Bill Tancer
Describe your latest project.
Over two years ago, I had the idea to write a book about what I do for a living. I am the general manager of Global Research for Hitwise, on online competitive intelligence company. One of my job functions at Hitwise is to find interesting stories in our database of Internet usage as a way of building awareness for our company and the services that we provide.
With a sample of over 10 million U.S. internet users, there is a near infinite source of data on what sites we visit and what search terms we use to find information. And within that data, there are common threads that reveal themselves in patterns.
After posting some charts on our blog, we quickly discovered how interesting this data was and how many stories were just waiting to be told. We started writing a weekly online column for Time.com where we tell those stories. Click is an extension of our blog and online column, and just a sampling of the stories that we've discovered in the data.
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"Witty and invaluable in its insights, this book is destined to become a primer for online marketers and usability experts while shedding new light on the mindset and curiosities of the average Web surfer, i.e., your friends and neighbors." Publishers Weekly
What inspires you to sit down and write?
Writing comes in waves for me. There are times that I can spend hours staring at a blank computer screen waiting for inspiration and other times that I can't type fast enough to keep up with my train of thought. The impetus to write usually begins with a fascinating counter-intuitive chart or table.
Describe your favorite childhood teacher and how that teacher influenced you.
There have been many teachers that have influenced me. Over dinner with my parents just a few months ago, this question came up, and the one teacher that popped into my head was my high school debate/speaking coach, Jacqui Hasko. Mrs. Hasko encouraged me to think for myself, set my goals high, and then work hard to achieve them.
Right after dinner, I found Mrs. Hasko on Facebook, and from the hundreds of former students who have "friended" her, along with the comments posted on her "wall," I'm guessing that I was only one of the several thousand people she must have touched during her teaching career.
Have you ever taken the Geek Test? How did you rate?
I haven't taken the Geek Test, probably because I'm pretty sure I know how I would score.
What do you do for relaxation?
I barbeque. I'm not talking about flipping burgers over a hot grill, no, I'm talking about smoking a brisket over a 225-degree mound of lump charcoal and hickory wood in my outdoor smoker for anywhere from 18 to 22 hours, depending on the size of the brisket. There's something about the slow transformation of a raw piece of meat (sorry, vegetarians) into culinary perfection.
What's your favorite blog right now?
I've enjoyed reading the Freakonomics blog on the New York Times site for some time now, and occasionally I contribute either through a chart that I supply or a guest posting. I also am a new fan of the Grammar Girl podcast. I've always been fascinated by the intricate nature of our language and its rules (even though my copy editor will tell you that I'm not great at adhering to them). The Grammar Girl podcast serves as the perfect educational diversion during my morning commute.
Douglas Adams or Scott Adams?
Tough call, I'm both a Hitchhiker's Guide and Dilbert fan. Having worked in Silicon Valley for the last 15 years (and for two years at the same company that Scott Adams worked), Dilbert humor is something that I can relate to.
What was your best subject in high school? Your worst?
Math and science were my best subjects. Ironically, English (specifically, writing) was my worst. Since writing Click, I've thought of tracking down my high school English teachers to show them that I've redeemed myself; I can write a complete sentence.
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As the general manager of Global Research at Hitwise, an online competitive intelligence company, Bill Tancer has access to extensive data regarding Internet usage and the tools with which to properly analyze it. In addition to his weekly column, "The Science of Search," on Time.com, he has been interviewed and quoted widely in the press and on television and radio. He lives in San Francisco.
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