Communication Essentials - Digital stuff

Every day there is something new to address in the digital landscape.

I receive a weekly “The most interesting thing in tech” update.

I’m beginning to think it needs to be daily.

The fact is, digital and tech updates could consume every minute of every day. Someone is forwarding you this update. You need to take a look at this breaking news. This new release needs your attention.

Might sound weird for an agency owner, whose agency is heavily active in our clients’ digital strategies and programs, to take such a “get off my lawn” approach to the rapid pace of digital updates … but come on. You’re all thinking it at times. No one wakes up and is like “oh cool, another AI update.”

But despite all of this grumbling, there are some key updates and news that need your attention. So, here’s ChatBEN to provide you with a grab bag update of all the digital “stuff” you need to know right now:

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

GA4, which will be taking the place of the current analytics system July 1, is the next step in Google’s web analytics monitoring toolbelt in the form of an entirely new product. Google is already going to help push this forward, with GA4 properties beginning to appear in your Google Analytics accounts (but not replacing your current reports).

To be best prepared for this change, we recommend getting GA4 set up as soon as possible. This can be accomplished by anyone who has ownership for your Google Accounts, or if more assistance is needed, you can reach out to your contact at akhia who will get you in touch with our digital experts.

Wait. What is GA4? This new analytics platform prioritizes users and events instead of the sessions we’ve grown accustomed to. This event-based model means that instead of our dashboards being filled with session-based reports (for example: pages per session, pageviews, session duration), we will see a boiled-down version based on the number of users, average engagement time and other general activity reports. All of this does not mean that sessions, pageviews and some of the other data points are going away entirely, however. Instead, they are classified as “events” and are accessible through the events reports.

AI Everything

Whether you’re using AI, excited about AI or afraid of AI … it’s a topic that demands your attention. When you consider the headlines around people leaving Google so they can safely talk about their AI fears … or the next version of ChatGPT may be self-aware … or this technology is a real-life version of the movie “Don’t Look Up” …well, it has my attention.

This is not to say AI shouldn’t be used – we are, like so many – it’s to say let’s be aware of what we’re using and the long-term (short-term?) implications of it. Remember, this is an unregulated technology. You wouldn’t be driving a vehicle or flying in a plane that hadn’t been built with regulations in place.

Cybersecurity

Wow Ben. A lot of doom and gloom here.

Well, maybe. But on the flip side, if we’re going to do more in a digital world … we should be prepared to secure it. The cyber landscape is volatile right now because of so many more touchpoints, so many more networks and so much more usage. So, what’s the trend here … what’s the digital “thing” you need to know?

The big thing is to understand where your cybersecurity strategy stands. In my opinion, that starts with not assuming someone else is looking out for it or owning it. From the type of insurance you’re carrying to your response plan – there are so many details that can save you time and money if addressed quickly enough.

From a comms standpoint … well, in the face of a topic that’s hard to get alignment on, comms can play a big role in helping to identify the most critical needs and putting words and organization around those needs.

If you want to discuss where things (might) stand with your program – or who you could talk to, to understand more – I would be happy to pick up that conversation with you, as a business owner who just went through that audit and prep himself.

So, what do you think? Are you prepared for this digital stuff? On top of it? Ahead of it? Scared of it? Let me know regardless. I’m curious about your take and the cadence in which you track everything you need and want to track.

Our goal is to always be watching and monitoring what’s ahead – and trying to keep you informed so you’re not surprised before it’s too late.