Attack of the Blog!

Recently it came to my attention that many people think that as long as they don’t comment, purchase anything, or actively participate on a web page, they leave nothing behind. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. When you pick up a book, you leave fingerprints on the page. When you walk through the woods, you leave footprints in the earth. When you visit a web page, you leave data behind.

Not all sites track data, but most do in some form. Measuring web traffic is critical from the bandwidth and billing side of the Web, and it’s also important for people running sites to know who’s visiting and why. Before this creeps the lay Web user out too much, think of it this way: when you walk into a department store, you hear a “ding dong” as an electronic counter logs your presence. Shopkeepers want to know which are the busy days, or if changing a window display encouraged more purchases. That’s helpful data that helps the show owner and the customer get what they want.

Likewise, when your IP address is logged and tracked, it’s usually not because anybody cares at all about who you are on a personal level. But Amazon wants to know which page layout sells you things more efficiently, and the DMV wants to know the best ways to make useful information inaccessible. Bloggers want to know how to ban spammers peddling fake Viagra and Xanax.

So there’s no cause for paranoia, but be aware when you surf. I can see you. Yes, you. Luckily for you, I don’t pay any attention to metrics unless I find something unusual, malicious, or inappropriate going on. This is a tiny little site on the geeky outer rim of the blogosphere. But that don’t mean there ain’t riff-raff who ain’t welcome here, and I’m not above banning IP addresses if it’s warranted. Most web users are responsible and conscientious, so you’re just another ding-dong as far as I’m concerned. Wait, that came out wrong.

The point is that there’s still a long way to go for the general public in understanding that the Web is a dynamic, two-way, interactive portal, not some kind of static source of pages that are simply read and not responded to. Some people want to exist in the online realm with utter privacy, but this just can’t be. Not only is it technically impossible, but it’s not desirable. Total anonymity also means total lack of responsibility.

The price of entering a public realm such as a city sidewalk is that people can see what you do. The Internet is no different. But before that creeps you out or ruffles your feathers, realize that nobody is going to care as long as you’re behaving yourself. In a public shop, you don’t bother paying attention to the person next to you, unless they happen to be buying a particularly egregious blouse, carrying a screaming brat, or shoplifting. The Internet is no different; it’s merely another realm of the public sphere. So mind your manners, and don’t be surprised when you leave footprints along the path you walk.

Intarwebz | RSS 2.0 | comment | trackback > posted on Thursday, June 26th, 2008.