Posts Tagged ‘Measurement’

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DR. WHAW? – June 1, 2010


2010
06.01

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Posted in DR. WHAW?, Growing up, Measurement, Melissa, Social Media, public relations | View Comments

This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Melissa Cafiero.

Do you find that you read a mix of articles throughout the day (different topics, fun and professional, etc.) or are you fairly focused in deciding what you read? I tend to be interested in a lot of different things, so I jump around quite a bit… which tends to show when I share what I Didn’t Read While Hard at Work. Hope you enjoy today’s mixed bag!

DR. WHAW? – June 1, 2010

  1. Worry Dolls: Why Grown Ups Need Them Too by Delia Lloyd – Are you a worrier? (I’m a worrier.) This post’s author is a worrier, too, and shares her coping strategy (Worry Dolls). I had some of these as a kid and I think I still have them floating around somewhere. The post was inspired by…
  2. The Why-Worry Generation by Judith Warner – Published in The New York Times, this article looks at millennials – those born between 1982 and 2002 – and makes sweeping generalizations (what article about millennials doesn’t?). It discusses how this generation is turning down jobs if they don’t meet their criteria and milliennials’ overconfidence saying, “For critics, this is irrational exuberance, an example of group psychosis, proof that this generation is headed for a major crash.” I won’t argue with that… to a fault. On the other hand, Warner’s piece also calls out millennials’ abilities to remain positive, no matter what disaster is happening around them, and states, “Maybe chronic unease has simply raised this generation’s tolerance level for stress, leaving it uniquely well equipped to deal with uncertainty. Or maybe having a bulked-up ego really does serve as a buffer to adversity. Just like the self-esteem gurus always said that it would.” What do you think?
  3. 7 Quick-Start Techniques for Fighting the Fear to Write by Catherine Caine – Not only are these helpful tips, but Caine writes with a humor that is engaging and stress-relieving. She breaks everything down into small chunks and you instantly feel like you can accomplish any writing task. I love the recommendations and confirmations in the comments, so be sure to check those out.
  4. Analyzing the Value of a Blog Post by Amber Naslund – While this post shares a lot of numbers/raw data, don’t get caught up in it (my eyes glazed over a bit). Naslund’s information helped me put things into perspective with a real-world example and not a hypothetical scenario. And once you get past all that, the numbers are great!
  5. Bad PR move: A “touchy” subject by Richie Escovedo – This one has been making the rounds so you may have already seen this. What a bad situation, and completely uncomfortable to watch. What can you learn from this situation?
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DR. WHAW? – May 18, 2010


2010
05.19

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Posted in DR. WHAW?, Measurement, Melissa, Search, Social Media, Twitter, public relations | View Comments

This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Melissa Cafiero.

I’m looking for new resources. Are there sites with content you can’t live without? I’m also looking for sites which talk about crisis communications specifically (both for personal reasons and so I can find new posts to share with you) so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

DR. WHAW? – May 18, 2010

  1. A Twitter success story: Search leads to new market discovery by Fara Hain – In this post, Fara describes her less than enthusiastic initial perception of Twitter; however, she gave it a shot (simply by setting up keyword alerts for her brand and listening to the chatter) and discovered a new customer segment, and use, for her company’s product. It’s a really interesting post and a little inspirational, too.
  2. Digital PR Perspectives: The BP Oil Spill by Arik Hanson (with Danny Brown, Gini Dietrich and Heather Whaling) – I haven’t really investigated how BP is responding to this issue (partially because I don’t have time and partially because I can’t deal with the emotional pull at the moment) so this “roundtable”-type discussion was really nice. It’s pretty lengthy, though, so you’ll want to set aside some time.
  3. Sentiment vs. message in social media – which do you value more? By Rebecca Denison – How could I not include a post from Rebecca?! Because she asked a great question, and brought up a few more in the post, the comments shouldn’t be missed!
  4. The APR Process — Why It’s Worth It by Stephanie Q. Fitzsimmons – I’m not going to argue about APR vs no APR, but I thought this quick post was insightful and helped with the curiosity I had about the process.
  5. Why It’s Helpful To Send Back a Positive Reflection of a Person’s Actions by Gretchen Rubin – I know that something like 95% of my DR WHAW posts include a Gretchen Rubin/Happiness Project mention, but I just always find something useful from her. This post talks about “pro-social behavior,” and she goes on to say, “When we’re reminded of what we’re doing right, and when we realize that right action is noticed and appreciated (because practically all of us want those gold stars!), we’re encouraged to keep it up.”
  6. 33 Pictures Caught at Exactly the Right Moment by Gerri Elder – Some of these are quite funny and some make you scratch your head. Warning: Photo #3 is really graphic. It caught me by surprise and made me a bit nauseous. Ick.
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DR. WHAW? – May 12, 2010


2010
05.12

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Posted in DR. WHAW?, Danny, Measurement, Search, Social Media | View Comments

This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Danny Prager.

There was an absurd amount of great content passed around the interwebs today (as per usual), and now I’m going to share some highlights. Without futher ado —

DR. WHAW? – May 12, 2010


 Let’s do a little point counterpoint/ roundup of the Facebook backlash:

“Is Facebook Really to Blame for your Privacy Issue? ” by Simon Mainwaring.

Simon makes the interesting, and complex argument, that it is Facebook’s job to push the envelope of socially defined notions of privacy as that is necessary for innovation. That semantic and open web all those big time analysts, futurists, and thinkers are talking about ? It may be in direct opposition to our socially defined norms of privacy. Who will win?

“Confusing *a* Public with *the* Public by Jeff Jarvis

“Facebook has confused sharing with publishing”. I think Jeff has hit the nail right on the head here. Social sharing has become ubiquitous. However, sharing is not the same as broadcasting or publishing. Sharing a hilarious video of kittens going down slides with your friends, is a different behavior, with different motivations, than creating that same video and publishing it.

What’s more? You may not want brands to assume that you have kittens and want discounts on cat food based on the fact that you shared that video.

What does all of this mean? Which side are you on? Has Facebook overstepped its bounds? Is it challenging societal norms of privacy too aggressively?

Personally, I love the idea of fighting for an open web, and viewing Facebook as pioneers in the struggle to redefine social norms of privacy. On the other hand, I realize that I am probably in the minority in that respect, and once the average Facebook user understands the privacy implications of these Facebook changes there will surely be serious backlash– Not just from early adopters, but from the Gen Xers and above who have recently joined the network in droves.

I want a personalized web experience where I am consistently given relevant content, even if it is in the form of advertisements and special offers from brands, but this thinking may not be true for everyone.

Enough about that, here are a couple of interesting articles, that are not focused on Facebook:

1) Should Ecommerce be scared of social shopping?

Good overview of why social shopping is on the rise, and how it could pose a challenge traditional ecommerce sites.

Look past the fact that the guy who wrote the article is a “social media optimization” specialist, instead focus on the video and think about the possibilites of social commerce.

2) Branding versus search, the Converse way.

In all of our focus on the next big thing and social media, we sometimes forget that we can innovate channels that already exist. Check out what Converse did with PPC ads to target teenagers. Talk about engagement:

3) The Digitization of Research and Measurement in Public Relations — by Don Bartholomew

When I saw this chart, and this post, I immediately thought of Rebecca and her work at Edelman. Good overview of how paid, earned, shared, and owned media work together on digital channels.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

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DR. WHAW? – May 10, 2010


2010
05.11

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Posted in Clay, DR. WHAW?, Measurement, Social Media | View Comments

So, there’s one thing I forgot to tell everyone when I started DR WHAW.  My middle name is “Worthless” — as in, I’ve missed my last few weeks of posts.  Sorry for sucking, everyone!  Between family visiting, a trip to Jazz Fest, and some business travel, DR WHAW had to take a backseat.  However, I’m here to assure you that I’m back with a vengeance (I’ve always wanted to say that, ha).  Here’s this week’s things I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work (but wanted to!):
DR. WHAW? – May 10, 2010
  1. T-Squared Six Month Stats — I wasn’t familiar with the Texas Tribune, but was introduced today (h/t Steve Rubel) via this blog post.  Their experiment in New Media Journalism is going very well, and this post provides some insight into what has been contributing to success.  Maybe the most interesting thing is the importance of data in their posts.
  2. The Right Way to Make Your Social-Media Mea Culpa — While much of this post is just your typical “When you screw up on social media, apologize and engage,” I liked the post because it provides a really great overview of the current dilemma with Boeing and that big brand’s efforts to fix it.
  3. Introduction to Online Payments — It seems like online payment processing is a consistent snags that our projects seek out.  Clients want to sell things online but are weary of all the lingo, security risks, and transaction fees.  For years, I’ve been trying to break it down and help my clients understand the process, but this quite thorough post does a significantly better job than I ever could.  Check it out and keep it handy to forward on to your clients.
  4. Web Design Trends in 2010 — Usually I avoid Smashing Magazine and would definitely resist putting it on this list, but I think this post is definitely worth skimming over for everyone in the web industry.  It’s a great, visual read on what’s going on in the space, and it will help you be a better judge of work, client for web design firms, and more complete online marketer.
  5. Facebook, zinga, and buyer-supplier framework — Nice, short post from Chris Dixon on the economics and theory behind the Facebook-Zinga relationship.  I thought this post was worth sharing, because this theory is applicable to many other web startups around right now, especially those sprouting up around Twitter.
Well, there we go folks.  First post in several weeks and I hope it was worth the wait.
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DR. WHAW? – April 21, 2010


2010
04.21

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Posted in DR. WHAW?, Danny, Measurement, Social Media | View Comments

This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Danny Prager.

It’s been a fascinating day in the digital world, with all the announcements from the Facebook F8 conference. Facebook has moved closer to creating a web that is entirely social– where likes and connections become more important than hyperlinks. Alright, enough with my excitement about the F8 conference, and on to the links.

DR. WHAW? – April 21, 2010

1) First Take Analysis, Facebook’s Crusade of Colonization, Jeremiah Owyang:

If you didn’t have time to follow the conference live, or are looking to understand what all of the announcements mean, this is a great place to start. The Matrix format is really conducive to understanding complex concepts quickly and effectively. Thanks Jeremiah!

2) Fans, CPM, and Academic Rigor, Clay Parker Jones:

Have you heard about the PER statistic in Basketball? I hadn’t until I read this post yesterday. The PER statistic is an amalgamation of the most important individual metrics in each game as proven over the last 50 years of NBA basketball.
It is an amazing celebration of the power of statistics to understand the world around us. Okay, so what does the PER have to do with social media? You may have heard of the social media measurement company who argued that a Facebook fan was worth $3.60? This post argues that “judging fan value by how many free impressions they can create seems like judging an NBA player only by their free-throw shooting ability.”

In social media measurement we need to move beyond valuing fan relationships based on impressions.

3) Yes, I Do Mean Oneline, Polinhock’s Ponderings:

Love this concept of “oneline”, and I think more and more people are beginning to meld their on and offline lives. As communications professionals, we need to think about ways to bridge that on and offline gap. We don’t separate our lives into print, online, and tv so why do our marketing/pr/ and ad campaigns?

4) Introducing Peer Influence Analysis, Forrester

Quantifying peer influence is going to be big business, as people’s influence on each other rivals online advertising.

5) Definition of Lethal Generosity: Unleashing Corporate Superpowers to Do Good, Communcation Overtones

“Lethal Generosity”, coined by Shel Israel in his book Twitterville, refers to the way a corporation can use their skills to advance social good while also increasing revenue. This post offers an interesting primer on “Lethal Generosity.”

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Is definitive social media measurement spelled SAS SMA?


2010
04.14

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Posted in Measurement, Social Media, Twitter | View Comments

NOTE: These opinions are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the recent release of Social Media Analytics by the SAS Institute. Basically SAS has revolutionized social media measurement by making real-time analytics and accurate automated sentiment a reality.

So what does this mean for social media analysis? Is this it?


Why it’s too early to tell:

It’s obviously not the perfect tool. Yes, it’s real-time and can provide analysis faster than manually processing data. But the automated sentiment is still not perfect. Maybe I’m asking too much, and I do admit that this is a huge step forward. But is it perfect? No.

Can the automated sentiment be changed? I wonder if it’s possible to edit posts and how they’re assigned. If I can view a tweet I clearly think is positive and it’s marked neutral, can I edit that? I understand that this tool will learn as it goes, but it still can never be as accurate as humans.

Are actual posts easily viewed? Part of my job is monitoring as well as measurement. If there is a sudden increase in volume, I want to know why. I want to know the actual content driving the surge, not just that it’s 67.5% positive and mostly found on Twitter. Is this easy to view in SAS SMA?

How are searches built and amended? Is there an easy way to view and alter searches to filter out irrelevant content? Some searches are absolutely riddled with junk, and it’s imperative that this be easily weeded out to be sure only relevant content is included in analysis.

Is the topic analysis the same for every search? Not only do topic categories differ for every search, but topics also grow and evolve. Are topics preset or can they be changed as time goes on? How are these determined? It’s always been a big deal to me to be able to analyze social media content by topic as well as by sentiment. The sentiment could be perfect, but flawed topic analysis would render this capability almost useless.

Obviously there is still a lot of speculation, but I am incredibly excited to see this tool in action at some point and compare it side-by-side with other monitoring and measurement tools available.

What do you think? Is this the end-all for social media analysis? What is the tool missing?

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DR. WHAW? – April 13, 2010


2010
04.13

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Posted in DR. WHAW?, Growing up, Measurement, Melissa, Twitter, public relations | View Comments

This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Melissa Cafiero.

I have a bit of exciting news to share before we jump into what I didn’t read while hard at work (but wanted to!) today. I have accepted a job offer with a PR agency in Seattle and my husband and I will be moving to the Pacific Northwest in two short weeks. I’m certainly going to miss Texas (my home for the past 20+ years), but am excited about the new adventure!

DR. WHAW? – April 13, 2010

  1. Analytic.ly Provides Real-Time and Historical Twitter Analysis by Jolie O’Dell – Analytic.ly, a new tool by PeopleBrowsr, aims to help users “visualize, study and measure” conversations on Twitter. It offers custom reports and graphs, stores data to help you spot trends and provides real-time results. The cost? Premium features begin at $20/mo. Check out the screenshots on Mashable – pretty nifty.
  2. Even If You Can’t/Won’t Engage, You Need to Monitor by Danielle Cyr – Before you and/or others in your company start arguing about jumping into conversations and getting engaged, at least do one thing: monitor. See what people are saying (they are talking about your brand) and look at what your competitors are doing. Are they doing something right? What are they doing wrong? What can you learn from them? And don’t use $$ as an excuse. There are a ton of free tools that can help you get your monitoring program off the ground.
  3. Five Things Every Publicist Wants the Media to Understand – Reporters and bloggers call out PR practitioners all the time when we screw up. And sure, we make mistakes and should learn from them, but I love the five bulletpoints: “Reporters help us accomplish our goals, but please remember we help you with your jobs too.” “We are not encyclopedias.”   “We too deal with tyrannical, delusional bosses and soul-crushing demands on our time.” “Our jobs are also in jeopardy.”  “It all comes full circle, baby.”
  4. How to Make Good Use of Time Pockets by Ali Hale – How many times a day do you sit at your computer and think, “Okay, 10 more minutes before my next meeting. I may as well not start anything new because it’s not enough time to get anything done.”? It happens to me all the time! I LOVE these tips, which are also conveniently broken out by Work pockets and Home pockets (of time, not Hot Pockets).
  5. To appreciate, first acknowledge by Mary Ellen Slayter – Isn’t it nice to feel appreciated? What makes you feel like a valued team member?
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People (and numbers) can always surprise you


2010
04.12

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Posted in Growing up, Measurement | View Comments

I recently ended a long-term, long-distance relationship. It was tough, and it was emotional. I was afraid to lose friends during the process as is apt to happen when these things play out. One of my best friends from college had been best friends with my ex-boyfriend since they were in middle school, and I had a terrible feeling he would choose my ex in the break up. Boys stick together, right?

Absolutely wrong. He recently reached out to me just to let me know that he understood where I was coming from, and while he was sad it had happened, he said he hoped I wasn’t breaking up with him, too. I have to be honest, I was floored. He’s a college boy, and he doesn’t always make the most mature decisions in his own love life. But when push came to shove, he turned out to be a much better friend than I have ever given him credit for.

Hear me, buddy? You know who you are, and even though I always knew you were an amazing friend, I never gave you the credence you deserved.

Thinking about this over the weekend, I thought about how I tend to see things as I first interpret them. During monitoring for brands, I tend to view them as I did the first time I analyzed coverage. Is that always fair? No.

Brands, like people, can surprise you. More specifically what people are saying about a brand can continually surprise you. Numbers can surprise you.

I don’t know if I am the only person that falls into this trap (and I suspect I’m not), but I am guilty of focusing on the same trends time and time again. If one topic is a trend early one month, do I keep my eye on it for the next few months? Absolutely. But does this make me lose sight of other possible emerging trends? Admittedly, yes.

It’s imperative to keep a fresh perspective when you are analyzing data. I find that I struggle with this almost every week. And I still haven’t found the best tricks for dealing with it.

So what do you do? How do you keep a fresh mind and a fresh eye when looking at data and ongoing trends?

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DR. WHAW? – April 9, 2010


2010
04.11

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Posted in DR. WHAW?, Marketing, Measurement, PR metrics, Social Media, public relations | View Comments

And I’m back! I apologize for the incredible tardiness of this post. Yesterday my mama was in town to help me with some serious and much-needed spring cleaning. I was pleasantly distracted all day long. Without further delay, I bring you what I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work (but wanted to!).

DR. WHAW? – April 9, 2010

1. Measuring Social Media with Web Analytics, Part 2 by Nathan Linnell — Remember this first part of this? It was amazing, right? I highly recommend checking this out. This analyze how to measure social media referred visits that you can tie directly to social media efforts. Is this absolutely the end-all for social media analytics? No, but it’s an awesome start.

2. Social Media Measurement in the Real World by Robin Neifield — There’s been a lot of talk of measuring social media and how it might work, but this is some great “real world” advice about how to actually test out and execute some measurements.

3. How marketers are investing in Facebook and measuring ROI by Boaz Ronkin — This is an awesome little study! During a recent webinar, participants were asked to share their views on Facebook ROI and there were 2,812 individual responses! Holy cow! Check this out.

4. A “reader affection” formula: Gawker creates a metric for branded traffic by Megan Garber — Gawker Media has created what they’re calling a “reader affection” metric. Don’t believe it? I wouldn’t either. It’s not 100% accurate or reliable at this point, but this is just darn cool!

5. Excellent Analytics Tip #17: Calculate Customer Lifetime Value by Avinash Kaushik — This series is just fantastic in and of itself. If you’re interesting in analytics, you should be following Avinash. I particularly liked this post because it takes a look at a customer beyond just one sale or one “hit.”

6. Social media measurement in PR Week by Stuart Bruce — I love this article! I’ve said this before myself, ROI should not be measured in social media if you’re not actually going to measure ROI. It’s such a nice term that people hold onto it, but often what is being measure isn’t actually ROI. Yes, it’s partly semantics, but it matters.

7. The Quest for Firm Answers by Amber Naslund — You must read this! Amber put it all out there and gave firm answers. Are they perfect? No. They are incredibly nuanced, but she wanted to put something on the table about measurement besides “it depends.” This is brilliant and deserves a read and some consideration.

I hope y’all had a fabulous weekend thus far! How is the weather? Any fun spring plans?

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DR. WHAW? – April 7, 2010


2010
04.07

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This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Danny Prager.


Some great reads were passed around today online. Let’s dive in:

DR. WHAW? – April 7, 2010

1) Clay Shirky on “Complexity and the Collapse of Business Models” Summary on PSFK

Thinking about the larger institutions and structures that drive both brands and agencies to act in specific ways is sometimes just as important as reading a fantastic case study or how to post. Sometimes we need a little perspective. Clay Shirky is one of the most celebrated and fascinating thinkers of our time, I always feel smarter after I read him, whether or not that’s actually true, is another story however.

2) What Will Social Media Look Like in 2012? Freddie Larker

Very interesting presentation from Freddie Larker about what the future of media holds. If you’re a futurist, or interested in social media, this is as can’t miss presentation.

3) The Future of Sentiment Analytics — Jennifer Zaino

Measuring sentiment effectively could open the doors for brands to improve their customer service, improve market research strategies, and streamline product development. As measurement technology and expertise improves, I think measuring sentiment will outweigh metrics such as hits, impressions, or conversation share for communications professionals working with social media. I’m excited to find out if I’m right.

4) What’s the Deal with Branded Social Gaming? Jackie Adkins

Social gaming is huge, and some major brands like Bravo TV are moving into the space. What are the advantages and disadvantages for a brand? Definitely something worth thinking about.

5) The Greatest Thing the Ipad Did — 180/360/720

“The greatest thing the iPad did was help people imagine what the web should look like.” The best argument I’ve heard about the impact of the IPad yet. If the IPhone challenged our perception of what the web should look like on a mobile device, the IPad challenges the content industry in the same way. Not sure if I agree completely with this line of thinking, but it’s definitely a great argument.

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