Following the example of my US colleagues, today I’m posting our first ever guest posting on the UK blog. I’d like to introduce David Soskin, Vice Chairman of Cheapflights, loyal Hitwise client for a number of years, and well respected leader in the online travel industry. He has very kindly provided the following review of Bill Tancer’s New York Times Bestselling book “Click: What We Do Online and Why it Matters”, which has just been published in the UK.
“Click: What We Do Online and Why it Matters” by Bill Tancer. A review by David Soskin.
OK I admit it. I am a data junkie. In fact, it is some source of pride that I am deemed a Hitwise power user because I spend an inordinate amount of time looking at the rich seam of internet information which Hitwise provides. Now comes “Click”, a short and very readable book from Bill Tancer, Hitwise’s Head of Global research.
But Click is not just for sad folk like me. It is a “must read” for anyone with an interest in digital technology and how it is changing the world. And in case you still think that the internet is just for kids and for geeks, just remember how the internet helped the most powerful man in the world to become, well, the most powerful man in the world.
For those that don’t know Hitwise, it is an online research company which has an arrangement with a variety of ISPs, that is the people who allow you to link up to the web. The extracted data (don’t worry, it is not personalised: so no fear of Big Brother) is then displayed to show for example which internet sites are visited, which search terms are in vogue, from where internet sites get their traffic and how different regions behave differently.
The great advantage is that this data covers literally millions of users and is updated daily. So what you have is a wonderful and current snapshot of human behaviour.
Bill does not spare your blushes. He can tell you that the Republican states of America are more likely to visit wife-swapping sites than their Democratic counterparts. But Liberals don’t breathe a sigh of relief quite yet: for your states are more likely to visit adult entertainment and escort websites.
Get the picture: Dr Bill knows what we are up to, not as individuals but as anonymous internet users. And as more and more of us turn to the internet – and Hitwise’s data base expands – so that information becomes more and more accurate.
The Internet used to be a place of mystery and hype. Not any more. Let Dr Bill be your guide. He really does know what is going on.
To learn more about “Click” you can read this excellent article by Bill in the Times. Like Hitwise, David Soskin is a keen Twitter fan: you can follow him here and Hitwise UK here.