looking through the #measurepr crystal ballJen Zingsheim guest-moderated last week’s #measurepr chat and provided the following recap and transcript.

The #MeasurePR chat on December 6 was a free-wheeling smorgasbord of terrific measurement topics, from what the community thinks will be hot measurement trends next year to which free tools we love the most.

The discussion kicked off with a great question from Deanna Boss, who wanted to know: “What does 2012 look like for #measurepr? New trends? Saying goodbye to bad habits? Any goals?”

  • Shonali kicked things off, predicting a growth in the number of those who will offer analytics. John Trader added, no more blank checks:

no more blank checks

  • CARMA_Tweets suggested, “More effort put into tailoring specific measurement needs to all the measurement tools/systems available out there.” I agree – one size does not fit all when designing a measurement program.

Next, we talked tools – the kind we all love – *free* ones. The regulars were there, such as Google Analytics, and Shonali reminded us all that Excel is an extremely useful tool.

  • We are all anxiously awaiting John Trader’s engagement index – now that would be something nice in our stocking, wouldn’t it? Alexa and SeoMoz also were mentioned.
  • Holding true to form, we did beat up on Klout a bit – not many fans in the measurement crowd. “Birds of a feather…”

Also discussed was measurement’s problem with “attribution uncertainty” – the inability to track what compelled a consumer to buy, or a reader to share something. We all agreed that Rebecca Denison put forth some really good practices in her blog post, and the theme bubbled up (champagne reference – I am *so* ready for the holidays) that planning is so critical for effective measurement.

Finally, we closed out with some measurement resolutions, for which Deanna Boss wins the prize of the day:

 Deanna Boss promises to never miss another #measurePR

Want to read the entire transcript of the #measurePR crystal ball edition? You got it.

The final #measurePR chat of 2011 will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 20, from 12-1 ET. Don’t miss it!

Jen Zingsheim is Vice President of Products and Services forCustomScoop, driving product development plans to better meet the needs of public relations and marketing professionals. In addition, Jen oversees CustomScoop’s media analysis offerings, including BuzzPerception Reports, which track messages and trends in social media for Fortune 500 clients. Prior to CustomScoop, Jen worked at Fleishman-Hillard’s St. Louis headquarters, and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.