Separate platform-reported metrics from your own observations

Platform-reported figures and operator observations may use different definitions and update times, so label their origins before combining them.

A practical procedure

1. Record the platform metric name exactly and note when it was retrieved.

2. Store manual counts with their own inclusion rules and observation windows.

3. Present the sources in separate columns and explain discrepancies rather than forcing agreement.

Worked example: a fictional session

A fictional report lists the platform's viewer figure beside manually counted product questions, without treating either as a count of unique buyers.

Check the limits

Similar metric names do not guarantee identical definitions across sources.