The beta version of the State of the USA website may remain under construction and under wraps, but since relaunching a new brochure site and blog in May, we've received positive feedback from readers, expanded our social media presence and posted a variety of well-received experiments with data visualization.

Over the span of a few short months, the State of the USA has been mentioned in Harvard Business Review, profiled in the New York Times Magazine and praised from India.

All user feedback -- critical as well as supportive -- is greatly appreciated as we continue to explore ways to make vital data accessible, engaging and easy to understand.

Here's a sampling of what people have been saying about us in the media, around the world, on the web and on our blog:

New York Times Magazine - Magazine writer Jon Gertner described the State of the USA as the nation's report card, "meant to show a country's citizens the exact areas -- in health, education, the environment and so forth -- where improvement is called for; such indicators would also record how we improve, or fail to improve, over time." After previewing health data on the private beta site, Gertner added "it was simple, with a click of a tab, to see how the U.S. measured up in various ways, from health-insurance coverage to obesity, on a state-by-state basis."
Related: NY Times Highlights State of the USA's Work, Mission, Times Article Sparks Reader Questions, Imagination, Measuring Economic Well-being: GDP vs. Median Income

Harvard Business Review - New media business blogger Umair Haque described the State of the USA as an "answer" to the challenges of rebooting prosperity.

Financial Times Op-Ed - "Leading statisticians have high hopes" for the State of the USA approach," according to th FT's statistics editor, Simon Briscoe. In the FT article, the director of Britain's Royal Statistical Society, Professor David Hand,emphasized the "awesome power" of data: "Like radar or the microscope, statistics allow us to see things previously invisible to the naked eye."
Related: SUSA Credited as Part of International Movement,Collaboration, Cooperation on a Global Scale, SUSA Goes Global for International Comparisons

Livemint.com - "Gandhi would have been pleased to hear of such developments," according to author and professor Sunil Khilnani.

Kudos from Data Visualization Sites

Tableau Public: State of the USA viz on jobs and jobless called "Most Interesting Viz of the Week"

State of the USA featured among leaders in the data analysis community: Vizzes in the Wild

Featured in Tableau's gallery: Job Growth During the Recession

Featured in Tableau's gallery: US Correctional Population

Featured on Tableau Public's homepage

VizWorld: "One of the most 'beautiful' and clean Tableau Visualizations I've seen."

Featured on VizWorld.com: The State of Our Nuclear Stockpile

Featured on VizWorld.com: Still In the Red: The Recession's Impact on Job Growth

Comments on State of the USA Posts

Enabling Discovery Through Interactivity, Context

"Very informative. Knocks down some of the myths of the health care systems around the world." - Commenter Skip Blunt on SUSA's motion chart comparing  international health indicators.

What Crime and Justice Data Do You Consider Key?

"I think these indicators are a fantastic and thorough start for exploring crime and justice in America. I'm especially pleased to see international comparisons and perceptions of crime listed." - Commenter embo on SUSA's draft set of Crime and Justice measures.

Still In the Red: The Recession's Impact on Job Growth

"Gorgeous visualization of an otherwise depressing subject. Thanks very much for the post, and congratulations on making the Tableau newsletter!" Commenter Tim T. on SUSA's data visualization on the recession and job growth.

On Facebook

'Like' the State of the USA on Facebook to become a fan.

"A very important undertaking....should be viewed by all." - Facebook user A Harvey Bell IV

"This is so interesting! The interactive graph on the blog is very fasinating and telling." - Facebook user Emily Neely

On Twitter

'Follow' the State of the USA on Twitter to receive short, timely updates. Here's some of what people are tweeting about us:

"@stateoftheusa just made another great viz about obesity (updated data) http://bit.ly/bRSBkv"

"State of the USA looks into long-term unemployment... and it does not look comforting: http://bit.ly/aCgVGy"

"The State of the USA visualizes the world's nuclear stockpile. Trending down but still scary. http://tinyurl.com/2g6eoy3"

"@stateoftheusa the new 2009 budget numbers highlight the balooning debt which is now over $13 trillion and climbing. Keep up the good work!"

What do you think about the State of the USA? We'd love to hear from you. Join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.