Data science is a constantly evolving beast, and any data scientist who wants to stand a chance of keeping up-to-date with the state of the industry needs to be keeping a close eye on all recent developments and following along with their peers.
While social networks such as Twitter are pretty good resources to search for up-to-the-minute information, data science is nonetheless a little too complex a subject to fit succinctly into 140-280 characters. Instead, a far better and much more thorough medium for following developments is the blog – and there are many great data science bloggers out there penning regular articles across a host of high-quality publications.
But where to start and who to follow? Well, in this post, we’ve carefully selected five top data science bloggers who are actively working to educate, inspire and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-value information. We’ve chosen the bloggers on this list based on both quantitative/objective factors (number of social media followers, publishing frequency etc.) as well as qualitative/subjective ones – i.e. quality, accessibility and utility of the content published.
Some run their own blogsites which you can subscribe to, while others contribute regular articles to industry-leading third-party publications – and some, of course, do both. All of them, however, are top influencers, and we highly recommend that you follow them all in 2019.
- Kirk Borne
- Twitter: @KirkDBorne
- Followers: 217k
Dr. Kirk Borne is a data scientist, global speaker, big data and data science advisor, TedX speaker, researcher, data literacy advocate, and one of the most influential data science bloggers working today.
He is also the Principal Data Scientist in the Strategic Innovation Group at Booz-Allen Hamilton, where he has worked since 2015.
His publications include his own Rocket-Powered Data Science and Data Makes Possible blog sites, in which Borne strives to make big data analytics for data-driven discovery and decision support accessible to all – experts as well as newcomers, big enterprises as well as small businesses, technology power teams as well as individual explorers. He also contributes regularly to the blog pages of MapR and IBM, and publishes many articles on his own LinkedIn account page as well.
Over the years, Borne has been recognized as a top influencer in the fields of big data, machine learning and AI, data mining, MarTech, and was named an IBM Big Data and Analytics Hero in 2014. Most recently, he was ranked as the number one digital influencer for 2019 by IPFC Online.
(Image source: kirkborne.net)
- Nathan Yau
- Twitter: @flowingdata
- Followers: 9k
Nathan Yau is the man behind FlowingData – a data science blog exploring how statisticians, designers and data scientists use analysis and visualization to understand data and ourselves.
In business, data scientists need a way to help non-sciencey colleagues and leaders understand the numbers, trends and insights revealed in big data – and Yau believes that visualization is key. Offering an extensive library of tutorials and resources for effective data visualization, Yau uses his blog to demonstrate innovative approaches to making big data readable and accessible for all through engaging and often animated infographics.
Just look at that data flowing!!
(GIF source: flowingdata.com)
Data storytelling is an essential skill that every data scientist needs. In FlowingData, Yau shows readers how to visualize and tell data stories, and provides practical design tips complemented with step-by-step guides. Yau is also the author of two best-selling books on data visualization – Visualize This and Data Points.
- Bill Schmarzo
- Twitter: @schmarzo
- Followers: 27k
Bill “The Dean of Big Data” Schmarzo is a prolific blogger, penning regular articles across a number of publications, including, Sys-Con Media, Dell EMC, KDNuggets, as well as on his own LinkedIn page.
Schmarzo is also CTO at Hitachi Vantara, and is the author of two books – Big Data: Understanding How Data Powers Big Business and Big Data MBA: Driving Business Strategies with Data Science.
With over three decades of experience in data warehousing, business intelligence and analytics, Schmarzo is one of the internet’s brightest and best influencers to follow, with his blogs offering everything from top tips for data scientists to advice on linking data science activities to business initiatives.
- Ronald Van Loon
- Twitter: @Ronald_vanLoon
- Followers: 163k
Director at data and analytics consultancy firm Advertisement, Ronald Van Loon is also a frequent and hugely influential data science blogger, penning posts that cover everything from AI to big data, predictive analytics, business intelligence and customer experience.
His main blogging outlet can be found at ronaldvanloon.com, where you will find posts like ‘Everything Data Scientists Should Know About Organizing Data Lakes’ and ‘Digital Transformation: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming an Information Company’.
He also contributes to other publications, including MapR, IBM, and Brandwatch. You can stay up-to-date with all of Van Loon’s writings via his LinkedIn page.
- Bob E. Hayes
- Twitter: @bobehayes
- Followers: 38k
Bob E Hayes is a researcher in the fields of data science, machine learning and customer experience, and how they all work together. He publishes this research in books, and on his blog Business Over Broadway.
Jam-packed with essential reading, in Business Over Broadway you will find posts covering everything from ‘Data Science and the Quest for Truth’ to ‘How Data Integration and Machine Learning Improve Retention Marketing’ – and many more hot topics besides.
You can also find numerous articles penned by Hayes over at Customer Think, and his LinkedIn page is another fantastic resource for staying up-to-date with his latest works.
Final Thoughts
There are, of course, many more fantastic data science bloggers out there that didn’t get featured on today’s list. Nonetheless, data scientists working today will be able to draw tons of hugely valuable insights by following these bloggers, and you can be absolutely sure that what you read will have come from some of the sharpest and most active minds working in the field today.
