Too often companies mistake the data gathering process of web reporting for the insight discovery of web analytics. Instead of discovering the unknown, typical web analysis ends up being an exercise in predicting the predictable - a weekly report reaffirming what is already known:

There will be visitors…there will be visits…there will be pageviews.

That’s not to say there isn’t value in pure-play reporting. Being able to see and measure basic site statistics can provide a broad sense of how well particular online initiatives are paying off, or give general insight into the impact of your other online or offline strategies.

The web analytics process, however, is a constant state of discovery. It moves beyond predictable charts, graphs, and lists of mind-numbing data. Instead of asking “what”, the web analytics process asks “how” and “why”. It evaluates and seeks out intelligence that would otherwise go unnoticed amidst a sea of numbers, constantly exploring and moving to extract value from, and not just report on, your digital strategies.

…my broadband says to your broadband….I’m going to sit here and laugh because you’re so pitifully slow (especially if your broadband is in the not-so-fast United States).

US Drops Broadband Rank via GigaOm

Following in the footsteps of Doritos’ consumer-created ads, tomato specialist Heinz, is trying to ‘muster(ard)’ ads from their ‘pickled’ fans as well. It’s an intriguing tactic to get the consumer involved, but you want to talk about putting a ’squeeze’ on a creative team and making them extremely ’salty’…maybe it’s time creatives start ‘peppering’ their work by eating ketchup and Dorito sandwiches to prove their dedicated. (Yes, they exist, my Freshman year in college I lived across the hall from an avid ketchup-Dorito sandwich guy, heck he could have won both contests in one fail swoop.) Well, at least someone will be ‘relishing’ in $57,000.

Is this the end of the line for the famed Sony Playstation, or simply the beginning of a new gaming/entertainment era?

Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Ken Kutaragi (the father of the Playstation) will be stepping down from the helm as Sony CEO.

Losing to the Wii was one thing, but it looks like losing out to the XBOX 360 was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

It’s time to put that 7th grade dream to the test.  Want to make your case for the Presidency?  Thanks to Mark Burnett, the reality TV guru and stalkyourneighbor.com or rather MySpace, you and everyone you know can develop a Presidential platform via MySpace profiles.  Take it with a grain of salt, but having a million dollars after winning ‘Independent’ to fund a personal campaign or to donate to a political cause, it seems worth briefly noting at the water cooler.

Looks like Jeff Berman of MySpace agrees, “Any time you’ve got two media titans like Mark Burnett and MySpace teaming up, it’s interesting, but when you’re talking about a project that has the potential to re-Democratize American politics, the potential is extraordinary, I predict you’ll see actual presidential candidates taking notes from candidates on ‘Independent.’” (Oh boy, this should be good!)

It has never been more apparent that reality TV, our passion for interactive TV/internet and online video posting are fueling our growing desire to ‘pick an ending’.  The best singer/performer, the best celebrity/professional dance tandem, our President.  Has a nice ring doesn’t it?  What’s next?  A REAL fantasy draft? Now there’s an idea…

…not French broadband.

Neuf Cegetel, a French telecom carrier is offering 50 megabit-per-second fiber connections to the home.

Lagging behind in the broadband category is the United States of Can’t-Get-More-Than-3-Megabits-Per-Second, despite marketing-heavy rollouts such as Verizon’s FIOS.

We can have potatoes and pie…heck, even french cut green beans… but not fat Internet pipes? What gives?

In the high stakes poker game of online music, Apple appears to be ready to lay down it’s winning hand.  The jackpot?  DRM free music EVERYWHERE.

Their recent landmark deal with EMI has not only proven that it’s possible to strike a win-win deal with a major label, but has successfully put the other big boys (Sony-BMG, Universal, and Warner) on the defensive.

Apple, Amazon set to squeeze music labels over DRM via AppleInsider.

Google’s getting a lot of headlines these days - and they should. They’re out in front, taking their lumps as they work through the difficult task of convincing traditional media outlets to buy in to the fundamental premise of the original digital money making machine.

The Google TV Advertising effort ties in to a partnership with EchoStar, and despite it’s an invitation only venture (at this point), we would like to say thanks.

Thank you Google TV.  We don’t know if your latest terrestrial adventure is going to work, but you’re breaking down digital barriers for the rest of us.  Bravo.

“Silo” is a popular term used in business these days. Most often it describes tactics, strategies, or data that cannot or is not integrated within the whole of an organization. Usually, if something is in a silo, it’s not a good thing. How many times have you heard about a department or group in your organization operating in a silo, ignoring everyone else and going off on their own tangent?

The digital world is no different, and today there’s a new addition: the “analytics silo of death”. This gruesome, dark place is where all web analytics initiatives eventually end up if neglected, ignored, or left alone to gather dust.

Analytics has often been one of the holy grails of the digital world, the premise being the more a company knows about what’s happening on a website, the more they will be able to understand (and profit from) their customers.

In the past year, Omniture’s IPO, WebSide Story’s acquisition of Visual Sciences, and the tidal wave of Google Analytics have pushed web metrics in to the spotlight. For the first time, businesses of all sizes have access to data that was once beholden only to those with the largest pocketbooks.

Companies flocked to the analytics scene, racing to get their Google Javascript code or the latest version of Site Catalyst. But when the dust settled, has this data really changed the strategic initiatives for anyone?

Sure - visitors were being counted and clickstream data was being gathered, but the PR momentum responsible for this digital version of the gold rush was ultimately responsible for the siloing of analytics.

Too often organizations race to implement an analytics solution by only focusing on the what’s, but not the how’s of digital intelligence, such as “How…..:

• will this data be presented to the organization?
• will this data be integrated within the organization?
• will ROI be determined?
• will this platform be maintained?

The “how’s” aren’t digital or web-centric questions - they’re business questions, and they’re important.

So before getting too excited that Google Analytics is now offering free accounts, figure out the how’s of digital intelligence in your organization so you can keep your analytics out of the silo of death.

Earlier this month Maven Networks partnered with WebTrends to create “the most comprehensive online video analytics offering in the broadband industry”.

This is great news - more things to hook in to analytics platforms and more data that will never make it out of the analytics silo of death.

Not that we’re jaded, or anything.  WebTrends has their work cut out for them.  Sure, they have the backing of the big shot, but just because everyone and their mother has heard about WT, market share isn’t a shoe-in.  They have an established user base, but are these the ones that are going to be using video as a communications/marketing/advertising strategy?