Two recent independent developments promise to shakeup the way traffic is measured on the Internet.  First Google announced plans to soon allow users to opt-out of being tracked through Google Analytics.  Secondly, the increased deployment of Flash cookies over HTML cookies has given analysts and business people a bit of encouragement, as Flash cookies are more sophisticated and harder to detect than their HTML counterpart, stoking the fears of privacy advocates wary of the amount of information collected on Google and search engine servers.

Anxiety Over the Future of Analytics

Google’s announcement poses some serious questions as to how traffic will be measured on the Internet.  Precipitated by growing concerns over privacy on the web, Google appears to be attempting to set itself in front of the issue and above the fray.  As Google Analytics is already an imperfect system, statistical purists find themselves asking whether data can be trusted once users can prevent their information from being tracked.  Once a significant number of Internet users opt-out, Google Analytics information may be rendered less useful.  Businesses will not doubt turn to other analytic services; however, the question remains whether other analytics tools will follow Google’s lead and offer users the same option.

On the flip side of the debate, analysts look to the promise of Flash cookies.  As mentioned above, Flash cookies are more sophisticated and pose hurdles for a user to detect and delete.  Furthermore, Flash cookies, one of the Internet’s better kept secrets, can re-spawn after deletion.  The additional hurdles users would need to overcome to free themselves from Flash tracking than simply opting out of Google Analytics could ensure that analytic information would retain its accuracy and integrity.

Not So Fast, Flash Cookies

Unfortunately for businesses and analysts, the public isn’t quite as ignorant to Flash cookies as they would like.  A recent article in OnlineMediaDaily claims that 7% of Flash cookies are deleted, which may not seem like a significant proportion; however, this number has doubled in the past 10 months.

Oh Google, how you never cease to amaze…

Until just a few days ago, Lala was a fairly unknown online music streaming site.  Since its 2006 launch, the site has experienced growth rates far inferior to other music sites like Myspace and Pandora.  That is, until a partnership with Google suddenly moved their company into the everyday internet vocabulary.

Try this: type in a band or song name into the Google search box, and check out the first results that come up.  Rather than directing you to Myspace or the band’s official website,  you can now listen to the entire song, for free, with one click.  For example, if you were to type in the up-and-coming band The xx into the box, your results would look like this:

The first time you listen, the service costs you nothing; for every time after that, it’s a nominal fee of $.10.  Add this to the laundry list of Google’s cutting-edge innovations like Google Voice, Google Wave, and the Android phone, that have all recently been released.

Also, keep a lookout for a new Lala iPhone application, which will allow music streaming similar to the online model: free for the first listen, $.10 per every future listen .  Rumor has it the app will be available mid-November, and likely with a very high demand.

…let’s just say we’re in la-la-love.