Day 12 of Microsoft MVP: TyGraph

It’s one thing to be a data-mongerer, and quite another to show that what you’re mongering is for the good of everyone involved, especially your boss.

Especially when the data you want to gather can come in 3D if not 4D form. Oh yes. Time is involved.

Enter tyGraph to help me show (and prove!) just what my Yammer communities are doing.

You certainly don’t have to be a Microsoft Anything to use tyGraph. Until January 1 of this year, I was all set to use tyGraph and I wasn’t a Microsoft Anything myself.

But I have to say, it’s pretty cool that adding tyGraph analytics to Yammer coincides with this new layer in my own professional life.

Because both of these–things? Entities? Experiences?–are SO AWESOME.

I love data. I love analytics. I never thought I’d say either of these things, yet here I am, saying it and standing by it.

This is a generic view of just ONE of the many screens as seen on http://blogs.msdn.com

And here I am, barely Day 1 in on using these metrics, and I’m already blown away by the results.

I can track dead threads across all my Yammer groups.
- From there I can determine what doesn’t resonate with my audience, which is just as important as what does.
I can identify unanswered questions with a couple clicks.
- A simple @mention will bring in a subject matter expert to help.
I can get Lurker Metrics.
- Among other things, I’ll be able to see what items are being viewed even if nobody says a word about it. How’s that for calculating value?
I can report on top discussion threads.
I can see how many threads were responded to by people OTHER than the original participants. You can’t get that kind of signal boost through email.