New Insight: New dictionary-word count

[adampash]

One-liner

New dictionary-word counts.

Full explainer

Periodically, the Oxford English Dictionary adds new words to its dictionary. This happens quarterly for online version of the OED. For this general insight, we should keep an eye on the new list when it comes out, cherry pick the most interesting word(s), and define an insight that counts the # of times the user has previously used the word(s) in posts on social media.

Audience for the insight

• Which networks, if any, are excluded from this insight?

Works on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Ideally this insight would aggregate them all into one insight.

How often this insight runs

• [x] Once (triggered by an editorial event on a scheduled day)

We'll run this insight one time per user for a month each quarter when we choose our new set of words. Say OED releases their update on April 15th, and we push the insight with a new set of words by the 20th, the insight can run for any users who don't have it from April 20th to May 20th.

In that case the logic would be something like: if it's before May 20th and the user does not have an oed-wordlist-april-2014 baseline, then run it. Seems like "just added" in the headline makes sense for a dictionary update that happened 1 to 2 months ago.

• [ ] Always (triggered by a data event, check the data and update insight on every crawl)
• [ ] Daily (check the data once a day, don't regenerate every crawl)
• [ ] Weekly on a fixed day (specify day of week per network to space these out)
• [ ] Monthly on a fixed day with bonus magic day within first 2 weeks of use (specify day of month per network to space these out)
• [ ] Annual on a fixed date (specify day of year)
• [ ] Annual every 365 days from first appearance

  Headline

• before "%word" went legit

  Body

if %total_words == 1

• %username used the word "%word" %total times since %month_and_year_of_first_mention, and it appears to have caught on: It's just been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

E.g.:

• @adampash used the word "lifehack" 32 times since June 2009, and it appears to have caught on: It's just been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

if %total_words > 1

• The Oxford English Dictionary just added %word_list to their online dictionary, but no one has to explain them to %username. Since %month_and_year_of_first_mention, %username used %word1 %total1 times, %word2 %total2 times, and %word3 %total3 times.

E.g.:

• The Oxford English dictionary just added "time suck," "bikeable," and "snacky" to their online dictionary, but no one has to explain them to @adampash. Since April 2010, @adampash used "time suck" 3 times, "bikeable" once, and "snacky" 2 times.

In both, the text "just been added"/"just added" should link either to the announcement post from OED's blog or to the definition on OED.

Criteria and logic

The words TU should check for in this first run are:

baller binge-watch clickbait cray dox FML hot mess humblebrag ICYMI mansplain neckbeard side-eye SMH subtweet YOLO

• What data does this insight need? Last week's posts? Last month's? Just the user's posts?

This insight needs to do a word search across all of the user's tweets/posts/comments. (Basically anything the user has written herself on any platform.)

• Does the insight count replies as well as non-replies?

Yes. It should not count text of shares/retweets.

• Are there baseline comparisons? What is the logic around the comparison?

No baseline.

• Are there special copy cases? (for example, if the baseline comparison matches)

If this is a multiple-word insight (i.e., we've chosen more than one new dictionary word to highlight), the %word_list should only include words that the user has used. So potentially a multi-word version of this could collapse to a single-word version if the user has only used one of the words.

• Is there a minimum threshold for any bit of data before the insight should get generated?

The count must be > 0 for at least 1 word.

Included elements

• [x] Headline
• [x] Text
• [ ] Header image (image off to the left in side-by-side style insights)
• [x] Hero image (giant image on top)
• [ ] List of user(s)
• [ ] List of post(s)
• [ ] List of link(s)
• [ ] Action button (please specify button label and URL button should link to)
• [ ] Line chart
• [ ] Bar chart
• [ ] Other viz
• [ ] Other graphic treatment

  Priority

• [x] High
• [ ] Medium
• [ ] Low

  Hero image

I know it might be a little overkill to hero image this one, but it could be fun — and I think we need more hero images! Here are a couple of options/ideas:

This is just a screenshot of the "neologism" definition in the OS X Dictionary.

• 'url' => 'none needed',
• 'alt_text' => 'New words',
• 'credit' => 'none needed',
• 'img_link' => 'https://photos-5.dropbox.com/t/0/AADnjqwc69vOhLiZZGT_MtldQMZpAB6xGbeH1yvteH6zcQ/12/48091/png/1024x768/3/1406912400/0/2/Screenshot%202014-08-01%2011.26.17.png/fCnFrC9KmckKZoRlMReqm8Jyss2Q-fceb0VEezwvrrA'

Generic pic of a dictionary

• 'url' => 'http://www.flickr.com/photos/bethanyking/822518337',
• 'alt_text' => 'New words',
• 'credit' => 'Bethany King: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bethanyking/',
• 'img_link' => 'http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1049/822518337_839b806a79_b.jpg'

[adampash]

@anildash Does the OED quarterly update make sense to you as the peg for this? I mean, it's the online dictionary, which people can turn their nose up at in terms of how meaningful the addition of a word is, but also, it's not like anyone uses the dead-tree OED.

[ginatrapani]

Looking good to me so far. Questions:

• What's the emphasis? Looks like we listed both medium and high here.
• What exact words should we cherry-pick for this insight the first time it runs?
• Should we use the new headline format (ie, without punctuation, standalone, etc)?
• When would this run the first time?
• Should we develop it so it's easy to swap in another array of words on next OED update? Any special requirements around that? Word list, and.... link to update news? Anything else?

[adampash]

What's the emphasis? Looks like we listed both medium and high here.

Ah, I forgot this one used the new template so I added the insight by the headline, too. With the sense of how emphasis susses out now, I'd say high.

What exact words should we cherry-pick for this insight the first time it runs?

I think we should pick at most 5. Here's the latest list. My gut says:

Here are the words I think are most prime from the latest additions:

• baller
• binge-watch
• clickbait
• cray
• dox
• FML
• hot mess
• humbelbrag
• ICYMI (actually, we should probably do a separate ICYMI insight, along the lines of me tweet)
• mansplain
• neckbeard
• side-eye
• SMH
• subtweet
• YOLO

We could either search against all of them and then use at most 5, or we could put 'em to a vote.

Should we use the new headline format (ie, without punctuation, standalone, etc)?

Ah yeah, I updated but didn't kill the punctuation. Beyond that, I like the simple "before "%most_used_word" went legit" — which I know isn't 100% inline with the style guide, but I feel like it's close, and a good exception. But if you don't like it, we can go with something more like:

• you could teach the Oxford Dictionary a thing or two
• you used "%most_used_word" before it went legit

When would this run the first time?

Depends. Editorially, it would be great to run it next week if we want to use the latest list, but I don't know if that's too tight. Idea is basically that we'd give it a new list of words every quarter when they release the new list.

Should we develop it so it's easy to swap in another array of words on next OED update?

Definitely!

Any special requirements around that? Word list, and.... link to update news? Anything else?

Nope, I think that's it. Then we'd just have to put it on the calendar so we remember to get those words. Normally they do it quarterly, and release mid-month. We could potentially reach out to them, too, and ask them for a heads up beforehand.

[ginatrapani]

Looks great. I love your word list, no vote needed.

My last question is about scheduling logic... if they release this update once a quarter, I think we can get away with running this insight for a month. Say the update comes out on April 15th, and we push the insight by the 20th, I think it could run for any users who don't have it from April 20th to May 20th.

In that case the logic would be something like: if it's before May 20th and the user does not have an oed-wordlist-april-2014 baseline, then run it. Seems like "just added" makes sense for a dictionary update that happened 1 to 2 months ago. Sound reasonable?

[adampash]

I think we can get away with running this insight for a month.

Ha, I think I need to shake some old habits — I'm thinking too much like we're a daily editorial joint. Of course that one month window is fine. That sounds very reasonable.