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Hello everyone, I'm a little half off stage here. I'm going to take you through a data-driven app that shows how to use the Infochimps API.
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We'll explore how to use APIs to pull things together in a Rails application. By the end, you'll have a clear idea of what our app will look like.
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Currently, this app might not look like much, but it represents a pool of users and how they can be sorted based on different metrics.
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This shows a network of users, a feature that is currently difficult to monitor.
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A little bit about me: I'm Jesse Crouch, a product manager at Infochimps. I started working with Rails in 2009, but before that, I was involved in advertising for some big companies. Now, I’m back in the Ruby world and working with Infochimps, where we provide a data marketplace.
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As a product manager at Infochimps, I also serve as a developer evangelist, actively coding while not claiming to be the best programmer out there. My background includes providing enterprise content management solutions with tools like SharePoint and Drupal.
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Infochimps operates like an Amazon for data, offering a marketplace where anyone can buy or sell data online. We have both large-scale databases and more niche datasets available.
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Additionally, we handle massive datasets, like Twitter data collected since 2006, at terabyte scale. This isn’t something you’d manage on a personal laptop; instead, it requires cluster computing resources.
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To give you a sense of our technical environment, we predominantly utilize Ruby technologies, including Rails and MySQL. Our infrastructure utilizes various open-source tools designed for big data handling.
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These tools include Chef, Cassandra, and others for data retrieval and processing. We use Amazon EC2 for scalable API needs.
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Our platform is predominantly Ruby-based; even our big data solution, Pink, is Ruby-based despite being complex. Let's dive into the app we've built.
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The real magic happens because our API allows you to visualize Twitter interactions beyond just viewing a user's page. With our API, you can see the interactions between users and how strong those connections are.
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This is useful because it expands the circles of influence, letting you see not just who you know but also who your friends know, creating a broader network perspective.
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We'll develop a feature called 'Strong Links' where querying will return the top 100 users you're most interactive with on Twitter. This interaction is based on metrics such as replies, retweets, and mentions.
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When you query for a username, the API returns a list of user IDs and the weight of each link, representing the strength of those interactions.
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These strong links provide a way to analyze your connections and discover new users to interact with, similar to expanding your social circle based on existing relationships.
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It's valuable to see who your strongest connections are and whom they associate with, potentially leading you to interesting new accounts to follow.
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So, we are going to implement functionality that loops through your top interactions and finds their strongest associates, building a comprehensive view of your Twitter network.
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This means using a method of querying that can handle vast amounts of data, allowing us to discover users beyond our immediate circle, enhancing our social networking experience.
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The process will involve analyzing connections and ranking them to maximize the value of interactions and to understand better the social dynamics at play.
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In the end, we can create a rich visualization that helps users understand the relationship dynamics within their network, adding value to the social media experience.
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So, I'm going to go ahead and build it. If you want to follow along, here's the GitHub URL, where you can also find the API documentation and more resources.
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Remember that as we build this app, you'll see me coding. Feel free to check out my tags along the way, as they'll help guide you through.
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I've set up our server and installed the required gems including the Infochimps library. It’s essential you already have Rails installed to proceed further.
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We'll create a Rails app called 'Strong Links' which will consist of a single controller and one view called show.
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Now I’m configuring the environment for our Rails app, specifically for handling Infochimps API interactions.
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Setting up configuration files correctly is crucial as this is where we will specify our API keys and other settings for our environment.
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With the configuration set, I'm going to move on to how we can build out our controllers and views...
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We're going to go through how to create the strong links feature in our app, examining users who interact with you the most.
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This represents an essential part of the app where we will analyze the strength of these interactions.
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While coding this, I'll show you how we handle API calls and collect relevant user interaction data.
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We will write methods to fetch and analyze these strong links to provide deeper insights into your social graph.
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Each step of building will uncover ways to enhance data handling through Ruby and Rails, optimizing our interactions with the API.
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As we proceed, remember that the main goal is to understand the connections within your network so we can visualize them effectively.
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By the end of this coding session, you'll be equipped with the knowledge to efficiently leverage the Infochimps API alongside Rails and view the data relationally.
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Let's move on to the next part where we'll dive deeper into the API calls we're going to make for gathering strong links data.
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We'll construct a method that will loop through your top strong links to uncover significant connections in your network.
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You should be getting familiar with utilizing the API as we make these calls, which will help us gather strong connection data effectively.
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This whole process hinges on efficiency, and we want to reduce any potential delay while interacting with the API during user queries.
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As we write our methods, I'll emphasize how to handle API responses properly and how to ensure your application remains fluid and responsive.
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The end goal is to enhance user interactions dramatically by taking advantage of strong connections and providing better relationship insights.
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Now that we've laid the groundwork, we’ll transition into some code that highlights the methods used to fetch this data and how to handle it properly.
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Throughout the implementation, I’ll showcase best practices for error handling and optimizing data retrieval from the API.
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The key takeaway is to format your API requests optimally to minimize issues and manage the data efficiently once received.
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Let’s work through the complete logic of how this interaction unfolds, validating each part of our process as we connect to the API.
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Now, I’ll run through another example of how to make these strong link calls more effectively to gather the right data promptly.
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This includes creating a robust querying system that works seamlessly with the API to return meaningful connections.
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We're developing a unique angle toward visualizing user interactions, especially for how you might network on Twitter.
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In this coding adventure, you should gain insights not just into your network but understand potential avenues for growth and discovery.
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So, to reiterate, the main goal here is to build a seamless interface that expands your understanding of connections across Twitter.
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As we develop the functionality, keep an eye on how to maintain clarity in presenting data effectively within our application.
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The approach we'll take through coding these API interactions aims for simplicity and clarity, making it easy for users to navigate.
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Building this out requires thoughtful consideration of user engagement and interaction, shaping an experience that feels intuitive.
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Once everything is situated, we’ll be positioned to validate the functionality of the strong links feature and optimize as necessary.
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Throughout this process, we will continuously encourage feedback and adjustments, ensuring the strongest form of usability for our target audience.
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I anticipate you’ll find the overall process enriching and rewarding as we tie together API usage, Rails capabilities, and user engagement features.
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Stay engaged as we move through executing this plan, paying close attention to the finer details that make an application outstanding.
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As we finalize building the strong links feature, note how functionality improves the overall user experience and drives interaction fluidly.
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When all is said and done, we should walk away with valuable tools and knowledge for building applications that effectively use the Infochimps API.
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We are nearing the end, and I’d like to recap what we’ve accomplished together regarding the potential of the Infochimps API.
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Exploring the details of API calls, the significance of robust routing, and how to maintain interactions will be critical moving forward.
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I encourage you all to dive deeper into the tools and practices we discussed to elevate your understanding of data-driven applications.
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As we round up this session, let’s ensure we continue empowering ourselves with the knowledge shared during this presentation.
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Takeaways from this session encapsulate the essence of applying Ruby and Rails in a unique context like the Infochimps API.
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Your engagement here is a vital part of appreciating the potential of data-driven applications, particularly as we look at APIs like Infochimps.
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I wish you all the best as you proceed with integrating these concepts into your projects, looking forward to seeing what you can create!
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Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need further clarification on any of the points we've discussed today.
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You can find me on Twitter or through my email. I'm excited about the possibilities to leverage the Infochimps API for your applications!
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Before we wrap up entirely, I welcome you to take a moment to reflect on the coding journey we undertook together and the insights gathered.
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Your contributions are the key to fostering a vibrant community, where we can learn and grow together through knowledge sharing.
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In conclusion, remember that the utilization of APIs opens the door to new opportunities, especially in crafting data-driven applications.
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Thank you for joining this session. I hope you gained valuable insights from our exploration of building with the Infochimps API.
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It’s been a pleasure sharing this information with you, and I look forward to seeing how you put these ideas into practice.
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Please feel free to reach out anytime for any follow-up questions or discussions. Thank you again, everyone!
