I've been thinking about the questions companies need to consider when they're looking for tools or services for listening to social media. The obvious first question—which is always the first question— is, "what are you trying to accomplish?" Given an answer to that one, another important question applies to the people who are going to be involved in the process. Who are they, and how will they interact with the data?
I first heard the idea of categorizing people as information producers and information consumers in a briefing with Biz360 for the first edition of the Guide to Social Media Analysis. The idea is that some people will take a hands-on approach to tools and data, while others wait for finished analysis and reports. One is oriented to the analytics, while the other just wants the resulting information. Think of an analyst and an executive, and you'll get the picture.
Producers, Consumers and Power Users
I've found the information producers and consumers framework to be useful, but in this year's briefing with InfoNgen, I realized that we need to look more closely at the producers. Some of them are going to do a lot more with their tools than the average user.
Take Microsoft Excel: it's on virtually every office computer, and a lot of people use it. They're information producers when they organize some information or do a little math in a spreadsheet. But a much smaller group really knows how to make Excel sweat, creating what-if scenarios, modeling complex business plans, running Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate uncertainty... At some point, you have to put these users in a separate category, which we usually label power users.
Users of social media analysis tools will fall into the same categories. Producers will use the query, analysis and reporting capabilities of their analysis platform, and consumers will receive their reports. Power users will explore the depths of the end-user features in their platforms, which vary considerably. The line between a producer and a power user is arbitrary, but it's worth considering.
InfoNgen showed me how a user of their system could create or modify searches and filters using a probabilistic model that goes well beyond Boolean queries. In the right hands, it could be a powerful feature, but the average user will never touch it. Other platforms have different features to reward power users, but this was the one that inspired the topic.
Which Types Are You?
When it comes to monitoring and measuring social media, companies need to understand how they're going to work with the data—and how specific individuals and teams will work. If your company doesn't have anyone with an analytical bent, then a hands-on analytical tool may deliver less value than it would to another company.
A powerful tool in the hands of a power user, on the other hand, can be used to create useful tools and information for the other information producers and consumers in the company. If a technically proficient, curious analyst is on your team, you might want to think about the advanced capabilities available in the tools you consider.
