With little fanfare, the Google Analytics team replaced the venerable Urchin code with a fancy new tracking engine called ga.js. Google recommend upgrading from Urchin to the new, faster ga.js. To do so, go to your Analytics page and get the snippet where you previously got your Urchin snippet.

Why upgrade? What’s in the new version? Not much yet, but development on Urchin has halted apparently in favor of the new tracking engine (that I wish had a name!). As new features are added to Analytics, ga.js will be able to take advantage of them. In their own words…

We are also rolling out the new ga.js page tag which we recommend you use for all new accounts and new profiles for new domains. Although your existing urchin.js page tags will continue to work, you may wish to update them to ga.js anyway. This will allow you to take advantage of the most up-to-date tracking functionality as it is added to Google Analytics. An immediate benefit you’ll notice is that the ga.js tags allow you to track ecommerce transactions in a more readable way. And, we’ve created a special resource on the ga.js javascript for power users who want more control over Google Analytics tracking. If you do choose to update your site to ga.js, please note that the old tracking code (which uses urchin.js) and the new tracking code (which uses ga.js) will not work if placed on the same page together.

Check out your Analytics home page or the Analytics Blog for more details.

I don’t even know what to make of this. I came across it on the Japanese language blog optica optima where you can find the tasty and delicious dock drawers icons for Leopard’s Stacks. In typical Japanese fashion, it’s completely incomprehensible to a gaijin like me and makes ample use of young school girls. So light one up, sit back, and watch the show.

I’m opening phase 2 of a friends and family beta on the latest Stringer Site, Ribbz.com, which lets you manage private wish lists for things like Christmas, Hanukah, birthdays, etc.

I know wish-listing is a cultural thing particular to certain families, but it works like a charm for families like mine who are spread to the far ends of the earth.

It’s a bit late for this holiday season, but I’m looking forward to having this in place for 2008. If you or anyone you know might be interested in checking it out, feel free to visit the site.

http://ribbnz.com

Cheers,
Steve