You had to figure Google had what it wanted in the Web analytics market with the purchase of Urchin but it's now obvious it wasn't enough amid news the search engine giant has acquired MeasureMap, which has been offering a beta blog analytics service. MeasureMap said there will be no difference in its operations and it "couldn't be happier to find such an ideal home" (I'd be happy too if Sergey and Larry decided to spend some of their $7-billion cash booty to acquire me!). So, let's take a step back and look at what this deal means. Maybe  it suggests Urchin (a.k.a. Google Analytics) is good as a Web site analytics tool but it isn't on the same level as MeasureMap, Mint, Blogbeat, etc. I've been using Google Analytics, MeasureMap and Blogbeat for several months - and been most impressed with Blogbeat because of its simple implementation, user-friendly interface and variety of analytical tools. Google Analytics does okay in measuring traffic but it's too sophisticated for most bloggers. I never got a good feel for MeasureMap because it doesn't support Blogware yet, although it appeared to be somewhat complicated to implement (at least it was more difficult than Blogbeat, which only requires one small piece of JavaScript). Google's acquisition of MeasureMap fits its acquisition style to a tee - it's a nice, focused beta service and, as far as I can tell, has received little or no VC, which means Google likely didn't pay a lot to make a small, but strategic, acquisition. What I'd like to know is how Google plans to generate revenue from MeasureMap. MeasureMap could become a premium service once it comes out of beta, or perhaps Google will use it as another way to drive more traffic to AdSense. So who's next to go? Will Yahoo buy Blogbeat or Mint to keep pace with Google? For a review of MeasureMap vs. Mint vs. Google Analytics, check out Mark Boulton's review.
Update: Another Google development overshadowed by the MeasureMap deal is a partnership with BearingPoint, which will work with Google's Search Appliance to customize it for corporate markets such as pharmaceuticals, banking, brokerage, technology and aerospace.

I had a fascinating breakfast with two corporate PR types - let's call them Frank and Gordon - about how well blogs are being monitored, and what kind of techniques are used to address posts/comments that may be inflammatory, controversial, provocative or inaccurate. Truth be told, this kind of PR activity is still in its infancy. While blogs fall under the media monitoring mandate, definitive strategies don't seem to be in place to be pro-active or even reactive to blogs. With the blogosphere just starting to emerge into the mainstream, many companies are still trying to get a handle on what's happening and whether resources need to be deployed. In the short-term, I'll give the corporate sector the benefit of the doubt but they've got to start thinking about putting together PR strategies for the blogosphere. They need to start answering questions such as: do we monitor blogs and how do we go about doing it? How do we determine which bloggers are the most influential and/or important? How do we engage bloggers? Do we treat them as journalists and provide them with access to executives? Do we invite them to press conferences? Companies also need to think about whether they should have their own blogs or have executives write blogs. The Kryptonite controversy, which saw bloggers attack a new lock as easy to open with a ballpoint pen, showed companies should have blogs to ensure they're part of the conversation - instead of being on the outside looking in. I think 2006 needs be the year when many companies start to think about blogosphere PR strategies. If they decide to ignore what's happening or decide it's not worth the trouble, they will probably be surprised by how quickly they'll fall behind from a communications perspective.
Update: Here's a story about corporate blogging in BusinessWeek that suggests only 22 of the Fortune 500 companies have executive blogs.

Putting aside the chatter about A-listers vs. Z-listers, the challenge of finding interesting blogs has taken a turn with the launch of Blogcode. Based on the "if you like this, you will probably like this" approach, BlogCcode generates a list of recommended blogs. While BlogCode tries to be straightforward, I found the instructions somewhat confusing. I'm not sure, for example, if I need to provide reviews on other blogs that I like or whether I just have to give information for my own blog. Perhaps this will evolve once the beta moves forward. In any event, BlogCode is trying to crack the nut of how to find new and interesting blogs in a different way from Technorati, Blogdigger, IceRocket, et al. Blogcode appears to a combination of traditional blog search and blogrolls. I'll keep an eye on it but it's leaning towards cool but only somewhat interesting status.
Update: Technorati has quietly introduce an "authority" tool, which works by measuring the number of links into a blog post. I found the authority toolbar difficult to manipulate and the results are mixed. This thing should have stayed in alpha or beta for a little while longer.