PR Measurement Must Move Beyond Measuring Readers and Start Measuring Friends: The New Measure of Success is Popularity

The Paine of Measurement

Why Measure Eyeballs When You Can Measure Friends?

The latest news is the work the IAB is doing to make the numbers agree between the two leading eyeball counters comScore and Nielsen//NetRatings. (We gave these two firms our Measurement Menace of the Month Award this month.) By the time they get those guys to agree, the concept of counting eyeballs will be obsolete.

Google, with its revamp of Google Analytics, is doing a much better job keeping up with the latest demands in measurement. If you're not using it, you should be. It tracks not just traffic but sources of that traffic and conversion rates. It's data you can use to decide which tactics and strategies are paying off and which are a waste of time. Not based on eyeballs, but based on the response from your audience. Now that's useful stuff.

And besides, why measure eyeballs when you can measure friends? Whether it's on LinkedIn, MyRagan, Twitter or MySpace, the new measure of success is popularity. Actually, hasn't that been the measure of success since before the ruler was invented? Among political candidates, the business of comparing the number of friends is rapidly replacing the business of counting the number of column inches and campaign contributions raised. And, I have to say, it's a bummer if I start my day on Twitter and it tells me I have no friends.

The reality is, we all have friends. I'm talking about real friends in real life. When you're going through traumatic times those friends come out in droves to help you. Which is what people should really be measuring. Not how many friends you have on MySpace or Twitter, but how many you have that will help you celebrate during the good times and help you survive through the bad times.

Businesses need to look at these new measurement schemes through the same lens. Do they help the bottom line? Do they defend the reputation in tough times? Do they help spread the word when the news is good?

All the MySpace pals in the world may not boost your stock price, but they just might help prop it up a little longer during a crisis. And that's the big point here: Measure the impact of social media against the true bottom line, not an artificial benchmark created by the media.

Wishing you large measures of success,