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php and tracking/checking if members read an email ,using an image with a tracking variable

I would like add a tracking variable to an image that I can send to members of my site.

1. I want to use this tracking variable to see if they have opened my email. I know that many email programs such as gmail, block images, and only allow them to be open if the user approves them.

2. Is it also possible to see how long the viewer looked at the email, i.e. a way to know that they read the email, not just opened and closed it? - this is not critical, I am just interested.

3. Are there any other suggestions you have to help collect information for markerting, from emails? Or links to good tutorials/ scripts that you use for this?

I already have a php script to send mail with images that link back to my site, I just need to know how to track the images.

All of the emails I send, are to members of my site, so I can add a unique user ID to each email.

Please let me know what more information you will need to help me!

thanks,
Derek

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hernst42

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derekstattin

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So I put

<IMG Src="http://www.mysite.com/track.php?id=123" width="1" height="1">

into the email message, then when the user opens the email, track.php will record this?

As far as the // Do tracking stuff here. I am not sure exactly what I have to do? Is this were for example, take the data and insert it into a mysql table.

when the user opens the email, track.php will show me the
<IMG Src="http://www.mysite.com/track.php?id=123" width="1" height="1">
and I will be able to see that user 123 opened the email?

thanks you,
I am still in primary php school!

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basiclife

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derekstattin

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to change the tracking variable, I would just do something like get the user id form sql query,

then encode the id,

$id_encoded = base64_encode('id')

and put this encoded id into http://www.somewhere.com/somepage?x=34FSF4SFDLKNBA45

then unencode $id_encoded in track.php

then put this in a new database that records the tracking time and user id?

thanks

derekstattin

ASKER

I think that using MD5 is a better choice than base 64 encode?

Base 64 is specific to my server if I remember right, and base 64 encode can be uncoded by anyone who knows what they are doing?

thanks

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basiclife

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