Gatineau Imminent

Microsoft's Project Gatineau, a free web analytics service intended to compete with Google Analytics, is expected to launch in beta momentarily. This may not be the first time you've heard this prediction so a smidgen of incredulity is advised.

Initially the web service will be available only to a small set of beta testers. It may be the first beta, it won't be the last. Gatineau is expected to release in successive betas before it finally goes public sometime the middle of next year, most likely. The programs' feature set will be extended with each beta release, incorporating the experience and recommendations of the participants. Each beta will also likely be extended to a successively broader audience, increasing your likelihood of selection if you meet Microsoft's criteria. The sign-up form is located at http://advertising.microsoft.com/Gatineau.

The Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Ontario (across the river from Ottawa).
Photo attribution: Peter Ellis.

So what's the criteria? Gatineau's audience is primarily small to medium advertisers and publishers. Qualifying participants may be direct advertisers with a  single adCenter account, agencies with numerous adCenter accounts, publishers hosting contextual ads, or web site owners without an adCenter account.

If you're chosen for the beta you don't have to be an advertiser but you will need an adCenter account, at least for the early betas. Gatineau is hosted on a tab within adCenter which means you'll have to pay the $5 set-up fee. Frankly, I've never understood the $5 fee. It's certainly not a profit center; it doesn't cover costs. No one has ever offered a plausible reason for the charge. It remains a Microsoft mystery.

At least one mystery I can solve. The project was named after the Canadian city where the corporate headquarters of Deep Metrix was located. Deep Metrix was  purchased by Microsoft and its core technology contributed to the development of Gatineau.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Gatineau, Google, web analytics, adCenter, Charles Thrasher.