My question is what will ever happen to microsoft web analytics with the recent coverage advising that the product will end on the 31st Dec 2009.

http://www.thelostagency.com/index.php/analytics-services/msn-analytics.html

Kristoffer

Since you asked .. I think it would make sense to keep all the WAA ethics efforts under one umbrella for the time being. We might find enough distinction between the two paths (data usage and professional conduct) that they each deserve their own focus, but at this point I’d prefer to get all viewpoints on the table first, and worry about sorting/organizing second.

Bob

Dennis, you’re right that there should be a counter part from the vendors. In November last year I wrote a small post explaining exactly this idea: http://webanalytics.wordpress.com/2006/11/24/deontology-codes-for-the-web-analytics-industry/

At San Francisco the Sunday prior to Emetrics, I had a very interesting conversation regarding ethics and codes of conducts for the Industry with Aurélie, Jim, Eric, Joseph, Brian and Dave. I expressed the need for such a code of conduct. Jim proposed that it should maybe be compulsory for all members, but I think that it could be something on top of the WAA membership that could provide the person/company following the principles some kind of label that he could present in his website.

As there are different actors in this Industry there’s a need for different codes, and believe me when I say that there’s a need, I’ve seen things since we started doing Web Analytics that are completely counter productive for the Industry in he long term. We are still at the beginning of this Industry and its future depends only on us and how for example we can set-up rules of conduct that will bring trust not only from all the parties involved, but also from legislators as people tend to describe our activities as a ‘Big Brother’ thing.
So the codes of conduct that I see necessary are:

Vendors
- Code of conduct towards their partners (agencies)
- Code of conduct towards their clients (end users)
- Code of conduct towards other vendors (I’m not that sure about this one)

Consultancy firms
- Code of conduct towards vendors (as the one I’ve explained earlier)
- Code of conduct towards clients

Practitioners
- Code of conduct towards their employers (here I’m thinking for example of a rule in which the practitioner needs always to be honest and trustful when reporting internally)

Educators
- Code of conduct towards their ‘pupils’ (As they have a great responsibility on how the Industry in going to evolve, it’s important that they give proper and non biased education).

That Sunday also I had the opportunity to speak with Bob Page who’s now in charge of setting up a task force within the WAA to address privacy/ethics concerns and try to set-up a global code of conduct about what can be done and what not (this is more on the tracking side, use of cookies, etc…). I think that this task force could also look into the codes of conducts expressed above, or should we create a specific task force for this? What do you think Bob?

But well, I might just be a little bit naive, but I really believe that WA can bring transparency and accountability and thus allow better decisions. It is in our hand to reshape the way many business decisions are taken nowadays. And this can only happen if there’s 100% of confidence and trust among all the parties involved. We (WA Industry members) need to be the first ones that can describe themselves as accountable!

Does this makes sense to you dear reader or is it just me?

René

Absolutely a wonderful and very thoughtful post – I would even (when you have the time), move this up and into the WAA as a set of even more concise procedures. But may I at the same time suggest that you add in the opposite code of conduct. (I think it would be self serving I started to suggest anything). This as in a Web Analytics Vendor code of ethics principles – remember; most vendors provide YOUR services as in “Consulting”, not me though, and that takes ethics to stay on the rightful path.

Cheers..

Dennis R. Mortensen, COO at IndexTools
My Web Analytics Blog – …And learn how to Use Web Analytics to determine the width of your Internal Search Query box

Cheers,
Ian