[Plugin: Add to Any: Share/Bookmark/Email Button] Why is google analytics accessed?

The plugin has automatic Google Analytics integration. If you do not use Google Analytics and the G.A. pixel is still firing, then it’s probably AddToAny’s self-contained stats at work (i.e. counting the number of universal loads, etc.).

That seems kinda sneaky. I switched to Sociable, it loads faster (per firebug) and is equally appealing.

It’s a very standard practice among widgets to be able to quantify the # of loads, etc. It helps to improve the product and scale over time.

The main advantages over Sociable are the single all-inclusive self-optimizing button, and the standalone icons are linked via AddToAny’s universal platform so that your visitors don’t experience any dead links as sharing end-points change (which they do fairly often). One other point (if you’re using standalone icons) is that the icons in AddToAny are much smaller in file size than Sociable’s very large sprite image.

thanks for the sociable-tip qbproger, I switched as well after I noticed a2a sends data about every page it’s on to media6degrees.com who are in the behavioral marketing business..

Thanks for the info futtta.