Beyond stats, web sites and businesses, there are people. After all, some things don't change that much even after thousands of years. We still want to get around the campfire and listen to the sage, help the apprentice, be part of the group and make our mark. Maybe that's why, in essence, I'm running for the Web Analytics Association Board of Director.
Why I'm running for the WAA Board of Director
The Web Analytics Association provides quality education, develop standards and best practices, conduct research and advocate for issues that advance the industry. Behind those objectives there are thousands of members, some new to the industry, some more experienced. Just people like you and me who seek to help their employer or clients make more enlightened decisions, share with fellow WAA members, learn and advance their career in a fast paced and exciting field that take its roots from a vast number of professional expertise: marketing, statistics, web development, management, communication, design, usability just to name a few.
The voting period for the WAA 2009 Board of Directors election is now open. Votes will be accepted from now until 23:59 GMT (7:59 PM ET, 4:59 PM PT) on Friday, April 10, 2009.
Credit where credit is due!
I've been a member of the WAA since 2005, and from the get go, I felt something similar to my early days in the Web: collaboration and sharing, excitement, passion, vision, innovation in a fast paced industry where I could grow, learn, and leverage my experience and expertise. When I realized Jim Sterne was behind the WAA and eMetrics, I knew I wanted to be part of it. I had met Jim many, many years ago, in the days of the Internet World Conference, long before the Internet Bubble Burst and the current economic downturn. He was an inspiration: motivating, great speaker, very open to share and collaborate. He was very knowledgable about the Web and marketing and already pushing for measurement and accountability.Since then I met so many great people it would be too long to list, be it Bryan Eisenberg, Brian Clifton, Avinash Kaushik, Bill Gassman, Joseph Carrabis, John Lovett, Gary Angel, Jim Novo, Bob Page, Judah Phillips and a slew of consultants, practitionners and vendors. Now, look at the profile of the people running for the WAA BoD: Anil Batra, René Deschamps Otamendi, Daniel Waisberg, Rachel Scotto, Jonathan Levitt, Matt Langie, Nicolas Babin. I personally met all of them through the WAA and eMetrics, and the choice is very hard: great people who love what they are doing and have a passion for it.
Pay it forward
In essence, "pay it forward" is how I see my implication in the field. That's why I love speaking at eMetrics, being a tutor for the UBC Award of Achievement in Web Analytics, why I'm blogging, Twittering and being very active on the Yahoo! Web Analytics Forum. It's why I've been organizing Web Analytics Wednesdays for over two years. It's also why I have developed the Web Analytics Solution Profiler (WASP): share my expertise and foster collaboration through the networking and great feedback I'm receiving out of it.I had to chose a category for the election process. Am I a consultant, a vendor or a maybe more on the academic/research side? In face of the other great people in the consulting category, I don't know what the outcome will be, but the adventure is worth it, and I hope to get your vote!