UberNoggin

Oh I love data! One of the most important things we Digirati geeks can do is encourage ourselves to stop and reflect on what we do and how we use the applications available to us. Being able to look back over patterns of usage not only informs our own use but helps us to understand how to help others be more participatory as well as informing us all about how these new technologies change how we all live.

This morning I found TweetStats. It should be called “Sweetstats!”  I couldn’t help but start digging in and comparing the usage patterns of folks I know. My friend, MalBurns, is the most prolific Twitterer I know. I just had to compare his Twitter use to mine to see what I could learn.

For example…

This is my Twitter week

I was surprised to see that I Twitter about the same amount every day. There’s only a 20 or so post difference between a week day and a weekend.

Here is Mal’s chart

As you can see, Mal posts, oh about TEN TIMES more often than I do but the difference between week day posts and weekend posts is proportionate to mine.  What does this tell me? Well, I think it says that we information workers might not differentiate between a “work day” and a “day off.” When you work at home and online there’s little difference between your work and your social life. The same applications serve both purposes.

Here’s another look. This is my Twitter use on an average day:

Looks like I Twitter most in the afternoon. Perhaps this is the mid-afternoon-I-don’t-want-to-work time killing or perhaps this is when I’m most entrenched in big ideas and most eager to share.

Here is Mal’s day:

Mal posts more consistently all day long. Is this a difference in work patterns? A difference in use of Twitter.

The data is anecdotal and not supported by an analysis of the content and purpose of the messages but the big picture is interesting to look at. Twitstats also shows up the potential future of research and data gathering. Using an API from a Web 2.0 tool allows us to gather tons of information but how ethical is it? How meaningful is the information?

What do you think? About Twitter? About Web 2.0 communication tools? About usage patterns? About conducting research using Web 2.0 APIs?

Post a Comment