Comments on: Using Web analytics to improve content http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2008/08/19/using-web-analytics-to-improve-content/ a blog on being with Patrick Thornton Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:41:21 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Time to learn how to play the analytics game, students « New Media Mobtown http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2008/08/19/using-web-analytics-to-improve-content/comment-page-1/#comment-6534 Time to learn how to play the analytics game, students « New Media Mobtown Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:29:14 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=426#comment-6534 [...] your work. Learn how to track your analytics, and use your data to increase your traffic and improve your content. Social networks can increase your traffic, so learn how to use Twitter. If your content [...] [...] your work. Learn how to track your analytics, and use your data to increase your traffic and improve your content. Social networks can increase your traffic, so learn how to use Twitter. If your content [...]

]]> By: Web Analytics and the Travel PR | The Travel PR Blog http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2008/08/19/using-web-analytics-to-improve-content/comment-page-1/#comment-4391 Web Analytics and the Travel PR | The Travel PR Blog Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:29:23 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=426#comment-4391 [...] just to follow on from my last post, I can see why some media agencies give their journalists access to web analytics (link to The Journalism Iconoclast [...] [...] just to follow on from my last post, I can see why some media agencies give their journalists access to web analytics (link to The Journalism Iconoclast [...]

]]> By: Content Metrics for News Professionals | Kontexo http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2008/08/19/using-web-analytics-to-improve-content/comment-page-1/#comment-4384 Content Metrics for News Professionals | Kontexo Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:51:21 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=426#comment-4384 [...] Thornton has a nice blog post raising some of these issues Using Web Analytics To Improve Content. The main theme is that if you have this information available and it does not cost anything but [...] [...] Thornton has a nice blog post raising some of these issues Using Web Analytics To Improve Content. The main theme is that if you have this information available and it does not cost anything but [...]

]]> By: Anders Hofseth http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2008/08/19/using-web-analytics-to-improve-content/comment-page-1/#comment-4381 Anders Hofseth Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:49:23 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=426#comment-4381 @Carlos I don't think you will see any results if the frequency is monthly - the distance back to your writing process and the choices you made during writing and editing is simply too long. You will need to see a real time track of clicks, or at least a several times daily review. It is of little value to set up a meter measuring what you did a month ago. You have to be able to do tweaks and see the needle move as you adjust the content. Understanding reading dynamics also demands an understanding of what is a good number of readers and it's easier to see that when you compare -in real time- the stories available to the reader at that time - are you competing with a knitting contest or a plane crash? Relating to stats is also a learning process, so many journalists will need to watch the stats over time before catching all the implications of how they present their content. If you did a sloppy job as a journalist, it's just too easy writing off a monthly top 10 as sheer luck and not relating to the numbers. Too few articles and too low frequency makes it look more like a wine lottery. It might work as a perk, but doesn't give anything resembling dials tracking your progress and giving feedback on changes you make - assuming you have a culture of seeing publishing as work-in-progress. @Carlos
I don’t think you will see any results if the frequency is monthly – the distance back to your writing process and the choices you made during writing and editing is simply too long. You will need to see a real time track of clicks, or at least a several times daily review. It is of little value to set up a meter measuring what you did a month ago. You have to be able to do tweaks and see the needle move as you adjust the content.

Understanding reading dynamics also demands an understanding of what is a good number of readers and it’s easier to see that when you compare -in real time- the stories available to the reader at that time – are you competing with a knitting contest or a plane crash? Relating to stats is also a learning process, so many journalists will need to watch the stats over time before catching all the implications of how they present their content.

If you did a sloppy job as a journalist, it’s just too easy writing off a monthly top 10 as sheer luck and not relating to the numbers. Too few articles and too low frequency makes it look more like a wine lottery. It might work as a perk, but doesn’t give anything resembling dials tracking your progress and giving feedback on changes you make – assuming you have a culture of seeing publishing as work-in-progress.

]]> By: Carlos http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2008/08/19/using-web-analytics-to-improve-content/comment-page-1/#comment-4376 Carlos Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:18:46 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=426#comment-4376 We recently started sharing stats with reporters our editor sends out a month in review memo which now includes the top 10 most viewed stories. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how useful these stats have been for our reporters. In other words, not sure if their writing style or the decisions they are making are affected by the stats. We recently started sharing stats with reporters our editor sends out a month in review memo which now includes the top 10 most viewed stories. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how useful these stats have been for our reporters. In other words, not sure if their writing style or the decisions they are making are affected by the stats.

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