We measure reader reaction to everything we do here at The Advertiser.

Online, we allow readers to recommend stories, post their comments, participate in polls and learn which stories are the most popular or most discussed. We examine our page views, video streams, mobile connections and blog comments. In print, we watch our circulation numbers, employ focus groups, implement reader surveys and otherwise ask for feedback continually.

A new measuring tool we've begun using is called RAM, or Research and Analysis of Media. We have an online reader panel of about 900 who have agreed to provide their opinions about our news stories and advertising, and we see the results within 48 hours.

For advertising, readers are asked to comment on their ad recall, whether they have previous knowledge of the ad, whether it's easy to understand, interesting, fresh and beneficial. Advertisers learn whether the reader is likely to visit their business and buy something. Armed with this information, advertisers can quickly learn whether their ad is effective and well-placed within the paper. That information can also be compared to similar advertiser results in other newspaper markets that use RAM.

My interest lies more in the reader reaction to news stories, columns and features. Stories that run on the front page, obviously, have tremendous readership and typically score in the 80 percent to 90 percent recall range. But readers also are asked how thorough the piece is, whether it is well written, easy to understand, interesting, new, beneficial and meaningful. They are also asked if they would read the same columnist or similar article again, whether they would search for more information on the subject and whether they would be discussing the story with others.

For example, a Sept. 15 profile of then-mayoral candidate Panos Prevedouros on Page One found that 81 percent of the panel read the article, 92 percent thought it had benefit and 76 percent thought it was important. Nearly seven in 10 said they would read similar articles and nearly half said they would be talking about it.

Some 85 percent of the panel read a small story at the bottom of Page One on July 25 about Mayor Mufi Hannemann endorsing the proposed commuter rail issue on the ballot. More than seven in 10 found the story easy to understand, important, meaningful, and had read similar articles on the issue.

A Nov. 21 Dining Scene feature found that 93 percent thought it beneficial. A recent TGIF cover story found that only one-third of readers found it interested them and only one-fourth found it meaningful. Lee Cataluna's columns were measured twice and both columns scored extraordinarily high. Even an "After Deadline" column earned some pretty good scores, although I was asked to write shorter and stay away from politics.

Join our reader panel by visiting www.HonoluluAdvertiser.com/ReaderLeaders.

Tom Kunz, our director of audience development, is offering www.Amazon.com gift cards and Papa John's pizza coupons to those who participate. Readers who join before Dec. 14 — including existing members — are automatically entered into a drawing for a trip to Las Vegas.

"The main benefit for readers is that they now can have a direct impact on the types of stories and advertising they see," Kunz said. "These responses help the staff design content and advertising that matter most to our readers. How do we know? Because they tell us."

Mark Platte is senior vice president/editor of The Advertiser. Reach him at 525-8080 or post your comments at www.honoluluadvertiser.com.