We’ve released a new feature which has the potential to affect the way customers relate to our data. That’s a bold statement, but Seely Brown and Duguid taught me years ago that attending too closely to information (in other words, getting lost in the weeds) overlooks the social context that helps people understand what that information might mean and why it matters. So, I’ve always thought data and information is orders of magnitude more useful when it can be shared facilitating understanding and assisting decision-making.

Today the social life of our data just got a big boost through a little feature which allows you to share saved selections through email, inside and outside organisational boundaries and without any intermediaries getting in the way. It’s really easy to use… read the big picture chart below and you’ll be sharing data in no time at all!

Some ideas to use this social data feature:

• Easily share data sets with your colleagues inside and outside your organisation – if they have permission to view the data all they need to do is click a link in the email or document you send them
• Add live data links in your publications and project reports. Links remain valid for a year at minimum.
• Send your colleagues a “data tip of the day” to help you tell the story behind your data selections
• Use saved selection sharing to copy selections from one account to another
• If you find bugs in the data – just socialise it with your Oxford Economics contact

Please let us know how you get on and send us your tips on any new ways you find to use this feature.