So, let’s not go by statistics here and just assume that this blog isn’t going to get off the ground.  A facebook group has just been created (click it!), so please join the group.  I know this is all called “Atlanta Analytics”, but it’s really a web-wide community, so please go ahead and join, even if it’s not 72 degrees in January where you are.

So here is some of what’s to come over the next few days and weeks:

• The blog, of course.  It’s time that we got this started, right?
• A glossary – somewhere you can go if you’re wondering what the difference is between ‘visitors’, ‘visitors by session’, ‘unique visitors’, ‘absolute unique visitors’, ‘weekly unique visitors by month’, and all of that mess!  It’s probably more of a wiki than a glossary, so please comment if you’d like to contribute.  I’ll take all the help (and give all the credit) that I can
• A how-to section.  This is where I’m going to rip off Avinash the most.  OK, just kidding.  I’ll just link to everything he’s brilliantly put together already, but if there are any good ideas about how to figure things out, this will be the place
• Interviews!  Let’s talk to people in the industry!  Please twitter DM me @evanlapointe if you’re an analyst with something to say.  Also, we’ll be talking to people in the industry in…you guessed it…Atlanta.  To start.
• Q&A – the blog might take care of some of this, but let’s start a place where people can ask questions and others can help out.
• Reviews/instructions for using the various tools.  Are we getting tired of this yet?  Somehow, I feel like this might be useful, especially for those who are switching or thinking of switching tools.
• Good ideas and bad ideas.  Ever heard that radio ad that says you wouldn’t put a cabinet together with a carrot peeler?  Well, we probably won’t resort to that level of metaphorical desperation, but let’s talk about some of the do’s and don’t’s of web analytics.  There are a lot of both.

I’m looking forward to hearing from any and everyone who takes the time to visit.  Please stay tuned and add this to your RSS reader!

Thanks for stopping by.

Welcome to Atlanta Analytics, a blog about web analytics.  But this isn’t another blog about how to do web analytics.  I could never hope to compete with Avinash Kaushik on that.  This blog, instead, is about how to get web analytics happening at your workplace.  It’s about how to prioritize analytics.  It’s about engaging stakeholders on a level that allows them not only to track their progress (reporting), but improve their products through the types of analytics projects and findings Avinash is so gifted at teaching us.

The purpose of this blog is not to make you a better analyst, per se, as much as it is to give already talented analysts a few ideas about how to increase the visibility of a department (or your own visibility, if you’re alone) that can change the future of an entire business.  Nobody that works on a web site has greater power to improve the bottom line than a good analyst.  And I mean nobody.

We’ll discuss a multitude of things around a handful of topics, notably:

• How to hire good analytics people
• Why implementation is the most important thing you’ve got going
• Why it should be against the law for people to “specialize”
• Some tips and tricks on the big tools out there
• And more!