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

• US 7,401,123 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2005
• Issued: 07/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David A. Mims, International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cama, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Zarni
• Application Number:
  US11/242,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20070094331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 379/93.24
• 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 sections, where a section is expandable to present additional content associated with the section, and wherein each section comprises a summary level and a full text level;

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

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, wherein the information about the grouped content in the modified e-mail comprises information detailing actions performed by the recipient, wherein an action comprises expanding a section in the plurality of sections to view the additional content associated with the section.

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 grouped content is a twisty.

4. 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.

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

6. 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.

7. 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.