How To Get A Facebook Tracker
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According to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool, some 18100 people every month search for the term 'facebook tracker' and another 2900 per month search for the term 'facebook profile tracker'; several thousand more search for slight variations of the terms.
When starting this article I had no idea whether or not you could get such a thing as a 'Facebook Tracker', all I know is that I once had a similar tool for my myspace account which told me nothing other than that I had lots of complete weirdos looking at my profile on an almost daily basis.... I even had a stalker that looked at my account about 5 times a day. Discovering that is enough to never want a facebook tracker, but still.... If I find one I will test it!
First Attempt To Find A Facebook Tracker....
My first attempt to find a facebook tracker led me to an article dated way back to 2007, which basically says that Facebook will never approve an application which allows people to discover the surfing actions of fellow facebookers..... preventing this was easy. Myspace users will know that the numerous trackers available on that site can be inserted by using simple html.... Facebook has never ever allowed people to customise any part of the site with html. The only way to get html approved is to have your facebook application approved, and this is very unlikely to ever happen for a tracker. Great, is that my search over before it had even really begun?
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Facebook: The Missing Manual
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Facebook For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
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I subsequently came across a further piece about a tracker called 'Trakzor', I became excited... well, actually I rather hoped that my search would have been a little more deep. My excitement faded quickly, as this article too was dated 2007. This application apparently only told you about visits by people that had also signed up to the application, no fun there then! The article went on to state that the application no longer worked by the end of the same year.... My search was to continue.
At least 30 whole long seconds passed, I was becoming hungry and tired, my eyes held open by matchsticks and my attention turning to a half eaten packet of crisps on my desk... when it happened..... I found a way to track facebook visits. Ok, so I actually found a way to find out how many page visits your facebook page has had, and not a way of finding out whether your ex girlfriend has visited your profile. Just in case you are interested in finding out how many visitors look at your facebook page, and you are entirely disinterested in who those people may be, then head over to Google Analytics. Apparently you are able to incorporate Analytics code into your page somehow, set up a second channel for your facebook account, and it will tell you how many visits you have had. Despite having an Analytics account I have absolutely no idea how you are supposed to place your code on your profile - and I equally could not care less. You see, in order to fulfil this long and daring mission I need to find a way to discover WHO has been onto a facebook profile.
About 4 forums and 3 ancient articles later.... and there are still no signs of a facebook tracker, just lots of lame attempts to fool people into believing that there was. I did discover one thing though, most people were asking for a tracker because they were afraid that they might get caught looking at somebody they fancy / their boyfriends ex girlfriend / their friends brother etc... etc... I guess that a failure to find a tracker may actually be the answer that most of you may be looking for. So...........
THE GOOD/BAD NEWS IS THAT THERE IS DEFINITELY NOT A WORKING FACEBOOK TRACKER.
There will also never be a facebook tracker as far as Facebook state in their very long and boring privacy policy. The simple fact of the matter is: No HTML = No Tracker. There are however a number of Myspace trackers (and yes that is a hyperlink).
My Other Facebook Hubs
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Facebook in the News
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- Facebook Chat Answers Flu QuestionsFOX News Chicago16 hours ago
Got a swine flu question? Get an answer during a live Facebook chat offered by Chicago's Rush University Medical Center.
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Comments
I know, but I still cant work out how you can set that up! I've fallen out of love with facebook, as you may want to read on my hub 'Lots Of Reasons To Hate Facebook' ;)
Myspace had one for a short period of time but they disabled it
there is a facebook tracker that works. im not sure what it is yet but i know people who have it. im trying to find it, ive seen it work but people dont want the word to get out.so theyr not letting me in on the info.
@Drew Breezzy, you can actually still get Myspace trackers, I had one myself very very recently - I wrote a hub on this.
@Joe, well if you ever find out then let me know ;)
What if someone had a myspace tracker and linked their accounts? If you visited their fb profile but not their myspace, could they tell via their myspace tracker that you visited their fb profile?
Sammy, no you wouldnt... no chance.
I should have asked..if they were logged into their myspace profile and had their fb linked could they track your visit if they previously were able to track you on their myspace.
Hi Sammy, I will be honest - I dont know. But, as far as I am aware there is absolutely no way of finding out whether a specific person has visited your facebook profile. So I guess that the answer is no.
nice information. thanks for share.
Thank you for reading prasetio30
Very informative, Ryan. I'm enjoying your hubs and forum comments. Cheeky devil. LOL
Cheers for stopping by Daniel, im trying my hardest to stay off of the forum, its very counter-productive ;)
Facebook will be more and more features and applications to user and will become increasingly easy to access with many features..
I thought a tracker really exist. Nice Hub!
@ Michael Rind - yes facebook applications are a huge industry, a close friend of mine is churning out 1 a month, with some astonishing financail returns. BUT, every app has to be approved by facebook, and they will NEVER allow a tracker.
@Roffi Grandiosa - Cheers ;)
RK - I read this you know, a few weeks ago. I can't think why I didn't leave a comment. It's a rare moment that I read and leave. I was probably excited over something. My phone probably rang.
All the same, I'll leave a comment now:
This is a good read about a pain in the ass side of facebook. Not that I mind not knowing who visits me on there. I only play with farm animals (I'm childish and my daughter keeps sending me goats) and don't make best use of the site. Still - there should be a way to track such things.
Nicely hubbed RK and I'll rate it up again :)
Hey what do you know about this fans app on Facebook? Is that sorta like a tracker?
Great article and thanks for sharing that info
The article is good and informative but it involves the knowledge of technology while the general people are lacking in knowledge. Thank you for sharing.
I must say I am GLAD there are NO FB trackers. Great article, thanks.
I found this interesting, because as an author I like to keep track of who follows what - seems a no hoper though....
My Girlfriend is using a tracker of sorts to find out who looks at her pictures and when, i have never seen it in action (though she has pointed out to me when i have been looking at her so it for sure exists) . . . i am roaming around now looking for this app/tracker but i fear i wont find it, she is Slovakian and i suspect its written in slovak... that would help keep it of Face Books radar.... she is still using this app/tracker so its not dead....
And no she wont tell me about it :)
Loken, what your girlfriend probably has is one of many applications where people can track each other - but only if they both have the application? There are a few of those, but that is of course tracking which has been expressely permitted by both parters. If I am wrong, then please be sure to let me know and I will update the article ;)
And thank you for everybody else that has left a comment, and for giving it a read, this hub is so busy that I cant keep up with it all ;)
Nope, i never accepted anything allowing her to know what im upto (and i dont currently use anything like that), its a tracker of sorts that's for sure, i did wonder for a little while if she had installed some spy-ware and was watching everything i was upto on my PC but she knows when other people have looked too and its not just when i use one PC, it doesn't matter what PC i use.
i dont know if its just pictures... it might be all aspects of her profile, i only know what she points out.. but at one time i was on the phone with her and she just said out of the blue "Why are you looking at me on facebook" ... my jaw dropped a little :)
Wow, thats certainly intriguing. If she ever lets you into any further info then please let me know buddy, there is a 'contact me' tab at the top of this page. If there really is a tracker then I will of course completely re-write this article. As of yet though, there has certainly not been one leak onto the net. Interesting stuff, anyway.... cheers for stopping by ;)
How get facebook tracker?ha! nice.
Thanks
nice information.
Cheers guys.
I got a question for you Ryan, what about stalker deterents? I have trackers on my myspace for the fact I had a guy stalking me for about a year, not just on myspace but on sites I ran so I got his ip and such fairly easy, I mean cyber stalking/bullying is illegal in most places now and the tracking of this guy provided me with enough ammo to threaten him with the cops if he continued and after a year or so of following me around online he disappeared from my life quicksmart, many people use these trackers for various reasons, alot for ego boosting, other like myself for security as I discovered there are some real psycho's out there but anyways... I am wondering about "stalker deterents" I recall awhile back there was an application that while not tracking people, used technology like how Facebook hijacks your pictures for those crappy ads if you don't have it set up right, that when someone viewed your profile it changed YOUR picture to THEIR picture, and made them believe they had been caught by a "stalker tracker" it was more designed as a prank application as it only showed them their own picture and never did tell you who came along and spied on you, do you know if any application like that still exsists? it'd be easy to let friends in on it, so they don't freak, while making the unsavoury ones (and from experience not to bright ones they are either) think twice about "visiting" if they only 'think' they are being tracked? If something like that was still around it'd be a cool substitue as prevention is better than cure. But as for tracker in general I look at it that if you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to fear about trackers, I mean if you're visiting innocently visiting friends or families pages they shouldn't care right? Only people paranoid about them are the stalker, harrassing, bunny boiler up to no good types I feel? But yeah any "joke" apps still like I mentioned? I've heard their are sort of tracking applications, one called fan check, but like that Trackorz or whatever it was, you can only view people who are using it themselves ad it works on averages or something and gives them a "fan score" e.g which friends visit you the most I think? Works off wall posts made and photo's viewed or something.
@Doomed - lots of people find this hub by searching for variations of 'Facebook Stalker' or 'Facebook Stalker Tracker'..... And your question is perfectly valid. You are quite correct, there is no way for you to know whether or not you are being stalked on Facebook without a tracker; and Trackzor was for those that chose to allow themselves to be tracked. Hence the reason I said that having no tracker is both good/bad news depending on your intentions. You could argue however that if you genuinely believe that a specific individual may be stalking you, and you have a problem with that, then you only need to remove them from your friends list and set your profile to private. If you have no reason to believe that you are being stalked, then this is simply paranoia! Also, it is actually possible to block trackers on sites such as Myspace (I have linked to an article about this above) so any serious stalker could avoid being picked up by trackers anyway. Sorry to say, but you are clearly 'Doomed' ;)
Thanks ryankett, I'm off to research Google Analytics now!
Very interesting. I didn't know that you could even have a Myspace tracker very interesting!
Thanks for writing this! I didn't know that there was a myspace tracker- and I'm going to go get it now. :) I don't know if you have ever gotten onto the network "tagged", but you can actually see who looks at your page on there, and being the totally opposite of facebook, you can't stop that from happening. Soooo, I learned not to be a nosy butt on there, because everyone can see when you look! I guess I kind of like not being able to put the tracker on there, although I would like to see who looks at my page, I wouldn't want everyone else being able to see when I am being nosy, (or bored) and looking at their page. HAHA...Good info and good research.
Says a lot about human behaviors that people would in effect want to spy on the actions of others.
Great article! If there are no FB trackers yet...give it time. Someone will find a way to create one I'm sure. As to whether or not FB allows them to be used will be another story. Thanks for the article.
Great hub! Amazing information!
I've never even heard of a Facebook tracker but this article was definitely interesting! I loved the sarcasm dripping from it and it was really entertaining. No doubt there will be Facebook trackers in the future. Good hub, thanks for sharing!
Facebook this is most popular.Everything about facebook is interesting.
I've never heard of facebook trackers either!
I have a solution for you - install a face detecting camera in every room in the world - then have one pointing at their monitor - once the second camera sees your face from your profile on Facebook- have the second camera take a picture of the user - Voila there you go!!!
Hmmm impractical? Ahh well...your quest goes on sorry!
nice hubs urs
Yeah I understand that there is no facebook tracker, and am also aware of the possiblity of blocking most trackers using products like adblock plus, but private settings don't always stop them from checking as I've discovered using a staus headline tracker on myspace that still shows who's looking even when set to private, byut what about the deterents I mentioned? the one that changes your profile picture to who's viewing your facebook page? not sure if that one ever worked on a private profile, but as I said from what I can gather it didn't track people and show you their details, it just reflected their own image back at them and made them think they'd been tracked, seems that setup wouldn't break FB's rules and terms as it seemed to use the same system FB's Ad's do for "hijacking" users pictures? I can't seem to find the name of the application, it was some time ago a friend I have lost contact with and no longer uses facebook told me about it. But yeah it seemed to be designed to be a joke as well as a deterent for the stalkers out there, does anyone know the name of it and if it still exsists? and thankfully I am doomed by name not by nature : )
to those worried about people spying on others, from which side of the fence is the spying coming from? those viewing or those using the trackers? because most trackers appear publicly, and aren't exactly hidden, I mean all my friends and family know I use them on myspace, some don't even look like trackers but appear as visitors maps, my friends use them too, and none have a problem with it as we don't skulk about peeking at each other pages in secret, again I would have to ask why anyone would not want a friend or family member knowing they were viewing their page/site, unless they were "checking up" on them.... If you need to hide from people you are close to, and checking their activities you might want have a long think about that and reassess your relationship with them or at least maybe try talking to them about any concerns you may have? Because to me public tracking, isn't as bad as sneakily viewing. (and yes I think hidden trackers are a different story I removed the one I used after my stalker went away and only use clearly visible ones now) Any way 90% of people use them as ego toys, to see how popular they are and not to see who's stalking them, well stalking them in the bad way like I experienced.
Sorry just from what I have experienced, from what people I have spoken too have said, as well as sites dedicated to people blocking trackers, most who don't like them are usually up to no good e.g checking up on ex girlfriends and such. I am yet to see a reason for someone to want to not be tracked that I consider valid, alot of how do I block questions are usually followed by "cos I want to look at a friends page I haven't spoken to in a while" or "I need to see my friends page without them knowing" not "Cos I don't want my ip recorded" (even then IP's aren't a reason as every website and forum you visit get's that information and they're usually complete strangers that you're handing that information to)
Just my views on the matter is all.
Good post. thanks
Interesting Hub. I had no idea that this even existed.
Like Bloody Mary, alligators in the New York Sewers, and my poise, grace and dignity; this is another great example of urban legend.
Yeah Analytics is great and key if you need to research your market. AdSense works in a similar fashion. Yay For Google.
Just to clear it up. You CAN NOT use Google Analytics on Facebook. There is NO WAY you can use Analytics on Facebook.
And in case you missed that or didn't understand it. YOU CAN NOT USE ANALYTICS ON FACEBOOK.
I don't know why you suggested it or heard of it but you should have researched it more first but you can not do it. There is no where to enter the tracking code so forget about it!
Mkcoy
@Mkcoy, you can take your rude, condescending London attitude away and stay off of my hubs. Maybe you should read back exactly what you just wrote, and how you wrote it. Do you think that I am going to change my hub just for you? Its not my fault that you live in a big heap of shit. As it happens, there is a way of incorporating analytics into facebook. http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/Fb:g
If you still doubt this, maybe I could introduce you to my friends in London who develop facebook applications for a living. I doubt that they would want to take time out of their schedule to liaise with such a hideous brat. Next time dont be so sure that I didnt research.
Good read. Informative and entertaining. I have personally tried the myspace tracker to see if people were accessing my page repeatedly. $9.95 later... I was disappointed when all I received were 2 or 3 discovered profiles with names and pictures (friends of course), and about 30 random unidentifiable IP addresses of the other myspace profile user computers. Sweet, what a deal.
Facebook huh? Have you been looking at my page? J/k...great hub! I publish Hubs here also...I tend to write about car insurance (my job), take a look ...let me know what you think!Lee
{{{Positive Energy}}}
Great.
Hey Ryan, I've always wondered if anyone found a tracker for facebook. Keep on it, if you find one let me know :)
hum im courious what your wanting to be tracked on facebook if it just basic links you may have through out the site there are hundreds of tracking programs worldwide online many are free some are paid now if your a blogger or writer wanting to track the performance of the topics i suggest joining twitter set up a page related then simply join twitterfeeds.com there you can track facebook activity and several other sites it a very nice free app i found it today
searching for a simpler way to track my articles and blogs from one location hippojaw.com is another site with a tracker multi tool but beware as i found out its not free but very cool stuff i have read recently that many of the newer social sites popping up lately are adding apps and way to track all activity including friends from site to site there another outfit out there that simply gives you a small line of code and you add it to your account page some how and all freinds in your network can follow you from site to site or just keep tabs on you or vice versa .
@baiirss - it is not possible to customise the html of a facebook profile, therefore normal trackers do not work. I am talking about view trackers, so trackers which tell you who has visited, their ip address, etc. not activity.
I rather not be tracked at all. Thats the only reason why I am on facebook.
who hear updates there facebook every 10 minutes?
What about this "Stalker" app? Is it an "official" Facebook app? Does it work?
@LynCan - With only 138 monthly users, I think your question is already answered! Have you tried it? I am happy to be proved wrong!
tracking people is creepy!
very interesting hub! I am an avid facebook user
wordscribe41 says:
3 months ago
Interesting, who'da thunk, huh? Google Analytics is pretty amazing, so I suppose I'm not surprised. Great article. I suppose if my curiosity gets the best of me, I'll go for the tracking.