#133: Server-Side vs. Client-Side Tracking with Mike Robins

Once upon a time, website behavioral data was extracted from the log files of web servers. That data was messy to work with and missing some information that analysts really wanted. This was the OG "server-side" data collection. Then, the JavaScript page tag arrived on the scene, and the data became richer and cleaner and easier to implement. That data was collected by tags firing in the user's browser (which was called "client-side" data collection). But then ad blockers and browser quirks and cross-device behavior turned out to introduce pockets of unreliability into THAT data. And now here we are. What was old is now somewhat new again, and there is a lot to be unpacked with the ins and outs and tradeoffs of client-side vs. server-side data collection. On this episode, Mike Robins from Poplin Data joined the gang to explore the topic from various angles. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.