splash page + tracking image example

[Rahul Sundaram]

Karsten Wade wrote:

>> The sentence "Don't worry about multiple counts, shared IP addresses, 
>> and so forth" implies that multiple counts would be distort data while 
>> it would not. We just need to uniquely sort it by IP addresses.
> 
> We are talking to people who wouldn't get that and would worry about
> multiple hits.  People who think a rolling page hit counter has meaning.

As far as multiple hits are concerned, we have a IP based way to sort 
that out. They wouldnt add to the inaccuracy of the data like shared IP 
addresses would. If we can fit that into the message, we should. 
Otherwise the effort appears more fuzzy unnecessarily.

> 
>> The last sentence about funding seems to add to the confusion rather 
>> than help clarify it. I would advise dropping that. Maybe we should add 
>> a sentence last that says "If you are not online and do not wish to be 
>> counted, you can simply change this homepage".
> 
> I thought we were trying for clarity and honesty in the message?
> Everything I read in the thread so far boils down to, "We need this to
> justify (more) money, and that is the primary importance over all other
> considerations at this time."
> 
> Counting users to make better decisions is obfuscation talk.  How does a
> raw user count make better decisions?  You'd need to know some depth
> about those users to have it influence decisions.
> 
> Perhaps we can soften the blow better than I did, but if we're being
> honest, we have to be honest *and* clear.

I dont have a problem with conveying the information to people. Trying 
to read it from the end user perspective, the note about funding adds to 
the confusion rather than clarify any information to me. Funding from 
whom? How would counting desktop users corelate with funding?  Raises 
more questions that it answers. More details wouldnt actually fit into 
that page. If we are trying to explain it, we can potentially link to a 
wiki page that provides more information. The hit counter would only 
work if you go online with the default homepage, so we can explain it in 
detail there and that's a feasible solution.

The last sentence should be a note on opting out by changing the 
homepage before going online so users dont have to worry about that.

Rahul