This is a pretty solid article explaining the difference in the methodology and business model of the sales figures reported by the two sources
http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2008/ ... vs-np.html
I had assumed that VGC was just taking its figures from the NPD data (and erroneously thought that NPD was available weekly if you paid). Instead, the site uses its own estimation methods (all sales figures in any industry are based on extrapolations from data collection from a sample of the population) and has its methodology and figures open to debate on its forums as it's community driven. NPD is full of market researches who collect their own data and make extrapolations of their won. VGC is free (hence their openness) while NPD is paid
So here's the question: is VGC's open-source model with "amateurs" having a say worse/better/the same as NPD's "professional" data?
http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2008/ ... vs-np.html
I had assumed that VGC was just taking its figures from the NPD data (and erroneously thought that NPD was available weekly if you paid). Instead, the site uses its own estimation methods (all sales figures in any industry are based on extrapolations from data collection from a sample of the population) and has its methodology and figures open to debate on its forums as it's community driven. NPD is full of market researches who collect their own data and make extrapolations of their won. VGC is free (hence their openness) while NPD is paid
So here's the question: is VGC's open-source model with "amateurs" having a say worse/better/the same as NPD's "professional" data?
I was there on that fateful day, were you?
