May 27, 2009, Vol. 3, Issue 9

If you’re anything like we are, you love finding new and exciting ways to explore data. Don’t be embarrassed, we know you do. We won’t tell.

So today, we’re passing on two amazing tools for doing just that. And while we’re sticking to our promise that our little newsletter will take you less than 3 minutes, we do not make any guarantees regarding how long you’ll spend playing with these sites.

Book ‘em Vanno.

Vanno is a social evaluation platform that takes in user-submitted gossip, news, comments, opinions and insights and quantifies the content considering how a company treats its customers, employees, communities, the environment and society in general. Then, the cool part. It ranks the companies in a variety of measures including social responsibility, customer involvement, patriotism, and more.

Okay, that’s great. Another set of lists. But wait, there’s more. Users vote on the submissions adding more depth to the analysis. And you can get widgets showing the results. There are over 6,000 companies rated today. Want to see the math behind it? Check out the documentation.

Never Stand on a Swivel Chair

Unless you’re a fan of Officer Buckle and Gloria, you might not get the reference. But if you have young kids, check it out. Sorry, I digress.

“Swivel is a place where curious people explore all kinds of data.” That’s what they say. What I say is wowie wow.

Swivel is a virtual cornucopia of data. It’s a dream come true for data-lovers like us. You can explore and compare data, graphs and maps – you won’t believe how much is available on the site. We bet you’ll find something that will inspire you, help you finish that presentation, or just plain amaze you. You can share insights via email, blog or data downloads.

But get this. You can upload your data and make some great charts and graphs, share it, and use it. And they have some great extras like a toolbar for Excel, Google gadget capability, and…..data badges…so you can proudly proclaim your data pride.

Be proud.

Enjoy your data. And stand tall.