Tags:automation, data, FitBit, technology.
Data from a day of activity. Note the awkward timing - I was in a different time zone and didn't update my account, another feature that would be better automated.
It goes without saying that I’m a bit of a data geek. I like data recording to be automated, though, so for the past month or so, I’ve been trying out FitBit. FitBit is a small, wearable device that tracks your steps and activity level throughout the day and wirelessly syncs it to an online account for analysis and tracking. In other words, it’s a glorified pedometer.
I like the idea of FitBit’s automation, that with no effort my data is recorded and transformed into aesthetically pleasing charts and graphs. Data visualization rocks, but seeing some data makes me want to see more data.
FitBit encourages this, too. The ‘tracker’ tab lets users log metrics including food, weight, heart rate, blood pressure and glucose. That’s great for people who already keep tabs on these regularly, but it’s not in my nature to be that methodical. I’d love to keep track of any of those data points, but I’m as likely to remember logging them as I am to keep a mental tally of every step throughout t
he day.
The result is the above dashboard, which calculates the number of calories burned but offers a mere zero for calories eaten and any other data point. Zero isn’t useful and I’d rather not see it if it can’t be tracked automatically.
I’m not alone in craving automation for increased data collection. Were there a tested device that could track these missing data points for me, I’d be thrilled to give it a try. Information visualization is awesome, but zero is a bit of a killjoy. I look forward to more advanced technology that can eliminate the zeros in my data sets.
Posted on 24 January '11 by Matylda, under Discussions, General. 1 Comment.
Found this in my inbox from LinkedIn:
93 seems like a large number, and highlighting specific contacts makes for a compelling call to action. Kudos, LinkedIn!
Posted on 19 January '11 by Matylda, under General. No Comments.
Tags:journalism, skills, startups, writing.
I’m asked this question often and was reminded of it while reading Mark Copeman‘s post on lessons learned during the first 100+ days of his startup, one of which was:
Every task seems to be writing oriented – writing the app, writing the site, writing the alert emails the system will send, writing the welcome emails, writing the landing pages, describing the app, blogging about it, emailing contacts about it – the list is endless.
Aside from writing, storytelling, research, organization, clarity and interviewing/reaching out to people who know more than you are also invaluable skills. What else would you add to the list?
Photo by dbdbrobot
Posted on 8 December '10 by Matylda, under Start-ups. 1 Comment.
I finally saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows and was nicely surprised by how close to the book it was, in comparison to previous films.
Harry, of course, experiences a number of close calls, but what struck me was how he escaped them. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t survive on his own but someone from his network always happened to turn up in time to help him.
There are parallels in running a startup. Most founders are unique and possess strong skillsets and tools to launch an idea into a company, but no founder can make it entirely alone. We all need some saving sometimes.
Posted on 1 December '10 by Matylda, under Start-ups. No Comments.
Tags:advertising, cookies, custom, Grooveshark, HipMunk, Kayak, media, music, Pandora, targeting.
I’ve been listening to music via Grooveshark a lot lately. I still like Pandora for discovering new music, but the audio ads really get in the way of the experience, and some of my stations got to be over-customized so the serendipity of discovery no longer happened.
Grooveshark lets you stream on demand from its colossal library, which is perfect for those times you have a song stuck in your head or want to play a tune for a friend. It also has a collection of public playlists, which I often search for generic terms like “jazz” to pull up hundreds of pre-curated options for a quick genre fix.
This is all a digression from the inspiration for this post, which is Grooveshark’s advertising. Lately I’ve noticed the skyscraper ads to the right of the playlist correspond to websites I’ve recently visited. Currently, a New York Times ad occupies the spot and prior to that, I noticed an ad for flight finder HipMunk.
What’s interesting is that I used to see a lot of ads for HipMunk’s competitor Kayak, which I checked to research flights. The ad even included the flight I had searched for the customize the ad with it. I use both services, and happened to visit HipMunk today to show to classmates who hadn’t heard of it.
What I find intriguing is not that Grooveshark follows me around with cookies, but that it surfaces ads of sites I’ve visited recently instead of the sites’ competitors’ ads. I wonder if it would be more effective to show me a Kayak ad after I’ve visited HipMunk since I clearly already know about HipMunk but might be persuaded to try its competitor if the ad is compelling.
Is this on the principle that repetition of a message can make that message more persuasive? Would consumers be compelled by ads for services that compete with the services they already use? I’m not an expert on advertising, so drop a comment if you have any insight.
Photo by Miusam CK via Flickr
Posted on 4 November '10 by Matylda, under Media. 3 Comments.
