I’ve been blogging on ”Impressions Through Media” for just over three months.  And yes, I admit it – at times I wonder, “Is anyone really listening?” But, then I see my own post pop up on a Google alert or I see a comment posted from a fellow blogger, so I know someone is.  That is exciting in itself, but does that mean the blog is really working?  It got me thinking about how and when to start measuring success.  What does “success” really mean?

In my attempt to answer this question I came across various suggestions. Overall, opinions on ”measuring blog outcomes” differ widely.  Stephen Downes called it ridiculous, comparing it to measuring a friendship.  Others, like Avinash Kaushik, who recently presented at the November 2007 BlogWorld Expo, recommends six metrics for measuring blog success.  The six metrics include: raw author contribution, audience growth, conversation rate (meaning # of visitor comments/# of visitor posts), Technorati rank, cost, and benefit/value.  The metrics  were based on analyzing data from his own blog after 17 months. 

I also searched for some real world examples of blog successes.  One interesting success story is Thailand Golf Zone, which was launched last April.   Mark Siegel, owner of Golfasian.com (a Thailand golf travel company) reports that the blog has been the single best action taken in the way of marketing for the company. It is estimated that traffic to the corporate site has increased by 50% with $250,000 in new business as a result of people reading the blog and gaining confidence in Golfasian.com. The blog has enabled the company to expand their profile and reputation.  A business like Thailand Golf Zone measured its success with metrics like # visitors, posts, overall site traffic, and lead generation/new business.  In addition, they realized qualititative success as well given the increased presence and visibility with clients.

To some degree, I agree with both Stephen Downes and Avinash Kaushik.  Quantitative metrics can be applied to measure blog success once you’ve been up and running for six months or so.  And, a blog is somewhat like a friendship or a relationship.  With every post you are reaching out to pursue a conversation with others.   Yes, it is ridiculous to associate quantitative metrics with a friendship.  But, it is not ridiculous to acknowledge that you have the opportunity to gain considerable qualitative benefits from a friendship… and yes, from a blog too.  Thus, when launching a blog, or looking to measure success after you’ve started one, remember to define what the goals of the blog or “relationship” will be.