Google Analytics Tracking Facebook Like

Question

I am trying to track when users Facebook Like my page via Google Analytics. I am using a Google Analytics Debugger extention which reports my GA Event firing properly. I am thinking that I have either not set up my Google Analytics account properly, or am looking in the wrong place in Google Analytics.

I have implemented several _trackEvents for non-social tracking which I am able to see in Google Analytics when I go into the Real-Time -> Events panel. For tracking social media items, I am using _socialEvent instead. I do not see Google Analytics capturing this data when I go to the Real-Time -> Events panel.

I want to note that I am testing on my dev environment which Facebook/Google cannot see. I am wondering if this makes a difference?

Google Analytics Debugger Output:

_gaq.push processing "_socialEvent" for args: "[facebook,follow,https://my-dev-environment.com/]":  

Answer 1

It's not showing up in real-time reporting because it's not an event - it's a social interaction :) If you're seeing the _socialEvent coming through the debugger, that is good. You can view Social Interactions in Acquisition > Social > Plugins. If you're socialEvents are working, they'll show up here. Doesn't take too long (10 minutes or less... usually) to show up. Keep refreshing.