Let's Talk Data

earthsense: a concept, a company, a real difference

2007-08-04T11:07:00.000-04:00

Whoa! Has it been almost a year since I've been in here?

Been so long since I've taken the time to sit and write down thoughts about data, because I've been busy forming a new company -- with the whole idea that data analysis doesn't have to be complicated to be actionable. The new gig is called "earthsense" and it is a real passion that has consumed me for most of the past 20 years as a person into information gathering.

I like to "catenate" (link together) -- and will continue to do that...but earthsense is the ultimate concatenation of time, people, data, and concepts.

My main partner in crime in the company is Amy Hebard of Rockhopper Research. She and I shared a vision, a commitment, and a willingness to gamble on our idea with equal fevor. But we've got a whole team of brilliant people who joined us at the table because they, too, have an all-consuming passion for data itself (geeks unlimited, yes), data interpretation, analysis and display (in particular mapping!)

Our focus at earthsense is to help companies "make green by going green" ....by that, we mean, apply best target marketing practices to help change the world with profitable enviromentally-sound products and services. We're in the field, now with one of the most comprehensive surveys ever to be done in this area and have got some great new ways of taking what we have learned and making it actionable. We want people to join the "eco-revolution"...and we'll have all the tools needed for consumers and businesses to sharpen their "earthsense" and do what is right for the planet.

More to come on earthsense and the first meeting of our extended team within 2 weeks.... with their permission, I'll introduce this crazy bunch of data hounds and we'll start documenting the creation of a new marketing force: earthsense.

Slicing and Dicing

2007-03-18T21:50:00.001-04:00

Am staring at a dataset that I've got to manipulate.

I have access to many different tools, and yet there's not one that will easily get at the information I need. Excel is probably a number-cruncher's best friend, especially this latest version (Office 2007 -- sweet!).

But what I really need is to crosstab the data. I could probably pivottable this thing to death, but I'll be long gray before I easily get the answer. I turn to Marketsight which is actually a very neat tool for advanced survey analysis (for business users. I have no urge for SAS or SPSS.) But of course, I have to prepare the data before I import -- which brings me back to Excel.

So many people use Survey Monkey to collect data, but I find that tool to be rather limiting. I've been using something from a company called Vanguard. Their VISTA is a nice little tool, easy to program, and great report results when the file is complete. When you can edit the report so that it contains your own analysis (without wrestling with it in Adobe), that will make it more useful.

Going above and beyond, a VAR's perspective

2006-09-26T18:13:00.000-04:00

I'm a vendors' vendor.

That is, I've worked as a vendor in the information industry for most of my career...and I enjoy working with other vendors as well as end users for their information needs. Many of my clients are actually big companies that have their own research departments but are looking for assistance when they've run out of conventional options.

I know the inner workings of most of the companies that I deal with -- having been there, done that. I know when to buy, what questions to ask, when to push, and when to back off.

Catenate came into existence because I really wanted to be an "emissary" (one who works on the behalf of others) to this world I felt I knew well. I saw unassuming prospects, unaware of their options, make uneducated choices. My goal was to offer a variety of sources that could be used to solve complicated problems -- without the bull that goes along with big company sales goals and bureaucracy.

When I first started the business, I worked with vendors I knew well. I set up deals to earn a commission that generally ranged between 20 (stingy) and 60 (good) points (%) of the market value for the project. That is, depending on the greediness of the source, I could sell a project and make between 20 and 60 cents on the dollar. Most of my projects went above and beyond the initial specifications -- after all, what good is data if you don't know what to do with it? Even though it wasn't required, my team would try to get the most out of what we saw -- and deliver to the client without extra charges. (You buy an answer, you buy our brains, not the time it took for us to solve the problem.) Most of the vendors appreciated the real value that a VAR (Value Added Reseller) brings to the table and were very supportive. Let's face it, if you don't deliver, clients simply don't come back for more.

Over the years, more programs became available for information resellers. I spent a great deal of time reviewing the benefits of the various sources before agreeing to resell their stuff. But a funny thing happened. The more time I spent trying to improve the products for the vendors so that they met clients needs (yes, most of these vendors wouldn't know a real client if he bit them on the ass), the more difficult it became to work with them as a reseller.

"We're partner friendly" they'd declare, trying to woo me. "We want to have the best product". But the larger the organization, the more layers of people trying to keep their ho-hum jobs got in the way. Without naming names, suffice it to say that the biggest players in the data and geodemographic industry do not have their clients needs top of mind. They are always looking to squeeze more profit out of a tired product and rarely entertain new ideas that would bring them far more revenue if they just took the time to think about the problems they are trying to solve.

I'm not bitter, just inspired.

If I told you about all the crap I've been dealing with over the past few years trying to get vendors to give me advance information on updates and changes so that I can prepare myself, my website, my clients -- my own client information that they gather on my behalf, and BASIC BASIC internet advertising statistics -- you'd be shocked at how incredibly unsophisticated and uninspired the big vendors are. They play it safe -- they play it stupid and leave millions on the table.

I am working on a plan to change the way people get marketing data. I don't intend to reinvent the wheel, just put together a car that actually moves forward when you step on the gas!

Wouldn't it be nice to start by telling your vendor what the end goal was and having them give you a "trip tik" (pre-yahoo maps I know!) that showed you all the options and the places you might want to stop and investigate along the way before getting to your end goal?

Imagine a road trip where you knew where all the gas stations were, when you were likely to need them, the restaurants, the loos....all neatly mapped out in relation to your end destination. And the beauty would be that you could investigate any of the paths along the way in more detail...knowing that you could get back on track at any time.

Too often, we data geeks go searching for answers without keeping the end goal in mind. We provide demographic reports, maps, analyses -- but fail to answer the question "now what"". Action oriented marketing is what I believe in, and what I intend to deliver in Catosphere V2.

.......

Now back to work!

Life, Death & Data

2006-09-05T13:29:00.000-04:00

Where do I begin?

I guess I could start by explaining my spotty blogging this summer.

We live in an area called Central NY. Actually, smack in the center of New York state, we're in a 'burb of Syracuse. This is simply one of the most strikingly beautiful places to live -- filled with rolling hills, clear lakes, pastures, farms, and indeed a city that has many claims to fame (other than being the home of the Syracuse University "Orangemen" !) Summers here are beyond beautiful....but winters are a little brutal at times. (Syracuse is the fourth snowiest city in the country averaging over 100 inches a year...and when those winds blow, you simply don't want to go out.)

Anyway, with two small children, summer is the time we let loose and spend as much time outside (untethered to the computer) as we can. (Thank goodness for cell phones and PDAs...I am always able to get a few things done while being mobile.)

This year, my business, Catenate, LLC took on a very challenging project for our favorite client -- HP and indeed, that was a big focus during my working (and non-working) hours.

Added to that pressure, of course, we have had our house on the market. Keeping things spotless was a bit challenging -- but that was part of our daily lives, too. Knowing that we could move at any time, I've been hesitant to change office space and add an assistant or two...I was waiting, in kind of a limbo, until the dust settled.

Like many of us in the sandwich generation, with parents and young kids -- this summer was also a time of hospitals and nursing homes.

I am sad to share that after a six year battle with emphysema, lymphedema, depression, with no hope for a cure -- my dad passed away last week. He wasn't happy, he wanted relief from years of pain. He knew the end was near, but I don't think he really expected to die so soon. While we weren't shocked, death is never easy, no matter how much you think you're prepared for its inevitable presence at your doorstep.

Dad was a smart man, and he planned for the future. He had a will and a financial planner, but unfortunately, he wasn't very organized. My mom, like many women of her generation, didn't pay the bills, and doesn't have a handle on the finances. So, my sisters and I are tasked with locating and logging all of the assets he and my mom shared so that we can plan for her future.

So...as you can imagine, my focus wasn't really on demographic data in the least.

I was intrigued though, by the whole administrative side of death. The questions on the death certificate such as place of birth, cause of death, and other pieces of information that could be used to show how mobile our society is. How do we live? How do we marry? When do we die, and why?

And of course, the first thing that came to mind when we determined that we'd have to hunt for assets is the fact that just about every financial transaction has a social security number associated with it. I've been making calls to see if there is an IRS database which might give us clues as to where to look. We're looking through cancelled checks (which gives great insight), credit card bills (calling for the report today) and other pieces in the paper trail that one can't avoid while living in modern society.

Looking through receipts we can see where he chose to spend his money -- on prescription drugs, food, etc. The analyst in me wonders if there are patterns associated with behavior and death. While hopefully we can use numbers and databases to learn more about one side of the man we loved as our dad, you can never reduce a person down to mere numbers.

Looking at the house I grew up in, the house in disrepair after years of neglect, its hard to put a number on its value -- or lack there of. To my mom, its as clear as can be in her head. She adds the years spent together there (40+), the kids (3), the animals, the neighbors, the good memories and yes, the bad.... and can't imagine moving. My sisters and I see her future tied up in an asset that can be sold and will likely be completely torn down or remodeled beyond recognition. To come to some kind of resolution that preserves and honors her memories yet provides for a future certainly filled with healthcare bills -- is something that we need to do. We'll use databases that show recent sales in the area, upgrades, tax rates -- all this data will help us assign a value that can be used to turn memories into cash. But will it be fair? Of course, its all relative.

So, I'm back. And while I can't promise any revelations, I do look forward to taking a second look at sources of data that we take for granted.

HOW MANY COLUMNS???????

2006-07-21T14:15:00.000-04:00

So, here we are, post-data-gathering-phase of the big B2B study we completed. The survey has all kinds of juicy data in it, and it will be examined closely over the next several months as we try to unravel the mysteries of inkjet usage.

But taking a peek at the data has been, well shall we say, less than pleasant!

When you create survey tools that include lots of visuals, and customized questions, the resulting tables are quite big and unwieldy.

Yes, we have SAS and SPSS programmers, tools and all that good stuff, but for your average analyst who just wants to LOOK at the goods, what is usually the tool of choice?? Excel, of course. Or Access.

But Excel has its limitations (great limitations -- only 256 columns and 65,000 rows). We searched up and down for tools to let us have Excel-like functionality -- yet an ability to handle over 3,000 columns of data.

If you are over the age of 35 -- you might remember the WordPerfect vs Microsoft Office battles? Well, upon searching the *wonderous* wide web, we came across an old favorite, from long ago...Corel's Quattro Pro. This beauty takes 18,000 columns with 1,000,000 rows!!!! And it's elegant and fast, and so darned easy to use because it works like Excel but somehow it seems even more intuitive. And an upgrade from Excel is only $159.00. How cool is that?

So, if you want to know what I'm up to these days, I'm up to my ears in new data.... gleefully, now that I can see it!

Challenges of collecting primary data...

2006-06-27T17:44:00.000-04:00

Wow! Time flies. Kids are finally out of school and the summer is really in full swing....

And where is my new demographic data you ask?

You would think that a reseller would be "in the know"...but companies that sell this data are notoriously close to the vest with release dates. I will likely know the day before you do when the new features and new data is available. So much for being a valued partner. I do know that new features are on the way -- and that's good news. But release dates? List of features? Anything? Nada.

I'm learning not to trust what big companies say. I have actually grown to love working with smaller companies -- they seem to care more about partnerships and actually respect people who try to make money for them. I like nimble companies that make things work instead of talking about them endlessly and finding excuses why they "can't" as opposed to investigating how they "can". It's universal among big companies. They get so bloated they can't tie their own shoes... and they don't apologize when they make mistakes or are slow to respond.

But I digress....

I want to share with you my scoop. I've been working on a project where our team is collecting primary data -- that is, we're collecting data from users of particular equipment to help our clients get a better grasp on the market they serve. My scoop is this: web-based research isn't dead, but the model is going through a dramatic change.

I've learned a great deal from this project -- and in many ways, am more determined to succeed now than I was when we started over six months ago.

Just four years ago, we did a similar project and achieved great success. We were able to collect enough data to feel confident in our results. This time, the gathering of quality data has been challenging and I believe it is due to the following factors:

Over surveying of the target population -- this indeed, is a big problem for all researchers --regardless of the instrument and the methodology they choose to execute. Internet-based surveys (once a novelty and now the norm (with estimated statistics ranging from 40-60% of all market research surveys being conducted on the web. ) have taken a great hit. Plainly put, any idiot with a copy of Survey Monkey or one of the myriad other online packages can easily craft a thing that looks and feels like a survey, but doesn't really meet the criteria for being true "market research". As a result -- consumers and businesses are bombarded with requests for participation in market research. I am sad to say that most of what I see, while good intentioned, is not really well-crafted.
Mislabeling legitimate messages as SPAM, and SPAM filters is a huge problem for marketers that use the web. The general rule is to reach out only to people that have given you permission to contact them. Unfortunately, when you are trying to understand the size and scope of an entire business segment, there is no way you can estimate factors without getting data from the entire spectrum of users. And, the only way to reach out to a broad segment of the population is to rent lists from media and trade associations that cater to those end users. So, even if you legitimately rent a permission-based list, and have the organization/magazine/site, mail on your behalf, some end users perceive your invitation as spam and subsequently blacklist you. Additionally, with so many word patterns sending off flags in tools such as "SPAM ASSASSIN", no matter how direct your subject line -- you can be dumped into your recipients junk folder and they might never get a chance to even see your message and judge the merit themselves.
Misuse of sweepstakes and prizes as incentives for participation. Not too long ago, before everyone was on the survey bandwagon -- you could offer a premium such as a branded mug or $20.00 to get 20 minutes of someone's time for a survey. Now, the competition is fierce. For the past few years a few companies have grown big by building panels of consumers so that companies could have statistically balanced samples. The way they quickly built up their numbers was to solicit respondents using banners that promise free large screen TV's and PC and ipods. Most consumers had no idea just how many hoops they had to jump through to get the big prize. After several steps, many just dropped out -- and left feeling as if the whole thing was a scam. The consequence is that you have to incent people to come to your site, to complete the survey, and to come back if you wish to work with them again. That involves lots of coordination and re$ources -- and the right choice of incentives. Choose wrong and your response rate suffers.

There are likely a zillion other reasons that I could come up with if I had to...and as I do a post mortem on this project as we gear up for the next phase....I'll write about them.

The main lesson learned is that things aren't working the way they used to just two to four short years ago. We as marketers and researchers have to devise new ways to pay consumers and businesses back for their input. More thoughts on that later....

Wendy

Picture THIS! The postcard!

2006-05-21T14:37:00.000-04:00

OK, so I've been talking lots about data, and most recently about my personal use of services I use for my clients. Since I told you about the postcard that I've created, I think it's only right to show you what I created.

We didn't want our postcard card to look like regular real estate cards, so we ruled out a picture of the house on the front. I designed my own card and made it a jumbo (double sumo sized! 11 inches wide by 12 inches when opened, talk about IMPACT!)

How do you put yourself in your prospects's shoes?

I decided to step back and think about what I think when I see a "for sale" sign up at a neighbor's house. (Hmmm! Why are they moving?? What's it like in there? How much are they asking??) When there are open houses in the neighborhood, we like to go see, but we don't want to be labeled as "nosy neighbors". We thought about it, and concluded that our friends and neighbors are likely just like us. These are people who run many businesses here in the Syracuse metro would be open to poking around when we weren't here -- not only for their own knowledge of the market, but hey, they hire people, they have friends and relatives that move...why not put the cards right on the table for all to see?

So -- we are hosting an open house for the neighborhood. And we won't be there!

Funny thing, many of our neighbors likely don't even know our house is for sale. We live in a development (Mallard's Landing, built by Stringer Development) where there are covenants that are applied to only one part of the development, not all -- in particular, the regulations of signs.

The result is that residents in the older sections of our neighborhood are free to display "for sale" signs and we can't -- since we're in a newer section. Yes, we agreed to the covenants when we bought here, but the developer never says in the covenants that they aren't applied to the entire neighborhood -- that they are discriminatory by design.

And of course, they don't prohibit the developer from putting up his own signs -- which I think is absolutely a restraint of trade! They have a good 30 signs up, and they tell me that we can't have a sign because it will make it look as if the neighborhood is transient. Well, in an area where executive families move in and out -- it's really good to let people know that your house is for sale -- research from the Realtor association shows "for sale" signs as one of the top ways people find the house they ultimately buy.

"Home Buyer & Seller Survey Shows Rising Use of Internet, Reliance on Agents
WASHINGTON (January 17, 2006) –

Technology is transforming how Americans buy and sell homes in unexpected ways, including how they work with real estate agents and brokers, according to one of the largest surveys of real estate consumers ever conducted. The study was released today by the National Association of Realtors®.

Nine out of 10 home buyers use a real estate agent in the search process, but use of the Internet to search for a home has risen dramatically over time, increasing from only 2 percent of buyers in 1995 to 77 percent in 2005; it was 74 percent in 2004. The next largest source of information for buyers is a yard sign, mentioned by 71 percent of buyers.When asked where they first learned about the home purchased, 24 percent of buyers identified the Internet, up strongly from 15 percent in 2004 and only 2 percent in 1997. Although most buyers use an agent to complete the transaction, 36 first learn about the home they buy from a real estate agent and 15 percent from yard signs; five other categories were 7 percent or less."

We've been trying to fight this developer, but unless we want to spend tons of money on lawyers' fees, we can't do much to defend our right to have a sign. In my humble opinion, its arrogant not to encourage a dialogue with the community -- to just make a blanket statement "NO SIGNS" and the way it is presented to new buyers and applied is wrong. All of our neighbors that know of our plight are ticked off at the developer but unless I take up a new cause (while trying to run a business, raise two small children, and oh, move....) what can we do?)

(He can't control my direct marketing efforts, can he? Hell no!)

Anyway, this card dropped into the mailstream on Thursday and we've had lots of great commentary from neighbors who say that it's a gorgeous place and priced right -- we just need a buyer! So, one lesson to keep in mind -- is that even if you have the right research or data (in this case, the right audience -- 1,000 of my neighbors, execs, Human Resources directors, ect.), and even if your messaging is on target -- when selling products and services you must make sure to reach your buyer at a time when he is motivated to make a purchase.

No one can magically produce a buyer....but we can certainly increase our odds of selling our house by making sure the buzz is out there. That's really the expectation I have....just to create awareness and get people who might be thinking about moving to the Syracuse area to look at our Manlius house.

Funny thing, anyone moving here from a larger city will be thrilled at what they can get for their money. We like this place so much that if I could click my Dorothy shoes, I'd start that twister and move this place right smack dab in Fairfax, VA! (A cool two million I'd bet if I tried to get what I have here, there.)

Ah... but I digress as always.

Marketing 101 -- hedge your bets. Use a high quality list, think carefully about your messaging, use a high quality printer, first class postage, too. Then cross your fingers (and toes) and see what happens!

Will keep you in the loop with the 411. Back to my real work -- for my clients!

Wendy

Putting Your Money...where your mouth is

2006-05-14T21:23:00.000-04:00

One of the things that drives me batty is hypocrisy.

You can see it in every aspect of your life, both personally and professionally.

As a consultant, in business for nine years (hard for me to believe that!) I see it daily and it just rubs me the wrong way.

I meet people who claim to work as consultants and want the professional salary and benefits that go with being a professional, yet they are very tight when it comes to investing in a good chair for the office, a decent working PC and a phone that doesn't whine!

How many software companies have you worked at where they are too cheap to buy everyone a legal copy of software -- made by someone else? Or get a decent printer (or even an extra one!) so that the staff can get things done on time with decent results?

I could go on and on... Am sure you see the same thing.

I'm not advocating a full out and out blow out of a budget, but why is it that some people and companies can't seem to invest in themselves?

I have worked with some marketing companies that don't clean their mailing lists -- don't use business firmographics to analyze customers, and certainly don't invest in multichannel marketing.

Bottom line: when I look for partner companies, I look for those people who truly put their money where their mouths are. If you are selling it to someone else, you damn well be using it yourself.

As a target marketer, I know that "birds of a feather flock together" -- segmentation works. And, my husband & I are in the process of trying to move from our lovely home in the Syracuse 'burbs to somewhere in NoVA where my sisters live. We've always loved the Washington DC area and are ready for a change.

So, in order to help get the word out, I designed a postcard inviting 1000 of our closest neighbors to learn about our house and to visit on an open house night. My experience tells me that people who live near me in neighborhoods similar to mine are likely great prospects (or friends of prospects!) for my house.

I know quality makes a big difference so I used one of my regular sources, Axciom, to buy the list, and one of my other favorite vendors, Modern Postcard to get the news out in the form of a jumbo postcard.

I've used both of these vendors countless times for my clients, but not in a soup to nuts creative push for my personal business. Fingers crossed I'll be posting from the data capitol, DC, soon!

April showers bring May Updates - Vintage Wars Begin

2006-04-24T22:59:00.000-04:00

Each May, the mad rush begins.

As the rest of the world stops to smell the growing roses, the demographic data vendors of the world are all working feverishly to be first to market with their latest and greatest updates and projections.

What exactly are updates and projections, and why do they all start coming out about the time when the last snows have melted (at least in Syracuse!) and spring fever hits?

Keep in mind that the major vendors all work with the same base for their calculations: the US Census. They all add in various sources of data to make their own flavors of demographic soup. Each year out from the Census, 2001, 2002, 2003, etc. the data for small levels of geography really gets stale. So these vendors make their money by creating "estimates" for the current year. Most companies in this business have a fairly rigorous model that involves lots of local source data plus additional current population surveys. Add to that list counts from large list brokers and you have a pretty decent formula for estimating the current population.

Projections on the other hand can range from 5 years to 10 years out, and some brave companies (Woods and Poole for example) produce projections for as far out as 20 years. So much can change in five years -- much more so in 20 -- and it is widely acknowledged that it is difficult to produce projections with great precision that far out. However, for some companies, a very, very educated guess is well worth the price -- and so, long term projections are essential data points.

But the question remains, why May? Why not January? After all it is already 2006, why do they wait until the middle of the year to get out new numbers?

I've always been told that it takes a long time to gather all the required information into the models, tested, then released. I think that with the 2010 Census changes, we'll see a very different update schedule in the coming decade. Data can be transformed so much easier, workstations have incredible power, too, and therefore numbers can be crunched and tested so much faster.

Perhaps some day, we'll be saluting the new numbers with the champagne left over from New Year's festivities?

Gathering Primary Data, the challenges, the pitfalls, the sweet smell of success...

2006-04-16T23:05:00.000-04:00

"So what exactly are you working on now?" people say to me when they learn that I am a market researcher.

I explain that we're pretty tactical (and practical) researchers. We have a lot of fun solving data related problems in ways that give us what our clients need.

My team considers good data to be the "prey" if you will, and the game is all about hunting for it, using all and any means possible.

And, right now? We're in the middle of our largest game!

Let me explain. I haven't had much time to blog in recent weeks, as I have been actively involved in a big project for one of our favorite clients -- a big technology company. They are fun to work with because despite their size, they are incredibly flexible and imaginative and let us really work without being shackled by some old time practices.

We are collecting primary data for this client -- (I hate that term, client -- because we're all like one big team -- but some of us are internal and some are external.) Primary data is just what it sounds like -- first hand information -- collected in this case, with a massive, industry-wide survey effort.

We've thought through the process carefully, and have really spent a lot of time setting up the "net" for the data. Better yet, the project that we are working on allows all of the participants (and respondents) to get access to the results -- which makes it even more rewarding -- and challenging.

Writing surveys to collect specific data is probably the most difficult task market researchers have to do. Ask too much and you lose respondents. Ask too little and you don't get enough information to make good decisions. Follow the rules too closely when recruiting respondents and you get low response rates. Be too avant-guard and people think you're trying to scam them. And the questions -- oh the questions. Can't be leading, but can't be too vague. Must anticipate all the options, yet be sure to leave room for the 'other' that someone is sure to think of! Writing surveys -- while seemingly simple, is a deceptively difficult task.

We are also of the mindset that information is power -- and one of the best things about this project is that we've created an online community to serve the people that surround the industry we are researching so that we can share the information. We hope to empower businesses that use the equipment we measure by letting themselves benchmark their practices against others in the community.

Our focus is on specialty printers -- (what you say??? ) These are printers designed for particular tasks such as high volume mail addressing, labeling, barcoding, etc. While we've spent most of our time over the last several years focusing on inkjet -- we're learning about all the different types of printing technologies out there and it is facinating.

Sometimes, I sit back and laugh. Here we have The Catosphere -- access to demographic data in any shape and form we wish -- plus mailing lists, too, for just about any consumer target you can dream up. But with our printing community project ThinkPlaza, we need to be more like "guerilla marketers" -- because the equipment we are measuring doesn't follow any particular firmographics (like industry, size of company, etc.) and there are very few lists that contain the right people for our surveys. Kind of like being in the ocean and not being able to drink the water!!! Not that I'm complaining -- I'm fortunate to have a team that LOVES challenges like these. Keeps it interesting. Makes me leap out of bed some mornings at 4:00am with an "aha" moment...

Anyway, that's the scoop.

(My first love is demographics and visualization of patterns on maps. So, soon, we'll be starting our "Let's Talk Data" newsletters..and hopefully, we'll be able to demystify all kinds of things about demographics, geographic information systems, and yes, research.)

Night!

Same data, finer tuning of the application

2006-02-08T09:53:00.000-05:00

The more things change, the more they stay the same -- or so they say.

Today I read about a "new" application of data by Simmons (acquired by Experian over a year ago). At first, I was intrigued. Once I dug a little deeper, I was more impressed that they got NBC Universal to buy it.

Basically, the announcement (link below) explains that NBC Universal agreed to license "Behavior Graphics" a product that was launched in 2002 (according to the web site.) The "innovation" is that Nielsen TV diary data is now linked to Simmons behavioral data for a more complete picture of the viewer. Methodology can be found on the Simmons web site.

It's not that I dismiss this segmentation product, it's just that its not really revolutionary.
Mediamark Research has been selling behavior based "single source" data since they started back in 1979. I put together countless presentations ranking magazine audiences (then cable, and tv, and now, ISPs like AOL) by propensity for lots of different targeted behaviors.

What is interesting is that some clever person decided to link two disparate databases through a common piece of information OTHER than demographics or neighborhood segmentation assignments.

What is good to take away from this is that just about any common field(s) on two databases could potentially be used to link the two together. Of course, this is called modeling 101. It's not revolutionary, but it is clever.

from: NBC Universal Signs Agreement with Simmons Research as Network Moves towards Behavioral Targeting; NBC Can Now Identify Prospects Based on Consumer Viewing Habits.

source: Business Wire, February 7, 2006.

via: HighBeam™ Research

COPYRIGHT 2006 Business Wire

Friday's fresh blood...

2006-02-03T21:48:00.000-05:00

I'm spent.

It was more than I expected. I'm drained yet pumped.

As an alumna of SUNY Oswego, I offered to participate in their Education Based Experience program. I have a few ideas for Catosphere and while I've got a great network of professional consultants that I could engage, I wanted to try a new approach.

And what better place but on a pulsing, beating, living campus can you find some new ideas -- some real fresh views, fresh blood? After thinking about the responsibility of being a dedicated guide to interns, I decided that I would try to tap into the college. I wanted to find passionate, eager, smart partners who could help me plan and execute an idea I've been mulling over for some time. (This is no "fetch my coffee" internship/project.) While I was hoping to get a few takers, I was honored that so many expressed interest in the business and the project.

I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Ian Cuthills's Market Research class in the Business School. "Speaking" is probably not the right word. I felt like I spewed incoherent tidbits of information that I have gathered over the last seventeen years. How does one describe what market research is in 55 minutes?

Yeah, you are collecting data to make a decision, but it's so much more than that when it's done with an eye on the big prize, the big picture.

Each industry has its own history, its own jargon. It takes awhile to feel at home in your own skin when you are introduced to something new. I loved the whole one to one communication you get with real radio -- my first love. But slowly over time, I've been steeped in the world of data and now it practically oozes from my pores. Each technique I discuss is intricately linked to others in my brain. Primary research, geocoding, segmentation, pattern-recognition, file scoring, thematic mapping... there's so much to learn.

And that's not even the half of it. Privacy laws, balancing out the needs of a corporation against the rights of the consumer, benefits of certain methodologies over others, and the increasingly difficult time market researches have getting busy people to stop and give them the answers they seek.... there's so much to cover.

How will I pass on this information without overloading them? More importantly, how to you awaken a passion in someone for something you feel compelled to do? How can I explain that once you learn the basics, you can make anything you want. You don't have to stay between the lines?

One day at a time, I guess. It took me a long time to learn this stuff, and yet, sometimes, I am surprised as how excited I am about the prospect of learning something new -- I feel like I'm 19, still, with my whole life ahead of me, and a whole world to explore.

New cool tool of the day: Clusty -- this is organization (and segmentation) of the web at its best. I remember seeing this site ages ago, and somehow or another I lost the bookmark and forgot about it. But type in anything in the search, and watch how quickly and consistently it groups together like sites/pages and how much more meaningful research becomes when you are using it.

Yawn.... no more for me tonight.

Is broad market segmentation passe? Not for Prospecting!

2006-02-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

I sat down this morning, and before my first cup of Java even got cold, I happened upon an article which essentially says that market segmentation is too inefficient to be an effective tool. The author goes on to explain how other methodologies can be employed to pinpoint "buckets" (instead of segments (?)) of customers by targeting individuals and their behavior.

My reaction? "Uh, yeah..."

As if this were some great revelation.

I'm not trying to disparage the author. He makes valid points. And frankly, this isn't the first negative article I've seen about segmentation. However -- think about this. What's the number one marketing issue facing most businesses today? If you want to grow, you need to add new customers. First, you determine who your best customers and then and you have to find more just like them and sell to them in order to increase profits. That's called prospecting.

I have discovered an incredible amount of well-educated, well-intentioned marketers dismissing broad based neighborhood segmentation systems. And you know what? For companies that maintain lots of transactional data on their databases and can afford to append household level demographics -- they are 100% correct. If you are looking to optimize your current customer database -- then it is most efficient, most effective, to use modeling techniques to score individual customers with propensities to purchase different products/services the company provides.

But even the most data-rich companies still have to prospect like the rest of us. And you know what? Modeling is based on having similar data on both the customer file and the list of prospects that you wish to score. Simply put, you can maintain gadzooks of data on your own database but no other source is going to be able to put that exact same data onto any other database because it doesn't exist.

Take this example. John Smith, your customer, spent $500 last year. He called the support line 10 times, he pays with an American Express card and you know all the products he bought. Now you are going out to buy a list of prospects. Meet Mary Jones -- she's on the list you purchased from expiring, InfoUSA, Acxiom -- what do you know about her? You'll get her name, address, demographics (some individual, some neighborhood (block group or zip+4) based, and usually some summarized credit information. You don't know how many times she's called the support line or what credit cards she pays with -- because she's a prospect -- not a customer! You have no customer data.

Repeat this with me. The only way to tie customers to prospects through modeling is to find characteristics that are on both files and use those characteristics to predict potential behavior.

So, when I read broad stroke articles like the one below, I shake my head. After 15+ years in this business (working for the leaders in the industry) I can tell you that the majority of small to medium sized businesses -- and truthfully, some of the bigger ones too, HAVE VERY LITTLE TO NO TRANSACTIONAL DATA worth modeling. And, budgets are limited, time lines are short ("Help! We need to mail in 3 weeks!") so we can't append all kinds of household level demographic and behavioral data for prospecting purposes. What's that saying? You can have it fast, you can have it perfect, and you can have it cheap, but not all three at the same time.

So, what's the solution? Neighborhood segmentation -- with a twist.

No matter what flavor you use -- Community Tapestry, MOSAIC, Personix, PRIZM -- you still need to tweak a bit to get the maximum lift if you plan to do direct marketing (mailing) by clusters. I think one of the best ways is to isolate the top clusters that have the greatest propensity, then take that small group, have household-level universally available data appended, and then further refine your target.

Imagine if you will, this scenario. You sell (relatively) pricey clothing and furniture for young children. If you just target neighborhoods with children you'll likely get a small response. If you target to people with a certain income (and children), you'll get a slightly better lift. However, if you use the segments that have lifestyles which are typically status-conscious (upscale suburbia and urban elite) along with presence of children and income -- you'll get the most bang for your buck without the expense and time needed to do advanced custom analysis.

If you simply accept those articles that dismiss practices that have been used successfully for years -- without addressing the positive reasons why these tools can still be used -- then you're not getting the complete picture.

I maintain that prospecting is a completely different ball game -- and segmentation tools can help businesses of all sizes further narrow their prospect lists.

from: Segmentation: thin edge of the marketing wedge.

source: B&T Weekly, October 14, 2005.

via: HighBeamÃ™ Research

COPYRIGHT 2005 Reed Business Information Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Tetris -- Data?

2006-01-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

Hypnotic -- the only way to describe it. It gets in your brain and it's almost impossible to shift thoughts without a radical distraction.

So tonight, I was scanning the news, just catching up, and I don't know what triggered it, but I thought about Tetris. In particular, that Nintendo 64 game. (Doesn't that seem like lightyears ago when it came out?) Ever since Tetris was released, I've been addicted to the simplicity and incredibly challenging nature of that game. Worse, I'm addicted -- to the music.

So, I was trying to wrap up a project tonight and I was listening to some internet techno station (Green Lounge, great for writing) and I started thinking about that music. And, I was afraid to get up and plug the game in. Sure, that would stop my Tetris jonesing -- but I wouldn't get any work done.

Yeah, right. As if I'd get work done sitting at this pc with that music in my brain.

So, I sat here, and searched, and searched, and searched.

And it is facinating. I found several interesting threads by programmers/hacks trying to break the code. Apparently, the soundtrack is built into the game -- some midi specially encoded data stream. Not easy to "decode". (This is way beyond me. Demographics, mapping, I know. Even a little Basic I can handle.) I have learned that there are lots of people (which is scrary in itself) who have taken Neil Voss's soundtrack and reworked it...painstakingly.

To their defense, once you hear that soundtrack, none other will do.

Anyway...if like me, you have some game that you spent too many hours playing and have an urge to get the soundtrack -- here's a great resource. http://gh.ffshrine.org

IRI and Acxiom get into the segmentation bed together...

2006-01-26T09:09:00.000-05:00

I'm always on the lookout for new tools to help my clients characterize and segment their customers into easily marketable target groups.

For years, it seemed like Claritas was the only game in town. And when I worked for them, I liked it that way. I must admit, they did they have an incredible marketing engine. Plus, they hired top notch people, and let them apply their tools in novel applications. They were aggressive and knowledgeable -- a killer combination.

When I first started selling for Claritas, I used to make this analogy. Remember high school -- and all those cliques that formed? You had the jocks, the geeks, the cool kids, and even the invisibles. Despite the fact that "school spirit" is all about one for all and all for one -- it's human nature for like to attract like. Now not all the popular girls, jocks, etc. were exactly alike -- however, they had certain things in common that made them stick together under certain circumstances.

Marketers know that its human nature for people to bond and gather with other people that share common characteristics. And they seize on that -- using data and computers -- to get messages out to prospects that are similar to their best customers. Now, there's no way that everyone in a neighborhood, much less a street is exactly the same. However, if you look around your own town, you can easily see that there is a wealthy section, an ethnic section, a college dweller section, even the "poor side of the tracks".

Back to Claritas. Sure, there were other companies, other systems out there (MicroVision, ClusterPlus, Acorn, etc.) but no other company seemed to focus on getting links to syndicated data souces like Claritas.

The crazy thing is that this is one of the EASIEST things in the world to do. If you are not familiar with commercially available marketing tools like PRIZM, Tapestry, MOSAIC, Cohorts, Personix -- here's how it works.

99% of all the commercially available systems (likely 100% but I'm not positive!) start with a "base" of data from the good old US Census. Through the magic of powerful computing strength under the watch of a team of demographers and statisticians, a data soup base is started. Each company adds its own data to the mix -- usually list counts, behavioral data (from surveys, warranty cards), magazine subscription data, auto ownership -- even aggregated credit data -- for a unique flavor.

There are a variety of techniques that are used, but suffice it to say, at the end of the day, a number of groupings (aka clusters, types, segments) are formulated. Each group has a great deal of similarity on a number of characteristics (such as home value, presence of children, degree of urbanicity, etc.)

It's easy to apply commercial segmentation systems because most of them create assignments for neighborhoods at a variety of levels -- ZIP+4, Block Group, etc. and can assign types by geocode. (A geocode is series of numbers that tells you the State, County, Tract and block group an address or location is coordinated with. Latitude/Longitude codes let you put an address on a map. "Point coding" is the term most commonly used.)

So, anything that has an address on it can be geocoded and likely point coded, and therefore can be crossreferenced by the commercial segmentation system.

What does that mean? Well, all surveys that contain an address can be type coded, all transactional records can be coded, etc. etc. And that is pretty powerful stuff.

So, back to IRI and Acxiom. This is a brilliant move. IRI has great household level panel data, and now, their Personix tool will be able to link segments (types, clusters, "cliques") by the household products they purchase -- using REAL transactional data. How incredibly cool is that?
Here's the announcement.

from: IRI and Acxiom(R) Introduce More Efficient and Actionable Approach To Consumer Segmentation and Targeted Marketing.

source: Business Wire, January 25, 2006.

via: HighBeam™ Research

COPYRIGHT 2006 Business Wire

I can't post, therefore I am not?

2006-01-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

So, I had all these great plans when I first set up this blog.

I spend so much time talking with colleagues about what is happening out there in our little data-driven world, that I thought I could spend some time every night jotting down something pithy. For what its worth, anyone with a few spare moments and a browser can comment on anything.

Was I ever wrong.

Seems like everytime things slow down a little bit -- I get some stupid brainstorm about how I'm going to improve myself and my business. (Yes, as a consultant, you live your life pitching projects, waiting, then scrambling when they come through only to sit on the bench again in between assignments, with time to dream up new things to do, only to just get started on one of these new brainstorms and then have 5 projects drop at once.)

(Sigh.)

Anyway, dear sporadic reader, if indeed anyone is out there... do you think we've gotten to the point where you can define who who are by what you're not?

I started thinking about that a long time ago, working on a project that involved a bank. They were starting a new debit card for people who didn't have traditional accounts. As we tried to figure out how to find these people and learn their characteristics, it became increasingly obvious that we weren't going to find surveys that said "are you unbanked"??

Once I was able to talk through the definition of what we were looking for we were able to use a big, national, syndicated survey to find the population that was "not". Did "not" have credit cards, did "not" have lines of credit, etc. etc. And sure enough, when we finished creating this definition, we wound up with what we wanted. The project was a smashing success because we gave up looking for the obvious answers.

Sometimes, we're so focused on looking for a specific list of characteristics that we forget that there is more than one way to peel the apple. (I hate saying "skin the cat"...we used to have 5 felines living with us.)

People have been using the negative to find the positive in data modeling and mining for years. And, on a personal basis (when dating for example, or hiring new employees) you have certainly heard someone rattle off what they didn't want -- as if experience showed that what you aren't can be almost as important as what you are.

Am not sure if I am a better business manager, client service person, wife, mother because of the things I'm not. Right now, I'm not exactly profilic with my writing. Am certainly going to try to spend a little more time waxing poetic on something in this blog -- hopefully, about data. It's one of those things I think about. (God, I feel like such a geek when I say that.) And when I'm silent, its not because I don't have anything to say...

Makes me think of one of my favorite Ani DiFranco songs... "Asking too Much"

I want somebody who sees the pointlessness
and still keeps their purpose in mind
I want somebody who has a tortured soul
some of the time
I want somebody who will either put out for me
or put me out of misery
or maybe just put it all to words
and make me say, you knowI never heard it put that way
make me say, what did you just say?
I want somebody who can hold my interest
hold it and never let it fall
someone who can flatten me with a kiss
that hits like a fist
or a sentence, that stops me like a brick wall
because if you hear me talking
listen to what I'm not saying
if you hear me playing guitar
listen to what I'm not playing
and don't ask me to put words
to all the spaces between notes
in fact if you have to ask, forget it
do and you'll regret it
I'm tired of being the interesting one
I'm tired of heving fun for two
just lay yourself on the line
and I might lay myself down by you
but don't sit behind your eyes
and wait for me to surprise you
I want somebody who can make me
scream until it's funny
give me a run for my moneyI
want someone who can
twist me up in knots
tell me, for the woman who has everything
what have you got?
I want someone who's not afraid of me
or anyone else
in other words I want someone
who's not afraid of themself

do you think I'm asking too much?

"We had the data"....

2005-11-30T08:19:00.000-05:00

12-13 hours.

700 miles one way.

Busiest day to travel.

Snow predicted.

We knew all these things...we had the data. Yet we decided to travel from Syracuse to Raleigh anyway to meet up with our family and celebrate Thanksgiving. As we were making light of the situation (with two kids in the car, what else could you do?) I kept thinking "What makes rational people act irrationally when presented with the facts?" And, even more personally, 500 miles into the trip, 11 hours down, "What the hell were we thinking???"

After all, much of the data you need to make an educated decision is usually available if you just dig a bit to find it. For example, if you are contemplating starting a new business, you can actively research other companies that have been successful in the field, you can talk to others who own similar businesses, you can check the demographics and firmographics, strategize and contemplate until you feel as if you've done your homework.

But at the end of the day, what makes people or companies decide to act on the data? And when things go right, do they look for patterns in the research they gathered to see what could be improved on? And, if things go wrong, how do they assign blame?

For us, a holiday vacation had an overiding emotional component that made the logistics pale in comparison. After all, what's a few hours in a car versus spending time with those you love? (She says with a sigh. It took 17 hours and 2 days....we didn't count on sick kids!)

But when a decision involves something more serious, all the answers you may need may appear right before your eyes, and yet at the end of the day, it's usually a gut feeling that sways the decision one way or the other.

For me, at least, having as many facts as I can gather makes it easier to rely on my gut instinct. After time, you gain experience which lets you know what data points to consider and which to discard. However, you can't get that level of comfort without spending time examining the available data. Only during back end analysis can you start seeing the patterns that point you towards good decision making.

We knew it would be long, we knew it might be frustrating, but more importantly, we knew if we kept moving, we could handle the trip. Avoiding I-95 at all costs -- cost us time. But in the end, it saved us sanity. And we got there just as the turkey was taken out of the oven.

Hurricane Katrina Data Storm

2005-09-15T19:42:00.000-04:00

Listening to the interviews with "The Powers That Be" involved in responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, you can't help but wonder why everyone seemed so caught off guard. Seems to me that everyone is too busy pointing fingers rather than focusing on the task of reinventing the damaged areas.

Local & state officials had plans, they had the numbers. The census is after all, a survey that is designed so that the government is adequately represented by the population that resides in an area. Those numbers are looked over, picked over, disputed and celebrated daily for Economic Development, Education Planning, Transportation Planning, Retail Expansion, and so on nearly EVERY day.

So, knowing that the data is there...I don't quite understand how no one (locally) took responsibility to get people out before the waters hit.

And for those who stayed, despite the warnings, well -- they had their reasons, I'm sure. But to blame the Federal Government for not forcing them out when even their local leaders failed to mobilize is pushing the blame too far. What about individual responsibility? In some cases people simply made poor decisions. While many try to help those in need -- many of those in need reject the help they are offered. And, at some point, you have to concentrate on those that are willing to accept your helpl.

I can't help but think of all the working people -- the police, the firemen, the nurses, doctors, teachers, and others who sent their loved ones out of town but stayed to help manage the disaster. These people are the ones who should replace our career politicians -- because they are close to people, close to the data -- and can see the patterns clearly because they are firmly committed to doing their jobs -- not getting re-elected. Census data isn't abstract to these city guardians. They deal with the people behind the numbers every day.

Want to see the demographics yourself? We've posted some data that might help you understand just what the leaders in the area had access to for the past 4 years. These are 1990/2000 Census counts for population, age/sex/race, income, transportation, etc.

http://www.catosphere.com/CatosphereHurricaneKatrinaDemographics.htm

Information is Power -- use it

2005-08-18T17:09:00.000-04:00

There are days that you just want to scream at the top of your lungs, then grab a martini and sit in the hot tub to sulk.

My head has been swimming because as a (self-proclaimed!) information evangelist, I feel frustrated when other people don't get it.

Data is power.

Data is power.

Data is power.

And without the right data, you can't compete. Successful businesses that turn around on a dime because they can meet their clients' needs understand this concept.

"Data" doesn't necessarily mean a database. I'm talking information that you need to move forward and keep improving on your product or service. For example, if you know your customer loves "red" and you get a new widget in "red" -- then by all means, if your timing is right and you make the effort to reach out to your client -- you will sell your goods to him. You meet a need when you provide what someone wants at the right time -- its that simple. Sometimes, you just have to be willing to show up.

I'm a big believer in tracking things. I keep my emails, I review web logs, I take time to see if I can find a pattern that I can use to my advantage. I'm working with some large companies these days that have such a breakdown in communication that they can't act on the simplest ideas without concensus across a zillion departments. Yet, if they took the time to look at the data -- the raw facts presented in a meaningful way -- the answer would be as clear as day.

Data is simply a collection of pieces of information. Put together, they allow analysis, review, and direction.

Doing business without data is ludicrous.

I feel like I'm ranting, because....well, I guess I am ranting.

Arrgh...

Data on Data -- Metadata Explored

2005-07-21T14:08:00.000-04:00

I think the first time I heard the term, metadata, I wasn't quite sure what they were referring to. Was it a medical word (like metabolic) or related to language (metaphor)?

Metadata is "data about data" -- in other words, it's a form of data which is used to decribe other data. Information which helps people classify, define and organize their data so that they can use it more effectively.

So, for example, you could have a database of demographic estimates such as current year population, median age, counts of households by income ranges -- and for each field you could list the source of the data, the vintage, whether it was derived from a calculation or a direct census question, etc. Data about data...

Googlization of Data -- finally!

2005-06-15T15:36:00.000-04:00

First there was MapQuest, and Yahoo!Maps, Rand McNally, even Triple A got into the act.

All of these free mapping tools were so cool.

Suddenly it became downright gauche to ask for directions! (What? You don't have internet access? You don't have a printer??)

But I think that GIS and data coming to life using hacked versions of Google Maps is the ultimate form of putting business techniques to use for public benefit. I'm thinking that some clever person will upload a roster of Boy Scouts and figure out the best place to hold meetings based on where everyone actually lives....or something else completely PRACTICAL. (sigh)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/08/AR2005060801632.html

World Wide Wonder

2005-06-12T20:26:00.000-04:00

So, I've always felt that I've been technical enough to be dangerous. That is, I have no fear of the unknown when it comes to software or computers.

Thinking about it (fondly, I must admit) I think it probably comes from my days working at Mediamark Research (MRI) as a tech rep. Back in the late 80's, I crawled under more desks than I care to admit. With a kit I picked up from Egghead (remember those guys?) I installed math co-processors and bernoullis. Those were the days.

Anyway, it was easier to be "in the know" back then.

It's hard enough keeping up with everything in your own profession, but trying to keep up with all the advances on the web is almost impossible. I feel like I spend an incredible amount of time following links. And, there's so much to read and with work, family, and all that happens in between -- well, the WWW could be a big World Wide Waste without the guides that have become available which organize all this data into usable information.

So....in my quest for finding really useful sites, I found one of the coolest sites that I think is a "googlization" of the blogsphere. Check out Technorati.....

GIS Enabled Underwear??

2005-06-10T15:21:00.000-04:00

I swear I've seen everything now.

GIS and it's cousin GPS have truly infiltrated our lives -- and for the most part, I think the innovation provides more good to society than harm. From "NeverLost" systems in car rentals, to instant 911 tracking on cell phones -- to airplanes that nearly fly themselves, this ability to act on location data instantaneously has gone from "Star Trek" impossible to "can't live without" status.

I understand tracking lost animals with implants and with the increase in child abductions (or maybe the its the increase in awareness due to our 24/7 media) GPS enabled jewelry could effectively help thwart kidnappings.

But, I draw the line at underwear -- gender-specific underwear!

Take a look. http://forgetmenotpanties.contagiousmedia.org/about.html

What's the deal with "data"?

2005-06-01T11:37:00.000-04:00

"So you work in marketing?" "I do.". "Great! I have an idea for a new product that does {fill in dream-product description here}. Can you help me write a marketing plan?"

"Uh, not really," I reply.

And then I explain that I work in a very specialized field called "Target Marketing". While some of the work we do can be used in business plans, we don't write plans for people. We help businesses figure out who their best customers are and how to find more like them using lots of different data.

"How do you do that?" they question.

"Whatever our clients have, such as ... customer databases, transactional data, sales territory assignments, boundary files, mailing lists, primary research, syndicated data"....

And this puzzled look comes over their faces, "Huh? So you must be a computer programmer, right?" they question.

"No..." I reply. "Just a person who analyzes available information to paint a portrait of customers and prospects so that messages get to the intended audience with the right appeal."

To get a feel for the industry and many of the different intersections of data, modeling, and GIS, subscribe to Directions Magazine , Target Marketing , The Direct Marketing Association, or attend the National Center for Database Marketing Conference (NCDM) Lots of good stuff at the Census, too.

The Birth of a Blog

2005-05-31T15:58:00.000-04:00

OK, I admit it. I've always been a bit of an information-geek.

When I was much younger, I worked part-time in a library...and got a real kick out of knowing where to find the scoop on any subject. I could spend hours browsing through books, digger deeper and deeper into subjects.

I think the whole concept of a hierarchical system used for organization, "The Dewey Decimal" system was just brilliant in its design -- logical yet easy to grasp. Of course, filing library books away by number for $3.00/hour didn't make me an "information specialist", but the concept of imposing order on vast universe of facts stuck with me. I delighted in knowing that whatever was on my mind, it was likely that someone else thought about it too, and there might be something written down for me to read and ruminate over.

Even though I was comfortable with the written word, I liked the idea of verbally communicating with other people even more. Laying awake at night in suburban NJ, I'd listen to the radio for hours on end. Whether it was some obscure program on NPR or Love Songs on WPIX, I often felt the dj was broadcasting just for me. Sometimes I'd picture myself sitting in a studio, lights really low, talking about people and the ways in which we are connected.

So, I got a degree in Communications -- with a special focus on Broadcasting. And, I worked in radio -- at the SUNY Oswego student college station (WOCR), at a country station in Syracuse (WSEN), and eventually in New York as a Shadow Traffic reporter on WCBS-AM as well as other NY area stations. At the time, it was a real thrill. Millions of people traveling to and fro....and for those few hours on my shift each week, I knew that many were tuning in just to find out what the road conditions were like. (Even more fun, people I hadn't spoken to in years would call because they heard me on the radio.)

The offices, located in a medium sized office building in Rutherford, NJ were unlike any other office space I'd ever been in. Early in the morning, arriving for a shift that started at 5:00am, you could see the faint eerie blue glow of the screens from across the parking lot. The main room was large with small stations for each announcer along the perimeter -- kind of like being on a big oval ship. The lights were always low, so that you could read the blue screens with neon text easily. However, the coolest thing about the job wasn't the technology or the announcing, it was the challenging task of providing an informative yet entertaining interpretation of the news screens.

Traffic producers sat in the middle of the office, surrounded by telephones, televisions, and computer screens. They were busy making phone calls and entering traffic information for all the roads in a kind of funky shorthand -- for example, "3c acc blk LL GWB" for 3 car accident blocking the left lane on the George Washington Bridge. Some announcers would read the traffic reports almost literally, but I liked to jazz things up a bit by injecting a little bit of personality in the interpretation...saying things like "they are kissing chrome on the Garden State Parkway". The trick was coming up with something new and interesting, yet not too flippant -- knowing that at any second, the screen could flicker and the information could change as you were reporting it!

My love for radio and data really came together while working at the Radio Advertising Bureau. There, my job as a research assistant was to pull together materials that helped position radio as a reach and frequency medium for advertisers. I was fortunate to be a co-host voice for the RAB's monthly marketing cassette tapes.....actually recording skits, tips and stories for distribution to all members.

Over time, I shifted from announcing to a career which was centered around information -- the collection, interpretation and presentation of facts and figures. I worked for a consumer survey company, market research firms that used various sources of data combined with modeling and GIS (geographic information services), and a database company known industry-wide for its address cleansing software. I became facinated by the ability to take various points of data and turn it into actionable information. Even more exciting was presenting the results and watching businesses grow because of efforts made by our team.

In 1997 I founded Catenate -- (Latin: to link in a series or chain), so that I could use my knowledge in a consulting role. For the past eight years, I've had some great projects with companies like John Hancock, Performance Bicycle, Hewlett-Packard, and Borders Books. And, just this past year, we started The Catosphere -- an online demographic data and mapping service.

This blog will hopefully mature like a fine wine....it will get better as it ages. (It better!) I envision this as a place for a free exchange of ideas that celebrates all the types of data that are collected, manipulated, distributed, and presented. From survey data and research panels to points...aggregation methods to maps, methodology, technology, and technique.

In other words, let's talk data....