Activation rate in detail
Downloads flatter; activation tells the truth. The metric has two deliberate constraints. The numerator counts unique people who signed in and did something in the app, not installs and not repeat sessions. The denominator is the eligible, invited population, which means the guest list, the imported member file or the approved registrations, never total headcount of a vague audience. Writing the denominator down is what lets the number stand up when a client's finance head asks about it. Sociana reports activation first, then participation rate, because a person who never signed in cannot participate. Illustratively, if 1,200 members were invited and 1,000 signed in, activation is about 83 percent; the same 1,000 against an unspecified crowd of 3,000 would be meaningless. Activation is best reported with its date range and source file, and compared by group to reveal which cohorts need a reminder.
How Sociana uses it
Activation rate is computed per occasion from member sign-ins against the member list, and can be cut by group. Published event results should state the denominator and dates with every figure.
Example
An executive conclave measured activation against its invited delegate list, then chased unactivated groups with a scheduled announcement.