Identifying referrer value (document.referer)

[lloydi]

If there is no value in document.referer, we can ascertain that the person browsing has got to the page either by typing straight into the address bar or by a bookmark.

My question is whether there is a way of telling which of thos two have been used? In other words, can we get any indication of how many people are using bookmarks/favourites for your site?

It's probably not possible but I thought I'd ask anyway

[randem]

Does it really matter?

What I mean is, if someone types in your URL by memory, (a mental bookmark, if you will) isn't that just as good as clicking a bookmark?

For instance, I don't feel the need to bookmark CNN's web site. If I want news, I just type www.cnn.com and [enter]. Would their popularity be lessened somehow - or increased - if I were to make a desktop shortcut for that action? Or a bookmark, or toolbar button?

[Skunk]

I'm pretty sure it's not possible - at least not with modern browsers (older browsers may have been less concerned for user's privacy but these days features like that are frowned upon by most web users).

[MarcusJT]

Afraid it's not possible - clicking on a bookmark/favourite performs (virtually) the same action as typing it in yourself. Impossible to tell between the two - only the user knows that!


M@rco