Archives For collecting data

How Wolfram|Alpha Can Help You Discover Your Own Social Network

2013/01/28 — 2 Comments

Ever wonder what your own personal network looks like?  You are likely connected to many different groups (family, friends, community, work), but do you know how they are connected?  Or are they connected at all?  Are you the glue that connects these various groups?

Word Cloud

This is a great age we’re living in, and I’m glad to be involved with developing lots of really advanced technologies.  One of the technology areas that I’m really fascinated with has been pushed forward by Stephen Wolfram.  He created the industry standard computing environment Mathematica, which now serves as the engine behind his company’s newest creation, Wolfram|Alpha.  (I’ve written a few posts on Wolfram|Alpha in the past, and you can read them here and here).

One feature that they’ve recently added to Wolfram|Alpha is the ability to analyze your Facebook data.  Usually, if you use Facebook, you only focus on the posts your friends make – pictures from their great vacations, LOLcats, or sharing articles for other websites (like this one!)  However, here are three reasons why it might be worth it for you to unlock these insights from Facebook:

  • It gives you insight into your connections and their connections.   For example, I happen to have a number of groups that I’m connected with.  Some are work-related (Areté and Mentor Graphics), some are community-related (Thousand Oaks), some are from where I grew up (Brillion and Virden), and others are politically-related (Ross Perot).  With this view of what’s called your social graph, you can see a view of who you are, based on looking at who you’re connected with.
    • Social Network

  • You learn about yourself.  Getting your Facebook report through Wolfram|Alpha is kind of like looking in a different type of mirror.  You get to see yourself through your own data; it can help you improve in areas where you want to see improvement – I even wrote a post about why it can be good to collect data on yourself.

  • It’s fun.  Viewing yourself in different ways can be interesting and fun!  Sometimes it takes these different views to really understand who you are and how you got here.

If you’re interested in unlocking your Facebook data using Wolfram|Alpha, here are some simple steps:

  • Go to www.wolframalpha.com.  It looks very much like the Google search page with a single bar for entering text

  • Type in “facebook report” or you can click on the stylized Facebook icon.

  • Wolfram|Alpha will then ask you to click “Analyze My Facebook Data”

Once you’ve done this, Wolfram|Alpha will generate a long report, giving you many views on your data and yourself. If you’re interested, there is a post from the Wolfram|Alpha blog that explains these new features and another good article to read from NBCNews.com.
Mic Farris Facebook Report

New technology is allowing us to see more views of ourselves for self-improvement and for entertainment.  Take some time and use Wolfram|Alpha to learn a little more about yourself.

Question:  Have you ever used Wolfram|Alpha?  Are there any other tools you find interesting in looking at your own social network?  You can leave a comment below.

In Data Science, Entertainment, Personal Development, Popular Culture, Technology , , , , ,
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5 Reasons to Collect Data on Yourself

2013/01/15 — Leave a comment
You might think that it’s a bit odd, treating yourself like a science experiement.  However, the best way to achieve your goals may be to do just that – be committed to collecting data on yourself.

Chalk Chart

In science, we’re always collecting data and analyzing it to find out more about the world.  However, collecting data isn’t only for people with pocket protectors (although we don’t all wear those!).  It is something that any of us can use to help us achieve any goal we set for ourselves.

Several years ago, I used to weigh a lot more than I do now.  At some point, I just decided that I wanted to get to a healthier weight.  I was concerned about my long term health staying at this higher weight, and I knew if I didn’t take this seriously, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy much of life later on.

I decided to collect data on myself so that I could see how I was doing over time.  I weighed myself every morning and recorded it in an iPhone app.  I even kept track of how many calories I ate each day. This forced me to see what every handful of snacks and bowl of ice cream was costing me toward my goal of a lower target weight.  Eventually I lost 40 pounds from my peak weight, and I’ve kept (most of) it off ever since.

Here are five reasons why you should consider collecting data on yourself to achieve your goals:

  • Looking at your data shows how you’re trending.  If you have a goal in mind, such as losing twenty pounds, you need to know how you’re doing.  This can only happen if you are committed to collecting data every day, and watching how the data changes.  If you’re getting closer to your goal, you’ll see your weight drop over time.
  • Not taking data can trick you into thinking we’re on track.  It’s far easier to convince yourself you are on track if there is nothing to counter you.  However, in science, data is king.  If you’re serious about achieving your goal, then you’ll be happy to collect data on yourself to know you’ll get there.
  • It works for anything.   Keeping track of your weight is an easy example, but it truly helps with any goal you set for yourself.  Collecting data on yourself is good for your personal development and growth.  It can also work for your business (keeping track of new customer contacts and new sales) and even for your community (funds raised for local charities or scholarships for worthy students).  It even works for gaining a general understanding of how the world works, which is the ultimate goal of science.
  • It keeps you honest.  You can’t fool the data.  If your goal is to lose twenty pounds and you haven’t lost a single pound for an entire week, you know that you haven’t made progress.  The data will tell you that something needs to change, and you can make that change to keep you moving forward.  Keeping on track requires you to be honest with yourself, and collecting data on yourself helps you do just that.
  • You learn more about yourself. As you collect your own data and take a look at how you’re doing, you’ll learn new things about yourself.  Am I focused enough on my goals?  Is it getting any easier?  What can I do to acheive my goals faster?  Can I even set a new goal, surpassing what I first thought I could achieve?
We can always do more to help ourselves keep us on track.  While the first thing we need is the goal itself, we also need to collect the information that keeps us honest about achieving that goal.  Be committed to collecting data on yourself and your achievements will start piling up before you know it.

Question:  Have you ever tried collecting data on yourself?  If so, what did you learn?  If not, do you know where to start?  You can leave a comment below.

In Personal Development , , ,
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