Does the Influence Engine weed out the spammers from the gurus?

Our last blog post about the Top 40 List of #NEfollowers provoked an interesting comment from chris@ooer.com (check out the ooer.com website, it’s pretty cool). Chris raised some really good points that we thought could best be answered in a new blog post.

Chris’ comment begins like this:

Interesting, but I can’t help but think it’s also rather flawed.

Network Analytics | June 10, 2010 | 2 Comments

Who are the most influential #NEfollowers?

Dollywagon has developed an Influence Engine that can pin-point the key leaders, influencers and idea creators in any online community or network.

The fantastic @canny_lass has suggested we use the Influence Engine to study the community on Twitter that’s using the #NEfollowers hashtag.

We thought this was a great idea and have resolved give it a try until we either get bored or you beg us to stop.

Network Analytics | June 9, 2010 | 7 Comments

Will ‘Facetime’ on the iPhone 4G be the latest in a long line of video-calling flops?

In many ways Apple’s newly unveiled iPhone 4G represents the current state-of-the-art in terms of what a mobile phone can be. At its recent launch in San Francisco, Steve Jobs saved news of his favourite iPhone 4G innovation until the end of his presentation. He called it ‘Facetime’, but the rest of us probably know it already as ‘video calling’.

Technology companies have been pushing video calling for at least the past six or seven years but it’s never really taken off. The big question is “why?” This article will suggest an answer and then pose a new question. Is Apple just the latest in a long line of James T Kirk wannabes that have failed to understand why people don’t like video calling?

Media Research | June 8, 2010 | 3 Comments

A rookie’s guide to network science – new videos

When people hear about the Influence Engine and learn what it can do, they often want to know how it works.

We’re really happy to explain the principles of network science that power the Influence Engine, but one of the challenges we face with media folk is getting them to ‘think network’.

Knowing a little bit about network science can really help marketers and media professionals to create better advertising campaigns, but many of the core ideas and concepts often seem quite weird to people steeped in conventional media practice.

Through a process of trial and error I’ve developed simple stories that gently ease new-comers into the network science swimming pool. After many discussions with people in media and advertising I’ve discovered that sketching out simple network drawings is the best way to de-mystify network science and engage people with this incredible new frontier of marketing information.

Network Analytics | May 28, 2010 | No Comments

Twitter Political – Top 30 most influential tweeters today

The UK General Election isn’t over yet.

As the leaders of the three main political parties wrestle with the challenge of forming a coalition government, the UK’s political Twitteratti have gone into overdrive.

We used the Influence Engine to analyse political activity on Twitter for the period 1200hrs Fri 7th May until 1200hrs Mon 10th May (today). Our analysis looked at an individual’s success in having their tweets picked up and distributed to other people within the network of Twitter’s politico-sphere. Here is the list of the UK’s Top 30 most influential tweeters on political subjects (click to enlarge).

Uncategorized | May 10, 2010 | One Comment

RadioGAUGE to launch in South Africa

RAB South Africa inks deal with UK for radio advertising effectiveness tool.

The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) South Africa has announced the completion of an agreement that will bring RadioGauge, the world’s only universal radio advertising effectiveness research study, to the South African market.

The RadioGAUGE will be introduced to the South African market at the inaugural RAB ‘RadioWorks Conference 2010′ in Capetown on 13th May by Mark Barber (Planning Director, RAB UK) and in Johannesburg on 18th May 2010 by Jason Brownlee (Founder, Dollywagon Media Sciences).

RadioGAUGE International | May 10, 2010 | No Comments

UK General Election – is Twitter having any impact?

Dollywagon’s latest network analysis of hash tag usage on Twitter during the current General Election raises some interesting questions.

The official election polls in the mainstream media show a tight race with the Conservatives slightly ahead of Labour and The Liberal Democrats. However, on Twitter the picture appears to be significantly different.

Network Analytics, UK General Election 2010 | May 5, 2010 | One Comment

Hash tag clouds – Twitter & the UK General Election

Recent work from HP Labs at Palo Alto in California demonstrated that crowd-sourced data taken from Twitter has an uncanny ability to predict movie box office success.

Dollywagon thought this was interesting and has been monitoring Twitter to see what it could tell us about the future outcome of the UK’s finely-balanced General Election campaign.

Network Analytics, UK General Election 2010 | May 4, 2010 | One Comment

Vampires in Cumbria?

There’s an old tale about a remote Cumbrian village called Renwick, close to Dollywagon HQ, that was once gripped by terror in the 18th Century, but it’s not the kind of story that usually frightens a grown man.

Life & work in Cumbria | April 12, 2010 | One Comment

Looking for a bit of Nookie – my search for a new eReader

This is the story of my epic search for the perfect eReader. I appreciate that not everyone gets as excited as me about new gadgets and stuff, but I guess we all need a hobby.

Life & work in Cumbria | March 25, 2010 | No Comments