Overcoming Depression

If you’ve begun tracking metrics and are enjoying the bounty of data you’re now able to see, sift through, and use, you may wonder what could possibly cause depression! Easy: data loss.

Say that you have a site issue or somehow lose access to your site or data. Do you have your backup plan in place? I’d recommend having one from the beginning. Actually, I’d recommend having a multilayered backup system just like you have a multilayered metrics system.

Figure 5-3: Mint is a more affordable PHP solution tracking similar data to Radian6.

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Tools like Google Analytics do most of the backing up for you because they are part of the huge Google machine. Even the Google machine has issues now and then, though, such as users getting locked out of accounts or system faltering from heavy use or server issues.

tip.eps You can get around this headache by using the report feature inside Google Analytics. Send each report to yourself as a .csv file via e-mail weekly or daily, and you’ll always have a fairly recent copy to work from should something happen and you have to fall back ten and punt.

Every reputable service, paid or free, has some way for you to access your data offline. The best services offer spreadsheet-compatible file formats, but even a PDF can be useful in a pinch. ...

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