Tag Archives: Social Media Metrics

How Many Users Do the Big Social Networks Have?

A version of this blog post appeared on Tech Cocktail on October 21, 2011.

Every hack authoring an article and every flack penning a proposal has encountered The Question: how many users does this social network have? Sure, you can Google the answers, but then you run into the problem of making sure that your source is authoritative, current, and doesn’t confuse active users (those who log in at least once a month) with total users (your grandmother, who, after signing up, gave up).

Here, then, a new offering from Tech Cocktail: a continuously updated Google Doc that lists the number of active users for the big social networks (see the embedded spreadsheet above or click here).

Published on October 24, 2011 in Social Media Metrics

So You Think You’re a Social Media Expert?

By Jonathan Rick

This chart, from SEOmoz’s Rand Fishkin, may disabuse you—or someone you know—of that increasingly inflated notion. (I converted the GIF into a spreadsheet.)

Published on August 29, 2011 in Social Media Metrics

Show Me the Numbers

By Jonathan Rick

A version of this blog post appeared on GreenBuzzAgency.com (December 21, 2009), GovLoop (December 22, 2009), and K Street Cafe (December 31, 2009).

It took a recession, but resumes finally are receiving renewed scrutiny. The ability to embellish and obscure shrinks when one out of every six workers is under or unemployed. More than ever, recruiters want to see accomplishments, not responsibilities; numbers, not adverbs.

Certain professions have it easier than others. If you’re a lobbyist, you cite legislation passed or defeated. If you’re a fundraiser, you count dollars raised. If you’re a political operative, you record a win-loss record.

Alas, if you’re a social media consultant, you probably shun such metrics. Sure, you’ve helped clients tweet and blog, but who among us hasn’t? Sure, you have 10 years of experience, but what have you achieved?

With the ever-growing pool of amateurs marketing themselves as authorities, the need to distinguish the talkers from the doers is urgent. And what better way to draw this distinction than through the crucible of numbers.

Published on December 22, 2009 in Career Advice, Published Writing, Social Media Metrics