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 just another way to squeeze value from what seems to be 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 Web site is watching what I'm doing...the only defense is a good offense." Seth Goldstein's entire article can be read here.

Bottom line, AttenTV, Ingenious. It's not only another component of the movement that "monetizes the conversation"  it's a technical application that furthers the democratization of the online space and 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 etc.  All good metrics, but they don’t give much texture to what else those events are producing except that event, an end result.  What we miss with these metrics is a whole host of other activity that our ads generate: pass-alongs, recommendations, trustworthiness, impressions (feelings), conversations, groups, communities etc. If we overlay social media on this situation, these are the exact 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 us to attribute value to some of that 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 screen, they don’t expect to see tv ads on it, nor do they want it there.
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 enough to get a the most views of a professionally generated commercial, but failed to inspire people enough to become active and comment on it. Again, showing us that content online is judged by its quality. In the online space, attention can’t be bought. Great content gets an invitation to be at the heart of the conversations that are happening online. As an ancillary note, the top 3 comments for *Touch were grouped into 3 areas: "It’s real." "It’s not." And fan comments on Ronaldinho himself. Leading 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 the content isn’t quality and doesn’t resonate, its viewership will be weak and exposure will be limited.





The Gossip

It’s been ages since I’ve seen a gig.  It feels like seeing shows was part of my youth that I’ve left behind as I’ve pursued my career and done what grown ups are supposed to do.   It didn’t help that my friends who also found live music so much fun and worth seeing let other priorities come between them and those magic tickets, too.  Eventually, conversations get stilted when one friend on the line says, “Excellent show! It completely rocked last night when this electric zither band opened for Iggy!” and the reply on the other end is, “Iggy who?”  That level of disconnect can only be withstood for so long before you have to make a choice. Either make a completely new group of friends who graduated the year you bought your first house. Or, knuckle under and give up some of that teen thrill to be able have a conversation where you don’t have to explain references to Ozone and Turbo or the Iron Curtain.

So to confess, I can’t quite give up seeing shows. Only now, I’m much more selective, it better be f-ing worth it.  I’m not going to go tripping down memory lane, feel old and start justifying my life choices for no good reason. 

Well, this week I had one. The Gossip. 

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.  She put every ounce of her body, voice and sweat into nearly 2 hours of a rock and roll s-h-o-w.  At first heads bobbed, hands clapped and chatting continued.  By the end of the show, everyone was jumping, pounding fists into the air and signing with the band.  The last song was obviously the band’s hit and to prove it… a charming guy who clearly had some stage twinkle and serious motivation  hopped up with the band and started dancing with Beth!  She obliged 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 work and were there 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 and loving her fans right back.  With anyone who wanted to be on stage after the house lights went up, 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 isn’t a set of infomercials for the singer as they pimp their own brands of clothing and other useless merchandise.  Thanks Beth for that trip down memory lane!