I have had a fascination with social network analysis since my introduction to Valdis Krebs’ work back in 2008.
Conversations with Graham Durant-Law since then have extended my interest, particularly in the combination of narrative and social network analysis.
I was delighted, therefore, to discover Immersion today. I did so through David Glance’s post in The Conversation. (David alerts readers to Challenger Network Graph and InMaps too.)
I have signed up for Immersion and see it as a great way of accessing some of my growing use of Google tools. I use email a great deal and I like the idea that:
Immersion is an invitation to dive into the history of your email life in a platform that offers you the safety of knowing that you can always delete your data.
I am attracted to a resource that “presents users with a number of different perspectives of their email data”.
Namely:
- “It provides a tool for self-reflection at a time where the zeitgeist is one of self-promotion.”
- “It provides an artistic representation that exists only in the presence of the visitor.”
- “It helps explore privacy by showing users data that they have already shared with others.”
- “It presents users wanting to be more strategic with their professional interactions, with a map to plan more effectively who they connect with.”
In adopting Immersion I will need to make big improvements in my use of Gmail. I do think it is going to be and important professional learning development. I am reassured that Immersion allows me to decide whether to save or delete your data, which contains your compressed email metadata and user profile.
