I am not a Google Analytic. I refuse to be.
The software world increasingly tries to define, segment and classify us by the web pages we visit, what we click, the goods we purchase. They capture this data and figure out what you will do next.
Businesses use this information to send electronic messages your way and make web sites pop up miraculously with products that you have previously used or that are similar to ones you’ve purchased online. It’s part of an increasing attempt by analytical tools to turn you into a machine driven by your online activities.
But we are human beings. We cannot be broken down into components this way.
A couple of weeks ago, I was at a business session and the subject of my web site came up. The discussion centered on how to use your online presence to bring customers your way. It got lively as attendees brought up the different ways to quantify what they offered, and how to make sure that information was spliced in a way that drove potential customers to their web site.
All this was premised on the concept that people want to have their data chopped and dissected to create more customer activity. That’s not true though. Not everyone wants that.
My web site, for example, is designed to be fun and readable. I share my column, a Bad Golf blog, a cooking blog, a weekly chuckle and offer my services if someone needs a professional writer for any of their business needs. I’m glad if someone finds me through my web site. But it’s not imperative, nor is that a driver on why I post what I do or structure how the pages are organized.
I do not want to be defined, broken down and segmented through key words and by Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Many people though seem to think that “optimization” is the only way to look at your online world: You must optimize yourself.
I disagree. If we keep going down that path, what’s left of human creativity, ingenuity and our unique individual natures? If everything about our personalities is put into a box, then why even get out of bed in the morning? The analytics will predict what you do, so why even act?
If we get broken down into predictable chunks of consumer data, what’s left of our human qualities? If that’s all that we care about, no one would ever go out and meet someone for lunch, have a conversation, share information, because the analytics would tell us everything beforehand.
My web site is there to share, give people some fun things to read. Every site doesn’t have to sell you something or make you well-known or come up first in SEO. It’s enough to just “be,” and let others find you, and if they enjoy what you have to share, then hey, you can jointly take things from there and see what happens next in life.
Not conforming to optimization is a way to keep spontaneity alive in your personal and professional universe. Grabbing a beer or a burger with a friend sure is fun, but it’s not going to raise your profile online.
Google Analytics cannot quantify us. They can try, but they will fail because the human spirit is way more than about words, purchasing patterns and data.
The software world increasingly tries to define, segment and classify us by the web pages we visit, what we click, the goods we purchase. They capture this data and figure out what you will do next.
Businesses use this information to send electronic messages your way and make web sites pop up miraculously with products that you have previously used or that are similar to ones you’ve purchased online. It’s part of an increasing attempt by analytical tools to turn you into a machine driven by your online activities.
But we are human beings. We cannot be broken down into components this way.
A couple of weeks ago, I was at a business session and the subject of my web site came up. The discussion centered on how to use your online presence to bring customers your way. It got lively as attendees brought up the different ways to quantify what they offered, and how to make sure that information was spliced in a way that drove potential customers to their web site.
All this was premised on the concept that people want to have their data chopped and dissected to create more customer activity. That’s not true though. Not everyone wants that.
My web site, for example, is designed to be fun and readable. I share my column, a Bad Golf blog, a cooking blog, a weekly chuckle and offer my services if someone needs a professional writer for any of their business needs. I’m glad if someone finds me through my web site. But it’s not imperative, nor is that a driver on why I post what I do or structure how the pages are organized.
I do not want to be defined, broken down and segmented through key words and by Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Many people though seem to think that “optimization” is the only way to look at your online world: You must optimize yourself.
I disagree. If we keep going down that path, what’s left of human creativity, ingenuity and our unique individual natures? If everything about our personalities is put into a box, then why even get out of bed in the morning? The analytics will predict what you do, so why even act?
If we get broken down into predictable chunks of consumer data, what’s left of our human qualities? If that’s all that we care about, no one would ever go out and meet someone for lunch, have a conversation, share information, because the analytics would tell us everything beforehand.
My web site is there to share, give people some fun things to read. Every site doesn’t have to sell you something or make you well-known or come up first in SEO. It’s enough to just “be,” and let others find you, and if they enjoy what you have to share, then hey, you can jointly take things from there and see what happens next in life.
Not conforming to optimization is a way to keep spontaneity alive in your personal and professional universe. Grabbing a beer or a burger with a friend sure is fun, but it’s not going to raise your profile online.
Google Analytics cannot quantify us. They can try, but they will fail because the human spirit is way more than about words, purchasing patterns and data.