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TL;DR

This paper evaluates the user engagement and performance of CLARIN's Virtual Language Observatory through web analytics, aiming to improve infrastructure transparency and inform strategic development in digital humanities research.

Contribution

It introduces a scientific approach to web analytics for infrastructure assessment and discusses the integration of marketing strategies with technical development.

Findings

Web traffic analysis reveals user engagement levels.

Highlights the need for transparent evaluation of research infrastructures.

Proposes a reusable framework for web analytics in digital research.

Abstract

CLARIN (Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure) is regarded as one of the most important European research infrastructures, offering and promoting a wide array of useful services for (digital) research in linguistics and humanities. However, the assessment of the users for its core technical development has been highly limited, therefore, it is unclear if the community is thoroughly aware of the status-quo of the growing infrastructure. In addition, CLARIN does not seem to be fully materialised marketing and business plans and strategies despite its strong technical assets. This article analyses the web traffic of the Virtual Language Observatory, one of the main web applications of CLARIN and a symbol of pan-European re-search cooperation, to evaluate the users and performance of the service in a transparent and scientific way. It is envisaged that the paper can raise awareness of the pressing issues on objective and transparent operation of the infrastructure though Open Evaluation, and the synergy between marketing and technical development. It also investigates the "science of web analytics" in an attempt to document the research process for the purpose of reusability and reproducibility, thus to find universal lessons for the use of a web analytics, rather than to merely produce a statistical report of a particular website which loses its value outside its context.