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PDF Monitoring - Probably impossible

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    PDF Monitoring - Probably impossible

    Every so often (once a year or so) I pose this question in various places to see of there are any changes in tech.

    Background. As some of you know I Publish a business deals listings magazine in PDF format. I am after Google Analytics/Matomo style tracking of readership of the PDF. (I use Matomo for my websites and prefer it over google)

    Where I want to get to for example is User one spent 3 seconds on Page 1 skipped page 2, read pages 3-10 left.
    User 2 read pages 20-30 and spent an average of 5 seconds on each page. Etc Etc,

    Is there a way to do this or is it even possible?

    I already know if the magazine has been downloaded and where and when and have this data.

    Many thanks
    Former IPSE member
    My Website

    #2
    Short answer - PDF is a portable format so the readers just don't record that information.

    You would need to move to a html type format - and use something like Microsoft Clarity working alongside Google to collect the appropriate information.
    merely at clientco for the entertainment

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      #3
      Originally posted by eek View Post
      Short answer - PDF is a portable format so the readers just don't record that information.

      You would need to move to a html type format - and use something like Microsoft Clarity working alongside Google to collect the appropriate information.
      Thanks Eek
      Former IPSE member
      My Website

      Comment


        #4
        ... or publish the pdf as a series of single page documents (still in pdf format) so the metadata around access can be acquired. Browsers tend to be used to access and view pdfs so one page per pdf or not isn't that much of an hassle on the readers.

        If they want to download the whole pdf doc for offline reading then charge them more to both disuade them and to compensate for the loss of metrics.
        Maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down. Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.

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