I'm writing a web application that will allow people to create accounts, edit stuff, send stuff to people, &c. I plan on recording things like when things were created and sent and stuff.Is there a list of usage information that one should collect in a web application? I'd like to see whether I'm missing something.Also, is there a list of usage information that I shouldn't collect (Like maybe information that people find private)?EDIT: I was thinking about information that is collected automatically (like timestamps and ip addresses) rather than information that is entered manually.
List of usage information to collect in a web application
web applications;privacy;usage data
Depending on where you live there may be local privacy laws which say what you can and can't collect. However it's always best to tell people what you're going to do.The usage information you collect depends on what your aims for the site are. You should collect information which tells you how you're achieving that aim. So for example, if you want people to log in often, then record when they log in. If it's that you want them to spend a lot of time there, record the times they did things and look for the things that are close in time so you can spot a single session on your site and measure the length.