Archive for November, 2005
Clickstream Analysis: People Are Not Cows
As a consultant, I often utter statements that, if overheard by an outsider, would lead him to question my competence and my sanity. There I was, someone who was supposed to be a marketing ROI (define) expert, deep in a discussion, crooning in my confident, Einsteinian manner: “People are not cows!”
On the surface, that’s stating the obvious. Yet to those studying path analysis or clickstream analysis these days, the statement has some not-so obvious implications.
Indeed, people aren’t cows. Possessing this truth will help you to optimize your site paths.
What Is a Cow Path?
The term “cow path” is a new term in the IT lexicon. According to Jim Highsmith, “‘paving cow paths’ means automating a business process as is, without thinking too much about whether or not that process is effective or efficient.”
The practice of paving cow paths stretches into the past. Take city planning. There’s a stunning contrast between Washington D.C. and Boston. Washington was thoughtfully planned in 1791 by Pierre L’Enfant. According to the Explore DC site:
His work would be like “turning a savage wilderness into a garden of Eden,” [George Washington] wrote…. L’Enfant’s plan for Washington is universally considered America’s most notable achievement in municipal planning.
Boston, according to the chair of the Boston Conference Committee:
It’s also a walkable city, although rarely in a straight line. The roads, and sidewalks, were laid out following old cow paths, Native American trails and long-gone shorelines. Getting “lost” is part of the enjoyment of discovering the City.
Although Boston just grew along worn cow paths, Washington was designed to be more efficient and more magnificent than any European city.
How have you planned your site?
Continue reading my column at ClickZ…
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Written by:Bryan Eisenberg
Another Dumb Pet Trick
Don’t wind up teaching your visitors to beg (or bail)
Bryan couldn’t wait to email me the screen shots. “This is crazy! I can’t believe they’re doing this.” There’s a lot we can’t believe folks do, so this actually isn’t an unusual situation. But Bryan was … um … peeved. (That’s putting it politely.)You see, DJ needed a bowl for his water, and providing for DJ proved slightly more complicated than Bryan had anticipated. In his words …
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Read the entire newsletter: Volume 120
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Written by:The Grok
The Grok’s Inner Hispanic
6 tips for reaching out and marketing online to Latinos
Who knew? The Grok has some “North of the border” blood flowing in him?!?!?! Yes, it’s the other way around on Mars, and life is full of surprises. So, embracing my Cinapsih roots (the Martian equivalent of Hispanic), a la Freddie Prinze, Jr., I wanted to share with you some pointers on how to use the web effectively to reach and market to Latinos.
Who better to all upon than my dear cousin, El Groko, better known in these parts as Juan Tornoe, the man who spearheads El Mago de la Publicidad, the Hispanic branch of Wizard of Ads, Inc.
Read the rest of this article.
Read the entire newsletter: Volume 120
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Written by:The Grok
