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New Metrics for Success: What I Learned from the Drudge Report

Holly Ross of NTEN took the step of discussing her organization's website traffic right out in the open in an article entitled New Metrics for Success: What I Learned from the Drudge Report. The title comes from the insight that the (rather horrific, in my opinion) Drudge Report has influence that far outstrips it obvious traffic numbers. This illustrates how easy it is for the things we can measure to be somewhat disconnected from the things we should measure. Many of us are in the business of influencing various communities of practice, but how do we go about coming up with good metrics for that? In my own work, I suggest that we invest up front in network centric listening tools and practices, so that we know what those communities are saying, where they are going, and what their dynamics are. Holly suggests we tie deeper organizational outcomes to the more tactical metrics. Good stuff, worth emulating. Posted: 10/27/08; 4:47:56 PM #

Measuring the Effects of Social Media Marketing

In his piece on Measuring the Effects of Social Media Marketing, Colin Delany echos some themes from my own article on The Quest for Metrics. Most importantly, he makes a plea for organizations to develop clear goals, because that is the only way to create meaningful yardsticks. This also keeps us from just measuring the things that the Internet makes easiest for us and helps us measure the things that matter. Honestly, I think the best social marketing an organization can make is in up-front goals and metrics, and the information gathering workflow to go along with them. And yeah, I am suggesting you do this before you make any meaningful investment in outbound messaging. Posted: 10/27/08; 4:40:04 PM #

In Defense of Raising Money: A Manifesto for NonProfit CEOs

Sasha Dichter is sick of apologizing for being in charge of raising money and he captures this eloquently in his Manifesto for Nonprofit CEOs: In Defense of Raising Money (for some reason, a 5 page PDF). He identifies four possible reasons for people's fear based response to the notion of raising money: (1) People think that asking for money is all about asking for money. (2) People think that storytelling is a gift, not a skill. (3) Money = Power. (4) They are afraid they will be told 'no'. While I do think that nonprofit fundraisers have made something of a bad name for themselves with the public (possibly shaping the view that asking for money is all about asking for money, for example), I think this is a very valuable manifesto. A lot of what's going on here is anxiety and dysfunctional relationships to money, and Dichter's manifesto contributes mightily to the cause of unraveling that. Posted: 10/27/08; 4:32:07 PM #

Nonprofit Policy Priorities for the New (U.S.) Administration

Lester Salamon and Stephanie Geller have published the results of their survey on Nonprofit Policy Priorities for the New Administration (17 page PDF). I confess I am disappointed but unsurprised by the results. Overwhelming respondents put funding issues at the top of their list of concerns for a new U.S. government. There was also some interest in capacity building and workforce development in the sector, but those interests were definitely a distant second. After the Bush administration's unprecedented transfer of society's wealth to the rich (through the tax code, privatization, wars, and other spending) and in the context of today's financial climate, I can hardly blame nonprofit leaders for their focus on money. But it's very sad to me that the massive erosion of the basic enabling infrastructure of civil society (key liberties, privacy and so on) are nowhere to be seen. I think this may be as much the fault of the researchers as of the respondents. Posted: 10/27/08; 4:22:11 PM #

A Few More Words on Edupunk
	In a brief post on the topic of "edupunk", Asher Bey makes a really interesting point: Old ideas are made new by the changing circumstances of the world. In this case, it's not participatory pedagogy that is new, but rather that the material and technical opportunities for pursuing it are. Posted: 10/27/08; 4:10:05 PM #

The Basics of Email Metrics

IdealWare's article on The Basics of Email Metrics is a fine introduction to the topic of what you can measure in outbound email programs. (What you actually should measure is a far more idiosyncratic matter, of course.) It covers the three metrics that I consider most important today - clickthrough, response, and unsubscribe - as well as others and puts them all in reasonable perspective. Most important is the closing advise to avoid comparing these metrics to other organizations, but instead focusing on your own performance over time and across different campaigns. I also highly recommend an investment in tying these tactical metrics to more strategic ones that describe your overall relationship-building success. Posted: 10/27/08; 4:08:14 PM #