About

TrendsLog.com is a blog that tracks the world’s trends through the Internet and shows you how to do the same, using free and publicly available tools.

Starting with a somewhat controversial high school research paper, I’ve been interested in how data in the online world can help us understand the offline world. While the physical world is certainly not mirrored in the Web — Ron Paul isn’t enormously popular in voting booths, people don’t often speak in all caps — the trends available in online data can lead to startling conclusions, if the analysis is done right. The Internet provides a new means of collecting data, and while it’s not the best data out there, it’s by far the largest and most comprehensive pool.

This blog identifies and explains several analytical tools through example — it picks up on the latest trends, analyzes their popularity and draws conclusions.

We’ll be using a select group of tools, but there are certainly more out there. If there’s one you’d like me to include (or if you have any other feedback), just post a comment or let me know. I’d also like to to hear from other blogs interested in setting up a link exchange.