PostRank

PostRank was a Canadian social media analytics company whose technology measured and ranked audience engagement with published online content. Its proprietary system attempted to assess the relative significance of activity surrounding an article, blog post, or other piece of content rather than relying only on conventional audience metrics such as page views. Signals included comments, links, Internet bookmarks, clicks, page views, and activity on social networking and sharing services including Twitter, Digg, Facebook, and Myspace. The business originally operated under the name AideRSS, Inc. In October 2008, AideRSS relaunched its website as PostRank.com and concentrated the company’s work on the PostRank technology. This transition reflected a move away from a broader RSS-oriented identity toward a specialized proposition built around social engagement measurement. In July 2009, the company formally changed its corporate name to PostRank Inc. PostRank developed several related offerings for different user groups. PostRank Data Services, introduced in July 2009, supplied application programming interfaces and reports based on real-time and mined Social Web data. Companies could use the service in software applications, marketing measurement, and strategic planning. Its free API also supported third-party experiments and applications, including a system used to rank TED talks according to engagement. PostRank Analytics, launched in September 2009, targeted bloggers and online publishers. It helped them identify where and how audiences shared or organized their content across the Social Web, while also providing tools for comparative analysis. PostRank Connect, launched in August 2010, extended the proposition to brands, public-relations firms, and marketing agencies. It supported blogger relationships, product campaigns, and consulting work. The company was acquired by Google in June 2011. Following the acquisition, PostRank’s technology and capabilities were incorporated into Google’s analytics activities rather than continuing as a separate long-term standalone service. Google Analytics announced the Analytics Social Data Hub in December 2011 and introduced social reporting functionality in March 2012. The original PostRank services were sunset on May 1, 2012. Accordingly, PostRank is best understood today as a defunct analytics brand whose principal legacy was the integration of social-engagement measurement into Google’s broader analytics ecosystem.

PostRank emerged from AideRSS, Inc., a Canadian company that developed technology for evaluating the importance of activity around online content. In October 2008, AideRSS relaunched its website as PostRank.com and placed the PostRank technology at the center of its business identity. The change signaled a specialization in social engagement analytics: instead of treating all audience activity as equivalent, the system sought to rank engagement using a range of observable actions across the web. The PostRank approach incorporated signals such as comments, inbound links, bookmarks, clicks, page views, and interactions from social-network and content-sharing services. The referenced services included Twitter, Digg, Facebook, and Myspace. This combination was intended to help users distinguish stronger audience response from passive exposure and to compare the social performance of published material. In July 2009, the company formally changed its name to PostRank Inc. That same month it launched PostRank Data Services, a package of APIs and reports designed for businesses and developers. The offering provided access to real-time and mined Social Web data for use in applications, marketing measurement, and strategic planning. A free API broadened the service’s potential use outside the company’s own products; one cited example involved ranking TED talks by engagement. PostRank Analytics followed in September 2009. It was aimed primarily at bloggers and online publishers that wanted to understand how their audiences shared and organized content across the Social Web. The service also supported competitive analysis, giving publishers a way to compare engagement patterns rather than examining their own traffic in isolation. In August 2010, PostRank introduced PostRank Connect. This offering addressed brands, public-relations organizations, and marketing agencies. It combined blogger-focused campaign activity with consulting services, extending the company from measurement infrastructure into practical marketing and communications workflows. Google acquired PostRank in June 2011. The acquisition ended the company’s development as an independent business and placed its technology within Google’s analytics organization. Google Analytics subsequently announced the Analytics Social Data Hub in December 2011 and launched social reporting functionality in March 2012. The standalone PostRank services were sunset on May 1, 2012. PostRank therefore survives primarily as an acquired technology and historical product brand associated with the early development of social-engagement analytics, rather than as an active independent company.

• 2012

  Standalone services discontinued

  [1]PostRanken.wikipedia.org

  PostRank services were sunset on May 1 after related functionality had moved into Google Analytics.

• 2011

  Acquired by Google

  [1]PostRanken.wikipedia.org

  Google acquired PostRank in June and began integrating its capabilities into Google Analytics.

• 2010

  PostRank Connect launched

  [1]PostRanken.wikipedia.org

  The company introduced a service for brands and marketing agencies working with bloggers on campaigns and consulting.

• 2009

  Corporate name changed to PostRank Inc.

  [1]PostRanken.wikipedia.org

  The company formally adopted the PostRank Inc. name in July.

• 2009

  PostRank Data Services launched

  [1]PostRanken.wikipedia.org

  The company introduced APIs and reports for real-time and mined Social Web data.

• 2009

  PostRank Analytics launched

  [1]PostRanken.wikipedia.org

  A publisher-oriented analytics service began tracking content sharing, audience organization, and competitive engagement.

• 2008

  Website relaunched as PostRank.com

  [1]PostRanken.wikipedia.org

  AideRSS relaunched its website under the PostRank.com identity and focused the business on its social-engagement ranking technology.

A specialist Social Web analytics provider focused on measuring the quality and intensity of engagement around published content. PostRank positioned its technology as a way for publishers, marketers, agencies, and software developers to understand interactions such as comments, links, bookmarks, clicks, views, and social-network activity in a unified ranking framework.

• APIs and social data reports · 2009

  PostRank Data Services

  Launched in July 2009, PostRank Data Services provided APIs and reports based on real-time and mined Social Web data. Businesses and developers could use the data in applications, marketing measurement, and strategic planning. The service included a free API and supported use cases such as ranking TED talks according to measured engagement.

• Publisher analytics · 2009

  PostRank Analytics

  Introduced in September 2009, PostRank Analytics helped bloggers and online publishers monitor where and how audiences shared or organized their content across the Social Web. It also supported competitive analysis, allowing publishers to examine engagement patterns around their own material and comparable content.

• Brand and public-relations campaign services · 2010

  PostRank Connect

  Launched in August 2010, PostRank Connect served brands, public-relations firms, and marketing agencies. It supported work with bloggers on product campaigns and included consulting services intended to turn engagement data and blogger relationships into marketing activity.

• 2012

  Retirement of standalone PostRank servicesStrategy

  Background

  Following the Google acquisition, PostRank functionality was being incorporated into Google Analytics.

  Action taken

  The standalone PostRank services were discontinued on May 1, 2012.

  Aftermath

  PostRank ceased operating as an independent service brand, while related social analytics capabilities continued through Google Analytics.

  Source

• 2011

  Google acquisitionM&A

  Background

  PostRank had developed analytics technology for aggregating and ranking engagement signals from blogs, websites, and social services.

  Action taken

  Google acquired PostRank in June 2011 and incorporated its capabilities into Google’s analytics activities.

  Aftermath

  Google announced the Analytics Social Data Hub in December 2011 and later introduced social reporting in Google Analytics. The standalone PostRank services were sunset in May 2012.

  Source

• 2008

  Shift to the PostRank identityStrategy

  Background

  AideRSS was repositioning its business around a proprietary system for ranking social engagement with published content.

  Action taken

  The company relaunched its website as PostRank.com and focused its public identity on the PostRank technology.

  Aftermath

  The company later formalized the change by adopting the PostRank Inc. name in July 2009.

  Source

1. 1PostRanken.wikipedia.org