KD Paine is one of the (terrific) speakers we've got lined up for BlogPotomac, Washington DC's premiere social media marketing event coming up on June 13, 2008 (go for it... register here). I snagged her for a quick Q & A to give us a preview of her topic "Measurement and Value."

Note: In keeping with the unconference format (see here and here) of BlogPotomac, KD and the other speakers will be delivering informal presentations - no PowerPoint - with plenty of time for Q&A with attendees.

Debbie: Tell us briefly about your company KD Paine & Partners.

KD: We provide measurement and evaluation of communications programs – including traditional and social media, internal and external programs. We've been doing this stuff for 22 to years, and measuring consumer generated media for 13 years.

We design measurement programs for clients, helping them to define their "dashboards" of things they want to track. We also provide  the human element – working with firms like Buzz Logic to provide human coding in order to get social media to an acceptable accuracy level.. We also provide the so-what – connecting the data to actual business outcomes.

Debbie: You're being called The Queen Of Measurement. But on your Twitter page you say you prefer to be called the Goddess Seshat. Who the heck is that? 

KD: There actually was a goddess of measurement called Seshat - and in this day and age Queen is just a bit too "command and control" as opposed to  a goddess that inspires followers and gives birth to new metrics.

KD Paine... a goddess who inspires followers and gives birth to new metrics.

Debbie: I know you're on the road constantly these days, speaking to audiences both in the U.S. and abroad. What's the single most frequent question you get about measuring the effectiveness of online PR?

KD: What impact does it have on the bottom line. Sure, I can track rank and followers and all kinds of things, but how do I know its worth the effort ?

Debbie: Another BlogPotomac speaker, Kami Watson Huyse, has done a nifty video interview with you where you outline your Super Six Steps to Effective PR Measurement. As BlogPotomac is focused on social media, would you change anything or add to the list?

KD: Not a thing. I think that if everyone started off following those 6 steps, we have a lot more measurement (as opposed to monitoring which is what most people are doing) .

Debbie: Any quick thoughts on some of the new metrics - engagement, participation, velocity, community - being used to measure the impact of social media?

KD: Yes I'm a big believer in measuring engagement but I think it has to go way beyond repeat visits, and sentiment and tonality. I think we have to start asking the customers not just are they engaged but do they trust us, are they committed to a long term relationship, are they satisfied with the relationship. That's why I called my book Measuring Public Relationships.

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