2 research outputs found
DOBBS: Towards a Comprehensive Dataset to Study the Browsing Behavior of Online Users
The investigation of the browsing behavior of users provides useful
information to optimize web site design, web browser design, search engines
offerings, and online advertisement. This has been a topic of active research
since the Web started and a large body of work exists. However, new online
services as well as advances in Web and mobile technologies clearly changed the
meaning behind "browsing the Web" and require a fresh look at the problem and
research, specifically in respect to whether the used models are still
appropriate. Platforms such as YouTube, Netflix or last.fm have started to
replace the traditional media channels (cinema, television, radio) and media
distribution formats (CD, DVD, Blu-ray). Social networks (e.g., Facebook) and
platforms for browser games attracted whole new, particularly less tech-savvy
audiences. Furthermore, advances in mobile technologies and devices made
browsing "on-the-move" the norm and changed the user behavior as in the mobile
case browsing is often being influenced by the user's location and context in
the physical world. Commonly used datasets, such as web server access logs or
search engines transaction logs, are inherently not capable of capturing the
browsing behavior of users in all these facets. DOBBS (DERI Online Behavior
Study) is an effort to create such a dataset in a non-intrusive, completely
anonymous and privacy-preserving way. To this end, DOBBS provides a browser
add-on that users can install, which keeps track of their browsing behavior
(e.g., how much time they spent on the Web, how long they stay on a website,
how often they visit a website, how they use their browser, etc.). In this
paper, we outline the motivation behind DOBBS, describe the add-on and captured
data in detail, and present some first results to highlight the strengths of
DOBBS