Craig's Lemonade

RSS and Web Analytics in a 2.0 world. Its attention.

A few weeks back a gave about an hour talk at the annual Software Association of Oregon (SAO) annual retreat. It was frankly a last minute addition to the agenda, but seemed like a poignant time in our association's history to jostle the old guard about what it means to be a software company in 2007. Great examples of new web 2.0. software companies I discussed included SplashCast, Jive Software, Aboutus.org, and others. There are no doubt dozens of budding new software companies that have yet to be discovered. Unfortunately, the SAO is the last to learn of them, in fact I learned about SplashCast from TechCrunch (which most folks at the retreat wrote down as if they had never heard of it.) So, what about web analytics in a 2.0 World?

Thinking and talking about this paradigm shift at our annual retreat, combined with my job as CEO of Attensa (where we have our own analytics component for the enterprise), it got me thinking. I believe the web analytics space is one of the more interesting established software markets to be profoundly impacted by web 2.0 than any other. I firmly believe this for three reasons;

1. RSS is a serious marketing tool for businesses of all sizes and industries and will become significant. More progressive emarketers are already seeing the benefits both for replacing/augmenting email programs and for distributing information to customers by broadcasting (rather than requiring a return to a marketers web site for information.) I believe companies will demand integrated measurement tools for RSS as through as those for email, advertising, and web site analytics.
2. Delivering the analytics TO the customer just makes sense. Currently, essentially all of the major players in this space require going to a dashboard/portal user interface. This is so 2005. Users at all levels, consumer and business, are proving that push vs. pull is the preferred means of discovering information. Industry watchers are already wondering why RSS feeds aren't used yet by the major players in the web analytics space. Using RSS as a means to distribute Web analytics updates/reports is so obvious it is inevitable, and perhaps new standards such as Microsoft's SLE, will be the best way for companies to deliver this type of information easily. I for one would like to get my FeedBurner stats this way, and I'm not alone.
3. Measuring the user is changing, and in the future its 'attention' not click residue. What is important for marketers, then and now, is getting the best read on their current or prospective customers habits. And, of course, to get them to buy. Clickstreams and clickthroughs are not the end-all, just a tiny part of the whole. Consider the phenomenon of end user tagging, which last month's PEW Internet & American Life Project report confirmed that already 28% of online Americans have used the Internet to tag content. This is pure "attention" and far more useful overtime than clickstreams or clicks.

Simon Wakeman, an industry consultant, discusses his experience using Google Analytics, StatCounter, and FeedBurner on his blog. And of course points out that he cant get RSS feeds from any of them. Steve Rubel has discovered a new service called Clicky that may be a peek at web 2.0 analytics. I have not tried it yet. Also worth noting, Google announced it will publish stats on its Google Reader and there is some chatter on the labs blog. I have a feeling all the major services will publish these stats over time and, accordingly, marketers will care.

As for Attensa, our Enterprise Server (AFS) has an analytics component, but it is focused primarily at behind the firewall use of RSS feeds for business users. We have no current plans to offer RSS for large companies that are adding RSS as a medium for communicating to customers. At least not yet.

In my opinion, the conventional web analytics software firm of the future will need to focus on the interactivity of customers across all media, not click residue. Thoughts?

Technorati Tags: SAO.org - Attensa - Attention - Attensa Feed Server - Web Analytics - RSS Analytics - Web 2.0 - Web2.0 - Splashcast - Jive software - Microsoft SLE - FeedBurner - PEW - Google Analytics - Google Reader - Simon Wakeman - Steve Rubel - tagging - StatCounter - Clicky - RSS - RSS Marketing

SAO confirms that Oregon's Software Industry is the real deal

This morning the Software Association of Oregon (SAO) issued a press release and announced the availability of an economic impact report. I've been involved in starting and running software companies in Oregon for over 21 years now. I love it here. Many others do too. Intel, based in Santa Clara, CA, has more employees here than anywhere else in the world - and a large percentage are software folks.

This is a GREAT place to start a software company of any kind. There are significant resources and talent in engineering, sales, marketing, and more. However, there is not a lot of access to capital, so you'll have to plan on a lot of travel to raise early rounds(but that's another story.)

I am chairman of our association's advocacy committee, and serve on the executive committee, and know that with the SAO's new leadership, market opportunities, and strong support infrastructure our state offers, I am really looking forward to 2007. This will be a big year for the SAO and for software companies in Oregon. I can feel it.

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OREGON’S SOFTWARE INDUSTRY MAKES STRONG GAINS; FURTHER JOB GROWTH FORECAST IN NEW STUDY

PORTLAND, Ore.—February 8, 2007 - Oregon’s software industry experienced employment gains of more than 11 percent in the two-year period ended in 2005 and is positioned for even greater job growth over the next decade according to an economic impact analysis released today by the Software Association of Oregon (SAO).

In 2006 SAO retained the respected consulting firm of ECONortwest to measure the economic contributions of the software industry to the Oregon economy through 2005.  Included in the findings of the study are the following:

• In 2005 the software industry generated over 51,700 jobs in Oregon.  These jobs produced a direct economic impact of $9.2 billion to Oregon’s economy, including $3.2 billion in personal income, and generated more than $834 million in state and local tax revenues.

• Employment in the ten software and computer-related professions profiled in the study is expected to grow by approximately 18.7 percent through 2014, faster than the overall employment growth rate projected for Oregon across all occupations in the same time period.  Importantly, only software and computer-related professions and health care related professions are expected to have growth openings that exceed the number of replacement openings over the next decade.

• Improved or very improved business conditions were reported by 62 percent of SAO members who were surveyed for the study and 44 percent of respondents expect to see stronger or much stronger hiring in the next year.

SAO president, Harvey Mathews, detailed the findings at a press conference held at the Oregon State Capitol February 8^th, where Mr. Mathews also addressed SAO’s advocacy agenda before the current session of the Oregon Legislature.

“The findings of the economic impact analysis confirm what SAO members have long assumed: software and technology companies are key drivers of the Oregon economy,”, Mr. Mathews said. “When the economic impact of the software and technology industry is fully considered, it is obvious that the continued prosperity of our state is heavily tied to the success of our member companies. 

“Despite what you may read about software jobs being shipped overseas, the data clearly shows that, to the contrary, we are one of the fastest growing sectors in Oregon’s economy.  This industry imports wealth that ripples through Oregon’s economy, creating many other jobs as a byproduct.”

“We intend to be active in the current session of the Legislature and on an on-going basis with policy makers across a range of subjects, but particularly to encourage creativity and thoughtfulness in how Oregon invests in its educational system and economic development programs,” added Mr. Mathews. "We want legislators to keep in mind the impacts their policy decisions can have on software companies and the industry as a whole."

The economic impact analysis was made possible in part through a grant from the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department and the support of SAO members.  The report can be viewed on line at www.sao.org.

ABOUT SAO: SAO is Oregon’s largest and only locally headquartered technology trade association, based in Portland, serving over 500 member companies located throughout the state. SAO's mission is to sustain a healthy and strong software industry cluster in Oregon by: Helping companies start, creating an environment where companies and entrepreneurs want to move, and supporting company growth. 

Technorati Tags: SAO - Attensa - Oregon Software

The Five Temptations of a CEO - "A Leadership Fable"

I am involved in our region's trade industry, known as the Software Association of Oregon (SAO), and next week I am on a panel with two other CEOs for one of the many events we hold for members and non-members in special interest groups that includes leadership, marketing, human resources, etc. This particular one, lead by executive recruiter Pamela Jones, is centered around a new best selling book - or "leadership fable" as it is called - entitled The Five Temptations of a CEO. I just finished reading it, it is about an hour read at most, and I recommend it highly. I must admit I was dubious at first that I would enjoy it or even get anything out of it - but I did. While geared for CEOs, any manager will benefit from this quick read.

Here's the amazon.com review, which also describes the temptations:

Imagine running into the ultimate management mentor late one night on an otherwise deserted commuter train, and walking away from the strange encounter with an encapsulated guide to success in the corporate world. That's exactly what screenwriter and business coach Patrick Lencioni has done in The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable, placing his tale in an easy-reading and thought- provoking kind of self-help novel.

Designed to be read in a single sitting, this book uses the unexpected meeting between troubled high-tech honcho Andrew O'Brien and a mysterious old man named Charlie to explore a series of common traps that can unwittingly ensnare any hard-driven executive. Lencioni hones in on the five "temptations" of the workplace: desires to jealously guard career status, consistently remain popular with subordinates, unfailingly make correct decisions, constantly strive for an atmosphere of total harmony, and always appear invulnerable. A discussion of the story's events and their real-world implications follows, as Lencioni shifts from screenwriter mode to business coach to help answer some of the questions he raises. --Howard Rothman

The net, net of this book for me personally is that I am guilty of all of these temptations to some degree, and expect that tomorrow morning I will begin my day with different expectations of myself and my crew.

Here's the author's web site the table group which includes other books, consulting, etc.

Technorati Tags: Attensa - The Five Temptations of a CEO - the table group

The Software Association of Oregon and Advocacy

Friday was our annual Software Association of Oregon scramble golf tournament out at the Preserve in Hillsboro, Oregon and while it wasn't exactly balmy the rain did hold off for the most part...then poured right as we rolled into the tent for lunch. Seeing several faces I haven't in years as well as meeting some new ones it reinforced my firm belief in our region's solid software heritage. There are hundreds and hundreds of software companies of all shaopes in sizes in our fair state...and the past several years has seena lot of new companies formed and new investment dollars pouring in.

Consistent with this, the SAO itself has been reinvigorated. Greg Drew, CEO of Webtrends sits as our new board chair and the SAO's John Tortorici leads the team on a variety of new initiatives to step up the SAO's impact our industry and influence policy decisions important to our constituents.

THe SAO web site on advocacy:

In March of 2006, as a part of the Grow initiative, SAO’s Board of Directors resolved to create an Advocacy Committee with the intent to monitor and influence public policy efforts that affect our member organizations ability to prosper in an increasing global economy. This committee primarily advocates for tax and economic development policies that further SAO’s ongoing efforts to advance and grow the software and technology industry in Oregon.

By leading discussions with federal, state and local officials about the important contributions of software powered companies throughout the state, the SAO influences policy making that has an impact on the software industry and assists, advises, and communicates opportunities to the SAO Board of Directors and the SAO membership regarding key pieces of legislation or regulatory matters. The SAO works collaboratively with and is a resource for government agencies, leading business organizations, educational institutions, and other groups to be a strong voice for the Oregon software industry for years to come.

SAO is the voice of the software industry statewide to:

• Provide leadership on issues important to the growth of the software industry and to engage in issues that have a positive impact on SAO Members;
• Remain non-partisan in the selection of issues, endorsement of candidates, and execution of strategies;
• Focus on selected issues with the greatest impact on the software industry;
• Drive toward creating a business climate that promotes innovation and public policies that encourage software development and the expansion of Oregon's knowledge-based economy.

Advocacy Committee Members:

Craig Barnes, Attensa - Chair
Erin Brennock, Synopsys
John Cimral, ProSight
Jack Isselmann, Vista Strategies
Pamela Jones, JONES Partners
Phil Keisling, ProDX
David Kopf, Symantec
Harvey Mathews, AOI
Lewis McMurran, WSA
James Robertson, Radisys
Jim Wall, Symantec
Erick Watson, Microsoft
Jim Wasko, IBM
Jonathan Williams, Intel
John Tortorici, SAO
Molly Moore, SAO

For more information, please contact Molly Moore, Vice President at [email protected] or (503) 228-5401.

We're doing some heavy lifting here in Oregon, and we're agressively building an association that actually can make a difference. It is my hope that we cannot only help enterpreneurs and business leaders to "start, move, or grow" their business in Oregon but to actually effect public policy  especially in the areas where Oregon's tax policies are essentially "anti-business" (and that is my personal view and not necessarily representative of the views of the advocacy committee.)