Catching Up With Our Former Colleagues

A new book from Brian Clifton launched (and sold out!) a few months ago at Search Engine Strategies in New York. The book, Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics, is a clear and comprehensive how-to manual and best-practice user guide with vivid screenshots and diagrams. Brian was our former Google Analytics lead for Europe and is now back to his CEO role at Omega Digital Media Ltd, a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant. He knows the intimate ins and outs of both Google Analytics and Urchin, and his book has been very well received.


In Brian's own words:

"Although there are plenty of online resources available that can help you answer a specific question, most new users don’t know what they don’t know. That is, they often get stuck at where to start, what to prioritize and how much effort they should put into a particular process. The book puts this into context and provides a step by step approach to gaining knowledge in a linear way. I chose the title Advanced to indicate that the content goes beyond just reporting of numbers and figures. The focus is on learning and knowledge transfer so that anyone with an interest in making their web site successful can learn how to interpret their web visitor data and act on it."

To preview chapters from the book and read Brian's analytics blog, visit his book's companion site. We hope the guide helps you make the most of your analytics data, and we wish Brian the best of luck.

Additionally, Jeff Veen is a former Googler who has had a huge influence on the current design of Google Analytics. He joined our team after we acquired Measure Map, which Jeff started after helping found Adaptive Path. Jeff recently decided to do something new. His latest endeavor is The Start Conference, a one-day conference for entrepreneurs and those who would like to be entrepreneurs. It is happening this Thursday, August 7, at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center.


We like the "what you'll learn" section of the site. It gives a taste of what looks to be an inspiring, fun and informative day:

• "Where to start. Hear how founders got started, where they screwed up, and why they kept going."
• "What you need. Hiring? Firing?!? Who’s watching the books? Do you really need a lawyer?"
• "How to pitch. Hear some of the web’s most formidable entrepreneurs giving their best five-minute pitches. Then learn to hone yours."

We're not officially sponsoring this event, but Google Analytics is used by many exciting startups so a couple of us plan to attend, hear what Jeff is up to, and support his latest endeavor. We hope you'll join us.

Posted by Brett Crosby, Group Manager, Google Analytics