online communities comparison: big yes, but numerous too !

That one is really a bad example... it is supposed to give a simple overview, but ends in a sea of bubble that really don't compare well one from another... on top of this, chronology, usually on the X axis, is vertical in here...
Nevertheless, it is interesting to make a few comparisons on which is which in the community space... the obvious comment is that communities, instead of what we commonly think, remain a fragmented world.
Recently a report from MCelius explained that there are more than 700 global communities players !


http://www.focus.com/fyi/other/boom-social-sites/

Copenhagen: where is the catch? Datavisualization on CNN helps

You don't understand much about the debates on CO2 happening at Copenhagen? Here is a perfect example on how datavisualisation simplifies tricky issues... It works for marketing, but for any other complex topic too...
In short: don't blame Africa, it is obviously not the bad guy of the CO2 story...


http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/environment/energy/

A good example for datavisualization

Well, I really like that one. a interesting manner not to start with a not too boring example... Even though it cant be rated as highly scientific, it is still of good fun to wander into this list of the best movies ever, presented in a tube-map graphical design...

A new blog

A new challenge... In this blog, our goal with be to deal with any issue that regards the upraising of new techniques, new tools in the marketing field
Marketing is everywhere, but strangely enough, it science remains largely unknown and full of mis-perception. Even for marketers, the notion of marketing is somewhat unclear. I can be about sales, products, corporate images, services, Press relations, Competition etc.
Comparatively, any other Company's division is simpler to analyze. Sales for instance is clear enough: we can measure sales, there exist tools (Salesforces for instance...) and challenges in there are clearly identified. Even R&D that may seems complex is about foreseeing and planning product innovation of a given company and that doesn't ignite controversy, while marketing action does.
You would say it is all about ROI? But what can be ROIised? Sales vs marketing budget?. How can you tell that a marketing action is efficient? Your product get sold more? Is that about its quality? Or your marketing campain? It tells little about what is really efficient within all your numerous advertising field and messages; and actually, for most CEO, marketing is too often of a black box that they don't like to open.
Here comes the datavisualization. When you get overwhelmed by complexity, a effort toward clearing up to focus on the key factors is essential. Although in the case of the marketing action, complexity is so dense (a marketing director can receive up to several kg of data-reports every week), simplifying complexity request breakthrough approach. 
Datavisualization is all about that. Invented a century ago, it is certainly a the verge of taking off, given the efficiency it brings when it comes to analysing complexity. And Marketing may be one of the most complex and heterogenous field.