Live event blog: Crash course in web analytics

By Cole Kennedy

Ready to follow along with Brad Best's talk on web analytics? There's still time to swing by RJI 100A (the Palmer Room) and sit in!

We're off! Brad is telling us a little bit about himself. He started his career in advertising and made his way over to strategic communication. He credits his interest in analytics to his use of statistics in fantasy football and baseball. He realized that the same sort of statistical principles applied to websites.

First question to ask yourself, no matter what the website is: "why does your website exist?"

• Step 1: Get "qualified" people to your website. Do you have a target audience?
• Step 2: Get them to take the desired action. What do you want visitors to do?
• Step 3: Get them to come back. Did you meet or exceed expectations?

The first news analyst: the paper boy on the corner of the street. Where did he go to sell the news, and why? He went to busy street corners, because that's where the foot traffic was. He was analyzing information to determine how to maximize his sales.

Meet the new ONA Mizzou student leaders

President: Andrew Gibson

Andrew Gibson is a senior majoring in convergence journalism and minoring in information technology and business. He has experience with video, audio and print, but his passion is for online journalism. Analytics make him happy, but HTML makes him drool.

Born and raised in Denver, Andrew has interned at KCNC-TV in Denver and The Colorado Springs Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colo. He will work as the online intern at the Orlando Sentinel during summer 2013.

Outside of journalism, Andrew enjoys Denver Broncos football and is always hunting for the perfect latte.

Follow Andrew Gibson on Twitter.