Top Analysts Currently in the Business - Part 2

Eric T Peterson

While I consider Avinash the biggest, most well known Analyst right now, there is NO ONE that has done more for the industry than Eric T Peterson. I think of Eric as the Godfather of Web Analytics (without the mob of hitmans of course… at least I hope). If you currently do not know Eric, you will soon realize there are three more books to read, three websites and a new twitter account to follow.

Eric has been in the industry for over ten years, founder of Web Analytics Demystified, founder of the Yahoo Group - Web Analytics, author of three best selling web analytic books (two of which you can download for free), blogger for Web Analytics Demystified, and created the most widely used tool for measuring twitter – the Twitalyzer.

OH, and lets not forget, he is also one of the founders of the Analysis Exchange, a project that helps non profit organizations to get professional analysis of their site through the assistance of a qualified Mentor and student. If you have not already signed up for an account, please do so; no matter which section you fall in (organization, mentor or student), the benefits are too great (which you can read here).

I remember listening to a podcast by Beyond Web Analytics, episode 12 (if you have not listen to this, please go to their site and download it) when they had Eric T Peterson on. One of the questions they asked him was “Why are you giving away two of the most widely read books in Web Analytics when people are still willing to pay for a copy” (not actually quoted). His response (shortened) “My wife and I managed the sales of Web Analytics Demystified. We made the amount of money that was appropriate for the books but people still wanted it. There was still not enough education for the industry. We talked about giving away the books, but I did not have the power to do so for the second book since it was an O ‘Reilly Book.” (still not an actual quote) This episode is nearly an hour long, but it will be one of the best hours you will spend.

With everything just mentioned, which I am sure is still just the tip of what Eric T. Peterson has done for the industry, especially giving away 2 of his books for free, is there any question why I call him the Godfather of Web Analytics?

NICK MIHAILOVSKI

Probably the only name in my list that will be questioned, but I will stand firm behind my choice here. I thought long and hard behind this choice and have concluded that this is the only choice based around my criteria: Must have at least an influence in one of the following 1) Google Analytics 2) SiteCatalyst 3) Web Analytics in general and must have the fourth quality 4) Easy access to have an influence on the web analytic community.

Avinash and Eric were easy to pick out, with Adam being my clear winner for SiteCatalyst. But when it came for the Google Analytics expert, I was trying to decide between Nick or Brian Clifton (author of two Google Analytics books). Nick and Brian both proved their GA prowess and either could have made my fourth slot. But finally, I went with Nick since people can easily access the data he provides through the internet, without having to go out and buying a book. I thought this was essential since we are discussing Web Analytics – we can easily measure how many Unique Visitors are reading our blogs and how effective – can we safely say how many people read the book?  We are talking about online stats, not offline.

With Nick, I consider him the Robin from the Dynamic Duo due to his work on the Web Analytics TV. His work answering questions with Avinash on the Web Analytics TV are essential for anyone wanting to get more from Google Analytics. Not only are these episodes filled with goodies of knowledge, they are an absolute pleasure to watch. They could not have chosen to better matched analysts for this project. I hope that this will continue for years to come.

Second, Nick’s work with the Google Analytics API guaranteed this slot. The API answers the more in-depth question that you have about your site than the Web UI could. If you have any questions about what I mean about this, watch a few episodes and you will learn that “If you want to get this answer, you could do this using the API ….” Nick has more experience using the API than anyone else in the industry.

With a combination of expertise in the API and the actual tool, I consider him the leading figure in GA.

What do you believe about the four I have chosen?  As I know there are lots of well known analysts out there that I did not mention (such as Rudi Shumpert), I felt that these four are leading the front in bring Web Analytics to the general public. While I will not go into detail, I will add a link to their blog on the side nav.  If I have missed any, please let me know and I will add them to the list.

Next time, I am going to show a few tricks using GA that I have been using.

Till next time, keep analyzing.

The Analysis Exchange

The Analysis Exchange was created to help three distinct groups: Organizations, Students, and Mentors. Analysis Exchange is under the Web Analytics Demystified name and really pushed forward by Eric T Peterson. I could spend all day talking about Eric T Peterson and how much he has done for the world of Web Analytics, but I will let you find out by reading his own blog and website. Additionally, you can read two of the must read books, written by Eric Peterson, for free: Web Analytics Demystified / The Big Book of KPI’s.

Back about the Analysis Exchange, I mentioned this will help all three types of membership joining. To join, you only have to meet a few requirements:

• Organization - you must be non-profit.
• Mentor – Have at least 2 years worth of experience and willing to assist students
• Student – Must have a passion to learn web analytics
• All three – Willingness to ensure the project will be a success
• All three – Will give an honest rating after the project is completed.

BENEFITS

Organization: Opportunity to have a professional web analyst analyze the data for free. This is the essential point of the Analysis Exchange, giving the organization a chance to better their site through actual analysis without having to spend hundreds of dollars which they could not justify spending through a business case. During the project, the organization has three jobs: Explain the project, have the initial meeting with the student / mentor, and participate in the final presentation.

Student: Until the Analysis Exchange, it was impossible to gain actual experience; No university degree, night classes, etc. Companies wanting to hire a web analyst would not even look at a candidate unless they had a couple years experience. This left a huge dilemma; potential Analysis Ninja (Avinash, thank you for creating this term.) could be lost forever just because they were never given a chance to break into the field. Students are given a chance to analyze actual data, getting the practice which they will later put on their CV to get a web analyst job.

Mentor: This is the glue that will hold the project together; kinda like the captain of a ship. We may not be behind the wheel of the boat, but the entire crew depends on the captain to ensure we are steered in the right direction. While the student does the actual analysis, presentation and the majority of the work, the mentor is there to answer any question, assist in the project and give advice when needed. There is talk about prizes given to the best mentors within the analysis exchange (and is actually put in as a benefit of being a mentor), but this is not the reason I joined; I believe the bigger benefit is being missed. I joined because I love my job and I want to continue my own education in this field. Every day, there is something new to learn and this gives me a chance to see what other organizations are doing; how are they using the analysis tools? What questions are they asking? Does the student look at the data in a completely different way than me? Just like the student is learning, I believe we are always improving our prowess.

Finally, and most importantly, the benefit that everyone gets is knowing they helped a worthy cause. Is there anything better than that?

I beg everyone that is reading this blog, if you are currently not out promoting this good organization, please do. If you want to get into web analytics, join as a student. If you are a non profit organization that has not already joined the analysis exchange, please join as an organization. And if you have been in the business for a while and have not joined as a mentor, please join as a mentor. Become the captain.

Have you joined the Analysis Exchange?  Have you completed a project?  Please comment about your experience so others know how great the Analysis Exchange is.
Next time, I want to talk about the famous analysts currently in the business; the blogs / books you should be reading.