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Google Acquires Measure Map

WeAz writes "According to the Google Blog, Google has acquired Measure Map, an analytics system for blogs, from Adaptive Path. There is a limited beta test up and running over at the Measure Map Website. Many users have been using analytics to track stats on their sites - I wonder how this will stack up."

60 comments

  1. Limited beta... by Arthur+B. · · Score: 1, Funny

    google... beta... I'm astonished!

    --
    \u262D = \u5350
    1. Re:Limited beta... by weirdal · · Score: 1

      Actually it is not in beta yet, but alpha - invitation only (hence the sign-in address http://alpha.measuremap.com/). A colleague of mine wrote about the purchase earlier today and what consequences this might hold for the future of web statistics. We have used Measure Map on our blog since the middle of January.

  2. Google Beta by truthsearch · · Score: 4, Funny

    There is a limited beta test up and running

    In an article about Google that's redundant.

  3. Accounts by EvilEddie · · Score: 1

    Better sign up for an account quick......Google Analytics was overloaded after a few days and stopped all new accounts

    1. Re:Accounts by PornMaster · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Gotta wonder if Measure Map is less resource intensive on the back-end than their Urchin-based Google Analytics. Their stinginess with the Google Analytics accounts was a bit surprising, and I can't help but think that they underestimated the backend processing on that.

      After all, if that's not the case, why would they have this as a separate product?

  4. Not about Blogs by CSHARP123 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think even though this program is specifically aimed at blog sites and can also be used to measure AdSense ads and help Google prevent click fraud. This is a good buy for google.

  5. Measure Map Information by VeryHotTopic · · Score: 5, Informative

    For those who don't know, Measure Map helps you understand what people do at your blog, and what influence you are having on the world. It's easy to navigate the numbers that matter. It tracks links to see who sends you traffic. It finds out what people do at your site. Setup is a breeze -- it only takes a minute.

    1. Re:Measure Map Information by ozbon · · Score: 2, Informative

      In my experience of Measure Map, I found it wasn't really all that accurate.

      It also logs "posts viewed" as including ones visited by spammers, along with counting the spam comments, even though WordPress ignores them completely, or just sticks them straight into the spam filters.

      I suppose it's OK, it just didn't seem as accurate or worthwhile as some of the other stats packages I've used.

      --
      I say we take off and nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure...
  6. "Treasure Map" by Hamster+Lover · · Score: 2, Funny

    I read the headline very quickly as Google acquires Treasure Map. Woohoo! They'll be rich!

    OK everyone, back to your cubicles.

  7. But why? by inkdesign · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Did these guys have prior use on technology Google used with their Analytics? Experience they lacked?

    Or, is Google taking a clue from MS and buying up any potential competitor?

    1. Re:But why? by christian.elliott · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Honestly, I think what Google was purchasing in this is the people that created the program itself. That entire team, along with Jeff Veen is a great grab for them. By acquiring these people, along with the product itself, they are going to make an even stronger Analytics than before (which IMHO was freakin amazing to begin with). Sure they're buying up the competition, but they're also gettings some of the best minds in the business, great buy Google.

    2. Re:But why? by StarkRG · · Score: 1

      No, I think that perhaps it was just a technology that Google hadn't yet developed and it was just easier this way. Analitics seems to focus on company websites, this will be specifically for blogs... Tracking commentors and such

    3. Re:But why? by Elwood+P+Dowd · · Score: 1

      Google Analytics provides very little value for personal websites. It's set up for a team, and it's set up for sales/adclick conversions. Neither has anything to do with blogs unless your blog is some idiotic get-rich-quick scheme. Good luck with that.

      --

      There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
  8. Mmmm.. Yummy statistics... by BigZaphod · · Score: 1

    Personally I think Google just has some kind of addiction to anything that involves lots of data and/or statistics. Perhaps they don't really have a master plan - they just like big huge clusters and keeping as many bits as possible in the wires.

  9. Re:GOOG by eno2001 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Even assuming that this is true. Does it matter? Google isn't there for profit. It's there for providing a useful set of services. If they happen to make money, then that's fine. If they don't it's no skin off their noses either because money making isn't their sole purpose. If it was, do you think they'd be giving so much stuff out for free? Yea Google!!!!

    --
    -"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
  10. just what I need... by revery · · Score: 4, Funny

    From the MeasureMap site:
    Measure Map helps you understand what people do at your blog, and what influence you are having on the world.

    Great, exactly what my ego needs, a blog-equivalent of the Total Perspective Vortex

    Visitors today: your grandmother and one accidental click-through.
    Comments: 0 (Not even Spam is interested in your site)

    sigh...

    1. Re:just what I need... by garcia · · Score: 0, Troll

      Oh come on, what your ego really needs is egoSurf! :)

    2. Re:just what I need... by CaseyB · · Score: 1
      Why not?

      It just told me what I knew all the time. I'm a really terrific and great guy.

  11. demographic, geography, link charts? by us7892 · · Score: 1

    So, now with only a few lines of javascript, your blog can show stats on how many visitors, from which locations, have accessed, posted on, or linked to your particular blog.

    So, is the idea that this would also be folded into tracking Google Ads on the same blogs, and aid in further sifting through the click-throughs to bid up AdSense keywords?

    Or is it just a neat little nice-to-have-thingy that everyone and their sister will put on their blog?

    1. Re:demographic, geography, link charts? by plantman-the-womb-st · · Score: 1

      "So, is the idea that this would also be folded into tracking Google Ads on the same blogs, and aid in further sifting through the click-throughs to bid up AdSense keywords?"

      Of course that's the idea, but it will be done in a way that makes it look like a neat little nice-to-have-thingy that everyone and their sister will put on their blog. Google is an advertisment company. That's all they are and all they ever will be. Even the "Do No Evil" thing is marketing. Every thing they do is design to make them money and make them seem benevolent, so that they can keep making money.

      --
      Say bad words about my book, in cold oatmeal, or I shall sue!
    2. Re:demographic, geography, link charts? by tommers · · Score: 1

      Does Measure Map provide demographic information? I thought it only provided IP-based geographic information.

  12. Are you sure? I doubt! by bogaboga · · Score: 4, Insightful
    > Google isn't there for profit. It's there for providing a useful set of services.

    To that statement, I say NO! It is incorrect, period. The [primary] purpose of any publicly traded company like Google, is to increase shareholder value. The only way to do this is to maximize profit. Please be informed that Google is not in the charity business.

    1. Re:Are you sure? I doubt! by Saeed+al-Sahaf · · Score: 0, Troll
      The [primary] purpose of any publicly traded company like Google, is to increase shareholder value. The only way to do this is to maximize profit. Please be informed that Google is not in the charity business.

      Is this some sort of sage knowledge that you are imparting? Some nugget that dropped from a spaceship into your back yard?

      --
      "Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
    2. Re:Are you sure? I doubt! by east+coast · · Score: 1

      Is this some sort of sage knowledge that you are imparting?

      Actually, given some of the attitudes around slashdot about Google you'd think this is some great wisdom. There are a TON of users who think that the companies they champion (in this case Google) aren't in it for the profit, they're in it for the technology. Infact the GP stated just that.

      This is where the odd idea that Google will never be another Microsoft comes from. Once you accept that Google is there to make a profit you'll understand that you may get to the point where Google may find it acceptable to step on some toes to get ahead. How many toes will they have to step on before the idea of stepping on some necks isn't sounding too bad?

      --
      Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
    3. Re:Are you sure? I doubt! by juanchurro · · Score: 1

      I think the reason people get behind something like Google is that we feel that Google sees the big picture. Yes, Google is about profit, but I feel that Google as a company realizes that doing the right thing (whatever that may be) is better for business long-term. I don't think anybody really thinks that Google is altruistic.

    4. Re:Are you sure? I doubt! by Saeed+al-Sahaf · · Score: 1
      Yes, Google is about profit, but I feel that Google as a company realizes that doing the right thing (whatever that may be) is better for business long-term...

      China...

      --
      "Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
    5. Re:Are you sure? I doubt! by incubus13 · · Score: 1

      I don't think anybody really thinks that Google is altruistic. Did you read the parent post? Well. I like Google as much as the next guy, as long as they keep releasing free (as in beer, at least) software and services that doesn't suck. I think that google found a way to profit without cutting the throats of their customers. Well, good for them AND us, I say.

      --
      if I could change the world, it would have a reset button
  13. doesn't work that way by Douglas+Simmons · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In case you're not kidding: When Google decided to become a publicly traded company, their legal purpose became to maximize shareholder wealth. Therefore, a tanking share price is skin off of their noses. By their, I mean the people on the Google Campus as well as the many shareholders who raised money for Google. And all of the things they give away for free at the least helps their brand which helps their search engine's popularity which helps their ability to acquire information from the internet and its users' behavior which finally helps their brokerage business which is their moneymaker. Google Earth was not designed for the purpose of being a cool toy to hand out out of altruism, as cool as it and Google's other services may be.

  14. Sounds to Me Like... by eno2001 · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...Google's lost their way. Companies like Google don't need to buy technology because they employ the best and brightest. This is not a good sign. Any company out there that buys up technologies instead of doing their own R&D is less a company of technologists and more a company of business people. In the tech sector, that's a recipe for disaster. Business people RARELY understand technology or can recognize a good one if it bites them. Take my NanoDenture (Patent Pending) technology. When I was working at one of the dot.bombs in the high flying 90s (free-roof-tile.com) I stormed the bored room one day to demonstrate my NanoDentures to the higher ups. They were a bunch of useless jackasses who thought they could make millions giving people free roof tile that was just under the amount needed to do their roof and then charge them a premium for the remainder. But seeing as I liked them as people and all... I was going to give them one last ditch to save themselves. My NanoDenture system was a system of nanobots that live in the GI tract (O.K. mutated E. Coli) and they pop up every half an hour or so to clean your dentures which are made of cheese. It was perfect. The only drawback was that your dentures were orange because they were made of cheddar. But I figured if they invested in R&D that we could like that problem by using ice instead of cheese or something like that. Unfortunately, the jackasses didn't see what they had under their noses and they fired me on the spot because I'd broken into yet another coke snorting party as most dot-bomber CEOs and management were wont to do. My dreams were destroyed that day. Ever since, I've been shopping around for the V.C. to adopt my technology and put more R&D into it. Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen to the janitor at Google...

    --
    -"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
    1. Re:Sounds to Me Like... by dlamming · · Score: 1

      They're not buying the technology, they're buying the people! People, especially talented people, are always in short supply, and buying the company is a good way to get them (as long as you're planning to be nice to them, that is).

      http://saccharomyces.blogspot.com/

      --
      Not only am I a scientist, I play one on TV
  15. Welcome News to the Chinese Government by alcmaeon · · Score: 1

    Now they can track exactly what effect their propaganda blogs are having and whether they are successful in their efforts to squelch dissent.

  16. MeasureMap is powered by Ruby on Rails by LoganEkz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Interesting to note also that this Google's first buyout of a Ruby on Rails shop -- and apparently MeasureMap's team includes a core Rails contributor according to DHH.

    1. Re:MeasureMap is powered by Ruby on Rails by Saeger · · Score: 1

      Why so defensive, Mr. Java||PHP guy? Afraid of a little Quick & Clean productivity?

      --
      Power to the Peaceful
    2. Re:MeasureMap is powered by Ruby on Rails by Gulthek · · Score: 1

      Actually its because the architecture the website runs on or was developed with is not really all that interesting. It isn't like Google said, "Well we can buy this site that runs on a LAMP setup or this site that runs on rails..."

      Ruby on rails is nice and all, but it still has a little much of that "Ooh! Shiny!"

    3. Re:MeasureMap is powered by Ruby on Rails by sammy+baby · · Score: 1

      Agreed.

      I mean, I'm doing a bunch of RoR work on the side right now, and even I had a hard time caring about this. Although I guess it must be a nice ego boost for DHH and Adaptive Path.

    4. Re:MeasureMap is powered by Ruby on Rails by JamesOfTheDesert · · Score: 1
      Interesting to note also that this Google's first buyout of a Ruby on Rails shop.

      Being a Ruby app should make the Google rewrite to Python easier.

      :)

      --

      Java is the blue pill
      Choose the red pill
    5. Re:MeasureMap is powered by Ruby on Rails by heinousjay · · Score: 1

      I think the last thing anyone associated with Rails needs is a boost to the ego.

      --
      Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
  17. Priorities by ben_1432 · · Score: 1

    If Google want to provide better stats how about they finish sorting out analytics first so that:
    - people can register
    - current users can add sites

    I'm sure that while they mean well, they'll turn measuremap into a 'first in first served' system that gets overwhelmed, then locked down, then just sits there for months. Just like analytics.

    Why they needed to buy measuremaps instead of write an additional module for analytics is confusing too. At a glance it looks like most of measuremaps is geotracking - which analytics already has. The blog specific features could probably have been added a lot cheaper, and the analytics service could have been fixed while they were at it.

  18. excellent... by solidtransient · · Score: 1

    I, for one, am excited that Google will now be able to watch my blog as it moves around the world.

    --
    firestream.net
  19. So.... by Churla · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Google has another tool which will help them futher analyze how you and your data are noted by the public, which of course will help refine what ads are shown.

    Well color me shocked!

    I was also wondering when todays Google story would hit. They are becoming masters of pacing themselves so that at least one thing they do every day gets noted as "newsworthy" to keep them in the spotlight.

    --
    I'm a fiscal conservative, it's a pity we don't have a political party anymore
  20. Re:GOOG by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does it matter? Google isn't there for profit. It's there for providing a useful set of services.

    You are an idiot. Someone please moderate the parent appropriately.

  21. Got an invitation? by mu22le · · Score: 1

    'cause I'd like to give it a try!

  22. fuck your copy/paste job asshole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    you copied and pasted three lines of text from their website and you get modded that high? fuck off.

  23. Google Aquires OSTG by Saeed+al-Sahaf · · Score: 3, Funny

    What hasn't been reported is that Google aquired OSTG a year ago as part of its public relations arm...

    --
    "Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
  24. Aww please no! by serutan · · Score: 1

    Now that Adaptive Path guy is going be even more insufferably smug.

  25. Re:GOOG by Voltageaav · · Score: 1

    How do these people get moderator points?

    --
    Someone save me from this sanity.
  26. Google the Pirate? by Bob+The+Cowboy · · Score: 1

    Did anyone else read that headline as "Google Acquires Treasure Map"?

    I think I've been playing too much Pirates! lately...

  27. How about trying ClustrMaps? by Larry+Lightbulb · · Score: 1

    I've been using ClustrMaps to show a map of the world highlighting where visitors to my site (RadioListings) are coming from. Easy to use and a simple bit of eye candy.

  28. A lot of "best and brightest" already have jobs by winkydink · · Score: 1

    One way of getting more of them at your company is to find a small company that is made up almost entirely of "best and brightest" and buy the damn thing.

    --

    "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

  29. For some it's irrelevant... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...they'll love Google even if Google asked its users to implant RFIDs in their arms.

  30. Damn Closed Beta Crap! by gr0k · · Score: 1

    Great, now I might actually get to try it out... I'm seriously getting sick of these closed beta projects. I've been waiting to get into this beta for at least 6 months now, let me in already! :(

    --
    http://evoketv.com - TV Listings 2.0
  31. Measure Map and usability by walnut_tree · · Score: 2, Informative

    I'm guessing that Google have purchased Measure Map in large part due to the usability or "user experience" element that has gone into the service.

    Google Analytics (from what I can see of the screenshots on Google's website) has a very static, statistical appearance to the way it presents data. Measure Map seems to be taking a different approach - a less cluttered appearance than analytics, selectively showing key website stats (rather than showing everything at once) but still letting users drill further into the stats data to explore in more detail if they want to. From what I understand, Measure Map also uses Ajax and Flash to let users explore data interactively, rather than just presenting them with a static page.

  32. Damit, Google - enough! by Monstard · · Score: 1

    Look, I've loved google since the last century, but this is getting ridiculous. Do they have to own everything? Can't us mortals have *one* toy of our own to play with?

    And now that google owns it, it'll be invitation-only for the next two years, and it'll be stuck in beta 'till the end of time.

  33. Google and Microsoft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Google is aquiring businesses as quickly as Microsoft did in its heyday.

  34. Re:Are you sure? I think your both right. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    To that statement, I say NO! It is incorrect, period. The [primary] purpose of any publicly traded company like Google, is to increase shareholder value. The only way to do this is to maximize profit.


    AND the only way to maximize profit is to benefit the enduser by providing a useful set of services. No one would use the company if it didn't provide anything useful.
  35. Buying a non-public beta? by Smack · · Score: 1

    That seems pretty risky. There's barely any users. In particular, they have no idea how this code scales. We saw how bad that can burn them with Google Analytics. Remember how it was virtually unusable for weeks after its release?