Occam's Razor by Avinash Kaushik

It has been a year of a lot, and now seems like the right time for an important change.

I have recently made the decision to change paths as it relates to my professional career. I'll be leaving Intuit, and my position there as the Director of Web Research & Analytics, and become an Independent Consultant.

In the last x amount of time I have had the opportunity to explore various avenues in terms of next steps. Becoming an Independent Consultant seems to be the optimal way for me to pursue my passions, do the kind of work I like doing and along the way have a positive impact on the ecosystem.

For my first assignment I’ll be working with Google as an Analytics Evangelist. In that role I’ll work with Google Marketing and assist them with internal analytics for their marketing programs. I’ll also be working with the Google Analytics team on assignments that span speaking, web analytics education and evolution of the GA tool.

On this blog I have often expressed the need for democratization of data as critical to making informed decisions on the web, my hope is that through my contributions I can help in a small way in getting more people to leverage the power of analytics.

I hope to also collaborate with other Google teams, on projects such as the Google Website Optimizer (I am sure regular readers know how passionate I am about experimentation and testing and its key role in creating customer centric web experiences).

There are also a couple of other opportunities on the horizon with other industry leaders that I hope to take on, in conjunction with my role as a Consultant at Google. These would allow me to speak, write, educate, influence web strategy and take on projects that can have a high level impact on Practitioners of the art of web analytics.

So what changes can you expect here?

None.

This blog exists to further the cause of changing mind-sets around web research and web analytics and share practical insights that challenge existing practices by showing what alternatives exist. This comes from a deep rooted passion of mine and it is my commitment to continue that process.

It has been a huge struggle to keep up the blog and the book and the job and speaking and seminars and everything. If anything you can expect more contributions here, and hopefully even higher quality output.

So what changes can you expect otherwise?

It will probably more likely that I’ll be in your neck of the woods speaking or teaching (or be on YouTube !) and perhaps I’ll get to see more of you and have more direct contact. This is certainly one of the motivating factors behind my decision.

Perhaps my friends at other Web Analytics companies might be worried. My deepest hope is to stay true to my message, which has always been to help Practitioners of Web Analytics find the best tool that works for them in the situation that is unique to them. I will continue to do that.

I have always been a fan of Google Analytics for bringing sophisticated clickstream analysis to the masses, for free. I have mentioned it often on this blog, and have highlighted it as a great service for anyone getting into the space. It does a lot, but it doesn’t do everything and we are lucky to have other good paid web analytics tools. You won’t hear me change my position on that.

I have regular contact with people at almost every single web analytics company and I hope to have continued contact with all my vendor friends, as in the past, to talk about tools and road maps and users and how to alleviate pain and even do a educational seminar or two (here's the recent ClickTracks Unleash Analytics Seminar).

To measure my own success I’ll look for your direct and honest feedback on keeping the Independent in the Independent Consultant.

Next stop, wonderland.

(As a side note that is the title of a movie, a romantic comedy, about life, its coincidences and the quest for love.)

It is rare for people to figure out what their true passion is. It is even rarer to be afforded the opportunity to do what they are passionate about, and to be paid for it.

I consider myself lucky to have that opportunity. I am grateful to the team at Google for affording me the opportunity to do what I am passionate about and allow me to add value to the web analytics ecosystem.

I have to admit that there is certainly a sense of leaving the security of a solid corporate job and jumping off a cliff, but I think it will be fine and hopefully a lot of fun. :) Next stop, wonderland.

I would love to hear what your thoughts are on this change.

If you are an Independent Consultant, is the grass greener on the other side?

If you are a friend at a web analytics company, what do you think?

If you are a Practitioner, would the insights here still be of value?

If you are a blog reader, what did I not address above?

Please share your feedback via comments.

I am a huge fan of David Sedaris, the title of today’s post is one of David’s best books.

Some of you are aware of this, I am writing a book on Web Analytics. It is going to be published by Wiley on 7th May 2007. I am very excited about the book (much more than you might expect a author to be about his book).

I have not mentioned the book on this blog thus far (and requested others not to talk about it on their blogs) because I did not want lots of pressure about the book before I was done with it. Things have progressed enough that I feel more comfortable about the final product. The first draft is done, the development edit phase is over (thanks Candace!!) and most of the copy edit phase is done as well (thanks Sharon!!).

Web Analytics: An Hour a Day, is the first book by a active web analytics practitioner. From my humble experience in web research and analytics I hope to bring a fresh and completely different perspective to this wonderful world of numbers that we all exist in.

I have written the book as a practical real world guide to the world of web analytics. It expands the definition of web analytics, shares lessons from the front lines and is loaded with tips, tricks, new ideas and mindsets, all of which are geared todays making your journey a easier one.

The book goes beyond Web Analytics concepts and definitions to provide a step-by-step guide to implementing a successful web analytics strategy. It shares a revolutionary approach to web analytics that challenges prevalent thinking about the field and will guide you, step-by-step, to a solution that will provide truly informed and actionable insights.

Please visit the companion website for the book to read a detailed outline of Web Analytics: An Hour a Day, you’ll learn all about the contents, chapters and more.

The little book that could.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about the book is that my wife Jennie and I have decided to donate 100% of our proceeds from the book to charity.

I have a deep passion for the world of decision making on the web and a practical manifestation of that is this blog, truly in every sense a labor of love. It was only fitting that a book that has its genesis in the blog should build on that love and passion benefit others.

First time authors, such as myself, make very little money from their book contract. But from my job salary I would never have been able to donate that amount to my favorite charities. I am thrilled beyond belief that in its small way my humble effort will turn into something that will benefit others.

Every single cent from the book, including proceeds from amazon affiliate sales, will go to charity.

50% of my book proceeds will go to The Smile Train, they change the lives of children in the developing world by performing cleft surgery. The other 50% of the proceeds will go to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), they provide emergency medical assistance across the world and bring relief to thousands each year. Jennie and I have supported these charities for a while now, but the book will enable us to support them at a scale that we otherwise would not be able to.

If you buy the book I am confident that you will get actionable and impactful outcomes for your own web analytics efforts, but in buying the book you will also join me in my humble effort to make a small difference to this wonderful world of ours.

How can you help?

I would love to to have your help (if you would like to offer it, you are absolutely not obligated in any way to help):

# 1. Please consider buying the book, it is a very good book. You can pre-order it on amazon.com (you will get the lowest price guaranteed) or from any other source that you prefer to buy your books from (try this listing of where you can buy).

# 2. Help me spread the word for the book. If you find value in the ideas, suggestions and guidance shared in this blog then you’ll find more of the same in the book. Yet very few people read blogs, I could use your help in sharing the news of the book with others. The website for the book is www.webanalyticshour.com.

# 3. Please share your opinion. I would like to put a page on the www.webanalyticshour.com website that has some advance praise for the book. Would you like to share some praise that I can publish? Anything short or long about the blog or the ideas here or concepts that you have found helpful. You can email me your praise with your name, title and website url (or have it be completely anonymous). My email is blog at kaushik dot net.

A note of thanks.

It was ten times harder to write this book then I had anticipated, way too many sixteen hour non stop days of writing. It would not have been possible if 1) I did not have a good cause to write the book for and 2) without the the encouragement and participation by all of you on this blog, both of those things were very strong motivators and I am thankful to all of you.

As always please share your feedback via comments.

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