What, then, if not page views?
If page views can't be a viable long-term metric, then what other measures ought we to be using to assess opportunities?
One might suggest that we need that all-encompassing definition of engagement that advertisers, agencies and publishers have been struggling with for the past couple years. An engagement metric would be advantageous, since it would get closer to what advertisers seem to be most interested in: opportunities for exposure to a message in a compelling environment. But the years of bickering should give us pause. How long before stakeholders can agree on a definition? And once that's decided, how long before syndicated research companies like comScore and Nielsen//NetRatings can both measure it and build up the requisite historical data to make comparisons meaningful?
Others suggest that a modified page view might be a short-term Band-Aid. The industry can continue to derive meaningful comparisons, for the time being, by reclassifying certain XML requests as page views. But this approach likely doesn't have long-term viability, as it's likely to open up a debate concerning which XML requests are valid requests for wanted information.
One thing is certain. The page view, as we've come to understand it, is no longer a reliable surrogate for audience engagement.
