Latest changes

 December 2011

• It is clarified that mobile and app traffic need only be broken out on the mandatory metric of Daily Unique Browsers (for each day and derived daily average for the period).
• The implementation date for the mandatory breakout of app traffic has been moved back six months to 1 July 2012. (Mobile breakouts are currently mandatory).
• Due to the practicalities in identifying internal mobile traffic, the requirement to exclude it  from web traffic claims has been removed.

Previous changes

September 2011

• From 1st January 2012 the current metric 'Mobile Site Impression' is to be replaced with a new metric 'Mobile Format Impression'. Follow the link above for more details. 

May 2011

• From May 2011 members may choose to report App Traffic at their option. 
• From January 2012 any App Traffic included on an ABC Web Traffic certificate must be broken out if it represents 5% or more of the overall total. 
• The metrics for the measurement of App Traffic are included in section X1.8. 
• Sections B3.1, B3.1.2 and B3.4.1 include further information relating to the certification of App Traffic.

 December 2010

New Reporting Standards and Metrics

• [1] Section B3.1: The requirement for annual certification has been removed.
• [2] Section B3.8: Any User Account or Subscriber Account metrics stated on a web traffic certificate for a defined period of activity must have the Active number for that period stated and may optionally state additional non-Active “parent” metrics provided an Active number is stated. Subscriber Accounts must have a maximum term of expiry of three years.
• [3] Section B3.9: A caveat is to be added to web traffic certificates clarifying that traffic may or may not have been ‘in focus’, where ‘in focus’ means the content in the browser window that is uppermost (typically the foreground tab).
• [4] Section X1.1: The notes to the Unique Browser definition have been revised, clarifying that this metric measures each browser, it does not measure a person.
• [5] Section X1.1: User and Subscriber Account metrics are defined.
• [6] Section X1.2: The Automated Page Impression definition has been revised by adding the words ‘enabled by the site’.
• [7] Section X1.8: App metrics are defined.

July 2010

New Reporting Standards and Metrics

• [1] Section B1.3, p6: Added list of the fields required to be logged for certification of Mobile App metrics (see [9] below)
• [2] Section B4, p10-11: Added reporting standards for presentation of AV metrics for IPTV (the BMWG project) - simulcast (section B4.1) and Video on Demand (VOD) (section B4.2)
• [3] Appendix 1, p30: New account metrics (Registered User Accounts, Paid Subscriber Accounts, Active Registered User Accounts, Paid Subscriber Accounts, Unique CV Registrant, Active CV Registrant) added.
• [4] Appendix 1, p30-31: Change of explanatory notes on Page Impression to use the JICWEBS-defined term "user-initiated logged event" rather than "user-initiated request".
• [5] Appendix 1, p31: Change to definition of Automated Page Impression to show that the automation must result from a process put in place by the site (e.g. meta-refresh).
• [6] Appendix 1, p32: Change to definition of AV Play to clarify that this covers playlists rather than specific types of AV content; added AV Ad Play and AV Content Play metrics as additional metrics
• [7] Appendix 1, p33: Added New CV Registration metric - replaces previous CV Registration metric
• [8] Appendix 1, p35: Added VOD measurement metrics - Total AV Play Duration, Unique AV Play Duration, Unique Play Percentage - per Section B4 above
• [9] Appendix 1, p36: Added Mobile App metrics (Unique Mobile Device, Mobile App, Mobile App Page Impression, Mobile App Visit, Mobile App Event, Mobile App Visit Duration, Mobile App Ad Impression)

Guidance (only available to subscribers in the technical area)

• [1] Section C1, p11: Added summary guiding principles for ABCe audits.
• [2] Section C3.2.5, p14: Clarification of the rules for claiming Paid Subscriber Accounts
• [3] Section C5.1.1, p15: Notification that declaration of syndicated content domains may be required on ABCe certificates in the interest of transparency.
• [4] Section C5.1.4, p15: Explanation of how Monthly Average Visit Duration will be calculated and certified (i.e. it is not the average of the Daily Visit Durations, which are themselves averages)
• [5] Section C5.3, p16: Explanation that distribution of Digital Publications can be certified according to the applicable ABC Print (distribution) Reporting Standards if it is an eligible edition of a print product.
• [6] Section D2, D3.1, p17-18: Explanation of browser- and server-side measurement, and of the Unique Browser metric.
• [7] Section D4.4, p22: Change of wording to use the term "user-initiated logged event" rather than "page request"; as not all logged events are page requests.
• [8] Section D8.3, p25: ABCe guidance on measuring (Mobile) Apps per the new Reporting Standards described in [9] above.

February 2010

• Table of Contents: now references third-level headings as well as first- and second (e.g. Section B2.1.1 as well as B2.1 and B2)
• Effective from 1 January 2010 the metric "Unique User/Browser" has been renamed to "Unique Browser"; this applies to ALL reach metrics where this term is used.
• B3.1, page 8: Effective from 1 January 2010 certification of Daily and Average Daily Unique Browsers is the mandatory minimum.
• B3.1, B3.2, page 8: Clarification of the Continuous Reporting methodology and the statement of average numbers on the certificate.
• B3.7, page 9: Explanation of how averages must be calculated on the certificate
• C5.3, page 13: Clarification regarding certification of digital-only publications.
• D5.3, page 20: The BMWG rights measurement methodologies, both simulcast and on-demand, are explained
• Section E, pp 24-26: This has been introduced to cover the requirements for ABCe Online Profiles which allow the presentation of demographic data onto ABCe certificates. The rules are different for Consumer and B2B sites.

March 2009

• B2.1.6 Reporting Standards, page 7: Added clarification on certain types of URL possibly becoming invalid traffic
• B3.3.2 Reporting Standards, page 7: Added a framework for determining the admissibility of syndicated content.
• Section X:Metric Definitions:The Stream metrics and related definitions have been superseded by AV Play metrics. These include AV Play (supersedes Stream), Automated AV Play, AV Unique User/Browser, and AV Play Duration.
• Section X:Metric Definitions:The RSS metrics have been superseded by Web Feed metrics. These include Web Feed Unique User/Browser, Web Feed Referral In and Web Feed Referral In Unique User/Browser.
• Section X:Metric Definitions:New Web Feed Article metrics have been added - Web Feed Article Impression and Web Feed Ad Impression - to measure consumption of web feed content.
• Section X:Metric Definitions: New Recruitment metrics have been added - Web Feed Job Referral In, Job Exposure Page Impression, Job Details Page Impression, Proprietary Page Impression and Job Search - to measure various stages in the online job application process.