Tracking Signature Sources

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The ControlShift toolset allows administrators to track the sources of the signatures received on a petition. To view statistics about the sources of petition signatures, go to the petition > Admin > Signatures.

Sources and Buckets 

By default, the toolset adds source codes for signatures collected after someone uses the Twitter,  Facebook, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or email share buttons.

However, if you'd like to track the signatures accumulated from another source, like a blast email, you can append ?source=foo to the end of the petition's URL (where foo is the chosen source). For example, https://demo.controlshiftlabs.com/petitions/free-puppies-for-everyone?source=blast_email. Any signatures generated using this customized URL will be tagged with that source code.

In addition to source tags, administrators can also use buckets. Buckets are like source codes, but they persist through generations. To use a bucket, append ?bucket=foo to the end of the petition URL (again, where foo is the chosen source). For example, https://demo.controlshiftlabs.com/petitions/free-puppies-for-everyone?bucket=blast_email.

When a user signs a petition using a bucketed URL and then shares that petition by using the Twitter,  Facebook, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or email share buttons or by forwarding the message in the 'thank you for signing' email, the bucket will remain in the URL that they share. This allows administrators to see the effect of a particular action through multiple generations. For example, if you send an email using a bucketed URL and one of the email recipients signs the petition and then shares the petition on Twitter, leading to another three signatures, the bucket will reflect four signatures resulting from the email blast.

Source and bucket information is tracked for each signature. Detailed information about each signature's source or bucket is available by clicking the details button next to the signature's row on the petition's Admin > Signatures page.

Information about the sources and buckets for all signatures is available to admins with appropriate permissions by clicking the Download Signatures button on the petition's Admin > Signatures page.

Overall statistics about sources and buckets is also available at the top of the petition's Admin > Signatures page. Clicking either graph (or the total number of signatures) will show more information. 

Source codes and buckets can also be useful when using the partnerships feature. By appending ?source=partnerorg or ?bucket=partnerorg to the URL shared with partner admins, your organizations can track the number of signatures being directed to the petition by the partner organization.

UTM Parameters

In addition to ControlShift's source and bucket parameters, it's also possible to track platform activity using UTM parameters. UTM parameters are used across many types of systems, from mailers to web analytics tools. Like ControlShift's built-in source and bucket trackers, UTM parameters are automatically added to petition share URLs when site visitors use the sharing buttons on petition pages. You can also track activity by manually adding UTM parameters to the URL you're sharing or by customizing our default UTM parameters. Learn more about UTM parameters.

[If you're following the New ControlShift Admin tutorial, we're looking at a petition's admin settings next.]