Web analytics, web metrics, and how to use them to track and improve conversions

Saw Britney Spears performing on YouTube ... being Britney at the Video Music Awards show earlier this week and not only was it a pathetic performance but the VMA show was not really about Britney Spears anymore (ie: Britney Spears Kicks Off Show, But VMA Night Belongs To Rihanna And Justin Timberlake):

"...after all that hype, a relieved-looking Brit gave a shy smile, whispered "thank you" and exited after a low-key performance that was quickly overshadowed by the likes of high-energy sets from the Foo Fighters, Chris Brown, Kanye and the most talked-about hookup (or is it right hook?) of the night: a scuffle between Pamela Anderson's former husbands, Kid Rock and Tommy Lee, that had Diddy and Jamie Foxx pleading with rock stars to end the violence. "

And yet, the VMAs bounced back after Britney bombed according to MSNBC:

"...An out-of-shape, out-of-touch Britney Spears delivered what was destined to be the most talked about performance of the MTV Video Music Awards — but for all the wrong reasons. Kicking off the show Sunday night with her new single, “Gimme More,” Spears looked bleary and unprepared — much like her recent tabloid exploits on the streets of Los Angeles."

And that brings up one of my points that bad performances get as much attention, maybe more, than good ones, but should be avoided like the plague, because every time Britney Spears flunks on stage, she loses more and more of her brand and eventually, viewers will lost interest in her, and maybe, she'll give up on herself (even worse).

But I got an interesting tip about metrics with an article titled: Updated with Latest MTV.com Metrics*** 2007 MTV Video Music Awards Score Quadruple Threat in CNN Money the other day:

"...On Monday, MTV Mobile generated the most video streams ever in a single day - more than double what the service delivers on an average Monday. In fact, the VMAs proved so popular on the mobile platform that VMA clips accounted for all of the top 20 videos viewed on MTV Mobile. MTV Mobile published over 200 VMA-related clips during the days leading up to and following the live show - an unprecedented number of clips for a single event on the mobile channel.

Viewers who purchased the two Britney Spears ringtones available exclusively on MTV Mobile following her performance drove MTV Mobile to record days on Sunday and Monday. Subscriptions to MTV Mobile on both days were double previous daily records.

Additionally, hundreds of thousands of votes were cast for the Best New Artist category on the day of the show itself, with nearly 120,000 text messages logged between 9 p.m. and the cutoff time of 10:34 p.m. ET."

So, the bad performance that Brittney Spears did at the VMA did help the show, but I don't think it helped her at all and it would have been better had she not performed at the VMA when she did.