Method for identifying and tracking grouped content in e-mail campaigns

• US 20070094331A1
• Filed: 10/04/2005
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David A. Mims, International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cama, Karl
• Granted Patent: US 7,401,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for identifying and tracking grouped content in e-mail campaigns. An instruction set is placed in an e-mail to form a modified e-mail, wherein the modified e-mail contains a grouped content having a plurality of levels that are expandable to present additional content. The modified e-mail is sent to a distribution list, wherein the instruction set is used to track information about the grouped content.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for identifying and tracking grouped content in e-mail campaigns, the method comprising:

selecting an e-mail for tracking, wherein the e-mail contains a grouped content having a plurality of levels that are expandable to present additional content,

placing an instruction set in the e-mail to form a modified e-mail; and

sending the modified e-mail to a recipient, wherein the instruction set is used to track information about the grouped content in the modified e-mail.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the instruction set in response to a manipulation of the grouped content by the recipient, wherein the instruction set collects information about the grouped content and sends the information to a collection device.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of levels in the grouped content include a summary level and a full text level.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the grouped content is a twisty.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein information about the grouped content comprises at least one of a grouped content title, a date the modified e-mail was opened, a time the modified e-mail was opened, a date the modified e-mail was pre-viewed, a time the modified e-mail was pre-viewed, a date the grouped content was expanded, a time the grouped content was expanded, a date the grouped content was collapsed, a time the grouped content was collapsed, a subject of the modified e-mail, a name of an associated campaign, a user name, a browser type, an e-mail client type, a level of the e-mail client, whether a reader used a replica mailbox database, whether the reader used a master mailbox database, an internet sub-domain, and a transmission control protocol over Internet Protocol address.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the instruction set comprises at least one of hypertext markup language and extensible markup language.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the instruction set in the modified e-mail when the modified e-mail is pre-viewed, wherein the instruction set sends information to a collection device about the modified e-mail and a reader that pre-viewed the modified e-mail.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the information sent by the instruction set;

analyzing the information with information received from other instruction sets to form an analysis; and

generating a report from the analysis.

9. A data processing system for identifying and tracking grouped content in e-mail campaigns, comprising:

a bus,

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;

a communications unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to place an instruction set in an e-mail to form a modified e-mail, wherein the modified e-mail contains a grouped content having a plurality of levels that are expandable to present additional content, and send the modified e-mail to a recipient, wherein the instruction set is used to track information about the grouped content.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, further comprising:

computer usable code to execute the instruction set in response to a manipulation of the grouped content by the recipient, wherein the instruction set collects information about the grouped content and sends the information to a collection device.

11. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of levels in the grouped content include a summary level and a full text level.

12. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the grouped content is a twisty.

13. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein information about the grouped content comprises at least one of a grouped content title, a date the modified e-mail was opened, a time the modified e-mail was opened, a date the modified e-mail was pre-viewed, a time the modified e-mail was pre-viewed, a date the grouped content was expanded, a time the grouped content was expanded, a date the grouped content was collapsed, a time the grouped content was collapsed, a subject of the modified e-mail, a name of an associated campaign, a user name, a browser type, an e-mail client type, a level of the e-mail client, whether a reader used a replica mailbox database, whether the reader used a master mailbox database, an internet sub-domain, and a transmission control protocol over Internet Protocol address.

14. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the instruction set comprises at least one of hypertext markup language and extensible markup language.

15. The data processing system of claim 9, further comprising:

computer usable code to execute the instruction set in the modified e-mail when the modified e-mail is pre-viewed, wherein the instruction set sends information to a collection device about the modified e-mail and a reader that pre-viewed the modified e-mail.

16. The data processing system of claim 9, further comprising:

computer usable code to receive the information sent by the instruction set, analyze the information with information received from other instruction sets to form an analysis, and generate a report from the analysis.

17. A computer program product for identifying and tracking grouped content in e-mail campaigns, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therein;

computer usable program code configured to place an instruction set in an e-mail to form a modified e-mail, wherein the modified e-mail contains a grouped content having a plurality of levels that are expandable to present additional content; and

computer usable program code configured to send the modified e-mail to a recipient, wherein the instruction set is used to track information about the grouped content.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable code configured to execute the instruction set in response to a manipulation of the grouped content by the recipient, wherein the instruction set collects information about the grouped content and sends the information to a collection device.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein information about the grouped content comprises at least one of a grouped content title, a date the modified e-mail was opened, a time the modified e-mail was opened, a date the modified e-mail was pre-viewed, a time the modified e-mail was pre-viewed, a date the grouped content was expanded, a time the grouped content was expanded, a date the grouped content was collapsed, a time the grouped content was collapsed, a subject of the modified e-mail, a name of an associated campaign, a user name, a browser type, an e-mail client type, a level of the e-mail client, whether a reader used a replica mailbox database, whether the reader used a master mailbox database, an internet sub-domain, and a transmission control protocol over Internet Protocol address.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable code configured to receive the information sent by the instruction set;

computer usable code configured to analyze the information with information received from other instruction sets to form an analysis; and

computer usable code configured to generate a report from the analysis.