Maybe iut was just my companies IT department slowing down my PC at a particular moment, but I was browsing around in ATP and leaving one area, when ATP paused for 8-12 seconds with a small browser or ATP message :

"waiting for google-analytics.com"

Maybe it's just me, and maybe just the network at work.
This is the first time it lasted long enough to read (and type) the message.
At least it was on FireFox and not IE7.

But if Google really is hanging up your site while it figures out what ads to push next, what a bummer!

Google analytics doesn't push ads. Analytics is used by the web master to track statistics about their site.

Would it have anything to do with whether you are signed in or out of Google?

I sign in to google for one thing only: a small private group to exchange posted messaging. Then I sign right back out.

It's really disconcerting that google does not allow the back button to work on FF after I sign out.
Not a big deal, but certainly Big Brother getting into my business!

Jay is right that the google analytics program is only about statistics and not ads. It also doesn't affect anything about how the site runs. It simply logs the fact that you hit the site and some statistics about your computer. Then later I can run reports like how many people visited last month, where did they come from, what kinds of browsers are used, etc. I think most websites online use google analytics for this but there are competitors that can be used, too. Many sites use 4 or 5 different analytics programs simultaneously.

If it makes you uncomfortable, there are ways to opt out of google analytics (both here at ATP and everywhere on the web).

If you use Firefox, you can also run "No Script" and it'll be disabled unless you give it permission to run.

OT, OldGardener, but I love your "kitty eyes" Would like a cat, but my "kids" AKA dogs would think "Tasty Morsel"

Thank you! That's my Ed who came to me as an ill, starving, near-death, 3-4 week old feral kitten.

I always considered myself to be a dog person (not a cat person) but Ed is my constant 24/7 companion who is never more than an arm's length away. He has even climbed into the bath with me on several occasions when I wasn't looking (loves to stretch out in the warm water)! After almost 3 years with him, I can't imagine life without my friend. He really is quite unique

>> Analytics is used by the web master to track statistics about their site.

Thanks, I'm all in favor of that.

And probably it was my company's IT department freezing my update, not the script. I never saw it before.

at Ed in the tub!!