If you’re thinking of trying to compare web analytics results by vendor, or even by the original log file, you’re in a for a very tough time.

Genie + bottle + uncork = Long time, not good time.

The problem is that while there are basically two different methods of data collection (via server logfiles or via JavaScript tags), the variables associated with both, in a real world environment, make it almost impossible to compare results.

And therein lies your genie out of bottle, and you scrabbling around trying to justify the results. You’re best off not even trying.

In my previous post on People who liked this, also liked…, I put forward an idea how to generate “related” products of interest, based on what users were looking at, which could then be automated and re-published back to a site, based on Omniture data.

Having implemented this, we’ve made an interesting observation, which changes one our user assumptions, and I thought it was worthy of a quick posting.