Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead. (opens in new tab)

(thenextweb.com)

58 pointsmjpizz15y ago23 comments

23 comments

All the examples of things Google Analytics can't do are incorrect. Google Analytics Custom Events are fairly robust, providing a 4 level data hierarchy. 'Pageviews' are a concept that can be applied in non-pageview scenarios, and they regularly are in apps. And being able to flag people as logged in vs. not logged in is a classic example of what you can use Custom Variables for. Mixpanel has some interesting offerings, particularly in the real-time space, but Google Analytics offers 99% of what most sites need, and without a price tag.

There are things Google Analytics does poorly, though, like Goals (which don't work for Events, aren't retroactive, and are limited to 20 per profile) and Funnels (which are even more rigid than Goals).

I wish MixPanel well, since a competitive analytics space is good for us all, but the developer they quoted could use some advice on how to maximize his/her Google Analytics experience. Can't beat the price tag!

Charuru15y ago

I think the biggest problem with GA is actually its usability. Mixpanel doesn't do what GA can't do, but does better what GA does poorly.

markessien15y ago

Mixpanel is also crazily expensive. I am using mixpanel to track email sends and app opens for iphone apps, and at 1.2 million events a month, this would cost $350 a month. That's just insane for a graph that shows daily opens.

citricsquid15y ago

Didn't they see how it didn't work too well for DDG? It ended with (last I saw) many people criticising their "attack" and even Matt Cutts getting involved, it seems strange they'd do this after that... assuming "the ‘war’ they have declared on Google" is accurate. Also I suspect a billboard advertisement for something with such a small user base (vs. the average person who will see this) won't convert much so they're banking on "social media" coverage?

Mixpanel is neat though.

arst15y ago

While HN's reaction to DDG's 'war on Google' has been mixed, their search traffic doubled in January (according to Gabriel's newsletter, not sure if there's a linkable source on this), so I'm not prepared to consider the strategy a failure.

reitzensteinm15y ago

They publish traffic numbers here: http://duckduckgo.com/traffic.html

Unfortunately it just ticked over on the month, so there's not much history there. For reference in the current numbers, I've been watching it for about 6 months if memory serves, and before the banner went up, it only broke 100k once. It's been getting 200k+ since the banner went up. So somewhere between double and triple the queries.

aberman15y ago

> Also I suspect a billboard advertisement for something with such a small user base (vs. the average person who will see this)...

Probably true for most billboards, but the 101 on the peninsula might be the one place in the world it makes sense (box.net has some great ads; AOL and Zynga have ads looking for job applicants)

benologist15y ago

The billboard's not focusing on Google, just the concept of pageviews.

citricsquid15y ago

I didn't mean the billboard specifically, but the claim that they're waging a "war on google". DDGs thingy was more than just a billboard.

tzs15y ago

Well, DDG's argument was essentially that they offer the same service as Google, but without certain risks. Both services give you the same thing--search results.

Mixpanel's argument is that you don't need the service Google and others offer (page view stats)--you need a different service, and Mixpanel offers that.

zitterbewegung15y ago

Whether or not people criticize the attack is any publicity better than nothing? They may take a hit but I think Mixpanel has a bigger problem of being obscure versus the possible backlash. On the other hand this could all blow up in their faces and then they are screwed. Now I either recall what Mixpanel does or I now know what their purpose is.

Skywing15y ago

I think the approach here is perfectly acceptable. The billboard makes a statement and provides a solution. Nothing wrong here.

vaksel15y ago

think of it as the ultimate link bait

endlessvoid9415y ago

One huge caveat: Google Analytics is completely FREE.

citricsquid15y ago

It's weird, they claim that once you it a certain level they require you to either use Adwords or pay (I think you have the option of paying) but they don't seem to enforce it, do you happen to know if it's true?

yahelc15y ago

The claim is 5 million pageviews per month if you're not an AdWords customer, but its not actively enforced, though all indications are that they'll get more serious about this over time.

endlessvoid9415y ago

No idea. I've definitely looked at MixPanel and would love to give it a shot, but my site would instantly put me into the paid range, which means I'll stick with GA for now.

hinathan15y ago

Noticed on 101 last night. Presuming the idea is to give the folks on the GoogleBus something to see?

hapless15y ago

So let me get this straight: Mixpanel is advising me that page views are dead, engagement is all that matters ... and their chosen medium for this message permits no measurement of engagement whatsoever.

Their web2.0 metrics are superior to traditional measures, but a one-way communications medium that has been popular for over five hundred years is apparently superior to any type of online advertising, so much so that you don't even care about the metrics.

This is the worst message/medium mismatch I could imagine.

catshirt15y ago

"Same with Facebook, it’s ajax heavy, what people are liking, commenting, etc is more valuable to facebook than someone just viewing the site."

how does facebook compensate here? i believe engagement is more important, but are the lost pageviews really of no matter? how does it play into alexa etc?

billclerico15y ago

baller move guys. love the audacity. go mixpanel.

Skywing15y ago

Congratulations. The billboard looks great.

callmeed15y ago

But I just setup a mixpanel account tonight for tracking ... pageviews.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

23 comments

yahelc15y ago

Charuru15y ago

I think the biggest problem with GA is actually its usability. Mixpanel doesn't do what GA can't do, but does better what GA does poorly.

markessien15y ago

citricsquid15y ago

Mixpanel is neat though.

arst15y ago

reitzensteinm15y ago

They publish traffic numbers here: http://duckduckgo.com/traffic.html

aberman15y ago

> Also I suspect a billboard advertisement for something with such a small user base (vs. the average person who will see this)...

Probably true for most billboards, but the 101 on the peninsula might be the one place in the world it makes sense (box.net has some great ads; AOL and Zynga have ads looking for job applicants)

benologist15y ago

The billboard's not focusing on Google, just the concept of pageviews.

citricsquid15y ago

I didn't mean the billboard specifically, but the claim that they're waging a "war on google". DDGs thingy was more than just a billboard.

tzs15y ago

Well, DDG's argument was essentially that they offer the same service as Google, but without certain risks. Both services give you the same thing--search results.

Mixpanel's argument is that you don't need the service Google and others offer (page view stats)--you need a different service, and Mixpanel offers that.

zitterbewegung15y ago

Skywing15y ago

I think the approach here is perfectly acceptable. The billboard makes a statement and provides a solution. Nothing wrong here.

vaksel15y ago

think of it as the ultimate link bait

endlessvoid9415y ago

One huge caveat: Google Analytics is completely FREE.

citricsquid15y ago

yahelc15y ago

The claim is 5 million pageviews per month if you're not an AdWords customer, but its not actively enforced, though all indications are that they'll get more serious about this over time.

endlessvoid9415y ago

No idea. I've definitely looked at MixPanel and would love to give it a shot, but my site would instantly put me into the paid range, which means I'll stick with GA for now.

hinathan15y ago

Noticed on 101 last night. Presuming the idea is to give the folks on the GoogleBus something to see?

hapless15y ago

This is the worst message/medium mismatch I could imagine.

catshirt15y ago

"Same with Facebook, it’s ajax heavy, what people are liking, commenting, etc is more valuable to facebook than someone just viewing the site."

how does facebook compensate here? i believe engagement is more important, but are the lost pageviews really of no matter? how does it play into alexa etc?

billclerico15y ago

baller move guys. love the audacity. go mixpanel.

Skywing15y ago

Congratulations. The billboard looks great.

callmeed15y ago

But I just setup a mixpanel account tonight for tracking ... pageviews.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse