• by February 7, 2001

Just as we were beginning to understand the differences between Media Metrix and Nielsen//NetRatings numbers, a third service has entered the web traffic measurement game, destined to confuse us all even more.

This one is called netScore and, according to the official announcement, utilizes parent company comScore's network of 1.3 million opt-in members to measure consumers' Internet buying and surfing behavior anywhere on the web.

I'll let you pick a favorite, but here are the three advantages netScore claims over the other two:

First, it utilizes comScore's new technology to track and record visitor traffic on a machine-specific basis - consistent with the methodology used by virtually all site servers.

Second, because netScore uses massive sample sizes to capture traffic from home, work, school and international visitors, netScore says they report visitor counts that closely match companies' own internal website logs.

And third, netScore says they're the only service that has developed a Buying Power Index (BPI), which enables websites - and their advertiser clients - to understand the value of an audience based on its actual online purchasing. The BPI can be used by websites to develop more relevant advertising rates and by advertisers to better understand which sites have the most valuable audiences.

For example, those sites with a higher BPI - including travel sites such as Expedia and Travelocity - attract consumers that spend more than twice as much online as the average Internet user. Conversely, websites that offer free services, such as Napster and free ISP's, tend to attract visitors who spend much less than the average online user.