I'll be speaking at Semphonic's XChange conference next month in San Francisco - it'll be my second time at XChange, having spoken at the conference last year at the Copia Institute in September 07.

The Semphonic XChange Huddles are interesting and diverse -  with mine being on Measuring Social Media and Its Enterprise Impacts  which will be an extension of the buzz monitoring / web analytics work I'm doing right now and why I think it's important that Web Analysts have these tools - normally, when you have tools like Radian6 and Buzzlogic in an organization, it's just for Marketing and Communications professionals - but I think they also belong in the Web Analytics Group, perhaps even more so then in Communications - but that's just my point of view.

Anyway, I did an interview with Gary Angel that is featured in a post titled X Change Mania - which I hope you'll read - put much of the synthesis of my thoughts on marketing in that interview.

I knew the five new Web Analytics Blogs from Semphonic were coming while I was at XChange in Napa Valley a couple of weeks ago, and now they're launched and I first read about it from Eric T. Peterson at WebAnalyticsDemystified in a post titled: Just as I got caught up on my web analytics blog reading …

"…Gary Angel and the folks at SEMphonic have just launched five more must read web analytics blogs. Check out Gary’s post and subscribe to new web analytics blogs from great people like Joel Hadary, Paul Legutko, Phil Kemelor, June Dershewitz and Jesse Gross. While it’s no secret I am a huge fan of June Dershewitz, I’m very excited after the recent X Change conference to read Joel, Paul, Phil, and Jesse’s work as well."

Gary Angel's post titled: Monolith or Multilith - Semphonic Introduces Five New Blogs at SemAngel goes into more detail (again, I knew about it a couple of weeks ago but decided not to write anything till I heard the new blogs were launched):

"…we’ve decided to launch a whole constellation of Semphonic blogs. You’ll see on my left-navigation a new entry – Semponic bloggers – and underneath it there’s a list of five new blogs. Joel Hadary, Paul Legutko, Phil Kemelor, June Dershewitz and Jesse Gross are all going to take to their keyboards and produce blogs.

What will they write about? Heck if I know. They probably don’t know either. "

Ladies first, in June Dershewitz's blog on typepad she just posted on Where We're at with Data Integration where June writes:

"…The few who are now farthest along in data integration efforts are all doing it in-house, with real data warehouses and technical teams who manage the underlying hardware and software and load processes.  Others are struggling to get systems like this up and running, all the while wondering if there is a better way.  The vast majority of us are sitting on the sidelines knowing data integration is something we want to do eventually but not knowing quite where to start."

Meanwhile, Phil Kemelor, who I may have met  back in the days when I lived in Berkley when we both lived there at the same time (30 years ago) writes about California Dreamin' about Web Analytics:

"…If you manage analytics, you know that it's not simply an issue of getting key metrics understood by senior staff. Your success in communicating the importance of what you do will also yield bigger budgets, and more resources in good times…and help protect you against downsizing in bad times. "

Paul Legutko writes about If a Report is sent out and no one reads it, is it still a Report? and the title reminds me of "if a tree falls and hits the ground but no one is around to hear it, does it actually matter" or something like that:

"…Blog experts counsel patience when it comes to blogs. And they’re right. But the simple fact is that’s it’s a heck of a lot of work. Especially if you are trying to consistently generate real content. If I hadn’t found that I actually enjoyed the writing, I doubt I would ever have stuck with it long enough to see it actually contribute something to the business."

Anyway, just go and subscribe to all 5 blogs, I will.

I noticed that Gary Angel posted some of his thoughts about Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head An X Change Redux - Day 1.  I didn't have time to say goodbye on Friday afternoon when I ended up getting whisked away over to ScanAlert's headquarters by a last minute offer by Nigel Ravenhill, whose office was just a few mikes away from Copia.

I would say that XChange was a very good conference to have attended - and I think the trip, overall, was successful for me at every level.  It was also a great trip for my two WAA Social Media Committee co-chairs, Elena Haliczer and Jared Freedman.  We managed to get a bunch of WAA Social Media Committee business done over the time we spent together, including Friday evening and Saturday morning in San Francisco, after the conference.

What sticks in my mind from Xchange was the first huddle with Matt Belkin that focused on creating custom segmentation (and was not vendor specific).  We came up with the notion that:

1. Segmentation evolves over time (your segments can change as time goes on).
2. Visitors can move from one segment to another, as their goals are met, thereby evolving across segments.

Much of the rest feels like a blur today…. I got back to NYC this morning after taking the Red-Eye out of SFO…. and after a long day walking around San Francisco and Mill Valley, including a momentous meeting with Howard Rheingold that I wrote about at Smartmobs: Howard Rheingold Interview - A walk up the mountain.  

I also embedded the videos I took on this blog in Howard Rheingold Interview - Part 1 & 2 of a 4 part series and Howard Rheingold Interview - Part 3 & 4 of a 4 part series.

Meanwhile, other things I wrote about concerning XChange and the time spent in San Francisco afterwards are documented in Arriving at Xchange Conference - Web Analytics Wednesday in Napa Valley 9-19-07 where we attended a pretty cool Web Analytics Wednesday… I must say….the kind you remember for a long time.  The first day of XChange I covered in Covering XChange Conference in Napa Valley - highlights of September 20, 2007 and the end of the conference and the transition to San Francisco is written about and filmed at XChange Conference End and Linden Labs San Francisco.

Finally, yesterday, Elena Haliczer and I listened to some good Jazz Music which can see (hear) in my post on ArtNewYorkCity.com titled Last Tango in San Francisco.

I will say that my talk on Second Life Analytics was good, but the audience at Xchange was not that interested (surprisingly) in Social Media and the blogging presentation and Second Life Analytics got combined.  I think it worked out OK, but it's an interesting thought or perception …the value of Social Media…is not all that clear to everyone, for all the buzz and talk about it in the media.

Took a video of events this evening in San Francisco after the XChange Conference.  Tomorrow we'll be meeting Howard Rheingold whose Smartmobs blog I also post to (lately I've been so busy that my posting at Smartmobs has been less frequent than normal … will try to up the frequency of my posts there).

Noticed this post about Meteor Hits Napa! Web Analytics Set Back a Decade! Wine Saved! from ClickZ about XChange.  Matthew Nelson of ClickZ also attended my presentation of Second Life Analytics that I gave at XChange - will be curious to see what is written up about it.

The XChange Conference in Napa Valley ended today (actually, yesterday, as I'm writing this several hours later).  I took footage of the last session I attended on measuring engagement for Media Sites, as well as Gary Angel's closing remarks.

I was going to stay for the gourmet lunch but met Nigel Ravenhill of ScanAlert.com whose offices were nearby (he gave me the bottle of ScanAlert Wine, btw); ended up going to lunch with Nigel and my WAA Social Media Committee co-char, Elena, and then took a quick tour of ScanAlert's headquarters in Napa Valley.

Went back into San Francisco immediately, where my other WAA Co-chair, Jared Freedman had a meeting with Linden Labs.   We met later at a secret location where Linden Labs met this Friday for Friday evening drinks and socializing (I'm told it changes every Friday and is kept top secret).   We had some brief conversations and then went off to dinner ….. where we met someone else who spoke at XChange.

Here's a YouTube video of some of this:

So I'm going to be sitting in Napa Valley in about 2 weeks, sipping Red Wine and looking at the beautiful sky, landscape, people and stuff to do at the COPIA INSTITUTE at the hippest Web Analytics and Search Conference called XChange.   If that sounds interesting to you - join me here (on September 20th and 21st, 2007) with a 15% XCVIP coupon discount code.

Yah, I'm going to have a good very time - and here's a movie to show you what it's like over at the COPIA INSTITUTE in Napa Valley. 

Here's a little birds eye view as fly over where XChange will be taking place in Napa Valley.

And here's what people are going to be talking about, including me.

Now is the time to book the XChange Conference.

I've been in Hawaii twice (in 2000-2001), but that was before I started blogging but the question came up, raised by Gary Angel, should one blog while vacationing in Hawaii?

"….I'm actually in Hawaii right now, so I'm just not up to producing my regular Sunday Blog. It would take a truly dedicated blogger to produce anything under these far too idyllic circumstances. Maybe Marshall Sponder could do it, but I'm just going to post an interview I did with Jethro Wallenburg a few weeks back for his blog. I liked the way it came out and it sets the table - directionally - for my next blog. We have some major new additions to the Semphonic team and I'm going to be talking about who and why in my next post!"

Actually, I probably would not blog - if I was really having a good time.  I love Hawaii, and I hope Gary's vacation was enjoyable - so he didn't feel he wanted to blog - and it sounds like. … he did not.

Actually, I'm getting to be late for Dinner with Jim Sterne and a few others from the WAA who are here for WAA Basecamp on Tuesday, August 28th, in NYC.

I'll be there too…..blogging!  And..having a good time.

BTW, don't forget to check out Semphonic's xChange Conference in Napa Valley next month …I'll be there and I bet I won't have time to blog much!

Even as I complain about Google, they deliver me nice alerts, like the press release for Semphonic's XChange Conference in Napa Valley on Sept 20th and 21st, which I'm attending.

I'm usually at a conference to take in information but in this case, I'll be sharing information, mostly about Web Analytics and Second Life.   Should be interesting and you can count on me drinking a lot of Red Wine while I'm in Napa Valley and Videoblogging the whole thing.

"…NOVATO, CA–(Marketwire - June 12, 2007) - Semphonic, a leading web analytics consultancy today announced the XChange Conference. XChange is a highly focused web analytics conference for and by real world practitioners and web analytics managers, brought together into an intimate setting to share experiences and brainstorm new approaches. The Conference will be held on September 20th and 21st in Napa, California at COPIA — the Premier Wine, Culinary and Arts Center nestled in the very heart of Napa's Wine Country during the most beautiful and exciting time of year in the wine country.

Eric T. Peterson of Web Analytics Demystified, the noted web analytics author, consultant, and speaker, will marquee as Keynote Speaker and also serve as one of the expert facilitators.

At XChange, attendees will select from a wide variety of small group "huddles." These sessions will be facilitated by leading experts in web analytics — each picking the topics that they care most about. In addition to Mr. Peterson, expert facilitators will include leading authorities in web analytics: Gary Angel, Manoj Jasra, Marshall Sponder and many others. These practitioners will work peer-to-peer with attendees on subjects such as Engagement and Brand Measurement, Site Base lining with Functional Analysis, Social Network Analysis, and Managing Data Quality Issues. Participants will work through their unique problems, brainstorm solutions and help define new solutions and best practices in the most important areas of web analytics."

By the way, at the Semphonic XChange conference XChange attendees will be able to:

–  Air issues and concerns with fellow practitioners and co-experts;
–  Brainstorm new approaches to key analysis issues;
–  Bridge the gap between using web analytic tools and doing real
    analysis;
–  Hear the concerns, fears and wild ideas that are shaping our
    community, and be a part — not a target — of the conversation!

Here's the URL to find out more about the Semphonic XChange Conference http://www.semphonic.com/conf/