Data doesn't mean anything if it's not put into the proper, relevant context. Seth Godin has a very good, short post today on the subject of data. We as marketers and researchers have more data available to us today than ever before. From Google Trends to web site traffic statistics, we are bombarded with data which can be spun any number of ways.

Small percent changes in data may seem dramatic at first glance, but put into perspective it is really worthless, per Seth. Large amounts of this same data strung over time and compared with business trends, however, is golden.