Can we determine how many times a shared note was viewed?

[EdH 1,670]

Is there any way to see how many times a note that was shared via a URL was viewed? I know I could share it via a bit.ly type service, but that is an extra step and the receipient doesn't really know what they are clicking on. When the URL is www.evernote.com they know what they are getting and know it is safe.

But I'd like to know if it is being viewed and how many times.

[gazumped 11,661]

Haven't been able to think of anything from a standard note link.  Could be a viable feature request - I bet Google can track how many hits any given note receives...

The only other possible way (I thought) involved a Wix-style web-hosting service,  and posting the note links there.  Most web hosting providers offer traffic stats and could possibly deliver useful data but you then have an 'odd' URL via the provider,  or have to purchase your own URL for the site - with consequent costs for domain name,  site and (maybe) stats.

And your note links are hanging out on the web for anyone to see unless you also provide a login feature on the page for 'authorised' traffic.

[EdH 1,670]

Thanks Gazumped. That is no better than a bit.ly link. You cannot see what it is when you click on it.

I bet EN knows how many times a link is clicked. They just don't seem to report back to the user at all. I'd be ok if it only reported back in the web UI.

[gazumped 11,661]

Just for information,  and in case you didn't know,  it is possible to 'brand' a bit.ly link as something else -

A Branded Short Domain (bsd) is a the domain that takes the place of “bit.ly” or “bitly.com” in a shortend URL. Adding a Branded Short Domain to your bitly account is free of charge although you must purchase a bsd from a third party domain registrar. Domai.nr, GoDaddy, and 101domain are great places to begin your search, also visit our help article “Common Domain Hosting Providers”. Keep in mind that your bsd must be less than 15 characters, including the dot.

Just sayin' 

And like I said - would be a useful feature request to have some usage stats for shared notes.  @phils might have an interest with SureNotifier too...

[EdH 1,670]

Well, I am pretty sure I cannot brand it as Evernote...

[gazumped 11,661]

Ah.  Thought you were keen to lose the 'bit.ly' - didn't realise the Evernote bit was required.  Oops.

[phils 220]

Hi all,

There is no way to get the information on how many times a link is clicked from the Evernote service.  It's not part of the API.

Further, while I can't say with 100% certainty, I don't think Evernote records and tracks that data even internally.

We did think about recording it in SureNotifier - i.e. recording when someone clicked a note link in a SureNotifier notification email or the notes list in the SureNotifier mobile app - but we rejected that idea because (a) in order to accomplish it we would have had to do the same thing @EdH is describing - we would have had to change the link from www.evernote.com/... to www.surenotifier.com/... and we felt users would be unnerved by seeing a www.surenotifier.com link lead them to their Evernote notes; and related to that, (b) at a more fundamental level we felt it would be a violation of user privacy to essentially monitor their Evernote usage.  SureNotifier provides the user with information on when one's shared notes change, but we feel it's then the user's private business what they do with those notes.

[EdH 1,670]

Thanks @phils

I disagree though that Evernote doesn't track that, if only for a few minutes. Every web server I know logs when a link was clicked in. The key is, how long does that log exist, and is Evernote able to store that info to report it back out to the person that created the link.