Presentation by Union Metrics CEO and Founder, Hayes Davis at Internet Summit 2011. Nov 15-16, 2011 in Raleigh, NC.

1. Taming the Stream
Integrating and Standardizing Social Analytics
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

2. About me
Hayes Davis
CEO of TweetReach
Lover of bacon, analytics
@hayesdavis
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

3. What’s on the agenda?
• About measurement
• Generally accepted metrics
• Evolving metrics
• Black box metrics
• Putting it all together
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

4. About Measurement
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

5. Accuracy vs Precision
• Accuracy
Measurements reflect the True
State of the World at the time
the measurement was taken
• Precision
The same measurements
under the same circumstances
are consistent
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

6. Accuracy in social media
• In most computer systems
larger than a single machine,
There is no Truth
• CAP Theorem says:
Choose two of Consistency,
Availability and Partition
Tolerance
• For social networks,
consistency gets the axe
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

7. Data collection still matters
• Data collection usually done via APIs
• Some APIs give better data than others:
• Twitter Search excludes certain users and is limited to
1500 tweets over 7 days
• Twitter’s Streaming API provides full coverage in real
time if connected 24x7
• Know how your vendor collects data for each channel
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

8. How to be precise
• Collect data the same way every time
• The channels often change the rules, be aware of these
changes
• If you’re relying on vendors for measures, understand any
algorithm changes the make
• Measure the same thing repeatedly and watch it trend
over time. If there are wild swings, investigate all parts of
the “data chain”
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

9. On to the metrics...
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

10. A simple framework
Account Topic
Centric Centric
Owned Media Earned Media
Your Content All Content
Your Network Whole Network
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

11. Generally Agreed Metrics
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

12. Accepted counting metrics
• “Graph” metrics like Fans/
Followers/Friends
• Interactions such as Likes/
Retweets/Replies/Comments
• Mention volume
• Clicks
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Count_von_Count
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

13. Some accepted KPIs
• Share of Voice
(Your Mentions) / (Industry Mentions)
• Velocity
(Volume in a Time Period) / (Length of Time Period)
• Unique Contributors
|Participants|
• Conversion Rate
(Completed Actions) / (Audience Size)
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

14. Evolving Metrics
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

15. “You keep using that word. I do
not think it means what you
think it means.”
- Inigo Montoya
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

16. Same name, different meaning
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

17. Some evolving metrics
• Reach: Size of the potential audience. Sometimes
applied to accounts, sometimes to overall conversation.
May contain heuristics.
• Amplification: How much is the reach of a message
or user being increased by sharing?
• Impact: What effect is a user having on a conversation?
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

18. Black Box Metrics
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

19. Data in, answer out
Step 1. Step 2. Step3.
Get data ??? Profit
?
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

20. Black boxes are valuable...
• Specialized providers
• “Big picture” algorithms
• Immense data collection
• Simplified communication
• Increased efficiency
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

21. ... If everyone believes
$1.00 is worth a soda
because we believe
it’s worth a soda.
If people lose faith
in a black box, it
becomes worthless.
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

22. Putting it all together
• Aim for precision with as much accuracy as possible
• Use commonly agreed definitions where possible
• For evolving metrics, pick a definition and stick with it
• Use black box metrics sparingly
• Research the algorithm
• Supplement your analysis, don’t replace
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11

23. Questions?
Hayes Davis
CEO of TweetReach
@hayesdavis
hayes@appozite.com
Taming the Stream | #tamethestream | @hayesdavis Internet Summit 11