---
title: "Finding Gatherers (human tag feeds?)"
date: 2005-02-03
author: "Richard MacManus"
categories:
  - name: "ReadWriteWeb"
    url: "/category/readwriteweb.md"
tags:
  - name: "2005"
    url: "/tag/2005.md"
---

# Finding Gatherers (human tag feeds?)

Alf Eaton has come up with a [neat little de.icio.us hack](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://hublog.hubmed.org/archives/001061.html). It lists out the “speediest gatherers” for your [del.icio.us](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/) page (last 100 items), [based on](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://hublog.hubmed.org/archives/001060.html) the posting date of items. I think this means it lists out the people who linked to the same thing as you, but **got there before you did**. So the idea is that this list may help you find people who are interested in the same things as you, but who are faster than you at linking to them. Potentially then, this could save you the hassle of searching the Web yourself for those nuggets of information. Just wait for the *fast-movers* in your niche to link to them on delicious – kind of like a human version of the [topic/tag/remix feeds](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/002638.php) I’ve been talking about. Here is [my list](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://alf.hubmed.org/del/ricmac.htm), supplied by Alf:

## My Gatherers (ricmac)

UsernameScore[ricmac](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/ricmac)15[notmuch](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/notmuch)4[owen](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/owen)3[fpgibson](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/fpgibson)3[magnetbox](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/magnetbox)2[mshook](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/mshook)2[bokardo](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/bokardo)2[m040601](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/m040601)2[zby](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/zby)2[toby](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/toby)2[sco](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/sco)2[rpan](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/rpan)2[shaghaghi](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/shaghaghi)2[angusf](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/angusf)1[toffer](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/toffer)1[ssoriche](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/ssoriche)1[steevc](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/steevc)1[dlc](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/dlc)1[rafaspol](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/rafaspol)1[Hybernaut](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/Hybernaut)1[Glutnix](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/Glutnix)1[site9](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/site9)1[Linkorama](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/Linkorama)1[huixing](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/huixing)1[jkstyle](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/jkstyle)1[magallanes1234](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/magallanes1234)1[gregg](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/gregg)1[omit35](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/omit35)1[mort](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/mort)1[bobperl](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/bobperl)1[vielmetti](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/vielmetti)1[sebpaquet](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/sebpaquet)1[afongen](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/afongen)1[ceesaxp](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/ceesaxp)1[OnTask](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/OnTask)1[phytar](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/phytar)1[pc4media](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/pc4media)1[engel5](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/engel5)1[hansv](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/hansv)1[mymarkup](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/mymarkup)1[mediaeater](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/mediaeater)1[mattharman](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/mattharman)1[prashantrane](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/prashantrane)1[sergee](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/sergee)1[RebeccaMacK](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/RebeccaMacK)1[windalf](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/windalf)1[lena](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/lena)1[vdm](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/vdm)1[TomC](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/TomC)1[bkerr](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/bkerr)1[ryansking](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/ryansking)1[crankin](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/crankin)1[manasgarg](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/manasgarg)1[fogfish](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/fogfish)1[tiberus](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/tiberus)1[Preoccupations](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/Preoccupations)1[cmillward](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/cmillward)1[fritz](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/fritz)1[tdw](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/tdw)1[bushwald](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/bushwald)1[dblinks](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/dblinks)1[jamesmorrison](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/jamesmorrison)1[kemar](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/kemar)1[mjs](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/mjs)1[kayodeok](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/kayodeok)1[nrb210](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/nrb210)1[50quid](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/50quid)1[readwriteweb](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/readwriteweb)1[joi\_ito](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/joi_ito)1[tobias382](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/tobias382)1[rosa](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/rosa)1[adrian.cuthbert](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/adrian.cuthbert)1[djwudi](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/djwudi)1[JoeLombardo](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/JoeLombardo)1[judell](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/judell)1[jnduffie](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/jnduffie)1[litwack](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/litwack)1[exois](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/exois)1[joaom](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/joaom)1[pbackx](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/pbackx)1

## Quick Analysis

I think one bias to this system is that the more popular a link is, then the more people will link to it, and thus it’ll likely generate a higher score on your list. There’ll also be more people on your list, the more you link to popular items. On the other hand, a high score could flag a person who shares the same *niche* interests as you – which is what Alf’s script hopes to eek out. You’ll need to click through to each person to find out.

The fact that only four people scored above 2 on my list (and one of them is me!) indicates that I don’t generally link to popular items. Either that, or I’m very fast on the uptake – which I know is not true!

Take a look at [this list](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://alf.hubmed.org/del/acidzebra.htm) for a delicious user called acidzebra, to see the difference.

## acidzebra’s Gatherers

UsernameScore[angusf](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/angusf)12[kof2002](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/kof2002)10[notmuch](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/notmuch)8[m040601](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/m040601)8[owen](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/owen)8[breyten](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/breyten)6[yerfatma](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/yerfatma)6[bibi](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/bibi)6[kohbx](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/kohbx)6[ews](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/ews)5[mshook](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/mshook)5[aksim](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/aksim)5[devzero](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/devzero)5[dionidium](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/dionidium)5[casey.marshall](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/casey.marshall)5[Hybernaut](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/Hybernaut)5[studavis](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/studavis)5[ubi.quito.us](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/ubi.quito.us)4[maxr](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/maxr)4[magnetbox](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/magnetbox)4[Preoccupations](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/Preoccupations)4[seyd](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/seyd)4[payne](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/payne)4[mumble](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/mumble)4[ravee\_27](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/ravee_27)4[marcus](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/marcus)4[upwind](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/upwind)4[spidermm](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/spidermm)4[hrheingold](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/hrheingold)4[alexanderbecker](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/alexanderbecker)4[beelerspace](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/beelerspace)4[imao](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/imao)4[kings](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/kings)3[roberto](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/roberto)3[xiombarg](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/xiombarg)3[huixing](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/huixing)3[felipelb](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/felipelb)3[wizzro](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/wizzro)3[crysflame](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/crysflame)3[shaheenb](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/shaheenb)3[spike](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/spike)3[humhod](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/humhod)3[kevross7](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/kevross7)3[revgeorge](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/revgeorge)3[leinster](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/leinster)3[dinopixel](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/dinopixel)3[akcionar](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/akcionar)3[paulr00001](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/paulr00001)3[cda](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/cda)3[joshua](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/joshua)3[jennycheuk](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/jennycheuk)3[ritilan](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/ritilan)3[bk](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/bk)3[rstones](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/rstones)3[fncll](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/fncll)3[daniel](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/daniel)3[slackorama](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/slackorama)3[sturob](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/sturob)3[kendrick](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/kendrick)3[beatnique](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/beatnique)3[ssoriche](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/ssoriche)3[rickduarte](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/rickduarte)3[mwiik](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/mwiik)3[DVCBigGun](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/DVCBigGun)3[pepgma](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/pepgma)3[antifuchs](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/antifuchs)3[adamhill](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/adamhill)3[enki](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/enki)3[dropshadows](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/dropshadows)3[webleon](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/webleon)3[breeen](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/breeen)3[tonetheman](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/tonetheman)3[n0wak](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/n0wak)3[doktor](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/doktor)2

\[…plus a heap of others with score of 2 or less\]

**Postscript, 4/2/05:** I lost the last two paragraphs of this post, because MT couldn’t handle the length of it. But what I had written was that if you check out [acidzebra’s delicious page](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061806/http://del.icio.us/acidzebra?setcount=100), you’ll see that it includes a lot of items with 100+ links (the deeper the red of the highlights, the more popular an item is). So this I think accounts for the relative high scores on his Gatherers list, as well as its length.

*Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/finding_gathere.php))*