WAA-UBC Award of Achievement in Web Analytics

A member of the Web Analytics Forum at Yahoo! asked about the WAA-UBC Award of Achievement in Web Analytics. A Masters candidate, this individual wondered how in-depth the classes really were.

Stéphane Hamel, consultant, UBC tutor and currently on the Board of the WAA had one of the most useful responses and I felt it was worth sharing.

Stéphane Hamel

*****

From: webanalytics@yahoogroups.com On Behalf Of Stephane Hamel
Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 7:39 AM
To: webanalytics@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [webanalytics] Re: UBC Award of Achievement in Web Analytics

Hi,
I’m one of the tutors for the program (all four courses). In my opinion, there are 3 main skills/background to do web analytics: business/marketing, technology, and analytics (statistics in your case). Nobody is strong in all three, most have a “major” and a “minor” and are weaker in the third. Having tutored to about 500 people over the last 2 or 3 years, here’s some comments in reply to others:

1) It’s education, not training:

The benefit of the program is to cover all dimensions of a successful analytics program. It’s an “education” program, not “training”, so the emphasis is not on how to use the tools and large sets of data, but much more about the concepts and principles behind web analytics. Those range from understanding the technology supporting analytics, optimizing web sites, optimizing marketing, change management, and some very basic element of statistics. If you are seeking hands on training for a specific tool, you would be better off looking for vendor training. To get an idea of what’s covered in the program, you can have a look.

2) Interactions among students

Being an online course, interaction among students varies greatly and depends on the group and how involved and skilled the tutor is at facilitating and nurturing communication. Some courses triggers lots of discussion, while it’s more challenging to get people to participate in some others. But again, if you are “lucky” and you end up in a group where there’s a lot of discussion, the value of the course is greatly increased.

3) Unique and highly regarded

And lastly, the UBC program is the only one I know of this kind and has been receiving very good reviews since its inception. It’s also an element of the UC Irvine Web Intelligence certificate and the WAA is coming up with a certification exam. But maybe I’m biased here… so other people could comment

Hope that helps,

Stéphane Hamel
- eBusiness Strategist & Web Analytics advocate!
- Board of Director, Web Analytics Association
- Tutor, UBC Award of Achievement in Web Analytics
Twitter: immeria
Web: http://immeria.net
Blog: http://blog.immeria.net
WASP: http://WebAnalyticsSolutionProfiler.com
WAA: http://WebAnalyticsAssociation.org
UBC: http://www.tech.ubc.ca/webanalytics/

*****

Well said Stéphane – many thanks.

Sterne Measures for August 26, 2008

Welcome to Sterne Measures
August 26, 2008

In This Issue:

1. Base Camp – The Ground Floor
2. GA Training – The Next Stop
3. The Summit – eMetrics That Is
4. Avinash at MarketingProfs on the 28th
5. Wherein Jim Turns the Tables on Dr. Ralph
6. Where in the World is Jim Sterne?
7. Brought to You By

===============================
1. Base Camp – The Ground Floor
===============================
If you want to get in on the ground floor and learn the
basics, the Web Analytics Association Base Camps are the
place to be. The very next one is September 10 in NY
then comes Boston, LA, Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington D.C.,
Vancouver, Atlanta, and Seattle
http://webanalyticsassociation.org/waabasecamp/

==============================
2. GA Training – the Next Step
==============================
Understand the basics but want to get to know the tools?
Google Analytics is the most popular and least costly (free!)
tool out there. And now, WAA Director and GA aficionado
Robbin Steif will be leading a workshop where you can get
specific with what buttons to push and levers to pull on
October 3 in Washington D.C.

– How to get actionable data out of your analytics
– How to use your analytics to understand where your
users are having trouble
– Which little-used but valuable features of Google
Analytics will shine light on special opportunities
– How to decrease your AdWords spend (and increase your
conversions)
– How to use Google Website Optimizer to increase your
conversion rate
– How to get everyone in the company to love their data

Warning – it sold out early last time
http://www.lunametrics.com/getting-ahead/

================================
3. The Summit – eMetrics That Is
================================
OK – so you’ve gathered your thoughts at Base Camp and
know how to use the tools for the ascent. Now it’s time
to scale the heights.

The eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit is *the* place
to be to learn from the best. How do I know? A little bird
told me. http://www.emetrics.org/little-bird

========================================
4. Avinash at MarketingProfs on the 28th
========================================
I’ve contributed to MarketingProfs since 2003 so I can
recommend it without hesitation. And now, I have another
reason: Avinash Kaushik is going to do a 90-minute online
seminar for Premium Plus members at noon Eastern this
Thursday, August 28th.

MarketingProfs is letting me pass along to you a take
20% off the $249/year membership if you use promo code
emet20pp when you sign up. http://tinyurl.com/6385db

============================================
5. Wherein Jim Turns the Tables on Dr. Ralph
============================================
Dr. Ralph Wilson was all set up to interview various and
sundry at SES in San Jose. So when he clipped the microphone
to my lapel, I had to pull the old switcheroo.
http://www.wilsonweb.com/misc/sterne-wilson.htm

====================================
6. Where in the World is Jim Sterne?
====================================
Oh we *just* did that at the bottom of the last
Sterne Measures… http://tinyurl.com/6fcp4g

====================
7. Brought to You by Jim Sterne at Target Marketing:
====================

Practical strategy
for getting the most
from your Web site

Fifteen years of online experience: http://www.targeting.com
Five books on online marketing: http://www.targeting.com/books.html
One industry conference series: http://www.emetrics.org
One industry association: http://www.WebAnalyticsAssociation.org

===================================================
Please forward this to your friends, your colleagues,
heck – even your boss. Why not? They can subscribe
themselves at www.emetrics.org/sterne_measures.php
===================================================
Jim Sterne Target Marketing of Santa Barbara
jsterne@targeting.com http://www.targeting.com
Author, Speaker, Consultant +1 805-965-3184
Blog: http://emetrics.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jimsterne
———————————————————-
Copyright 1994-2008 Target Marketing of Santa Barbara
211 East Victoria, Suite E
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805-965-3184

Sterne Measures, July 29, 2008

Welcome to Sterne Measures
July 29, 2008

——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-

In This Issue:

1. Tough Times Call for Tough Measures
2. New WAA Board of Directors Member
3. Nokia Wants You
4. Does This Introduction Make My Face Look Red?
5. Where in the World is Jim Sterne?
6. Brought to You By

======================================
1. Tough Times Call for Tough Measures
======================================
Yes, that’s the theme for the Fall version of the
eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit in Washington
D.C. October 21-23 (or 20-25 if you count workshops).

I don’t have to tell you that times are tough, but I
can tell you that there are some very smart people with
some very useful experience who can give you some very
worthwhile clues about how to get more oomph out of
your marketing budget. And they all meet in Alexandria, VA
October 20-23 at the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit

The Agenda will be up at
http://www.emetrics.org/2008/washingtondc/
in about a week. Stay tuned….

====================================
2. New WAA Board of Directors Member
====================================
Who is it? I don’t know yet – the voting didn’t start
until July 28th and isn’t over until August 8. Who am
I going to vote for? Man, this is a tough one. There are
six *really* qualified people on the ballot. Some of them
are good friends, some of them are well known, all of
them know everything there is to know about web
analytics and all of them – by order of our By-Laws -
come from the vendor community.

So – if you are a WAA member, please look over this
august list and vote! http://tinyurl.com/6qnmr2
If you are not a member of the WAA – why not???

==================
3. Nokia Wants You
==================
I don’t usually put job postings in Sterne Measures,
but Shubhra Srivastava has been a speaker at the
eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit and a hugely
valuable member of the WAA Board of Directors. I owe
her and figure this is one small way I might try to
start paying her back.

Shubhra spent many years as a Senior Analytics
Consultant at Intercontinental Hotels and is now
growing her team at Nokia. She needs a Web Analyst/
Business Intelligence Analyst in White Plains, NY
and the details are here:
http://www.webanalyticsassociation.org/en/jobs/v/1079

================================================
4. Does This Introduction Make My Face Look Red?
================================================
Eric Peterson hit me with an email interview and then
knocked me over with his introduction.
http://tinyurl.com/6rjetb

====================================
5. Where in the World is Jim Sterne?
====================================
I’m still in Santa Barbara and am looking forward to
my first home-made meal in about two months. The kitchen
is almost done! But then…

Monday, August 18 I’ll join the wizards of web analytics
at X-Change at the Ritz in San Francisco
http://semphonic.com/conf/index.asp

The next day, I’ll be on a panel with Richard Zwicky,
Matthew Bailey, Avinash Kaushik and Marshall Sponder.
http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/sanjose/

In September I make United Airlines reconsider closing
those Red Carpet Clubs by flying to Johannesburg,
Baton Rouge, Washington D.C., Stockholm and London
and making it home in between to help my mother
celebrate the 51st anniversary of her 29th birthday.

And then there’s October, with the next big eMetrics
Marketing Optimization Summit in Alexandra, VA. It
will be remarkable.

====================
5. Brought to You by Jim Sterne at Target Marketing:
====================

Practical strategy
for getting the most
from your Web site

Fifteen years of online experience: http://www.targeting.com
Five books on online marketing: http://www.targeting.com/books.html
One industry conference series: http://www.emetrics.org
One industry association: http://www.WebAnalyticsAssociation.org

===================================================
Please forward this to your friends, your colleagues,
heck – even your boss. Why not? They can subscribe
themselves at www.emetrics.org/sterne_measures.php
===================================================
To unsubscribe send a blank email to
mailto:$subst(‘Email.UnSub’)
===================================================
———————————————————-
Jim Sterne Target Marketing of Santa Barbara
jsterne@targeting.com http://www.targeting.com
Author, Speaker, Consultant +1 805-965-3184
Blog: http://emetrics.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jimsterne
———————————————————-
Copyright 1994-2008 Target Marketing of Santa Barbara
211 East Victoria, Suite E
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805-965-3184

WAA International Meeting

We had a wonderful meeting in a beautiful wood-paneled bar in London – and to add to the character, our discussion had to compete with the European Champions Football League match (Manchester bested Chelsea 6-5).

There is nothing like a face-to-face meeting to understand what’s important, what’s incidental and what’s vital.

Vicky Brock, WAA Executive Secretary was on hand and is a masterful meeting moderator. She’s brilliant ant making sure all sides are heard and getting people to clarify their perspectives. Brava Vicky! She’ll be posting the Official… Something (minutes? results? final score?) soon. In the meantime, here’s what’s vital:

We are all in violent agreement.

Local WAA members lack local content, local events, local languages, job lists, content, newsletters, research, you name it. Why can’t we have more?!? No reason on Earth. As soon as the desire is matched with the power of volunteers, all things are possible.

Should there be local organizations – and by that I mean incorporated companies – to carry our these activities? Tough question. The costs are a real consideration – but so are the facts that an European-based association can petition the EU regarding privacy. A local association can trade using Euros. A local association can request government funding. Yes – we definitely need to chase down these issues and International Committee members are hereby being asked to volunteer to do the research and submit their recommendations for ratification.

Our immediate needs? Communicate better! Starting with publishing the names and contact info of Country Managers on the website. Yes, we’ve got some local chapters listed but only a few. Also – Speed up the approval and payment of money for events. This byzantine process has dogged us in the States as well. (You should have seen Neil Mason and Marshall Sponder at the last Board meeting! On the other hand, better you didn’t

What needs to happened from now on? More people willing to stand shoulder to shoulder and place one stone on top of the next to help build a solid foundation. Then, others can come along can build beautiful structures on top. When desire is matched with the power of volunteers, all things are possible.

Thanks to everybody who bellied up to the bar with me on Wednesday! I’m very interested to hear others’ opinions about the meeting. Now, it’s time for me to fly back to the States. Cheers!