Yes, you can track file downloads with Google Analytics. Although it doesn’t automatically give you that capability by just dropping in the Google Analytics Code, here is a simple method to add that tracking ability. For each file that you want Google Analytics to track, you need to create a “virtual page” using the pageTracker function in each file HREF in your site.

Example:
If you site has a PDF called financial-report.pdf and the link is
<a href="/files/financial-report.pdf">Financial Report</a>
That code will need to be rewritten to read.
<a href="/files/financial-report.pdf" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/files/financial-report.pdf');">Financial Report</a>


This works great for a limited number of files, but for sites which have multiple file downloads. You may want to try Brian Clifton’s JS Script.

A constant problem that we run into here at Imulus is clients that want tables with alternating color rows but don’t understand the concept of editing HTML to add a class of odd or even to them.

So today Ryan took a few minutes and created a tiny javascript that automatically applies an “even” class to every row of a table. Now we can apply our styles via the CSS and the clients don’t have to worry if they generate their own tables via Central 2 (the Imulus CMS). The script relies on Jquery (http://www.jquery.com) and is incredibly easy to set up.

Download the script: Table-Row-Switch.zip

Every now and then I drift into the Google Labs to have a look at the current projects underway. This latest round I was intrigued by several cool projects baking in the Google oven.

Google Notebook

http://www.google.com/notebook

Pros: This is my favorite item coming out of the labs. Especially if you install the "My Notebook" toolbar for your browser. This way you can highlight and right click items on a Web page and save them to your notebook. It is sort of a glorified scribble pad of idea, text and links which you can search on later.

Cons: I haven’t found one yet, but let me keep working with it and I’ll be sure to find something it can do better.

Google Music Trends

Visit http://www.google.com/trends/music

Pros: The default listing isn’t that interesting but once you select a Genres or Country, then the list becomes a bit more interesting.

Cons: It’s just Google Talk participants so the data feeding into this is a bit suspect to say the least.

Google Trends

Visit http://www.google.com/trends

Pros: Presents a visual trend line on various search terms. The regions and cities is a useful subset of data which sometimes shows very distinct differences how users search.

Example: I used "web site, website" to see which term most people search on. Interestingly enough both terms have dropped in search volume from 2004 to 2008 however the news references for the terms has increased in the same time period. Plus, India much prefers the grammatically incorrect "website" whereas the French and Italians lean towards "Web site".

Cons: The news on the right seems a bit odd and out of place. I actually stumbled on two broken links during my short tests.

Google Code Search

Visit http://www.google.com/codesearch

Pros: If you are looking for code examples to steal learn and integrate into your project, this is certainly a good point to start from.

Cons: Just stay away unless your a coder.

Google Mars

Visit http://www.google.com/mars/

Pros: I think I found a real nice piece of real-estate once we find a way to get there.

Cons: For real? Why do we need this? And why does it wrap 4 times when you zoom all the way out? I’m still waiting for Google to drop a Martian into the map as an Easter egg.

Google Information / 411

Dial 1-800-GOOG-411

Pros: Uses voice recognition to locate businesses and then patches you right thru, and yes it’s free. They located "Imulus" in Boulder, Colorado just fine and on the first try. Not bad for a word which is hard to decipher with voice recognition.

Cons: Where is the residential side of this

Transit

Visit http://www.google.com/transit

Pro: Once you find a location which has public transportation the familiar Google Map interface is overlaid by transit locations which highlight when you select a schedule which is close to the time you wish to leave.

Cons: The city availability is pretty limiting, especially in the US where the coverage is scattered and seems to defy logic. For instance why would they have coverage for Grand Junction, Colorado rather then Denver, Boulder or even Colorado Springs? Sorry, no New York or Chicago either.

In the last few weeks NetFlix has quietly added the ability to drag & drop the ordering of your movie queue. I inadvertently stumbled on the functionality while working on my queue. In our office of techies only 1 other person knew the functionality existed. There are likely many others out there that are unaware that NetFlix has this useful functionality.

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There are a few programs which I run across and say, damn… nice software. Wufoo is one of those instances. Wufoo is a bit of an odd name but then again so is ours. Essentially Wufoo allows people to quickly create web-forms which validate text, track statistics and and customize the look and feel of the form. (more…)