Gallery & Tour

The heart of the site is a collection of data visualizations. You may want to begin by browsing through these collections—if you'd rather explore than read directions, take a look! On Many Eyes you can:
.........	1. View and discuss visualizations 2. View and discuss data sets 3. Create visualizations from existing data sets
If you register, you can also:
	4. Rate data sets and visualizations 5. Upload your own data 6. Create and participate in topic hubs 7. Select items to watch 8. Track your contributions, watchlist, and topic hubs 9. See comments that others have written to you
	1. View and discuss visualizations All the visualizations on Many Eyes have an attached discussion forum. As you explore a visualization, you may find a view that you'd like to talk about or share. If you post a comment, your "view" will be saved along with your comment so others can see what you're seeing. Each visualization lets you select data items by clicking. Your selection will be highlighted in a bright color, so that you can refer to those items in your comments. This simple feature is very convenient: it's much nicer to say "Look at the circled part of the graph" than "look at the thing sort of at the upper right."
		Screenshot of a visualization page showing the discussion area Detail of a comment contributed by a registered user. Screenshot showing part of the collection of visualizations on the site.
	2. View and discuss data sets All visualizations on Many Eyes are based on a collection of publicly shared data sets held on the site. You'll see that many data sets and visualizations are the subject of an active discussion. Anyone can browse the list of data setson Many Eyes.
		Screenshot of list of data sets uploaded to the site.
	3. Create visualizations from existing data sets One of the most exciting features of Many Eyes is the ability to create interactive visualizations from any of the data sets on the site. Finding the right way view your data is as much an art as a science. The visualizations provided on Many Eyes range from the ordinary to the experimental. We're deliberately providing a wide array of possibilities since this is an experimental site--and expect to see more soon!
		Detail of the process of creating a visualization.
	4. Rate data sets and visualizations Rating data sets and visualizations is a helpful way to let users quickly find some of the best content on Many Eyes. Each time you rate an item, you attach a "plus one" or a "minus one" to it. In addition, Many Eyes ratings also have a qualitative aspect, which allows you to express whether, for instance, you like a visualization because it is funny or because it is beautiful. By the same token, you may want to flag a data set as being either a "test" or having a "suspicious source."
			Interface for rating a visualization
	5. Upload your own data (registered users only) When you register, you get the ability to upload new data sets to Many Eyes. Seeding the site with public data is an important part of being able to engage others in collective sensemaking and insight sharing.
				To quickly find out how to upload data sets to Many Eyes, check out Jonathan Feinberg's great step-by-step tutorial. You may also want to refer to our Data Format & Style page, that covers all the intricacies of formatting and uploading.
	6. Create and participate in Topic Hubs (registered users only) Topic Hubs are a great way of organizing content around a theme of interest to you. They function like small portals where you can collect all visualizations and data sets that are related to your theme. You also have the ability of starting discussions in a hub. All registered users have the ability of both creating and joining topic hubs. All hubs are public. Only members can contribute visualizations, data sets, and comments to a topic hub.
			Screenshot of the collection of items in a topic hub: list of discussions at the top, visualizations in the middle and data sets at the bottom.
	7. Select items to watch (registered users only) Users with an account can choose to be notified when there is new activity around a visualization or a data set of interest to them. To monitor items of interest, simply click on the "watch this" button. You can stop monitoring any visualization (or data set) by simply clicking on the "quit watching" button (or by going to your user page, which lists the "quit watching"
			Below each visualization (and data set) you will find a "watch this" button Watchlist on user page, showing new activity around watched items
	8. Track the visualizations and data sets you've contributed (registered users only) As a registered user, you can keep track of all your activity on Many Eyes. This also makes it easier for others to interact with you on the site because your activity history creates your identity here.
		Screenshot of a registered user's activity.
	9. See comments that others have written to you (registered users only) Registered users automatically get a "user page" that compiles all of their activity on the site (as well as the activity in their watchlist). Others can leave messages to a user by using the "comments" feature at the bottom of user pages. The owner of a user page has mediation privileges over messages left on their user page: they may either delete or reply to messages left for them.