https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1103&context=letfspubs

The Suitability of Web Analytics Key Performance Indicators in the Academic Library Environment

The paper identifi es changes that have occurred in the Web environment over the last decade which have gradually rendered server logs, once the preeminent source of intelligence on usage and informationseeking behaviour, an ineffective, impractical, and uneconomic resource. It also looks at the implications of these changes for information professionals and publishers who have come to rely on this data to understand the behaviour of clients and customers in the virtual environment. Ubiquitous and expanding, Google Analytics generates statistics about a website’s traffi c and traffi c sources, albeit from a marketers’ perspective, is evaluated as a possible replacement; something which might plug the user knowledge gap which is worryingly opening up, or maybe even, put us in a better position overall. The paper is built on the knowledge and experience of evaluating server logs for more than a decade, mostly for publishers and libraries, and also on two recent projects where server log analysis was supplemented with Google Analytics. Introduction The World Wide Web (WWW) has not only provided broad access to a huge variety of online information, it has also enabled an unprecedented gathering of information about online usage – web analytics. For more than a decade the analysis of HTTP access logs has provided information professions and scholarly publishers with data on the information-seeking and usage behaviour of digital consumers: abundant data with a reach and specifi city never seen before. However, in today’s more complex online environment such analyses are becoming no longer economical or effective. This results from dispersed and individual use rather than institution-based access, and complex web applications that defeat simple measures of content and access. The game is changing: access logs of online activity no longer yield the useful information they once did. Indeed, there is a risk that the supply will dry up and we will be in the unenviable position of knowing less about more users. Given the sparseness of the published literature on the subject it would seem that few people have woken up to the seriousness of the situation

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1087/20140304

Evaluating information seeking and use in the changing virtual world: the emerging role of Google Analytics

Learning is becoming increasingly self-directed and often occurs away from schools and other formal educational settings. The development of a myriad of new technologies for learning has enabled people to learn anywhere and anytime. Web 2.0 technology allows researchers to shed a new light on the importance and prevalence of informal learning. However, there are few empirical studies that support the claim that this technology facilitates informal learning. The present study investigates the relationship between Web 2.0 levels and the evaluation of informal learning websites. For this purpose, 287 informal learning websites were selected and their Web 2.0 levels were rated based upon eight criteria proposed in the Web 2.0 exploratory literature. In addition, previously examined informal learning evaluation results were employed. The results showed that current informal learning websites have moderately adopted the most heavily promoted features of Web 2.0. Correlation analyses showed a positive relationship between Web 2.0 features and informal learning website ratings. The implications for the relationship and internal correlations of variables were summarized and discussed.

Has Web 2.0 revitalized informal learning? The relationship between Web 2.0 and informal learning

Web traffic and organization performance measures: Relationships and data sources examined

This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentary, a hybrid media genre that employs a full range of multimedia tools to document reality, provide sustainability of the production and successful engagement of the audience. The main research hypotheses are enclosed in the statements: (a) the interactive documentary is considered a valuable tool for the sustainability of cultural heritage and (b) digital approaches to documentary storytelling can provide a sustainable form of viewing during the years. Using the Greek interactive documentary (i-doc) NEW LIFE (2013) as a case study, the users’ engagement is evaluated by analyzing items from a seven-year database of web metrics. Specifically, we explore the adopted ways of the interactive documentary users to engage with the storytelling, the depth to which they were involved along with the most popular sections/traffic sources and finally, the differences between the first launch period and latest years were investigated. We concluded that interactivity affordances of this genre enhance the social dimension of cultural, while the key factors for sustainability are mainly (a) constant promotion with transmedia approach; (b) data-driven evaluation and reform; and (c) a good story that gathers relevant niches, with specific interest to the story.

Digital Storytelling in Cultural Heritage: Audience Engagement in the Interactive Documentary New Life

Measuring effectiveness in library websites has historically focused on tracking crude effectiveness measures, usually in terms of hits or visits. Libraries are served poorly through this approach, as websites represent a unique and increasingly important aspect of the organization and should require more specific and custom measures of effectiveness. Libraries should instead concentrate on setting specific goals for the website, and then create measurable definitions of these goals by defining supporting website user actions and combine these custom (micro) measures with common e-commerce (macro) website metrics for a more nuanced and effective approach to measuring website effectiveness. Tools for creating and tracking these kinds of metrics have historically been out of reach for organizations like libraries due to high pricing levels. The 2005 release of Google's free analytics tool has created an accessible arena where libraries can effectively create and measure micro Key Performance Indicators and macro Key Performance Indicators, track their goal conversions, and monetize their sites to gain a professionally-generated, commercial analytics view of the effectiveness of the website.

Steven J. Turner

Papers

Website Statistics 2.0: Using Google Analytics to Measure Library Website Effectiveness