Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Big Data is Big Money: Yes > No

As of today, Big Data is a major Buzzword in town…”Thing Big and see bigger returns with Big Data Analytics You're sitting on a gold mine” says Frank J. Ohlhorst in his book Big Data Analytics.

One of the greatest strengths of big data is how it can be used to provide fresh insights to decision makers. Big data can reveal customer and market trends that, when spotted quickly enough, can lead executives to move rapidly on new business ventures ahead of competitors. The beauty of the increasingly digital landscape is that every single digital interaction that occurs – from scheduling a doctor’s visit via email to entering a chat session with a customer agent regarding a product issue to commenting about a brand experience on Facebook – becomes an electronic record that companies can make use of, notes Inc. magazine reporter J.J. McCorvey in a recent blog.

The Big Data “funda” is simple: “More is better.” If you can give me more data about a customer—if you can capture more aspects of their behavior, their connections with others, their interests, and so on—then one can pin down exactly what this person is all about. It can be anticipated what they will buy, and when, and for how much, and through what channel. These improvements will further impact industries across the board from education, to healthcare, government, retailing and manufacturing.

But on the Flip side we have “junta” which believes,  More data doesn't necessarily mean better results, and while Big Data can be powerful, it still needs the *right* data to draw useful conclusions. Getting the right data isn't as easy as using machine learning on someone's twitter stream. Obviously we need data to draw conclusions and analyze problem. But the question is how much data do we need? For instance, do we need a second-by-second log of the shopper’s location? Would it be truly helpful to integrate this series of observations with other behavioral data (e.g., which products the shopper examined)? Or would this just be nice to know? And how much of this data should we save after the trip is completed?

It is believed that many of these patterns are pretty obvious & consistent and they are not as radical as they are being portrayed.

The Debate is on and heating up but the Big Data Scientist have an edge when it comes to the veneer of respectability..lets us see if the tide turns in the long run! 


Source : MIT Technology Review

Facebook Data Science #Whats on your mind? #Facebook knows it all!

You can have data without information, but you cannot have information without data !
So after reading umpteen number of articles about Data Analytics and coming to a conclusion how every random pattern we see has to mean "something" i started racking my brain to understand Facebook + Data Analytics and understand if it means anything. What i found is Facebook Data Science! (lets call it FDS).

FDS is a team which builds scalable platforms for the collection, management & analysis of Data. It is fascinating & scary (it makes me feel like i am being watched all the time) how they analyze EVERYTHING an user does on Facebook. And yes, i mean literally EVERYTHING.

Starting with "Whats on your mind" which they use  to discover  patterns in how people use status updates differently, and how their friends interact with different status updates to vague concepts like "Classmates to Soulmates" the FDS (Facebook Data Science) team took a close look at Facebook data to explore how often people meet their partners while attending the same high school or college, and whether there are any particular schools that seem to have a higher proportion of alumni married to one another.  To this end, they examined aggregate, anonymized data on all couples who both list themselves as being married to each other, along with the high schools and colleges they attended.

Result : About 28% of married college-graduates attended the same college (interesting)*

It is enthralling to read about these varied analysis and the subsequent conclusions. So next time you wish to know "how many women your age are changing their name after marriage on Facebook?" or "What are the top 10 status terms of 2013"? (and did any of your status updates feature in that list :D) Facebook Data Science is yours to read.


Long Live Social Media & Big Data Analysis! 

“Tweet a Brew! “ The next step in social media marketing?!

In today's fast paced world, simple ideas are most effective. And social media today has the potential to present these very ideas with a "fancy twist" and draw attention.

One such idea I came across while blogging was "Tweet-a-coffee" by Starbucks. The coffee giant has teamed up with Twitter to launch the Tweet-A-Coffee campaign. This allows people to send a $5 Starbucks gift card to anyone in the US via Twitter. It’s a really simple idea, users just need to link their Starbucks and Twitter account and mention @tweetacoffee to send the gift card to a friend, family, follower, or anyone for that matter. They can even include a message to let them know that their next Starbucks is on them. 





Catch a glimpse of the concept in the video above! 

This concept can catch on like wildfire considering our voyeuristic traits. I mean we all thoroughly enjoy publicly acknowledging what makes us happy/sad ("the Happiness is..." page on Facebook can second that: The Happy Page : Facebook) Displaying ones affection on Social Media isn't new and these virtual gifts can help garner a lot of attention and hence can prove to be an amazing marketing campaign.

The company can keep a tab on their target customers by analyzing their sales through such campaigns using Big Data Analysis. Tools like Gephi ( which I recently learned to use in our social media & web analytics course) can be employed to understand the reach of this campaign.

So to sum up! A simple concept with an amazing potential. How many more campaigns like the one mentioned can you think of?


Monday, June 13, 2011

All's well that ends well...hell this ones true!

Of all the innumerable cliches...this is the one i have come real close to today...so here it goes..

PS: **Mumbai Local jargon alert**

It was a routine day...I was up at 5.30...had my engineering viva..wasn't prepared and had chalked out a "schedule" mentally (things to be learnt/read last minute, and revised in the last one hour) . So, i got into my regular train at around 7 in the morning, took my regular seat and started chanting engineering mantras...n oh yeah, today i was also carrying my younger sister's portfolio..she had an *imp* interview in my college and she asked me to carry some of her *imp* stuff  and i obliged!
i reach andheri exactly after an hour (throught the journey i have been reading about type of computer memories)...i get off the train..andheri is the last stop...n i move to the opposite platform to catch a slow train to churchgate ( i study at santacruz) .
As i stand there waiting for the train...my phone beeps...its my mom calling...i am annoyed...cuz i assume she has some trivia to update me with...i answer....she has apparently called to check if  i am still carrying the portfolio along...  i scream Noooooooooooooo in reflex n tell her ill call her back...! she calls back in 5 seconds and starts yelling her guts out + the usual Oh my god!!!!
i run to the platform where i left the train...n to my dismal see it leaving....i catch my breathe n run to the station master...he turns out to be a pan chewing lethargic guy...his first statement... "hum kare bhi toh kya abhi" i panic after listening to that tone...but calmly explain the urgency of the situation to him...its 8 in the morning..my sisters interview is at 11 ( reporting time 10.30)
he chks the borivali extension code n tries calling...223341...says its busy after 4 attempts...den another pan chewing gentleman points out that he is dialing his own number...the look on my face would have definitely fetched a couple of bucks!!! he laughs at his mistake,spits and dials the correct extension...informs the borivali guy n i rush to get a virar fast train..so i could reach borivali as fast as possible! its 8.15 now...i have my viva at 9!
my heart is pounding ...i gulp in some water...n wait for borivali to come..after 10 minutes i see borivali passing by....its apparently a "double fast" train..doesnt halt at borivali...arggggggghhhhh!!!
i alight at dahisar...now people who are aware of the combination called virar train+rush hour can relate to my plight...its 8.35 and i am at dahisar station...the trains are jam-packed...i see four trains pass by....finallyyyyy a borivali train arrives...i hop into it....i rush to the station masters office as soon as m off the train...he checks a few details n informs me that the bag with the portfolio has been found at naigoan station!

 i am glad its found..at the same time..i turn to the antique clock in the room..its 9.11.....

i get into a virar bound train from borivali...i reach naigoan in 20 min...now this place has two offices...one at the east and the other at the west...i go the west only to find the bag is in the east office.......time..9.40...
i reach the office to find a "me marathi" clan...i am relieved to see the bag n also the marathi crowd..because the marathi connection ALWAYS helps in mumbai......but things weren't exactly working for me today...so it wouldn't be easy...
the guy starts by saying...get your sister and i will give the file to her! ( now all this time my sister isn't aware about my adventure...she is waiting for me in college...she scares easy n starts hyperventilating..so i chose to not inform her) when i explain the situation and my urgency he says...."theekh hai...main police station me deta hun phir...aap waha se le jaana" i stare at him in horror...!! his other alternative...equally ridiculous...get me a copy of your ration card and pan card! and then says "bag madhe kay aahe? dakhwaa"(he wants to check my bag!!!).... i am at my wits end!!!
At that moment comes into picture...Mr.sharma....a sophisticated gentleman as apposed to our "maniac" ...he asks me to write an undertaking and take the stuff...but the "manooos" threatens him and says he is solely responsible if i turn out to be a crook! ( apparently someone who steals portfolios)
i am fed up with this drama and i call my father...my dad calls some of his "contacts" and i get my stuff...but before that our manoos wants to verify again..so he makes Mr.sharma call my sister n ask questions like..when is your birthday? what is Ur SSC/HSC seat number? what is your sisters name? after being convinced i am her sister he hands me over the things...! i throw him a disgusting look and thank Mr.Sharma...!
i jump into a dadar bound 10.11 train...reach andheri at 10.30..santacuz at 10.50....college 11.05...!
i give my sisters *imp* stuff to her n rush for my viva...turns out...the prof is stuck in an accident...will be there by 12...its 11.10...i splash some water...n get back to my "schedule" i kick some microprocessor ass in the viva and my sister nails the interview.........!


all this while...while i was jumping in and out of trains...i constantly received messages from dad asking me to keep my cool and relax...and he just said..."hota hai yaar" n don't worry "i am always there"
and i wasn't worried anymore...at times like this...all one needs to hear is something my father kept repeating throught...if it wasn't for him i wouldn't be able to keep my cool!

so this blog is for u dad...i love you! :)