About
Unfortunately there’s a lot more bad data in the world than good. Anyone armed with SurveyMonkey, LinkedIn Polls, and PowerPoint can create and display data. But most people never learned how.
My name is Nate Elliott and I want to change that. For 12 years as a Forrester Research analyst I collected, analyzed, and explained data. And for the past eight years I've helped clients create surveys, uncover stories in their data, and tell those stories to the world. I don’t have an advanced degree in statistics, but for two decades I’ve made real-world data work in real-world marketing content, sales pitches, and business plans. I know that most polls, charts, and data stories would be a lot better if their creators knew a few simple rules.
I launched the Good Data Project to share what I know — and try to learn a lot more — about:
Creating and collecting data. How to create reliable surveys and polls, and how to find good data when you can’t collect it yourself.
Depicting data with figures. How to choose the right chart type and highlight the data that matters, without deceiving the reader.
Explaining data with words. How to discuss data accurately and in context, and present insights rather than just statistics.
I use examples from my clients, including sales leaders at trillion-dollar corporations, founders of cutting-edge start-ups, and marketers at major league sports teams. I showcase the best examples of good data I can find from social media, the papers, and TV. You can be sure I showcase the worst examples of bad data, too.
And you can play along. Need help writing a social poll or crafting a data slide? Drop me a line. Want to see how to fix a badly-made chart or graph? Shoot me the link. And if you just want to follow along and pick up some tips, that’s great too.