Twitter Chatter: Web Analytics Code of Ethics
The following is from Peter Rothman (@dangrsmind), one of my regular contributors. It contains a controversial and interesting perspective for the web analytics community. We invite your comments on the matter.
In a recent blog posting at the WAA Thought Leaders blog, Eric Peterson of Web Analytics Demystified proposed a ten-point code of ethics for the web analytics community (http://waablog.webanalyticsassociation.com/2010/09/web-analytics-code-of-ethics.html) Many in the analytics community will be supporting this idea, but the reality behind the scenes may not turn out to be so clean.
Unfortunately this effort is destined to fail. It should be recognized that producing an industry code of ethics is an important and laudable idea. Employing a code of ethics is not just about being a moral person (although that is also a worthwhile goal in itself): it is about making effective decisions and, in particular, effective business decisions. Recognizing this important point is the beginning of a more robust approach to this issue of ethics as well as the path to making better business decisions.
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