Clickstream Ownership

“Broadcasting your clickstream--a record of the Web sites you've visited--used to be considered a privacy violation. Now, some companies are trying to turn such broadcasts into another way to squeeze value from one of our most precious assets: the things we pay attention to.

I came across a service called AttenTV last week at a tech meet up and was both repulsed and fascinated by what founder Seth Goldstein had created. AttenTV offers people a visual depiction of the Web sites that others are clicking on, with the expectation that the browsing habits of those individuals will be interesting enough to watch, and even spur the "watchers" to check out some of the same sites."

"It's about controlling your publicity, not restricting your privacy," Goldstein said. "We're in a world where the data is out there anyway. Every time I go to CNET, they drop a cookie on me. Every single website is watching what I'm doing...the only defense is a good offense."  Says Seth Goldstein.

Bottom-line, AttenTV, Ingenious. It's not only another component of the movement that "monetizes the online conversation" it's a technical application that furthers the democratization of the online space. It allows us as participants to fully own our online activity and eventually get rewarded for it.

For marketers, it's the beginning of being able to see what other online activity has value.  Right now we’re limited to measuring click paths, CTR, time on site, sales, impressions etc.  All good metrics, but they don’t give much texture to what else those events are producing except that episodic event as an end result.  What is missing with these metrics is a whole host of other activity that our ads generate: pass-alongs, recommendations, trustworthiness, attitudes, motivations, conversations, groups, communities etc. In fact it opens up a glimpse into related information and the thought process behind online behavior.  If we overlay social media on clickstream measurement, we can see rich bits of information that are very difficult and sometimes impossible to measure. 

Given AttenTV is still in its early stages, it's the start of what will be a string of technical applications that allow marketers to attribute value to hard-to-measure online consumer activity.





YouTube Stats, Figures the Reality:

What do these stats tell us? First off, a computer screen is not another tv screen that is accessorized with a keyboard, shrunk down or made portable. And, the online community that passively consumes content from that screen does not think of it as a tv, they don’t expect to see tv ads on it, nor are they choosing to watch traditional ads online.

Second, all quality content is not created equal. There’s a difference between seeing interesting content online and seeing content that motivates passive observers to become active. Active in the sense that viewers are moved to talk about what they saw, share it, and remember it. To illustrate, “Touch” was engaging enough to get the most views of a traditional commercial.  However, it failed to inspire people to interact and comment on it as shown by its low views-to-comment ratio.

As an ancillary note, the top 3 comments for “Touch” fall into 3 areas: "It’s real." "It’s not." And fan comments on Ronaldinho the athlete. This leads us to believe that the richer the context, the more touch points that illustrate relevance leads to more interaction at a deeper level for the community.

So, now what?

Take a risk. If content isn’t quality and doesn’t resonate, its viewership will be weak and exposure will be limited.



The Gossip

Amsterdam, NL 2007.

As this well over 200 pound rock-n-roll goddess stepped out onto the stage in a pink rouched lamee dress and silver shoes there was one thing for certain, that woman was there to deliver.  And she did. Every ounce of her body, voice and sweat was packed into nearly 2 hours of a rock and roll s-h-o-w. 

At first heads bobbed, hands clapped and the crowd’s chatting continued.  By the end of the show, everyone was jumping, pounding fists into the air and singing with the band.  The Gossip had turned a lukewarm audience into a pack of raving fans.

The last song was obviously the band’s hit and to prove it… a charming guy who clearly had some stage experience and serious motivation hopped up with the band and started dancing with Beth, the lead singer!  She was down with sharing the stage and all hell broke loose!  3, 4, 11, 24 people were onstage dancing and singing their guts out with the Gossip.  What was great about it was they all gave her room to keep working the audience and were there simply sharing in the complete thrill of the moment.  1, 2, 3!  Yeah!

Not only was the show amazing, but afterward I was taken by how incredibly generous Ms. Beth was to all the folks who joined her on stage.  She knew how to work the crowd until the very end by shaking hands, hugging, talking, posing, signing autographs and loving her fans right back.  Anyone who approached her on stage after the house lights went up was welcomed.  She stayed and made it a night for her truly devoted fans. 

That band is one class act and gives me faith that all new music doesn’t solely exist to act as an infomercial for the singer to pimp their own brands of clothing and other useless merchandise.  Thanks Beth for such a great evening!