Its always an enjoyable task to to write good news. Enrique Carlos, part of our ACUITY development team, welcomed into the world, and the ARGI family, Sofia Catalina Carlos. Sofia came in weighing 6lbs 14 oz, 19 inches tall.

We send Sofia and Sofia’s family our very best wishes, Dad Enrique, Mom Gladys, and big brother Gabe!

Games Workshop of Glenn Burnie, MD has chosen ARGI Acuity, Audience Management Development for their White Dwarf Magazine. ARGI Acuity was selected for its flexability. Please read the press release found on our Breaking News section of our home page.

Traffic came to a halt today. A policeman stopped the opposite lane to pick up branches in the middle of the road. I'm sure he had other heroic acts to do, but he did us all a favor. That's admirable.

Eight years ago on this day, I had a choice to be in class or attend an event at the World Trade Center. Annoyed, I stayed in class instead and missed the event. About an hour later, tragedy struck.

First plane, then the second.

I'm grateful I stayed in class. To be honest, I don't remember what kind of event I missed. What I do remember is being in class.

At the time, class was boring. Usually is right? Being in class did not resonate as adventurous or heroic. I would say the same about picking up sticks.

If you're stuck doing the mundane, keep at it. Do not write off where you are from where you intend to be. It's what the heroes of the NYPD, FDNY, the community of NYC, and the United States of America displayed on and after 9-11. Day in and day out, people fought through the ruble. We kept picking up sticks even when others scorned and preached our demise. We got through that day as a country, not as a party.

These were the ordinary. They were the brave. It's the reason we support our troops. It's what unites donkeys and elephants. It's why I choose not to blame the economy. We got through 9-11.

That's what I remember which is why I won't forget.

Much has been said and written over the last several years in publishing circles about how Content is King or Audience is King. I weighed in on this topic in my blog post of July 14, 2008. As I pointed out in that post, I think the argument is pointless. To paraphrase Bill Clinton in 1992, "it's both stupid". While the debate of the royal supremacy of Audience and Content may be without merit, its clear to me that ownership of the palace should really belong to King Data!

Data is what takes the anonymity away from an amorphous concept like audience, or readers or subscribers and turns them into individuals. Individuals with discrete tastes, preferences, likes, dislikes and behavioral foibles. The knowledge of which can aid the savvy publisher in marketing more more smartly. Let's take a look at 4 essential questions that must be asked that defines the the characteristics of King Data.

1. Who is my Audience? These are the classic demographic questions loved and used by direct marketers for 2 generations. How old are they? Where do they live? What do they do for a living? What is their job title? Do they own their own home? What's their income? These are easily appended from a variety of commercial list sources.

2. What content have they interacted with? Impossible to know without expensive surveys in yesterday's world of printed media, now imminently knowable and very reveling. How long did they they spend on various content? What stories have the most appeal? What layout is the most effective? What is the sequence of their interactions with the editorial? Are they forwarding it to friends? How frequently and with what comments?

3. Why have they interacted with it? What caused the interaction? How did they reach it - directly, via a search engine, via a portal? What stimulated the interaction - a direct mail piece, an e-mail, a banner or text ad, a link from another site?

Each of these 3 question categories are increasingly more powerful and collectively drive the most important question about King Data. How does the smart marketer use the answers to each of the questions to form a picture of discrete audience members that will both inform the decisions of what content to show them next and to what marketing stimulus are they most responsive? In short it drives the most fundamental question: how can I make my content more engaging for my audience and how can I get my audience to engage with me more fully?

All the Best,

Ray