Two years ago on a weekend, I built a tool to make it easier to evaluate Twitter accounts. Since then 36590 people used it to analyze 55390 different Twitter accounts.

Over the last months @mmkaradeniz and I made a new version. We launched it last night:

@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis doesn't use machine learning or AI „magic“. Instead of telling users if an account is authentic or not, it helps them to evaluate the accounts themselves.

It visualizes the different features (date, time, type, app, etc.) of Tweets to make them interpretable. /1
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis The core concept is still the same, but it looks much better and is easier to operate. Not only for the users, but us developers as well. Enabling us to continuously roll out new features in the future.

Side-by-side screenshots of the old and new version. /2
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis Some people had questions what different charts displayed and how they could be interpreted. There are now explanations for all charts, that can be toggled on and off at any time. /3
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis The selected/retrieved Tweet count moved to the top to make it clear that not all Tweets of an account are analyzed. 3200 is the API limit by Twitter. It's possible to get more through the Premium API, but I don't think people would pay $100+ for the analysis of one account. /4
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis There is now an account card at the top of the analysis with basic info about the account. Mostly the same as you get when visiting a profile but with less clicks.

Additionally it shows the account ID. Useful when making screenshots and accounts change their screen name. /5
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis Next is the daily rhythm heatmap, the most loved feature of the tool. It aggregates the Tweets per hour per weekday to show daily patterns.

It gives a quick overview when an account is active and at the same time allows to drill deeper into the data. /6
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis Sometimes you are only interested in the Tweets of a specific time frame. The Tweetvolume by Date chart allows you to select the time you want to analyze and all other charts will only show that data. Very useful to understand spikes. /7
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis All charts are cross-filtered. By switching the selection between Twitter for Android and Twitter Web App, you can see how they supplement each other. My Tweets through a computer are more irregular with many volume spikes. Probably threads (see self-replies). /8
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis Hashtags and Hostnames help with understanding the primary topics of an account. If it is a single issue account or has a bigger variety.

It seems like I don't link out of Twitter often any more. /9
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis With whom does the account interact most often? Let's look into Replied Users, Retweeted Users and Quoted Users.

I love to reply to myself (threads!). But I also retweet myself often (Look at this awesome Tweet I made!). Finally, I mostly quote myself (Well.). /10
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis Finally, one of the biggest improvements over the old version: Most recent Tweets in the current selection. With the ability to load more (that wasn't possible in the past). Each Tweet has a type tag and a button to load the full Tweet.

Much easier to understand things. /11
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis Pro accounts existed in the old version, but they were neither advertised nor accessible. People had to send me a message to get price and payment details. After receiving the payment, I manually upgraded them in the database. Now it's self-service. /12
https://t.co/9CycLTc85m
@mmkaradeniz @accountanalysis To celebrate the launch of @accountanalysis on @ProductHunt, you can upgrade to Pro for 5,25€/month. (65% off). Coupon code in my comment: https://t.co/vKDtmqxAQ1

More from Tech

On Wednesday, The New York Times published a blockbuster report on the failures of Facebook’s management team during the past three years. It's.... not flattering, to say the least. Here are six follow-up questions that merit more investigation. 1/

1) During the past year, most of the anger at Facebook has been directed at Mark Zuckerberg. The question now is whether Sheryl Sandberg, the executive charged with solving Facebook’s hardest problems, has caused a few too many of her own. 2/
https://t.co/DTsc3g0hQf


2) One of the juiciest sentences in @nytimes’ piece involves a research group called Definers Public Affairs, which Facebook hired to look into the funding of the company’s opposition. What other tech company was paying Definers to smear Apple? 3/ https://t.co/DTsc3g0hQf


3) The leadership of the Democratic Party has, generally, supported Facebook over the years. But as public opinion turns against the company, prominent Democrats have started to turn, too. What will that relationship look like now? 4/

4) According to the @nytimes, Facebook worked to paint its critics as anti-Semitic, while simultaneously working to spread the idea that George Soros was supporting its critics—a classic tactic of anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists. What exactly were they trying to do there? 5/

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