Help Center

Behavior Listening allows you to modify the value of a customer or visitor's profile properties based on their behavior.

Behaviors you can monitor include:

• The profile visits a location containing the defined word(s).
• The profile clicks in an area containing the defined word(s).
• The profile visits a URL containing the defined word(s).
• BlueConic detects a social media event you specified.
• An advanced event occurs in a social media or other type of context.

If you define more than one rule, they are executed independently of each other. Each of the rule types is described below. Details on configuring a Behavior Listener in BlueConic are provided below. For general information on using Listeners in BlueConic, see the Listeners Overview. 

Learn more: Visit BlueConic University

See the Introduction to Listeners video in BlueConic University.

 

Configuring a Behavior Listener in BlueConic

To configure a Behavior Listener add one or more rules, select a type, and click Add Rule:

Select a rule type below for complete information on how to define it.

Content
Click / Tap
URL / Mobile Screen
Social Event
Advanced Event

---

Content

The "Content" rule adds, sets, or sums the value of a profile property based on words that are present at the specified position on a web page that a visitor sees. Follow the steps below to define a "Content" rule. If a rule parameter appears in red, that indicates that it is incompletely defined.

1. Define how the value is set (Add/Set/Sum).
2. Define the value that will be set by the rule.
3. Select the profile property for which you want to set the specified value. Or to create a new profile property, enter a new profile property name, choose Create profile property, and click OK.

Define source that the specified word(s) will be matched to by clicking "Any header" and selecting one of the options:

• Predefined web selectors let you click the "any header" link to define the area of the channel in which the defined words must appear.
• Mobile screen means the words must appear somewhere on the mobile page.
• Custom defined area lets you enter a selector to define an area using a JQuery Selector. For complete information on jQuery selectors, see http://api.jquery.com/category/selectors/. You have the option to pick the custom area using the Visual Picker. To do so, click the "Visual Picker" link.
  Optional: While the selector selects a HTML element, activate Advanced: select attribute of selector to define which attribute of the element contains the value. For example, if your selector is img.top, the attribute would be src to select the value of the image URL.
• Value from cookie lets you enter the name of a cookie whose value will be evaluated.
• Value from JavaScript variable lets you enter the name of a JavaScript variable available on window.
• Value from JavaScript expression lets you enter a JavaScript expression that will be evaluated on the page. Read more on JavaScript expressions.

Define the word(s) that must appear in the specified area

1. Select whether the header or defined area must either contain (or not contain) the defined word(s), must be an exact match with the defined word(s), or must be empty.
2. Click the "any word" link if you want to define a specific word or words that must appear in the specified header or defined area.
3. Select "Define word(s)."
4. Enter a word in the text field and then click Add.
5. Repeat the above step for each word you want to add. If you enter more than one word, they have an OR relationship with each other which means any of the specified words satisfies the rule.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Save.

When you have finished, the rule as it is defined is shown. For example:

---

Click / Tap

The "Click / Tap" rule adds, sets, or sums the value of a profile property if the visitor clicks at the specified position on a web page and the defined word(s) appear in the specified position. Follow the steps below to define a "Click" rule. If a rule parameter appears in red, that indicates that it is incompletely defined.

1. Define how the value is set (Add/Set/Sum).
2. Define the value that will be set by the rule.
3. Select the profile property for which you want to set the specified value. Or to create a new profile property, enter a new profile property name, choose Create profile property, and click OK.

Define the area where the specified word(s) must appear:

1. Click the "any area" link to define the area of the channel in which the defined words must appear.
2. To define the area based on standard HTML, expand the drop-down list and select the HTML that must contain the defined word(s) (Heading 1", "any Heading 2", and so forth).
3. To define the area using a JQuery Selector or the Visual Picker, click "Custom defined area." Two new fields appear below ("Name" and "Selector").
4. To define the area using a JQuery Selector, enter the valid JQuery selector that identifies the custom area in the "Selector" field. For complete information on jQuery selectors, see http://api.jquery.com/category/selectors/.
5. To define the custom area using the Visual Picker, click the "Visual Picker" link.
6. Click OK.

Define the word(s) that must appear in the specified area:

1. Select whether the header or defined area must either contain (or not contain) the defined word(s), must be an exact match with the defined word(s), or must be empty.
2. Click the "any word" link if you want to define a specific word or words that must appear in the specified header or defined area.
3. Select "Define word(s)."
4. Enter a word in the text field and then click Add.
5. Repeat the above step for each word you want to add. If you enter more than one word, they have an OR relationship with each other which means any of the specified words satisfies the rule.
6. Click OK.

Define the click area:

1. Click the "define click area" link to define the area of the channel in which the defined words must appear. Two new fields appear below ("Name" and "Selector").
2. To define the area using a JQuery Selector, enter the valid JQuery selector that identifies the custom area in the "Selector" field. For complete information on jQuery selectors, see http://api.jquery.com/category/selectors/.
3. To define the custom area using the Visual Picker, click the "Visual Picker" link.
4. Click OK.
5. Click Save.

When you have finished, the rule as it is defined is shown. For example:

---

URL / Mobile Screen

The "URL / Mobile Screen" rule adds, sets, or sums the value of a profile property based on words that are present in the URL and/or referring URL. Follow the steps below to define a "URL" rule. If a rule parameter appears in red, that indicates that it is incompletely defined.

1. Define how the value is set (Add/Set/Sum).
2. Define the value that will be set by the rule.
3. Select the profile property for which you want to set the specified value. Or to create a new profile property, enter a new profile property name, choose Create profile property, and click OK.

Define the URL and/or referring URL:

1. Click the "URL or referring URL" link.
2. Select one of the three options for the URL(s) that must contain the defined words to satisfy the rule.
3. Click OK.

Define the word(s) that must appear in the URL or referring URL (or both) or if the URL can be empty:

1. Select whether the URL or referring URL (or both) must either contain (or not contain) the defined word(s), must be an exact match with the defined word(s), or must be empty.
2. For word matching, click the "any word" link if you want to define a specific word or words that must appear in the URL or referring URL (or both).
3. Select "define word(s)."
4. Enter a word in the text field and then click Add.
5. Repeat the above step for each word you want to add. If you enter more than one word, they have an OR relationship with each other which means any of the specified words satisfies the rule.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Save.

When you have finished, the rule as it is defined is shown. For example:

---

Social Event

The "Social Event" rule adds, sets, or sums the value of a profile property if an event in the specified social media is detected. Follow the steps below to define a "Social Event" rule. If a rule parameter appears in red, that indicates that it is incompletely defined.

1. Define how the value is set (Add/Set/Sum).
2. Define the value that will be set by the rule.
3. Select the profile property for which you want to set the specified value. Or to create a new profile property, enter a new profile property name, choose Create profile property, and click OK.
4. Click the "select event" link.
5. Expand the drop-down list to select a social media event. You have the following choices:
   
   

   Event	Description
   Facebook Like	The visitor has clicked a Facebook "Like" button.
   Facebook Unlike	The visitor has clicked a Facebook "Unlike" button.
   LinkedIn Share	The visitor has clicked a LinkedIn "Share" button.
   Twitter Follow	The visitor has begun following someone on Twitter.
   Twitter Tweet	The visitor has sent a Tweet from their Twitter account.

6. Select the social media event from the drop-down list.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Save.

When you have finished, the rule as it is defined is shown. For example:

---

Advanced Event

The "Advanced Event" rule adds, sets, or sums the value of a profile property based on the receiving of an event with a context that contains the defined word(s) in any or in a specified value. The event can be either a social media event or a custom defined event. The context received from the event contains an array of values and you can specify whether the word match must be in a specific value (any value, the first value, the second value, or the third value). Naturally, you must know what the format of the context is in order to be able to correctly formulate the rule. Contact your application manager or developer for complete information on using the "Advanced Event" rule.

Follow the steps below to define an "Advanced Event" rule. If a rule parameter appears in red, that indicates that it is incompletely defined.

1. Define how the value is set (Add/Set/Sum).
2. Define the value that will be set by the rule.
3. Select the profile property for which you want to set the specified value. Or to create a new profile property, enter a new profile property name, choose Create profile property, and click OK.

Define the event:

1. Click the "define event" link.
2. To select a social media event, click the radio button next to the drop-down list and expand the list.
3. Select the event from the list. The options are:
   
   

   Event	Description
   Facebook Like	The visitor has clicked a Facebook "Like" button, either on Facebook itself or on a website that has a Facebook "Like" button.
   Facebook Unlike	The visitor has clicked a Facebook "Unlike" button, either on Facebook itself or on a website that has a Facebook "Unlike" button.
   LinkedIn Share	The visitor has clicked a LinkedIn "Share" button.
   Twitter Follow	The visitor has begun following someone on Twitter.
   Twitter Tweet	The visitor has sent a Tweet from their Twitter account.

4. To select a custom event, select the radio button next to "Custom defined event" and enter the name of the custom event in the text field. The name you enter will appear in the rule. Custom events can be published by using the JavaScript Front-end API; you will have to enter exactly the same event name as the one that is published.
5. Click OK.

Define the word(s) that must appear in the context:

1. Select whether the context must either contain (or not contain) the defined word(s), must be an exact match with the defined word(s), or must be empty.
2. Click the "any word" link if you want to define a specific word or words that must appear in the context.
3. Select "Define word(s)."
4. Enter a word in the text field and then click Add.
5. Repeat the above step for each word you want to add. If you enter more than one word, they have an OR relationship with each other which means any of the specified words satisfies the rule.
6. Click OK.

Define the value that must contain the defined word(s):

1. Click the "any value" link.
2. Expand the drop-down list and select the value from the array that contains the word(s) that you want to match. The options are "any value," "first value," "second value," and "third value."
3. Click OK.

When you have finished, the rule as it is defined is shown. For example:

---

Define how the value is set (Add/Set/Sum):

Select whether the value will be added, set to a value, or summed. If the profile property is empty, then the value you specify will become the value of the profile property regardless of whether you select "Add," "Set," or "Sum." If the profile property you specify already contains a value, then the following rules apply:

Action	Rule
Add	The new value is added to the existing value of the profile property (comma separated).
Set	The new value overwrites the existing value in the profile property. Check the box next to "Only set if empty" to prevent overwriting, and only store the first value encountered for the user.
Sum	Only when the profile property is a number and the value that is entered at the rule is also a number, then these two values are added and the new value is stored in the profile property. In all other cases the rule will not change the existing value of the profile property.

Define the value(s)

You can define the value or values for the profile property by clicking the value or the text "define value(s)":

You can define the value(s) in a number of different ways:

• Explicitly define one or more values.
• Use the date or date and time of the visit.
• Use a value from the page using a custom selector.
  When you choose this option, you enter the Name and Selector (any jQuery selector).
  The Advanced setting lets you select an attribute of the selector, for example, src, href, or data-id:
  

Expert Settings:

• Use a query string parameter value from the URL (available for web channels).
• Use a part of the URL or mobile screen identifier, based on a regular expression.
• Use a value from a cookie (available for web channels).
• Use a value from a JavaScript variable (available for web channels).
• Use a value returned by a JavaScript expression (available for web channels).

The following sections provide more detail for each of these options.

Explicitly defining one or more values

1. Select the "Define value(s)" radio button. An input field appears below "Define value(s)."
2. Enter a value in the input field.
3. Click the Add button. The value appears above the input field.
4. Repeat the step above for each value you want to add. To delete a value, click the "x" icon behind it.
5. When you are satisfied with the values, click OK to close the value pop-up window.

Using the date and time of the visit

To use the date and time of the visitor's visit as the value for the profile property, select the "Visit Date and Time" radio button and then click OK.

Using a value from the page using a custom selector

1. Select the "Value from Page (custom selector)" radio button. Two input fields appear: "Name" and "Selector."
2. In the "Name" field, enter a descriptive name for the custom value. The text you enter appears in the defined rule.
3. Enter a valid jQuery selector to identify the position on the channel from which the value will value will be retrieved. For complete information on jQuery selectors, see http://api.jquery.com/category/selectors/.
4. To specify the area of the channel from which the value will be retrieved using the Visual Picker, click Visual Picker.
5. Optional: Check the Advanced: Select attribute of selector button to enter an attribute.
6. Click OK.

Using a query string parameter value from the URL

The URL of a web page sometimes contains useful information in the form of query string parameters. For example, when the URL of a page is "http://www.example.com/index.html?name=ferret", the bit after the "?" is called the "query string," and in this case it contains a parameter "name" with the value "ferret."

To use the value of the parameter, enter its name after "Parameter name." In the above example, this would mean entering "name".

Using a part of the URL or mobile screen identifier, based on a regular expression

Select this option to use a part of the URL. To determine what part will be taken as a value, enter a regular expression in the field. The first "group" - i.e. the first part within parentheses - that is being matched will be used as a value. So for the url "www.example.com/index.html?name=ferret" the expression "www.(.*).com/.*" results in the value "example".

Using a value from a cookie

Select the option "Value from a Cookie" to use the value of a visitor cookie. Enter the name of the cookie of which you want the value to be used.

Cookies marked as HttpOnly are not accessible to JavaScript and therefore their value cannot be picked up by BlueConic.

Using a value from JavaScript variable

Select the option "Value from a JavaScript Variable" to use the value of a JavaScript variable that is available on the global scope (in other words: window.variable should exist).

To select a suitable variable, either type its name or use the Visual Picker to pick it from a webpage. Enter the URL of the webpage and the visual picker will display the variables and their values to the left of the page. Highlight the variable you want and click Apply to select the variable.

Using a value returned by a JavaScript expression

Select the option "Value from a JavaScript Expression" to use the value that is returned by a JavaScript expression.

On top of any variable that is available on the global JavaScript scope of the browser, the following variables are made available for the expression to use as well:

jQuery

This variable holds a reference to the jQuery constructor. The listener loads its own copy of the jQuery library, which means it is not dependent on the site loading it.

clickContext

In case of a Click rule, this variable holds a reference to the clicked DOM element. More info on using the click context can be found here.

eventContext

in case of an Event rule, this variable holds a reference to the event data that is passed along when the event is published. More info on using the event context can be found here.

 

Privacy management

Listeners can be added to Objectives, allowing for privacy management of the information that is being picked up. The listener will only update a profile if the visitor consented to at least one of the objectives that it is linked to.

Defining the profile property

To use an existing profile property, select the profile property to which the value you specify will be added, set to, or summed. You can also enter a new profile property name to create a new profile property from within the listener.

See the documentation on Profile properties for complete information on working with profile properties.

Once you have selected or created the profile property, click OK.

---

Copying and deleting rules

Learn more about copying and deleting rules in BlueConic.