MF CALCULATOR: A Web-based Application for Analyzing Similarity

This paper presents the Metric-Frequency Calculator (MF Calculator), an online application to analyze similarity. The MF Calculator implements the MF similarity algorithm developed by Sales and Wakker (2009) for the quantitative assessment of similarity in ill-structured data sets. It is widely applicable as it can be used when there is little prior control of the variables to be observed, with regard to either their number or their content (qualitative or quantitative). A simulated example illustrates the implementation of the MF Calculator. An example with real data (n=150) of food consumer communication behavior in social media is also presented, in order to illustrate the potential of combining the MF Calculator with further statistical analysis. The MF Calculator is a user-friendly tool available free of charge. It can be downloaded from http://mfcalculator.celiasales.org/Calculator.aspx, and it can be used by non-experts from a wide range of social sciences.