This is an amazing project that tracks, for the New York Times, the growing conversation and conversers of various topics reported in the NYTimes. The video might be useful in helping students explore ideas related to data visualization.
From the original blog post:
Cascade allows for precise analysis of the structures which underly sharing activity on the web.
This first-of-its-kind tool links browsing behavior on a site to sharing activity to construct a detailed picture of how information propagates through the social media space. While initially applied to New York Times stories and information, the tool and its underlying logic may be applied to any publisher or brand interested in understanding how its messages are shared.
Cascade Site: http://nytlabs.com/projects/cascade.html
Blog Entry: http://goo.gl/IhKcb
Clinton Wedding: http://goo.gl/f9oas (original story - http://goo.gl/man5j)
What Will Make You Happy: http://goo.gl/DcDyW (original story - http://goo.gl/Z4n6)