Cade Wilson

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Data Analyst

Education

Certificates

Projects

Information Science Master’s Thesis: Beyond the Ledger: A Cross-Platform Analysis of Cryptocurrency Dynamics (2024)

Thesis

This thesis explores the intricate dynamics between major cryptocurrencies and online platforms, focusing on how development, community activity, and market trends intersect. By collecting and analyzing data across platforms like GitHub, Reddit, and Discord, the project delves into how these platforms shape the development and social sentiment of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Dogecoin. It also evaluates how market shocks, such as the Ethereum Merge and FTX collapse, impact these interactions and drive community and developer behavior.

Methodology:

Findings: The study uncovered significant insights into how different platforms drive cryptocurrency dynamics:

The analysis also revealed that while Bitcoin operates somewhat independently of other cryptocurrencies, altcoins such as Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano are more intertwined with platform activity and market trends.

Conclusion: This project illustrates the complex socio-technical ecosystem of cryptocurrencies, demonstrating how market shocks can amplify cross-platform dynamics. The findings show that Reddit and Discord play critical roles in influencing market sentiment and behavior, while GitHub remains a space for long-term development activity. Understanding these dynamics provides a nuanced view of how information and development flow within the decentralized blockchain environment.

Skills Highlighted:

Exploratory Text Mining using Machine Learning: Security and Ethical Implications of Blockchain Technology (2024)

Project Website

This project focuses on the application of text mining and machine learning techniques to analyze public sentiment around blockchain technology across multiple platforms, including NewsAPI, Reddit, and Medium. The primary goal was to understand the nuanced opinions, trends, and concerns associated with blockchain by extracting and interpreting text data from these platforms. Advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) models were employed to uncover patterns in the discussions, providing insights into the evolving public discourse on blockchain technology.

Methodology:

Findings:

Conclusion: The Blockchain Text Mining project provided valuable insights into public discourse surrounding blockchain technology. By analyzing sentiment, identifying major topics, and discovering patterns in textual data, the project offers a comprehensive understanding of how blockchain is perceived across different online platforms. The results emphasize the importance of monitoring and interpreting public sentiment in shaping the future of blockchain technology, particularly in terms of investment, regulation, and security concerns.

Skills Highlighted:

Web Data Science Analysis: Exploring the Correlation Between Cryptocurrency Price Fluctuations and GitHub Commits (2023)

Paper

This project investigates the relationship between cryptocurrency price volatility and the corresponding level of developer activity on GitHub. The core objective was to analyze how daily market price fluctuations impact the frequency of code contributions within open-source blockchain ecosystems, focusing on popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano. By collecting and analyzing data over a one-year period (2022-2023), the study aimed to identify whether market instability influences developer engagement in these decentralized networks.

The project utilized a dual data collection approach:

Methodology:

Findings: Despite initial hypotheses suggesting that price volatility could either catalyze or deter developer activity, the analysis revealed no significant correlation between market price fluctuations and GitHub commit activity. The regression model showed an extremely low R-squared value (0.001), indicating that only 0.1% of commit frequency variation could be explained by changes in cryptocurrency prices. Further statistical tests also supported the conclusion that daily price movements do not predict changes in developer activity.

Conclusion: The project demonstrates that developer activity in the cryptocurrency space is largely unaffected by short-term market price volatility, suggesting that the motivations and workflows of open-source contributors are insulated from immediate market speculation. While the findings indicate a weak link between prices and commit activity, the study opens pathways for future research to examine other factors influencing blockchain development.

Skills Highlighted:

Colorado Laboratory for Users, Media, and Networks Research: Decentralized Marketing Versus the PESO Model (2022)

Paper

This project examines the application and limitations of traditional marketing models, particularly the PESO Model (Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media), within decentralized markets. Focusing on the GameStop NFT Marketplace, which launched in July 2022, this exploratory data analysis (EDA) investigates the effectiveness of various marketing tactics used by NFT projects like MetaBoy and CYBER CREW [C4]. By analyzing social media activity on Twitter and Discord, the study aims to uncover how decentralized marketing frameworks diverge from traditional ones and whether the PESO Model requires adaptation in these new digital environments.

Methodology:

Case Studies:

Findings:

Conclusion: The project reveals that the PESO Model, as traditionally applied, is outdated for decentralized markets like the GameStop NFT Marketplace. Instead, a revised framework—an SOE (Shared, Owned, Earned) Model—should be adopted, where shared and owned media are prioritized. This EDA shows that decentralized marketing thrives on community engagement, hype generation, and direct consumer interactions through social platforms. Brands and projects in decentralized markets should focus on leveraging shared and owned media to maximize their impact.

Skills Highlighted:

Experience

Customer Account Advisor: bet365 (Mar 2025 - July 2025)

Graduate Research Assistant: Colorado Laboratory for Users, Media, and Networks (University of Colorado, Boulder) (Mar 2022 - May 2024)

Developer (Intern): Colvin Run Networks, Inc (May 2023 - Feb 2024)

Public Relations Strategist (Intern): Imagination Videobooks/Storybooks (August 2022 – Dec 2022)

Student Roles

Grader: University of Colorado, Boulder (Sep 2023 - May 2024)

Learning Assistant: University of Colorado, Boulder (Apr 2021 - Dec 2021)