Web analytics is the process of collecting and analyzing data to reveal visitor traffic and engagement patterns on webpages. These tools and the insights they reveal can be invaluable for diagnosing issues and improving operations of citizen science projects. (Check out the Wikipedia entry on web analytics for a more thorough overview.) But what tools are available, and how does a busy citizen science team make best use of them?

First, we hear from members of the NASA Office of Communications. They ground our conversation in a discussion of key performance indicators - both what they are and the metrics you can use to track them, and why doing so through time is valuable. Next, Cliff Johnson from the Zooniverse platform shares the data that Zooniverse can provide to projects hosted there. Finally, we hear from SciStarter founder Darlene Cavalier about the tools and dashboards SciStarter provides to assist affiliated projects in better understanding patterns of users and use. 

Event speakers include:

Janel Kasper-Wolfe, Research and Analytics Lead for the NASA Office of Communications

Leslie Linares López, Communication Strategist and Metrics Lead, NASA Office of Communications

Rebecca Walker Benjamin, Communications Strategist, NASA Office of Communications

Cliff Johnson, Co-Director, Science Lead, and NASA Liaison for the Zooniverse Platform, Astronomer at Northwestern University and the Adler Planetarium

Darlene Cavalier, founder of SciStarter and Professor of Practice at the Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society