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"Public Sector" usage pattern as a term, in posts.

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  • 03-12-2009 6:17pm
    #1
    DeVore
    Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 32,387 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    ok, as part of this thread on Public Sector Threads, we decided to run a query and analyse the results (Rossnor were bored and I suggested it).

    The results are actually quite startling...as far as a "zeitgeist trend" goes, its pretty telling. I've attached the XL spreadsheet to this post of the results.

    Have a looksee....

    The sheet shows
    A. the number of posts which included the specific phrase "public sector" in it
    B. the number of total posts for that month
    C. the percent of A in B.


    DeV.
    Post edited by Shield on


«1

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    #2
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Ha, nice stats. What happened in Feb 09? Emergency Budget?


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    #3
    DeVore
    Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 32,387 Mod ✭✭✭✭DeVore


    I dunno but I can only say that my maths lecturers would have classified those numbers as "statistically significant". A phrase I confess an undying love for :)

    DeV.


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    #4
    Wibbs
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,159 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    OK DeV can you translate that for people who run out of mathematical ability when they run out of fingers? IE Me. :o:D

    Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.



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    #5
    K-9
    Registered Users Posts: 43,311 ✭✭✭✭K-9


    seamus wrote: »
    Ha, nice stats. What happened in Feb 09? Emergency Budget?

    Yeah, the pension levy.

    Seemed to have been a bit during benchmarking too, but not "significant".

    Mad Men's Don Draper : What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons.



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    #6
    DeVore
    Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 32,387 Mod ✭✭✭✭DeVore


    Wibbs, it means "this is very very likely NOT to be simply a coincidence" :)

    The humour comes from the fact that a jump from 0.01% in March 06 to nearly 1% so far this month is very very clearly NOT a statistical anomaly and reflects a definite shift in posting usage.

    Translation: Lots of people started using the term A LOT in a very short space of time. :)

    Interesting reading all the same... I dont know of much that would challenge that for "hot topic of the year".... perhaps "french cheat" last month might have, but those are flash in the pan events, this is a seismic movement in terms of public interest.

    DeV.


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    #7
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 83,210 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spYcp0ZB4nM


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    #8
    aidan_walsh
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,208 ✭✭✭✭aidan_walsh


    Rossnor: Jedwards smarter cousin.


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    #9
    Rev. BlueJeans
    Closed Accounts Posts: 600 ✭✭✭Rev. BlueJeans


    DeVore wrote: »
    Interesting reading all the same... I dont know of much that would challenge that for "hot topic of the year".... perhaps "french cheat" last month might have, but those are flash in the pan events, this is a seismic movement in terms of public interest.

    DeV.

    I only hope it's a sign of things to come in Irish society. To use the old cliché, "there's a lot of anger out there".


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    #10
    nesf
    Registered Users Posts: 27,645 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    Any chance of a thread count where Public Sector is in one of the posts in that thread? Or posts in threads containing Public Sector?

    Also, I'd like a list of users who most use the term please. Should prove interesting!


    Sorry, the stats geek in me is coming out...


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    #11
    ParkRunner
    Registered Users Posts: 3,032 ✭✭✭ParkRunner


    nesf wrote: »

    Also, I'd like a list of users who most use the term please. Should prove interesting!


    Sorry, the stats geek in me is coming out...

    That I'd like to see too. Hope Im not in the top 10


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    #12
    GLaDOS
    Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 23,223 Mod ✭✭✭✭GLaDOS


    Wow, very telling

    And how I hate my Data Analysis and Statistics lectures :(

    Cake, and grief counseling, will be available at the conclusion of the test



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    #13
    Dannyboy83
    Registered Users Posts: 4,236 ✭✭✭Dannyboy83


    You should make a dictionary of keywords first. e.g. PS, PubSec, etc.

    Personally, I think the term "PS employees" seems to be most frequent in usage than any other term.


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    #14
    DeVore
    Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 32,387 Mod ✭✭✭✭DeVore


    There would be strong correlation with the trend shown in that document. It wouldnt really add much to the sum of our knowledge.

    Also, while I made have said Conor and Ross were a "bored" its not because they arent busy, believe me they are :) so I dont want to be bothering them for stats all the time but it did seem like a nice zeitgeist piece of info.

    DeV.


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    #15
    nesf
    Registered Users Posts: 27,645 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    DeVore wrote: »
    There would be strong correlation with the trend shown in that document. It wouldnt really add much to the sum of our knowledge.

    Also, while I made have said Conor and Ross were a "bored" its not because they arent busy, believe me they are :) so I dont want to be bothering them for stats all the time but it did seem like a nice zeitgeist piece of info.

    DeV.

    Ah but correlation is one thing but what's important is the concentration of these posts in threads, whether they're spreading outside of their regular forums and whatnot. Though yeah, it's unreasonable for us to expect Conor and Ross to act as the "BSO" in addition to all their other duties! :)


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    #16
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    Nice! Could be an interesting addition (stats much like Google Analytics) to boards.ie one day, perhaps? Or would it only be useful to a tiny bunch of nerds like me, nesf, etc.

    :)


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    #17
    dr.bollocko
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 35,943 Mod ✭✭✭✭dr.bollocko


    To me, having had to deal with the vitriol for the past while, that's kind of a depressing statistic.


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    #18
    Rev. BlueJeans
    Closed Accounts Posts: 600 ✭✭✭Rev. BlueJeans


    Wait until next week, and the budget ;)


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    #19
    Asok
    Registered Users Posts: 6,628 ✭✭✭Asok


    If you say public sector backwards 3 times infront of a mirror then mary harney throws ducks at your house.


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    #20
    Red Hand
    Registered Users Posts: 4,986 ✭✭✭Red Hand


    Do you have the stats for Your Ma usage on afterhours?:pac:


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    #21
    The Muppet
    Registered Users Posts: 14,003 ✭✭✭✭The Muppet


    Interesting stats, if you were to remove Jimmy's posts and would the graph go back to normal. :)


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    #22
    parsi
    Site Banned Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭parsi


    It would be interesting to see who the most prolific anti-PS posters are and if they contribute to any other fora on Boards.

    Whilst the PS might be the current zeitgeist does this fad (another word for zeitgeist) result in longer-term boardsies ?

    Boards touts itself as a community - sometimes you'd find yourself arguing with someone in one forum and exchanging useful info with them in another forum but the current crop of one-trick-ponies seem to have no interest in this.


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    #23
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 83,210 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    parsi wrote: »
    It would be interesting to see who the most prolific anti-PS posters are and if they contribute to any other fora on Boards.

    Whilst the PS might be the current zeitgeist does this fad (another word for zeitgeist) result in longer-term boardsies ?

    Boards touts itself as a community - sometimes you'd find yourself arguing with someone in one forum and exchanging useful info with them in another forum but the current crop of one-trick-ponies seem to have no interest in this.
    Im not sure witch-hunting posters is a good idea.


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    #24
    parsi
    Site Banned Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭parsi


    Anonymised statistics FTW.

    It would be useful for boards to know the paths that its users take.

    A stat of the top 5 posters who post on <insert current fad> have X posts in <current fad forum> and Y posts in other fora.

    It's a bit like the research folk do on websites - do users stick to particular pages or do they explore..?


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    #25
    Red Sleeping Beauty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,443 ✭✭✭Red Sleeping Beauty


    parsi wrote: »
    It would be interesting to see who the most prolific anti-PS posters are and if they contribute to any other fora on Boards.

    Whilst the PS might be the current zeitgeist does this fad (another word for zeitgeist) result in longer-term boardsies ?

    Boards touts itself as a community - sometimes you'd find yourself arguing with someone in one forum and exchanging useful info with them in another forum but the current crop of one-trick-ponies seem to have no interest in this.

    When it comes to politics I don't think boards.ie is community per se, feels more like a battlezone.

    The Lisbon Treaty was also a fad for a while with droves of the "one-trick-ponies".


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    #26
    nesf
    Registered Users Posts: 27,645 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    Alan Rouge wrote: »
    When it comes to politics I don't think boards.ie is community per se, feels more like a battlezone.

    The Lisbon Treaty was also a fad for a while with droves of the "one-trick-ponies".

    Politics is a civil war carried out by non-violent means essentially.


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    #27
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 83,210 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    nesf wrote: »
    Politics is a civil war carried out by non-violent means essentially.
    Debate: the ultimate turn-based strategy game.


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    #28
    Terry
    Registered Users Posts: 26,061 ✭✭✭✭Terry


    How do I open this in Open Office?


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    #29
    Stark
    Registered Users Posts: 20,993 ✭✭✭✭Stark


    Can we graph the number of occurrences of the term "private sector" alongside it and see if the lines diverge?


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    #30
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,421 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Terry wrote: »
    How do I open this in Open Office?
    Try "save to disk" and then open it.

    Compacted graph attached (and don't whinge you can't open png files!).


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    #31
    Riskymove
    Registered Users Posts: 10,888 ✭✭✭✭Riskymove


    Many people just use the abbreviation PS

    is this taken into account?


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