graceified
October 2008
30 posts
“Reciprocity is key to the power of networks, the alchemy of mutual give and take over time turning to a golden trust…”
—Clyde Street
“Online communities are not created equal Although many observers speak of web community as if it’s a single thing, in reality different types of web community have very different dynamics and user bases. Approaches that work well in one type of community may fail utterly in another. That means companies looking to found community sites, or partner with them, need to understand what kind of community they are engaging with. Based on the research on this report and our other experience in the industry, Rubicon has developed a taxonomy of web communities that classifies them into five broad categories: * Proximity, where users share a geographic location (Craigslist is an example); * Purpose, where they share a common task (eBay, Wikipedia); * Passion, where they share a common interest (YouTube, Dogster); * Practice, where they share a common career or field of business (many online professional groups fall in this category); and * Providence, where they discover connections with others (Facebook).”
—Rubicon Consulting - Insight - WinMarkets - Michael Mace’s Blog
“What is measuring the social? Today, social media measurement only analyzes about 15% of people who actually contribute content online. Rubicon Consulting puts this number even lower, at 10%. No matter the number, the reality is that the vast majority of people are interacting online in other equally important ways, and to truly understand the social, these actions need to be taken into account too.”
—Social Sights
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“Thirdly, I wanted to clarify one issue. As mentioned in the post, Openspaces were intended for space, empty areas of ocean or forest. Take a look at the Knowledgebase article description here. By that criteria, the large majority of Openspaces have more going on than was the original intent. We are not suggesting this is a bad thing, and of course we’re delighted that people have found them to be so useful. And we’re not saying that everyone is abusing resources. We are saying that the use has changed, and continues to do so as people find more creative ways to use them. So the revised pricing is about recognising that change of use and the additional costs and value associated with it.”
—Update regarding the Openspaces announcement « Official Second Life Blog
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“Wal-Mart is going to use social computing to increase customer responsiveness. FedEx is replacing its data centers with high-efficiency, green designs. When we come out the other side of this crisis, companies will look quite different — and technology will have been a catalyst in those changes.”
—George F. Colony: Why this tech recession will be different (via fred-wilson)
“Google differs from Microsoft in at least one very important way. The ends that Microsoft has pursued are commercial ends. It’s been in it for the money. Google, by contrast, has a strong messianic bent. The Omnigoogle is not just out to make oodles of money; it’s on a crusade - to liberate information for the masses - and is convinced of its righteousness in pursuing its cause. Depending on your point of view as you look forward to the next ten years, you’ll find that either comforting or discomforting.”
—Rough Type: Nicholas Carr’s Blog: The Omnigoogle
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By 2011, 70 per cent of social computing deployments in government that achieve business benefits will do so in unplanned or unexpected ways, according to Gartner, Inc. Government organisations around the world are showing great interest in social computing, yet deployment so far is relatively limited.
“The current global financial turmoil bolsters the case for government adoption of social networks as technology-budget cuts make tapping into societal resources, such as voluntary groups, philanthropists, associations and social network groups essential to complement weaker government action in some critical areas,” said Andrea Di Maio, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.
” —Gartner
Play
Sony's LittleBigPlanet →
littlebigplanet.com
Sony Delays LittleBigPlanet Release
Perhaps that will give them time to fix the widget builder.
Listen
Come On Eileen - Badly Drawn Boy (cover of the Dexy’s single)
I saw this on the hype machine and could not resist.
“Twitter is the internet generation’s ham radio.”
—Adrian Chan - The Now Web: Not Now, Or Not Yet?
Superstruct - massively multiplayer forecasting game. →
superstructgame.org
Q: What is Superstruct?
A: Superstruct is the world’s first massively multiplayer forecasting game. By playing the game, you’ll help us chronicle the world of 2019—and imagine how we might solve the problems we’ll face. Because this is about more than just envisioning the future. It’s about making the future, inventing new ways to organize the human race and augment our collective human potential.
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It wouldn’t be the end of the Internet economy if Twitter chose to go Craigslist’s route and operated as a nonprofit disguised as a for-profit. But it can’t. In order to get to where it is today, the site had to raise money from venture capitalists—$15.1 million worth. In exchange for the booster shot, the investors demand a considerable return on investment. That means Twitter is going to actually have to try to make some money at some point. Also of note: To get the venture capitalists onboard, Twitter’s leaders presumably had to show some type of business plan, so we assume somebody, somewhere, is doing some (private) thinking about monetization.
So, Twitter’s dilemma has taken the shape of an Ouroboros. The soul of the site is still rooted in the community ethos of the idyllic Web. Trying to make money off the service, they fear, will alienate the community and rob the service of its plucky aura. But in order to build the best product possible, it needs investment capital. And with investors comes a responsibility to turn a profit (whether by revenue or a buyout). But turning a profit means monetizing the community. And monetizing the community means stripping the aura. Around and around we go.
” —Chadwick Matlin, staff reporter for The Big Money
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“
1. Delete 120 minutes a day of ‘spare time’ from your life. This can include TV, reading the newspaper, commuting, wasting time in social networks and meetings. Up to you.
2. Spend the 120 minutes doing this instead:
* Exercise for thirty minutes.
* Read relevant non-fiction (trade magazines, journals, business books, blogs, etc.)
* Send three thank you notes.
* Learn new digital techniques (spreadsheet macros, Firefox shortcuts, productivity tools, graphic design, html coding)
* Volunteer.
* Blog for five minutes about something you learned.
* Give a speech once a month about something you don’t currently know a lot about.
3. Spend at least one weekend day doing absolutely nothing but being with people you love.
4. Only spend money, for one year, on things you absolutely need to get by. Save the rest, relentlessly.
” —Seth’s Blog: Is effort a myth? (via fred-wilson)