Dave,
The key to using these types of sentiment indicator is how they relate to specific points in the market.
For example, a 1000 tick reading isnt so special these days, however, if you see that at 935am price trades at HOD and tick is 700, and then 2 hours later the prices attempts to break the HOD once again, but this time the TICK reading is 1000, there is something to watch there...and it has to do with the 1000 reading, relative to its reading at the same level earlier in the day.
Using readings at specific levels are one way to use these, there are many more effective ways to use both.
Hope it helps!
Mav