After much discussion, we’ve decided that the deal proposed by PayPerPost just isnt right for us or our community. It’s regrettable that we should part ways as I still feel that Dan and Ted are stand up guys breaking new ground, but in the end, the deal was just not right for them or us.
Open Source
Our free blog statistics package, Metrics will be given back to the community with our thanks — we can no longer run it, which means the service will end, but we hope that the developer community will make good use of the code and that we can continue to help the project by hosting it and providing support where we can.
Feedburner as Alternative for Metrics
If you’re a Metrics user and dont want to wait around till the OS version of Metrics is developed (and this could take some time…), I highly recommend Feedburners Blog Stats which has just gone live. Dick and the FB guys are good friends of Performancing and I can’t think of a better place to send the Performancing Metrics users.
Where does that Leave Performancing?
Well, more details to follow but the short story is that we will continue to develop Performancing Partners, our growing blog advertising network and focus the Performancing domain entirely to that end as well as our “grassroots” community — We’re proud of what we’ve helped build here, and want to continue to evolve, develop and help the community grow — the business of blogging isnt always easy, but it’s easier when you can get some help from peers 🙂
PFF?
PFF, our free blog editor for Firefox will still be moved out to its own domain and rebranded as ScribeFire. We all love the name, and think it deserves it’s own identitiy!
More..
Of course there is more to talk about, but I’d like to get some initial reaction from the community first and answer questions in more detail over the next couple of days.
Here’s looking to the future and profitable 2007!
37 thoughts on “Metrics goes Open Source”
@metavalent: The plug was pulled on Perf Partners since before SplashPress Media took over. But who knows, it might come back in the future.
Article above says:
Yet, http://performancing.com/parnters/ says:
And I can’t remember the last time I saw a partners image show up on my blog. It was working fine there, for awhile, and I haven’t touched the embed code. Thanks for all the hard work on pMetrics!
Ok, I’ll do.
My main interest here is in getting a decent measurement tool for my company intranet blogs. Heh, if only FeedBurner also provided some custom solution for the intranet rss counting
Artem, watch for a post by David, soon.
Any news about the Metrics open-sourced?
humaneasy – it’s not a drupal module though the login is at least somewhat shared.
Gurpartap – they already said in this thread that they will not be delivering data to people.
Drag. Can anyone else recommend a good stats package for WordPress?
I tought Metrics was integrated as a Drupal Module. Isn’t it?
If it is it will be rather easy to put it open to the community.
If this takes too long to be really OPEN and code made available it will be deadware very soon. Examples of that are numerous around us.
Please, don’t let it die.
Best.
Firestats looks wicked! Thanks for working on it!
Maintainers: Is the Performancing stats export data available?
Nick,
My perception of Performancing has historically been that you offer three things which all seemed to support your mantra of “Helping Bloggers Succeed”.
After you turn off the Metrics and rebrand the plug-in what are you left with? Advertising. How does that “Help Bloggers Succeed”?
Although I installed your ads on my blog in the very early days nothing ever appeared so I reallocated the space to other ads eventually intending to return once you had enough advertisers to actually display ads reliably.
Unfortunately now that I won’t be able to see PMetrics on my blog, or in my Google Sidebar, I simply have no compelling reason to come back and implement the ads.
Anyway good luck, and goodbye.
John
IMHO, Feedburner stats are nearly useless because their website is so slooooooow! It often requires your name and password every time you click into a new window. Getting anything done on their site is huge headache with timeouts the rule rather than the exception.
Most of use already use StatCounter or an equivalent. Metrics was a handy way to check traffic by just glancing at your sidebar. And, you could make it invisible to everyone but the admin.
Then don’t use it in the first place. Come on …
Some of us have better things to do than keep up with all the journals of the services we use…
Well, I think an email would’ve been nice indeed.
But after all, the team worked their ass off to make the blog, the communication beam. So members could’ve read this. And anyway any way to login, is redirected to this story.
PS: Nick and the team let everybody know since a few months ago, that this service will be no longer developed and will be stopped.
Why do I get tuns of mails about Performancing Parterns and whatnot,
but do I have to find out about this the day *after* its turned off only
from visiting the website itself?
Nou lekker dan! Eikels.
You know where to find me, for limos, chicks and beer.
I will need LOTS of help …
If you need any help Chris, let me know.
The Metrics system was for me, not the super-mega analytics, performant metrics sytem, but it soon became a very accesible and usable simple metrics system.
I got the habbit about it. I got used to it.
I second Cristi. Where’s the source????????? My addiction is really bad and now I simply frustrated :(((((
Heh I feel itchy not checking my stats too. I think right now the best idea would be PHP/MySQL backend then build front ends for different blog platforms. There are basically two parts, getting the data efficiently and presenting it nicely. Of course I need to prioritize getting Performancing as a business running well but I am sure this will be my pet project ;O)
Chris, a module version for different platforms sounds very nice.
Or maybe not a module for WordPress, but just the PHP code, that one can put on any website.
Anyway, it was very good whilst it lasted, and now I feel empty
Right now it is not in a shape where we can just give the code for download, it is very integrated into performancing. Building and releasing as open source will be a project all of its own. I have a lot to do but one of the things on my list is definitely this. One idea I have had is a “mini metrics” – a single blog version you can install on your own blog …
Hey Nick,
So if the metrics system is now open-source, where can One find it ?
Cristian Mezei
edited.
Actually nothing prevents PPP from hosting the Metrics. Most of open source licenses allow for making money this way
In fact they can even buy the support from Nick
As far as I understand the only thing they can’t get is the current user base.
I also think there will be another metrics hosters. I myself am thinking about it
Hey Nick, you’ve shown you’re a bunch of smart guys. The PPP deal was causing too much controversy and giving Metrics to the open source community to focus on the Partners business is a really good idea.
I’m sure Metrics will find it’s way out, I guess is a set of Drupal modules, right? That will really help many of us.
Best of lucks!
FWIW – this seems like a worse solution to me. Perhaps you could do both
I’d be happy for PPP to host metrics for me so I don’t have to bother with the install/maintenance of it. There’s a hell of a business opportunity for someone who wants to start it (taps fingers on desk)…
To answer a few questions…
No, there is no plan to run a hosted version of metrics whatsoever.
Yes, you will be able to take the code and do what you please with it.
Yes, we are hoping to get the code in a fit state for hosted use by both individuals and organizations.
Im sorry but there is just no time to arrange data transfer. Metrics will be ‘turned off’ on Wednesday 10th.
Dont worry about the PPP deal falling through: At the end of a long call with all the Performancing stakeholders the general feeling is one of releif that we get to keep the best parts of our company and optimisim that we can make this work – see this post on my personal blog for a little more. I think i may even start writing a series of posts about our mistakes and how we plan to correct them in the hope that we and others can learn a little from it – let me know if you think that’d be interesting…
Thanks for all your patience with us over the last few weeks. Im keenly aware that we owe everything to our community and though I felt, despite some degree of negative reaction, we were doing the right thing by you with the PPP deal, it’s clear now that we were not.
Onward and upward…
So what is going to happen to Metrics in the short term? I’ve come to really rely upon it. I’m on TypePad, so I doubt if I can install a server side package. The irony here is that I’m now looking for an equivalent service that I can pay for.
Does anyone have suggestions of a service that will (1) allow me to drop in some code in a sidebar and not require a server side install and (2) allow me to see my top 100 pages and select the dates for that view? I do a couple of top ten (product) posts each month that are very important to me. In order to do that I really need to see the top 50 or 100 for the past month.
Other than that, thanks to the folks at Performancing. I just wish Metrics could continue in a manner similar to what it is now.
Nick,
The deal with PPP never felt right. For whatever reason, I’m glad to see it not go through. It was an oil and water mix in my view.
As to giving Metrics to the community, that’s just further evidence that what you’re made of is not what the PPP guys are made of.
I applaud both decisions!
I think you made a wise decision.
One question: will you provide a way to export user’s data? Any format would be very nice.
Sorry things didn’t work out with the PpP deal but it’s all for the best. As the saying goes, it’s always darkest before the dawn and you guys have many, many sunny days ahead of you. Cheers to a ginormous 2007.
Hey guys I`m really impressed!
I believe now you`ll have more time to develop your great service Performancing Networks…and may provide other payment method in the near future
What I can say…Good Luck!
I am impressed.
I truly hope, that at some point the open-sourced metrics will bring you some benefits back. Either via some link to your ad network, or via the link to PFF, or via the payments for installing and hosting some big company metrics, or in some other way not foreseeable now.
Hi Nick,
Sorry to see the deal fall through, I though PPP would provide a good driving force to develop new features. They still might as they are quite likely to use the open source version if what they wanted was the technology.
Will there be a version of the code released that doesn’t allow 3rd party subscribers.
I would much prefer to host the script myself and use it on all my niche websites from a central server, but I wouldn’t want 3rd parties to be able to register.
I wouldn’t trust potential competitors in niche markets with my data.
Hey Nick, I’m glad you have chosen to keep the parts of Performancing together. Having another party involved doesn’t seem right or fair. It’s a great community and will continue to be in the future.
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