4/2/07 Information Graphics

With the utterly vast amount of information that is now so readily accessible via the internet, people need methods for both organization and consumption. One way that satisfies both of these needs is organizing and conveying information graphically. Using computer technology, and some coding and algorithms, the organization can be done mainly by the computer, so as to be very efficient. Here are a few examples I found to be applicable and interesting:

Digg Labs
http://labs.digg.com

Because Digg is so popular, and has so much information streaming through it constantly (so much so to cause bandwidth on even large servers to crumble -- known as the digg effect), users need a way to take it all in. Though Digg's main page is fairly effective, it leaves much to be desired for following community trends in depth and over time. Because social bookmarking is so new and revolutionary, many might like to study the properties of a Web2.0 community. Presenting: Digg Labs. Consisting of a variety of different graphical tools, this section of the site helps users take a look at what is popular on the internet at any given time, but also shows larger-scale patterns.


Music, music, music!
http://www.musicovery.com
http://www.musiclens.de
http://www.last.fm

All of these sites are devoted to demonstrating either trends of music listening or similarities between music for the recommendation of new artists/songs to users.

• Musicovery is essentially internet radio that allows users to listen to music based on mood, genre, and era. With a graphical, flash-based interface, this site visually conveys a web of different songs that are interrelated and connected by one of the three above-mentioned qualities.
• Musiclens also recommends music with internet radio, likewise with a graphical interface. But this one has a series of sliders on the topics of music volume, tempo, voice, size of group (of musicians), purpose, sex, age, mood, color, and time. Adjusting these can yield some very interesting recommendations that attempt to fit exactly what you're looking for at the moment.
• Last.fm is a way of logging the music you personally listen to, and then being able to see your own trends, as well as others' in the community. It also recommends music based on your perceived tastes (from what you play, recommending similar artists, mainly), and connects you to other users with similar tastes, whose trends in music are also viewable to you.