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Digital After Dark

Digital After Dark

By: Digital After Dark
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About this listen

 Two mates talking about all things Digital. Topics can cover Digital Analytics, Data, Transformation, Technology, Concepts and everything inbetween. If it is related to Digital, and we find it interesting, we are going to discuss it.Copyright Digital After Dark Career Success Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • AT013: When the Senpai Appears! Inside JavaScript Senpai with Alban Gérôme

    AT013: When the Senpai Appears! Inside JavaScript Senpai with Alban Gérôme
    Feb 15 2026
    In this episode of Andrew Talks, I sit down with Alban Gérôme, a long time digital analytics practitioner, former full stack developer and the creator of JavaScript Senpai. We walk through his unusual journey from linguistics to coding, his early days automating call centre reporting, and how he found himself at the heart of digital analytics before the industry even had a name.

    We dig into the origins of JavaScript Senpai, why he started teaching during the pandemic, and how the course has evolved into a polished nearly monthly program designed to help analysts finally feel confident with JavaScript. Alban shares stories about browser quirks, DevTools tricks, SPA tracking, IndexedDB, and the challenges created by modern privacy restrictions.

    We also talk about teaching, learning, community, the future of the course, and why he keeps the price intentionally low. And, introducing for the first time on Andrew Talks, we wrap up with a lightning round covering his favourite tools, features and lessons learned along the way.

    If you’ve ever wanted to understand the technical side of analytics a little better, this is a great one to watch or Listen! Do you want to register for JavaScript Senpai; you can do that here: https://albangerome.systeme.io/subscribe
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • DAD014: Discussing Compliance, GTM/GA4 & Automation with Dan Truman

    DAD014: Discussing Compliance, GTM/GA4 & Automation with Dan Truman
    Jan 5 2026
    This episode explores the state of digital analytics across consent and ethics, UK/EU regulatory shifts, implementation pitfalls in GA4 and GTM (client‑side and server‑side), what “good” governance looks like, misconceptions that hold businesses back, and how automation and AI will reshape MarTech. The discussion balances NON-legal guidance (we are not lawyers - we will discuss how we would guide our clients) & ethical nuance (cookie consent, PECR/ePrivacy, “ads‑or‑data” paywalls, consent mode ambiguity) with hands‑on implementation guidance (trigger ordering, config tags, enhanced measurement pitfalls, server‑side GTM on first‑party endpoints). It closes with pragmatic views on analytics as a revenue function and near‑term opportunities to productise repeatable work with automation and AI agents.
    • Rising public awareness of data collection and the messy reality of consent banners, paywalls, and browser‑level signals—and how this varies by market.
    • Regulatory ambiguity (UK guidance, PECR/ePrivacy/DUAA interplay, “statistical analysis” carve‑outs) and why organisations must define a clear legal/ethical risk posture—not just a technical stance.
    • Consent Mode, Google Signals, and the “German GTM ruling”: what actually triggered panic, why context matters, and how intent and downstream controls are key.
    • GA4/GTM mistakes: firing order and race conditions, multiple config tags, over‑reliance on Enhanced Measurement, noisy form submits, undocumented “cute” renames, legacy tags, and excessive custom JS.
    • Server‑side GTM: value, common missteps (not truly first‑party endpoints, A‑record/IP mismatches), and SaaS vs self‑host trade‑offs.
    • Analytics isn’t “plug‑and‑play”; “capture everything” promises just shift effort from engineering to data teams. Analytics is a revenue function that powers activation and models.
    • AI/automation: use agents and scripts to productise repeatable tasks, orchestrate tools, and summarise outputs rather than “let AI do it all.”
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • DAD013: Our Presentations at MeasureCamp London: Part 2

    DAD013: Our Presentations at MeasureCamp London: Part 2
    Dec 30 2025
    In this episode of Digital After Dark, Matt and Andrew dive deep into data layer quality, JSON schema validation, and automated monitoring at scale. Using real-world examples from MeasureCamp and client implementations, they explore how teams can move from messy, inconsistent analytics data to a reliable, validated, and scalable data ecosystem.

    Andrew focuses on how JSON schemas bring structure and confidence to data layers, empowering developers, QA, and analysts to catch issues early. Matt then builds on that foundation by showing how to operationalize schema validation at scale using tools like ObservePoint, automation, and APIs—ensuring data quality doesn’t break when changes ripple across large sites or multiple domains.

    The conversation blends technical depth with practical workflows, developer empathy, and a healthy dose of humor (including an unforgettable “number two before number one” moment).

    Key Takeaways
    • Your data layer is the schema — the events are temporary, but the schema defines long-term data quality.
    • Validate early, not after launch — catching issues in dev saves exponential time later.
    • JSON Schema turns analytics specs into enforceable contracts, not just documentation.
    • Data quality deserves the same rigor as UX, even if the consequences appear later.
    • Manual testing doesn’t scale — automation and monitoring are essential for modern analytics stacks.
    • Schema validation builds confidence across teams, from developers to analysts to stakeholders.
    • Start small (MVP) — even basic type validation delivers immediate value.
    • At scale, governance beats heroics — automation, APIs, and shared standards win every time.
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    1 hr and 20 mins
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