Twitter Chatter: Web Analytics Code of Ethics

Massimo Paolini on October 27, 2010

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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Twitter Chatter: 25-point Website Usability Checklist

Massimo Paolini on October 25, 2010

25-point Website Usability Checklist
Failing to remember all tasks and worrying wonderful ideas might get lost? Here’s the easy way to keep track and remember.  You’d be able to understand, see and know exactly what to do so you never miss anything.

The list is split into 4 roughly equal sections, (I) Accessibility, (II) Identity, (III) Navigation, and (IV) Content. Dr. Pete describes and rationalizes all of the sections and line items in the list, but you can also download the checklist as a simple, 1-page PDF. He tries to keep it simple with 3 basic ratings: (1) Green Check = Good/Pass, (2) Red Check = Needs work, but no disaster, (3) Red X = Bad/Fail. Not all points are necessarily applicable to all sites.