Last week we held the first #measurePR chat of 2012. Having taken a nice break over the holidays, it was great to be back with some familiar faces, er, Twitter handles, and some new ones too… we love new people!
Seeing as how some of us (cough, me, cough) were still easing into the new year, we didn’t have a special guest. So the chat was a community chat or, as I like to call them, a fireside chat.
We talked about:
1. What folks felt were their biggest measurement successes of 2011:
and
That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?!
2. What did people not get to do in 2011, measurement-related, that they’d like to do in 2012:
- @hopwood: Set firm, meaningful and motivational goals for our people to achieve “client delight”
- @SceneStealrEric: Providing clients with full-service, customized reporting based on their web data. Too many still don’t have time.
- And as for me, while I’ve learned a lot about Google Analytics I didn’t know before, I really want to complete the Google Analytics Individual Qualification (IQ) this year.
3. Our third question came from @kathy_moore, who is looking for a vendor that provides an inexpensive, customizable dashboard that maps metrics like sales, visitor counts, occupancy rates (whatever you need) against those from PR.
Don’t we all want to find something like this?
This is where Sally Falkow shared a gem. She suggested looking into Vizyx, which can build customizable dashboards, and shared this blog post that talks more about it. I took a quick look at it, and it looks very, very interesting, and I’m definitely going to be checking it out.
Sally also suggested everyone read Sams Teach Yourself Google Analytics in 10 Minutes. I don’t know about you, but if Sally tells me to do something, I’m going to do it.
I tried to give everyone some homework (to learn one new thing between then and the next chat, but that didn’t work out. Oh well. You can’t win ’em all.
But oh! Inside PR did an interview with me when I was at the PRSA International Conference last year, and it’s finally up, in case you’d like to have a listen.
Here is the complete transcript of the first #measurePR chat of 2012, and I hope we’ll see you next week: 12-1 pm ET on Tuesday, January 24, when Alan Chumley will be joining us. If you remember, Alan was a guest in 2010, and his return to #measurePR is long overdue!
See you then? And till then, happy measuring!
Thanks for the Vizyx mention mention Sally.
“Genius”? Seriously? I’m just an average guy who knows how to connect the dots.
Happy to do an interview for your new book, but to be clear, most of my data visualization work is outside the realm of social media. I’ve done a few dashboards that include flavorful social elements, but for the most part, there isn’t a lot of demand for social data visualizations that actually have budget dollars attached to the initiatives.
Only two exceptions come to mind and in each case these projects haven’t actually been approved – one for Warner Bros Television, and the other for Fox Television. They might happen and if they do, I’ll be sure to let you know and maybe we can grab lunch sometime as both are right in your backyard.
If you haven’t looked at DucksBoard, it looks like about the best [lightweight] social dashboard available. And it’s free (to some degree) – just right for non-budgeted projects. ;-)
My work in visualizations have focused on specific business requirements and generally involve data that’s being acquired in the field or already exists. I’m just wrapping a large project for Yum International’s business development team. We’ve crafted a collection of iPad-based intelligence dashboards for KFC and Pizza Hut. Both brands are measuring quality worldwide and Vizyx created the field capture solution and intelligence dashboards for each business unit and executives.
Bast of luck with your book and feel free to give a shout when you have a second.
Cheers! –bf
@skypulsemedia :) A can of worms indeed.
A can of worms indeed! Thanks fro the kind words Shonali. It was a great chat. Glad you like Vizyx. Bill French is a genius and he is responsible for a lot of what I know today.
Learning how to use Google Analytics is something all PR folk should do and that little book is a gem.
@Sally Falkow GA is fascinating. I have to watch myself every time I go into it, else I lose track of time completely! Thanks so much again for the great tips, Sally.
Oh my. You opened a can of worms. Now every time your husband (or any reader of this post) thinks ‘Why isn’t Shonali doing something or listening to me’ he is calling sallyfalkow who I am sure is going to be contacted A LOT now.
Good luck with Public Radio Measurement in 2012 Shonali. Now that we have stalled SOPA I just know funding for NPR will be increased. Giving you even more to measure!
I am going to check out the dashboard service. I like dashboards. The problem is often getting the right data into them. That is one problem with technology is that various inputs don’t always work together. Would be great for businesses to have a seamless collection feed of various data sources with a customizable output.
See and you thought I had nothing but humor to add today!
@HowieSPM Oh, I know better (about you). :p
I LOVE dashboards! But yes, it’s tough finding one that will work the data the way you need it to, without costing an arm and a leg. The other thing about dashboards is that I think a lot of people think once they have a dashboard, their work is done. No, it’s not. It’s just beginning, but the dashboard makes it a little easier.
Hi Shonali,
I have been easing into the New Year too. Last year I was all go go go but this year I want to be a little more focused and direct with my approach. I’ll check out your interview too.
@Justin Mazza It’s February, and I’m still easing… and kinda liking it! This might be the way to go… :p
Thanks for checking out the interview and if you’re free next Tuesday, kdpaine will be stopping by #measurePR. So it will be especially good!