Regarding accuracy … I hate to say this (since I think you might send me back to my room, or worse) but I don’t think you understand what the IAB is saying. They are ** not ** trying to get more details about audience — they are trying to correct an obvious problem with cookie-related visitor counts. There is no PII involved … all that is required is a simple ratio and some middle-school math. Nothing more.

So whoever told you that the IAB is trying to get in your back pocket (or whatever) … wrath out on them since they lied to you!

Regarding the IAB vs. the WAA … again, this is where I think Jodi missed out (but I am holding my tongue.) The IAB ** is ** a bigger and more well-funded and more visible organization, which is exactly why telling them “thanks, but no thanks” is a very, very bad idea. It would be, to use your analogy, like NPR saying “yeah, those guys at CNN are idiots … they don’t know news from blogs” … A) obviously not true and B) nothing to be gained by saying that.

Given Jodi’s hard work in developing a relationship with the IAB … I’m not sure I have any suggestion other than, drum-roll please, to seriously consider their definitions of “Unique Cookies” and “Unique Visitors” as an improvement on the WAA’s existing “standards”

Surprised? No, you’re not, because that is what I said in my blog post.

Love ya, sorry you can’t keep the party going at WAA, glad you’re keeping me honest, and hope to see you at the big Dallas-area WAW this summer!

E.

P.S. Can I have a dollar?

First, thanks for apologizing, that means a lot to me. Second, never be sorry for pissing me off – instead be happy that your words inspire passion. Lastly, I gave up the WAA so I’d have more time to read your blog and fuss at you. Aren’t you a lucky man?

On the subject of being more accurate… I seriously wonder if we’ll ever get to that level of specificity legally. Maybe through mobile handheld devices before PC’s, maybe not. I’d love it as an analyst, but as a private person I’d fear it at the same time.

On two orgs like IAB and WAA not having the same definitions… I agree. It is a bummer we’re not completely in synch; but they’re a much larger and better-funded group… We’re like the NPR to their CNN. If you have big ideas on how to align us better without the WAA selling out, bring it on, my brother.

Even though you pissed me off, you know there’s nothing but love, right?

I will apologize here and apologize again in a comment in my own blog … I was perhaps a bit harsh in my tone towards Jodi. I recognize the value of the work she has done and feel horrible that I went too far in my analysis of her post. But I think the essence of the post is very valid: nobody benefits when two organizations that are supposedly working together are actively pushing different definitions of the same term.

In my defense — and the “mom” tone in your post makes me pretty uncomfortable trying to defend myself, I have to say — I think perhaps you have over-simplified the conversation you would have with the bosses about “cookies” versus “people”. I never said you would go to the bosses and talk about cookies … never said that … what I said was that the IAB has given us guidelines to improve the accuracy of the numbers we use when we talk about the number of people coming to our site. If you present “cookies” to the boss today and call it “people” … well we both know you’re not talking about people, right?

This comment box is small, and I’m not going to win you over I can tell, so I will leave you with this:

1) I’m sorry I pissed you off
2) I will apologize to Jodi publicly
3) I’m sorry you quit the WAA, your passion will be missed

Can I leave my room yet?

E.