- Describe the similarities and differences between server log, coded page and panel data. Which do you think is most useful?
- What are some of the specific metrics that measure Internet traffic, audiences and campaigns. Which ones do you think are most important?
- What kinds of variables are needed to measure the effectiveness of branding efforts on the Internet? Where are these measures obtained?
Server log- records each files requests from websites, it is created by the owner of the website. Code page- (new way of data collection) its on the user side of transaction. Data collected by tags has several advantages over server log data: the data may be more accurate, data collected by web bugs has smaller storage requirements because it stores only relevant data, and when data are collected in this manner, it permits real-time processing and viewing of site metrics. Panel data – the process for using panel data to generate site effectiveness data is the same as using panels in the general marketing research process. Specialized software is downloaded onto the participant’s computer to record the click stream data. Differences – server logs record information on the server side while Coded Data collects information from the browser side Coded Pages are more useful than server logs because the user’s IP address may change during the session, causing the server log to, in effect, record different visitors. Coded pages has real time viewing and server logs does not because it has to be transferred. The main similarity between them is that they all are use for recording peoples activities on websites.
Measuring metrics for the Internet: sessions- amount of activity on a site during a specified period. Impressions- number of times and ad banner is requested by a browser. Page views – times a web page is requested. Hits- numbers of files requested. Click-through- numbers of times visitors come to the site by clicking on an ad. Measuring metrics for Audiences: Unduplicated audience: the visitors that are unique to a website. Visitors- number of people who visit the site. Behavior on the site -how many pages were viewed, time on the pages. Measuring metrics for Campaigns: Offer – promotion (testing shipping cost from free to discount offer). The communication channels can be use as will (mail/email, online banners).