my site then a javascript / flash tracking solution works great. But, if I want to spread it virally and still track my results I can't rely on a javascript solution.
This is where google event tracking enters the picture: gaforflash
While you can use this to track page views button clicks etc you can also get creative and track much much more.
Our Interactive Agency decided to track Flash page load times. This would allow us to determine if the average user was waiting too long to view a page. Example code below:
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_controller.mainLoadTimerВ = new Date().time;
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public function set pageReady(val:Number):void
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{
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_pageReadyTime = val;
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var currentPage:String = Gaia.api.getCurrentBranch();
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var timeToLoad:Number = (_pageReadyTime - _mainLoadTimer)
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if (initalPageLoad)
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{
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initalPageLoad = false;
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tracker.trackEvent("Page Load Times", "Initial Load", currentPage, timeToLoad);
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}
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else
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{
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tracker.trackEvent("Page Load Times", "Site Browsing", currentPage,timeToLoad);
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}
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}
This can also be done to track video start times as seen in the example by Matthew McNeely.
Before you can view the event tracking data in your Google Analytics account you will need your profile to be white-listed by Google. Get started today even if you are not yet white-listed as your account will retroactively display the results from when you first implemented the code.
If you or your clients need any help getting started feel free to contact our interactive agency.
Google Analytics Flash Event Tracking at Flash, Flex, AS 3.0, AS 2.0, Papervision, Blog and Tutorials : CS54, LLC says:
[...] Agency it’s important to gather metrics about how people are using your site. I wrote this article to create some more awareness about the new Google Flash Analytics Event [...]
Feb 17, 2009, 9:43 amJared says:
Have you actually seen the average value calculated – I am getting the events tracked, but the unique values do not seem to be averaging. Ave Value is always 0.00 like shown in your screenshot.
Feb 17, 2009, 3:38 pmOg2t says:
Nice one, I’ve posted another article on that matter.
Feb 17, 2009, 7:38 amJared says:
Just checking back – are you seeing timeToLoad averaged in your analytics?
Feb 17, 2009, 11:55 am