Ask Semphonic

A Chance to Hear Us Delve into the Omniture VS Acquisition - What it Means and How to Prepare!

I’ve been talking with many of our Visual Science’s clients about the impact of the Omniture acquisition and how they plan to proceed. In most cases, their attitude is pretty much summed up as wait-and-see.  Until the acquisition actually happens (and probably for awhile after that), no one is going to know for sure just what technology Omniture will offer for the transition, what the economics of the transition are going to be or even what the marketplace will look like.

These conversations have been extraordinarily helpful to me, clarifying much of my thinking on the likely outcomes and potential problems – enough so that I’m going to blog again on the topic next time.

But today I wanted, instead, to focus on a brand new Webinar series we are launching called Ask Semphonic. Like our X Change Conference, Ask Semphonic is based on the simple idea that the back-and-forth of conversation is one of the most powerful means we have of clarifying our own beliefs, winnowing out emotional or intemperate responses and arriving at something like a reasonable version of the truth.

The Ask Semphonic series will be a regular (and FREE) Webinar series featuring Q&A with top Semphonic practitioners (there will probably be five of us on each call). Each webinar will be themed around a particular topic. We’re going to start with the VS acquisition and the issues around both marketplace and transition that it creates.

Here’s how Ask Semphonic is going to work. We’ll take questions in advance on the topic (and on any other WA topic – but we’ll address those only as time permits). We’ll open the webinar with a short discussion among the Semphonic principals on the topic. Then we’ll tackle the questions. During the discussion, you’ll be able to send additional and follow-up questions via live chat.

I picked the VS acquisition as the kick-off for two reasons. It’s timely and important, of course. Plus, there are a wide range of opinions about this even within Semphonic (as you’ve no doubt realized if you read all the blogs).

So I’m thinking that not only will you benefit by hearing us discuss the various aspects of the acquisition – it will help all of us clarify our thinking and fit that thinking into the larger realities of the marketplace.

We’ll probably try to schedule Ask Semphonic webinars every two months – and I’m hoping that like X Change its unique format and no-sales vibe will earn it a valuable place in the broader Web Analytic culture. If you know us, then you probably already expect that the focus of Ask Semphonic will be on providing and learning real information. If you weren’t at X Change or haven’t talked extensively with us, then let me promise you that our focus will be on providing the most interesting and informed information we can – not on making thinly or frankly undisguised sales pitches.

Here’s a link to register for the 1st Webinar. It will be Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 11:00am PST / 2pm EST. I hope you’ll join in! And please don’t hesitate to send me questions as well. If you have questions you’d like us to address that aren’t related to the theme – that’s okay too. We’ll handle them as we have time – and if we don’t get to questions I’ll roll them into the next webinar.

Comments

[Judah]

Gary,

Excellent idea! I have no doubt that the bi-monthly event will become a virtual "must-attend" for those who want expert insights into the real-world practice of "web analytics." I'm looking forward to them... :)

Best,
Judah