Name With the Face: Durant Gipson
Job Title: Data Analyst
Organization: AddThis
URL: addthis.com
Job Function
Durant Gipson is a data analyst at AddThis, a media web-tracking technology company that provides a social bookmarking service. Most of his customers are internal, including product managers, developers, marketing team members, account managers, and the executive team. “My job is to answer questions with our data and to provide some intelligence alongside. That might include conversion rates on a widget, the volume of page views we see for a new publisher, identifying the largest domains for specific countries, or the synchronization rate for a specific data partner,” Gipson says.
He’s also a first responder to investigate data anomalies. “If the number of shares we observe is abnormally high, I investigate the situation to determine why,” says Gipson.
In a Day’s Work
At least on a monthly basis, Gipson has a fairly regular routine, comprising regular data queries and document updates. “However, my team fields requests for ad hoc metrics too. Occasionally, I use Hydra, an internally developed language we use to process and query our large data streams,” Gipson says. His day also includes a break for the company-provided lunch and is peppered with occasional foosball games.
Most Memorable Customer Encounter
“We once had a data partner with whom we needed to do ongoing data synchronization that wasn’t as accurate as it needed to be. I got to take a lead role in generating and exchanging metrics to track improvements, and it was great to see the customer get happier over time. They’re still one of our longest-term customers!”
View From the Desk
“We have an open floor plan, and although my desk faces a pillar, I can see out a window. I relish the freedom to be mobile. I can sit in an unoccupied desk and chat with someone or work from a ‘guest’ desk, in the game room, or in the cafe where lunch is served and the snacks are stored.”
Outside Interest
“My team and I are pretty good at bar trivia. I occasionally go running or play basketball to stay active. I do a crossword puzzle every day and spend time playing poker in casinos. I hang out with my friends drinking craft beer and bourbon.”
If Not Econtent, Then What?
“I’d still be at the intersection of data and business. So much information is now collected in all sorts of arenas; I’d spend my time influencing decisions by analyzing it.”
