Facebook already tracks your likes, comments, and clicks on its site but the social network is experimenting with tracking your cursor movements as well. The Wall Street Journal spoke with Facebook’s analytics chief, Ken Rudin, about the company’s new way of tracking users.
The captured information would help Facebook evolve its product as well as help understand user reaction to targeted advertising. Minute user interactions like how long someone hovers over an ad or how long a user looks at a photo before liking it all provide valuable information. The company stores all of this data into a database where Facebook can refer back to when deciding interface and advertising changes.
Although cursor tracking may seem radical, Facebook isn’t the first ones to be doing this. Shutterstock, a digital image marketplace, tracks everything a user does on its site, utilizing software called Hadoop. This software is an open-source framework that allows companies to store massive amount of data tracking onto inexpensive computers.
There’s also a chance that Facebook won’t pursue cursor tracking at all if it doesn’t reveal valuable information. “It is a never-ending phase. I can’t promise that it will roll out. We probably will know in a couple of months,” says Rudin.
RELATED STORIES
- Facebook redesigns Messenger for Android and iOS, removes SMS functionality
- Report: Snapchat turned down $1 billion+ offer from Facebook
- Instagram prepares users for in-feed ads
[Source: The Wall Street Journal]
