Another Inspiring Fanalytics - Part 1

This post is the first installment of a three-part series on Fanalytics 2018, a community event organized during Tableau Conference. The second post summarizes the table discussions, and the third post showcases materials from Fanalytics' first-ever newcomer workshops.

Tableau Conference 2018 came to an end last Thursday, and we were delighted to gather the Tableau Public community in what has become the unofficial TC closing ceremony: Fanalytics.

This year, we started with four inspiring talks, before breaking the huge crowd into smaller groups to discuss hot topics in the community and learn about cool data skills. In this blog post, we'll summarize our takeaways from the talks. Be sure to check out Part 2, where we'll recap the table discussions!

Our fearless Tableau Public marketing director Taha Ebrahimi kicked off Fanalytics with a welcome address. She shared her own Tableau story, how data is becoming more and more democratized, and her belief in building data literacy— then invited attendees to keep in touch and keep vizzing in Tableau Public! She was then joined on stage by the famous Jonni Walker, our hilarious Fanalytics host who introduced our speakers with his delightful British accent. Alexander Loth said it best: there was a lot of Tableau Public power at Fanalytics this year!

Let's Hear from our Speakers!

Vincent Baumel: Done is Better than Perfect

Vince shared the story of #data17donates, a movement that he started in the week prior to Tableau Conference 2017 in Las Vegas. Following the tragic events at Mandalay Bay on October 1st, he suggested that the Tableau community could show its respect and support by donating blood. The idea gained traction on Twitter and suddenly, Vince was coordinating a massive community initiative. As local blood banks were reaching capacity, #data17donates turned into a fundraiser. The fundraiser reached an impressive 120,536 USD over just four days, donated by Tableau, its partners, and community members like you.

But above all, Vince shared the story of how he— an introvert and a perfectionist— had to adjust his own expectations in order to actually put his work on Tableau Public. Given the amazing work created by prominent authors in the community, it is easy to feel intimidated. Yet, Vince's point was that each of us has to define long term goals and take note of all the little steps along the way. One of the key takeaways from his talk, which is also the title of his first ever blog post is "Done is Better than Perfect". So overcome your fear of rejection and your impostor syndrome, and start doing it in Public!

Want more? Read about Fanalytics from Vincent's perspective in his personal blog.

Andy Kriebel: Even Zen Masters Have Something to Learn

Tableau Zen Master and Makeover Monday initiator Andy Kriebel is someone you might think doesn’t have anything more to learn about Tableau. But at Fanalytics, Andy gave a humbling talk on how he keeps finding ways to expand his knowledge. One way he challenged himself was by creating a Tableau version of the Financial Times’ Visual Vocabulary poster. If you haven't already explored this incredible resource, we encourage you to do so!

Andy insisted that all of us can become better at Tableau if we are intentional with our practice and commit to our personal development. A father of four with a full time job and running marathons as a hobby, his time is as scarce as anyone’s. But he still makes time for vizzing, sharing his knowledge, leading community initiatives like Makeover Monday, and even writing a book about it!

Want more? Andy redid his talk as a webinar, which you can view on his personal blog.

Lindsay Betzendahl: Find Your Tribe, Love Them Hard

A (relatively) recent member of the Tableau Public community, Lindsay Betzendahl shared her Tableau journey from lonely newbie at her first Tableau Conference in 2015 to recognized Tableau Public author and Makeover Monday contributor this year in New Orleans. The secret behind this stellar progression? Tableau Public + Makeover Monday + Twitter! The combination of these three ingredients helped her hone her storytelling and design skills, and led her to publish a dazzling 59 workbooks in the first ten months of 2018! She also built friendships with other Tableau Public authors and healthcare professionals in the process

Recognizing that community initiatives were so instrumental in her progression, Lindsay wanted to give back to the community. This is how #ProjectHealthViz was born. Her goal was to boost the number of visualizations that healthcare professionals can find inspiration from, and to help her peers build their skills on health-related data sets. On her blog, you can learn more about how #ProjectHealthViz works. And who knows, by joining this project, you may find your tribe too!

Want more? Read about Fanalytics in Lindsay's own words on her personal blog!

Chantilly Jaggernauth and Amar Donthala: Millennials And Data

Our last two speakers of the day were Chantilly Jaggernauth and Amarendra Donthala, who presented their Millennials And Data (MAD) initiative. Two millennials themselves, their goal is to bridge the data literacy and analytical skills gap by training, mentoring, and preparing millennials to enter a data-driven global environment. The initiative kicked off earlier this year, and welcomed its first cohort in August 2018.

Chantilly and Amar designed MAD as an accelerated program on top of selected students’ courses at Howard University, blending key skills such as data collection, cleaning, interpreting, and visualization. As many of us wonder how we can help spread data literacy in our local communities, the story behind the creation of MAD was an inspiration.

Want more? Follow Chantilly and Amar on Twitter!

We hope this recap has inspired you to continue learning, collaborating, and engaging. But don't let your momentum be self-contained—share it! Take to Twitter, telling others about your favorite authors or Tableau Public vizzes. Encourage your colleagues to make a Tableau Public account and start participating in social projects. Shout your love of data from the mountain tops— because when we share our passion with others, we can create an even more vibrant community.

Stay tuned for the second installment next week to learn about what the community had to say on topics including: Making Tableau Public Better, Building Gender Equity, and Being Open to Newcomers.