coverspace - streetsmart with web analytics

Hi all,

Sorry for the long wait…this post ist dedicated to ShinyStat and their free service called “Free” (surprise, surprise) - Summary below - check out the detailed information in a comparison matrix with additional links here: free web analytics tool comparison

ShinyStat Free

The Company behind the free service is called Shiny srl, located in Savona, Italy and was founded in 1994. Apart from the “Free” service it offers a Pro, Business and ISP version - they certainly do a thorough job of reminding the “Free” user that, yes, there is always the possibility to upgrade to a paid service.

Featurewise ShinyStat Free is more comprehensive than etracker featuring (for example) basic referral stats. Compared to sitemeter basic it offers very basic search term analysis data but does neither have geo-data on city-level (but on country) nor unique visitor data. However it does neither offer campaign tracking, the possibility to enter specific goals to track. Shinystat Free ranks last in comparison when it comes to displaying general information like browser type etc. In addition to its reporting features there is an automatic mailing service once a week.

Like the other free services ShinyStat offers a live demo of the available reporting - FAQ (less extensive than Google analytics and etrackers but about on par with sitemeters) are available as well.

As far as privacy policy goes ShinyStat complies with Italian laws which differ from the privacy laws US-based companies have to comply with. For example they state that they will only use anonymized data “upon explicit authorization” only in an aggregated way. Our research has not found any complaints regarding breaches of privacy or abuse of data for third parties and when we spot-checked sites that run ShinyStat there is clearly stated which data is tracked and how privacy of users is protected. However the full privacy and data usage agreement is available upon registration of the service and despite first good appearence it is - as always - advisable to check it thouroughly before rendering any data.

Also it is advisable to check for how long ShinyStat holds the data once tracked - we have not found this clearly specified anywhere.

Last but not least a note from the editor: Despite having thoroughly checked the info given on the respective company websites and from other sources there is always the possibility of mistakes and/or errors. If you come across something that is not represented in the right manner or needs updating please let me know and I will get on it asap. Also the content given represents personal opinion and is in no way related to professional background or current employment.

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