The EgoNetCast podcast features a discussion on the Trader Principle.
Back in September, I shared a talk via Skype with Martin Lindeskog, host of the topical podcast EgoNetCast (@EgoNetCast). EgoNetCast conducts interviews with authors, business minded individuals, entrepreneurs, and philosophers. Each talk is meant to answer questions on business philosophy, new media, and life.
Based in Gothenberg, Sweden, Martin is also co-host of Trendpal (@Trendpal), a lifestyle podcast with Lotta Gergis Aston (@LottaGergis). He is also a regular Small Business Trends contributor. He also goes by @Lyceum on Twitter, and is an avid tea enthusiast.
The talk Martin and I shared featured a philosophical treatise of analytics against the Trader Principle, a philosophy advocated by Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged. The trader principle declares the idea of individual justice through your trade – your ability to earn from your skills and offering. Here is a quote that further elaborates the philosophy:
“The symbol of all relationships among [rational] men, the moral symbol of respect for human beings, is the trader. We, who live by values, not by loot, are traders, both in matter and in spirit. A trader is a man who earns what he gets and does not give or take the undeserved.”
This concept dovetails into some of the underlying principles of analytics. Measurement is at the core of analytics, but analytics also reflects as an indicator of what you've earned online. Dimensions in a dashboard are sources for the metrics examined, where the metrics occurred or where they were “earned” online.
So this meaning of dimensions is an implication that the trader principle can also apply to analytics. Just think of any project where spam referral traffic is audited and you can get the idea of the Trader Principle ethics.
The talk also notes the idea of cultivating your skills. Our purpose in life is to take our skills and find ways to contribute to society. Improved skills require some form of measurement that indicates if we are getting better at the task.
There also some straightforward commentary in digital marketing such as remarketing and Twitter ads and understanding the differences of social media and paid search campaigns. This casual talk is one hour long. Click on the image in this post and enjoy. Feel free to share your thoughts as well.
By the way the talk was via Skype during an early Saturday morning for me, so forgive any "ums" as a sign of weariness! 😉
“There is no conflict of interests among men who do not desire the unearned, who do not make sacrifices nor accept them, who deal with one another as traders, giving value for value.” - Ayn Rand
Pierre,
Thank you very much for the conversation! I enjoyed it very much!
You have written an excellent blog post on the link between the trader principle and online analytics.
Best Premises,
Martin