Method and system for monitoring email and website behavior of an email recipient
A system for monitoring email and website behavior of an email recipient is provided. According to one exemplary embodiment, the system includes a mail enhancement server and a logging server. The mail enhancement server is configured to intercept all outgoing emails from a mail server. The mail enhancement server then modifies each outgoing email to include a tracking code. The tracking code is embedded in an image call which in turn is also inserted into the outgoing email. If the outgoing email contains hyperlinks, each hyperlink is also modified to include the tracking code. The tracking code is uniquely associated with the outgoing email. The image call (and the tracking code) is used to detect when the recipient of the outgoing email has opened that email. The tracking code, when embedded in a hyperlink, is also used to monitor whether the recipient has opened the email and/or clicked through on one or more of the hyperlinks in the email. The logging server associates a cookie with the recipient of the outgoing email. When the logging server receives an image call, the corresponding image and the cookie are concurrently delivered to the recipient. The cookie is used to monitor the behavior of the recipient at a website, regardless of how the recipient arrives at that website, be it through a click-through from the email or otherwise. The logging server is configured to capture and store relevant information relating to the outgoing email thereby allowing the sender of the outgoing email and the recipient to be linked and the behavior of the recipient to be monitored via the tracking code, the image call and the cookie.
1. A system for monitoring email behavior, comprising:
control logic configured to allow a device having a cookie to access an email, the email having a first recipient;
control logic configured to determine a relationship between the device accessing the email and the first recipient of the email using status history of the cookie and access history of the email; and
control logic configured to display information relating to the determined relationship to a sender of the email;
wherein if there is no status history of the cookie and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to primary with respect to the first recipient, a status of primary with respect to the first recipient indicating that the device accessing the email is determined to be likely used by the first recipient to access emails addressed to the first recipient, and if there is no status history of the cookie and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to secondary with respect to the first recipient, a status of secondary with respect to the first recipient indicating that the device accessing the email is determined to be likely used by a second recipient to access forwarded emails originally addressed to the first recipient.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
control logic configured to allow a website to display information relating to behavior of the cookie at that website with respect to a recipient associated with the cookie.
3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
control logic configured to detect a click-through from a hyperlink within the email;
wherein information relating to the click-through is taken into consideration when determining the relationship between the device accessing the email and the first recipient of the email.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the first recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to primary with respect to the first recipient, and if the status history for the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the first recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, then the status history of the cookie remains the same;
wherein if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the first recipient, then the status history of the cookie remains the same;
wherein if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to primary with respect to the first recipient and remains secondary with respect to the second recipient, and if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to secondary with respect to the first recipient and remains secondary with respect to the second recipient; and
wherein if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, then tie-breaking logic is used to determine which recipient should have primary status in connection with the cookie, and if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to secondary with respect to the first recipient and remains primary with respect to the second recipient.
5. The system of claim 4 further comprising:
control logic configured to detect a click-through from a hyperlink within the email;
wherein the click-through is interpreted to represent the access history of the email as showing that the email has already been accessed; and
wherein the status history of the cookie is updated accordingly.
6. A method for monitoring email behavior, comprising:
allowing a device having a cookie to access an email, the email having a first recipient;
determining a relationship between the device accessing the email and the first recipient of the email using status history of the cookie and access history of the email;
displaying information relating to the determined relationship to a sender of the email;
if there is no status history of the cookie and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to primary with respect to the first recipient, a status of primary with respect to the first recipient indicating that the device accessing the email is determined to be likely used by the first recipient to access emails addressed to the first recipient; and
if there is no status history of the cookie and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to secondary with respect to the first recipient, a status of secondary with respect to the first recipient indicating that the device accessing the email is determined to be likely used by a second recipient to access forwarded emails originally addressed to the first recipient.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:
displaying information relating to behavior of the cookie at a website with respect to a recipient associated with the cookie.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
detecting a click-through from a hyperlink within the email;
wherein information relating to the click-through is taken into consideration when determining the relationship between the device accessing the email and the first recipient of the email.
9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:
if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the first recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to primary with respect to the first recipient, and if the status history for the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the first recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, keeping the status history of the cookie the same;
if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the first recipient, keeping the status history of the cookie the same;
if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to primary with respect to the first recipient and keeping the status history of the cookie as secondary with respect to the second recipient, and if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to secondary with respect to the first recipient and keeping the status history of the cookie as secondary with respect to the second recipient; and
if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, using tie-breaking logic to determine which recipient should have primary status in connection with the cookie, and if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to secondary with respect to the first recipient and keeping the status history of the cookie as primary with respect to the second recipient.
10. The method of claim 6 further comprising:
detecting a click-through from a hyperlink within the email;
interpreting the click-through as representing the access history of the email showing that the email has already been accessed; and
updating the status history of the cookie accordingly.