“I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions. Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike. I am not cruel, only truthful-The eye of the little god, four cornered. Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall. It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over. Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me, Searching my reaches for what she really is. Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon. I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands. I am important to her. She comes and goes. Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness. In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.”
That Plath girl cracks me up – she surely had a Silly Series.
Ladies and germs, it is time to expose Shawn C. Reed to the mirror – a man you will not find in a reality TV show near you.
Tell us about Shawn C Reed. For one thing, what’s the C for?
Charming? Haha. Just kidding. It’s my middle initial. I started using it in all of my online profiles for the purpose of establishing a personal brand. The middle initial has helped me to differentiate myself in search results from the other Shawn Reeds out there. I’m not a fan of my middle name though so I’m not sharing it here. If your Google-fu is strong, you can probably find it out there somewhere.
I think the work in personal branding has paid off — I run into people who know me even though they didn’t realize they knew me. 
You’re stuck in an elevator with 2 strangers for 25 minutes. Do you a) tell them a fascinating anecdote about web analytics, b) strip down to a white vest and stage a valiant rescue mission or 3) tweet about how elevators are a metaphor for life?
I am pretty sure that unless the 2 strangers were also in the field, they’d be pretty anxious to be rescued if I started talking to them about analytics. 
And I’d probably tweet something while I was waiting… except that my phone never gets a signal in elevators. So I’m gonna go with the rescue mission. But only if I can wear a different color vest — black or navy blue, perhaps?
Has anyone ever seen you in non-cartoon form?
Only a few (un?)lucky people. I am world renowned for my camera-avoiding abilities. But I suppose I can’t hide forever. Here you go… don’t say you weren’t warned.
What is the most you’ve ever spent on something completely useless?
Hmm, good question. I once paid nearly $1000 for an unlocked smartphone because I didn’t want to wait for it to be released on my own carrier. Then a few weeks after I got it I proceeded to drop it on a concrete floor and break it beyond repair. So it didn’t start out being useless, but it definitely was by the time I got done with it!
Who is your superhero-sans-cape in the web analytics community and why?
I’m gonna have to go with Evan LaPointe. He has long been a well known and outspoken member of our community, and I have always appreciated his candor and willingness to say exactly what’s on his mind, even when that viewpoint is not popular or well received at times. I think that some people fail to take him seriously at times (I was guilty of this myself when I first learned who he was and started reading his blog). Which is a shame, because now that I’ve gotten to know him, I think he’s brilliant. If his blog fails you to convince you of his brilliance, then make sure you check out Satellite, which is a very powerful and impressive tag management platform that he has built. I think Evan is one of the few people in the industry that truly “gets it” when it comes to tag management, and I see great success in Satellite’s future.
What is your wish for the remainder of 2011?
That cable television will stop producing so many terrible reality shows. And, on a more serious note, that we as an industry can begin to show some real impact on both our clients and legislators in regards to the true value of what we do, and how we are not out to steal everyone’s information. I think that up until recently we’ve played a very passive role. I’d like to see representatives of our industry (such as someone from here at Keystone Solutions perhaps? hint hint!) testifying before Congress and truly giving us a voice in this conversation before it’s too late.
How many pearls must you cast before swine before they rebel and withhold the bacon?
I have no idea, but now you’ve got me thinking about bacon. Tasty, crispy bacon. BRB, must find bacon…
Which book on web analytics have you found the most useful?
It’s kind of cliché to say, but I still think that Avinash‘s “Web Analytics 2.0” remains the gold standard for analytics books. It’s a great book to learn from when you’re first getting started in the industry. I’ve used its wisdom many times to help mentor new analysts. I’m also a big fan of Stephen Few‘s work, even though it’s not specific to web analytics. He has a lot of good advice to offer on presenting data in such a way that it’s easy to understand and gain insight from. His book “Information Dashboard Design” is excellent.
Have you ever sought professional help for your web analytics addiction?
Well, I once thought I was attending a Web Analytics Addicts Anonymous meeting, but then I realized it was just a Web Analytics Wednesday event. And I walked out loving analytics even more than when I walked in. So that didn’t really help much with the addiction.
