The Analytics War

Which analytics software do you use? Between the freebies thrown in with hosting accounts, to Google's new service, the choices are almost overwhelming. The most important issue is finding an analytic service that provides data that you can actually use - data you need.

To help you make this decision, The E-Commerce Times has a great write-up on all of the various solutions that are currently in the market. Their opinions are interesting and provide the viewpoint that just because a solution is pricey, doesn't mean it's going to be the end-all and be-all of analytics.

The market is certainly ripe for a solution that will combine value with features. As the Web 2.0 market continues to swell, chances are, there will be some new solutions on the market soon. If you're not happy with your current analytic software - be patient. Your new favorite may just be on the horizon.

A great new way to make presentations

I am really jazzed about a new service called Thumbstacks. In short, it's a new way to put presentations up on your site and takes advantage of not only flash, but Ajax. TechCrunch has a great write-up on all that it can do, and it's well worth checking out.

Personally, I think this is a great way to market services, particularly if your primary audience is tech savvy. With the Flickr API and the ability to drag and drop in content, it makes it a lot easier for people who have trouble with Powerpoint.

File sharing issues may also be a thing of the past, if this service takes off. For now, I'm really liking it and can't wait to really take it for a spin.

Click Fraud Settlement

As someone who has experienced click fraud personally, I applaud Google for their decision to settle the click fraud lawsuit that also named Yahoo and Time Warner. It's hard enough to advertise your site without having to worry about whether a robot is draining your bank account.

The reaction to the decision was varied however, as was evidenced in CNet's Blogma posting today. It's interesting to see the reaction, since this is a situation that hit so many companies hard. Hopefully, Google and the rest will put some controls in place that will help prevent click fraud in the future. It would certainly help them win back some advertisers that have been soured on click fraud.

GDrive

Google's latest entry: GDrive - a plan which is still in formation, but thanks to some well-timed leaks, it's getting a lot of press.

The notes that were quickly pulled from Google's site read in part give a little insight into what they have planned for GDrive: "with infinite storage, we can house all user files, including e-mails, Web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc., and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc.)."

Pretty ambitious plans, but Google does one thing very, very well. Viral marketing. Whether the leak was planned or not, it certainly drove up more excitement and buzz. Whether it will ever hit the street or not, this is certainly something to keep an eye on.