Commentary

Twitter Tool Shows Topics Trending At World Economic Forum

KPMG developed a tool to provide a unique perspective into the World Economic Forum set to begin in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. One column provides a look into topics trending on conference delegates' tweets; alongside are trending terms "based on tweets that reference WEF or Davos" from people around the world.

The tool pulls in rich media, such as images, video, and articles to augment the text.

Each day people visiting the site can see how the conversation changes. The WEF Twitter window into topics discussed at Davos allows people to participate in transparent discussions, and sometimes the tweets from delegates spark completely different topics, said David Green, head of global digital marketing, KPMG. "Social media democratizes the discussion, and provides greater accountability, which is better for society," he said. "The conversations are complex issues facing the world, but social tools open the discussion to a range of topics to compare and contrast."

advertisement

advertisement

Data gains are often mixed with data pains.  It is one thing to identify the discrepancies in thinking between delegates and people worldwide, and yet another to use that information to make a positive change. It's a delicate balance. Green said identifying the complex topics becomes the first step in making the connections, even if there's not an apparent straight, connected line from one topic to another.

Some view data as a mineral. Arvind Singh, CEO of Utopia, a global enterprise data solutions provider, refers to data as the information age's oil -- raw material companies can use to transform and refine utilities.

Being data driven should become a company's first priority, explains Scott Brinker, president and CTO of Ion Interactive.

Brinker suggests using data as fuel, building the organizational engine using the data. The biggest obstacle most organizations face becomes structure, culture and politics that dissuade people from trying experiments, because an unsuccessful experiment implies the failure of the tester,

Next story loading loading..