Recommended research
Online Measurement and Strategy Report 2012
The fifth annual Online Measurement and Strategy Report, carried out in association with web analytics consultancy Lynchpin, contains a comprehensive analysis of issues affecting the web analytics industry and valuable insights into the use of analytics and business intelligence tools.
Marketing Attribution: Valuing the Customer Journey
Econsultancy's Marketing Attribution: Understanding Value Across the Customer Journey, sponsored by Google Analytics, is a survey and collection of interviews with marketers about the benefits of attribution across multiple channels, various approaches and technologies used, and the keys to success.
Managing Director at Cranmore Digital Consulting Ltd
14 October 2008 16:05pm
I have a client who is keen to keep their green credentials in all they do, including the redevelopment of their website. Obviously we can talk about their offline green credentials (which are good) but what about the site itself? I thought of using green energy and a server farm that recycles energy. any other ideas?
E-Business Consultant at Dan Barker
14 October 2008 17:19pm
just punch their heads in, Sarah. can't abide these filthy hippies.
seriously though - how about an annual donation to something carbon friendly based on number of web visitors?
or plant a tree for every 10 visits or something like that? that way you could stick a counter on there 'we plant a tree every time 10 people visit our website. 146 trees so far this year'
any use?
Managing Director at Cranmore Digital Consulting Ltd
14 October 2008 18:15pm
Thanks (for the second bit, not the first bit)
Managing Director at Inigo Media Ltd
15 October 2008 14:20pm
Hi Sarah,
we've recently added carbon off-setting to our website hosting, which while it isn't as good as guaranteeing that the electricity used is from renewable sources, does allow you to say that the website hosting is carbon neutral.
See http://www.coco2.org and display the logo prominently on their site.
The server use, though important, isn't the only environmental impact for their site. Daniel suggest planting trees or a donation and while it's playful in tone, there is something there.
When someone looks at a site on a screen, they are using up electricity. You could monitor how long visitors spend on the site through Google Analytics and total it up, then give a donation based on the time spent on the site each month.
On top of usage, there's also what goes into making it: software procurement and use, photography, copywriting, transport to and from meetings, printing, etc. Establishing all those credentials and then giving it a score might be worth while.
If they're keen on the idea, the site could be given a Green score, like you get on the sides of fridges and washing machines. I'd be interested to take part if it's a mark that can be applied to certain sites.
I'd estimate that open source software solutions such as Drupal and WordPress would do much better than bespoke development as they are sharing the load rather than bespoke solutions where all the effort (and energy) is only applied to one website.
Let me know how things progress at dan (at) inigo.net
Dan
Managing Director at Cranmore Digital Consulting Ltd
16 October 2008 09:20am
Thanks Dan, that's some interesting ideas. I will certainly let you know what happens.
On 14:20:36 15 October 2008 inigomedia wrote:
Managing Director at DDM Ltd
30 October 2008 16:40pm
Hi Sarah
Not sure if you saw BBC Newsnight last night which ran a large piece on exactly this subject!
If you missed it, the programme is available online here and the article starts at 31:30 mins which you can jump to with the slider bar
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00f800q/Newsnight_29102008
Did you find a solution though?
Andy
www.ddm.co.uk