I’ve had this thing about metrics, which, in business, supposedly serve as an indication, or a measurement, of performance.
But do they really do that as effectively as many business people seem to believe?
Now, all of a sudden, I’ve gotta tell you, my impression of metrics is changing as the number of clicks on stuff I’ve written are beginning to go up.
I’ve been posting articles occasionally on a business-focused online site… writing, for example, about “No more buns in the oven.”
The last time I checked, the click total… or ‘impressions,’ as that metric sometimes is called… was going up somewhat precipitously for that article.
I’m nowhere near millions, or even several hundred thousand impressions, but I’m closing in on a thousand of them, and as posting goes on a business site with lots of rather buttoned down, reserved, conservative business professionals frequenting the site, that’s maybe not too shabby.
The Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion, back in June, has been a pretty big deal, that got me thinking about all good things coming to an end. With so many severe penalties in place, and in the works, I was wondering if halting procreation might be the only viable option.
Folks could take up hobbies, instead… or they could polish their golf swing, maybe learn sailing, take up crocheting, or sharpen their cooking skills… to get their mind off procreating.
So if I happened to be back in a corporate PR and marketing gig, how would I go about explaining the growing number of clicks on an article that isn’t about usual things in business, like a company’s latest high tech innovation, a revolutionary gym shoe, or a restaurant chain’s new beef stew entrée?
An element of surprise? A little prurient interest, considering the subject matter? Is that what’s driving folks to the post? Are they surreptitiously taking in my procreation concepts, making sure no one’s looking over their shoulder as they’re feverishly reading?
I also shared a Daily Post article I’d written about women’s egg cells.
“If women and their egg cells are under the microscope, so to speak, shouldn’t men and their sperm be looked at as well?”
Someone I know had been wondering about that, when a brouhaha was brewing over the morning after pill, which is described as an emergency contraception birth control measure that can be used right after amorous activity.
Last time I checked, the metric for that article was also edging up to a thousand impressions.
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.