Friday, September 19, 2008

Meeting of the Minds at X Change

The Web Analytics X Change conference hosted jointly this year by Semphonic and Web Analytics Demystified was by far the most thought provoking conference I’ve attended in 2008. To call it a conference is actually a misnomer, since it’s really more of an un-conference with the intentionally intimate group of 100 practitioners, industry leaders and analytics visionaries talking to each other rather than having presenters talking at them, We were encouraged to tackle the biggest issues facing Web analytics and identify key questions, challenges, and opportunities. I was invited to participate in the keynote presentation as well as lead two of the “Huddles” where our goal was to identify issues and work toward some level of resolve.

The keynote panel consisted of Megan Burns from Forrester Research, Bill Gassman from Gartner and me representing Jupiter Research. In atypical keynote style, we were asked to address questions submitted by the audience in advance which consisted of topics such as what impact will dynamic content have on measurement tactics and where’s the ROI in Web analytics. We each addressed topics based on our respective expertise and all managed to interject at least one take-away sound bite. Bill offered that analysts must "let chaos reign" within their organizations and leverage the mayhem to illustrate that analytics can resolve issues. Megan quipped that crediting Web analytics for solving an organization's problems was akin to congratulating the thermometer for curing the common cold. And I contributed that Web analytics are the gateway drug of marketing technologies because they are cheap, widely available and lead to harder stuff.

The Huddles that I led included Industry Standards or Lack Thereof… and Data Integration: Myths and Realities. Within the Standards session we acknowledged that no single set of standards exists nor do common definitions for basic metrics like page views or visits. We joked that the good thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from. Some proposed a consistent schema that would enable coherent measurement and allow marketers to align metrics across disparate applications and mediums, Yet, others criticized that aligning metrics in attempt to achieve identical numbers is a fool’s game. We agreed that we exist in a time where change happens so rapidly that there is no latitude for waiting for standards to evolve. Metrics commonly used to track and report against such as the page view are now obsolete due to evolving technologies and presentation methods. Collectively we’re doing a better job of tracking than historic processes like panels used to measure television, yet we’re still attempting to fudge old metrics to fit a new world. If standards will emerge, they will provide financial benefit (or at minimum, incentive) for vendor compliance and will be native to digital solutions.

The second huddle I had the privilege to lead was on Data Integration and proved to be a lively discussion starting with concerns over obtaining a 360 degree view of customers using both qualitative and quantitative data sources; “joining” multiple data sets to glean insight that wasn’t available on an individual level; and mapping the flow and path of data (across different media) to place the “why” with the “what” of Web analytics information. Governance also surfaced as a key consideration factor because in many cases there is an implied assumption that it is acceptable to integrate data where regulatory and privacy concerns may actually not allow it. We identified an opportunity for a federated database approach that would enable a free flow of data into and out of applications used for data collection and analysis. Closing thoughts reflected that no single solution is ever going to meet all needs. While many instances call for integration, existing tools require complex integration or modified solutions to enable a fluid transfer of information required for collection, analysis, reporting and action.

Collectively, we didn’t solve the problems plaguing Web analytics during this two day event. We did however, push the envelope by asking the brightest minds in Web analytics to explore the possibilities for growth and acceleration into the most sophisticated recesses of data collection, analysis and actionability. By no means was this a conference for the casual user. If you’re looking to tap into mindshare that is intimately anointed with all things analytics, then I highly recommend X Change as a must attend event. Summaries from all huddles discussed this year should be available soon at no charge for all interested parties.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Will Google Chrome Rock Your World?

Google’s at it again, although this time someone ripped the covers off the beta a bit early. The Google Chrome Web browser hasn’t hit the public Web yet, but hopes are high that today will be the day. My first thought on the news brought to mind the Wilco song; Hell is Chrome, and perhaps that’s just what Microsoft and Internet Explorer creators are thinking. The lyrics begin: “When the devil came, he was not red. He was chrome…”

My second thought meandered to the privacy considerations that will be built into the new browser. According to early reports, it will allow standard cookies to be dropped on machines via the browser and opt out capacity is possible, much like today’s standard browsers. Each downloaded browser will maintain a unique ID and if users elect to send usage reports to Google, the browser will send crash reports and unfound URL’s to debug and learn more. Additionally, opt-in users will benefit from URL suggestions when typing into the browser bar based on Google’s search query knowledge and provide shortcuts to commonly visited sites (i.e., type “c” return; and frequently visited cnn.com renders). “Incognito” mode allows users to surf anonymously without transmitting any pre-existing cookies to sites. New cookies will be accepted in incognito mode, yet deleted upon terminating the browser session or returning to normal mode. It will be interesting to see how many users actually exercise this function (insert devious thoughts here). For me, I will likely give it a try just to see if behaviorally targeted ads and content change when I’m running stealth.

At the time of this posting, the browser is not yet available, but stay tuned for updates. With Google’s success and widespread consumer adoption of products delivered in search, email, and analytics among others, my take is that this browser will be widely adopted. Surely that’s what GOOG is hoping and perhaps with growing familiarity of all things Google on the Web, the close of Wilco’s Hell is Chrome lyrics will be apt for many consumers using the new Chrome browser: “And I felt like I belonged. Come with me…”.