Internet Advertising Metrics & the Reality of Traffic Measurement

D. Brouse and S. Mukherjee
InternetU.org

Abstract (1999)

Are Media Metrix and Net Nielsen's Numbers Bogus?

Prior to the existence of companies like Media Metrix and NetNielsen, we spent years trying to figure out how traditional media companies would attempt to count audiences and audience share.

Since we believe that NASA and our network are the two largest original content providers on the Internet, we use their placement by ranking services to judge the ranking service.

For example, neither our network nor NASA ever appear on Media Metrix and NetNielsen's ratings. And, what about all the other universities and government websites?

These questions and irregularities have prompted the publishing of this report.

  1. invalid collection methods
    1. not sampling from the entire population of users
    2. not sampling from the most visited websites on the Internet

  2. basic fallacy in business model
    traditional media metrics do little to deal with massive re-distribution of advertisements (our ad model takes this into account, but can not be revealed due to Intellectual Property Right issues. I can say, we've worked with some of the best programmers, statisticians and mathematicians in the world developing our model.)

  3. violate privacy rights in their collection methods

thus, our complaint with the FTC against the FTC and Net Nielsen.

* More detail on the faults of "The Net Rating Gods", S. Mukherjee (2000)

Back To Widgette.com

Internet Privacy & Security Study

© The Philadelphia Spirit Experiment Publishing Company
These graphics, images, text copy, sights or sounds may not be used without expressed written consent of the Glistening Web Communications Corporation.