QOTD – Warren Ellis – Brilliant

I love print. I love magazines that commit and pay for long articles and long fiction. The web rewards neither approach. It’s a packeted medium, a surf medium. Short bursts are the way to go. The web isn’t a replacement medium — it’s *another” medium.

(my bold)

From his blog

Facebook and Txt messaging – organizing the Venezuelan protesters?

FoxNews is reporting that protesters in Venezuela (protesting Chavez’s takeover of the leading tv network in the country) are using Facebook and text messaging to organize their protests.

If it is really true, its a great example of Smartmobs in action. The ironic thing is, earlier in the day MSM was reporting that they werent sure how long the protests could continue, because they dont have an identified leader.

A massive, self-organizing group working with technology and tools at hand to protest against an oppressive government act of censorship and media control.

Sounds like a Stafish and Spider case study. 🙂

Web2.0 -Tagging – Thomas Vander Wal

Thomas Vander Wal

Tagging
Taxonomy
Social Web Scaling

what is a tag?
simple meta data
used for sorting
hook for aggregatinig
identifier or description
personal marker

more than 1 tag on an object

History of tagging

Lotus Magellan – 87-90
desktop
DOS world
meta data to files and annotate, add context, not really networking
using sneakernet
handing off files
good way to add context
pull info back together
more networked world
compuserve
files and adding keywords – only 255 keywords
the sysop could replace tags – breaking the peoples means of finding that info – that they tagged
compuserve got lots of feedback from devs
really want their own metadata and keywords to keep track of what they found and added

personalization – track info back to yourself

Bitsy
signup for account and tag with URI
Cory Doctrow – MetaCrap

2003/2004 – Del.ici.ous – started and growing
flickr too
taggin in networked/web environment
what do we call this

the f word – FOLKSONOMY

apple and iphoto and add your personal tags and make them social tags
social and personal lines blurring (sometimes both sometimes just personal)
more or

tagging for those consuming the information

Value – external derived from own vocab and adding meaning

whats going on based on where and how they are brought up
will add that info
all have our own window – tagging lets us put hooks on that info

all about the individual

the less you think of what tag – the more you can retrieve and refine

removing a tag – removing one or may peoples means of getting back to info

Folksonomy triad – object, metadata, identity
most people applying perspective thru their own lens

relationship between object and ID is interest – making a specific connection

one of the three legs from the stool to pivot

vocab between community and meta and community and identity – you start opening the box to connection and definition – social networking and web begin to work

community is tagging audi things, clothing, pen sets – may or may not be interest
interest around same term
obj and relationship wiht the tag in the same manner

use communtiy and id as an anchor – using same tags on objects – algorithms doing smart search

pivots and connections used intelligently

folksonomy vs taxonomy

library sci – love tax – see folks as a threat

see folks as a threat – bottom up vs top down
what we call things across

tax expensive to build and out of date

common is the product and the obj in the middle

ID gaps in the tax – include the terms where there are gaps – look at spikes and say “Oh” makes it inclusive – find the gaps

Business Tensions
Naming control vs peoples vocab
Sample groups vs every perspective (really getting all persp. – all that you may not have considered
inhouse vs outside (home brewed vs del.icious or others)
knowd dollar value – w/ unknown dollar value

bussiness gains – internet
target message lang need and taste
opening up communication
what the interests are
explicit statement on the part of the user – i digg this – why i value this or not – better understanding of customers – pos or neg – helpful when you figure out who what when where why

Intranet
improves refindability
refinidng is hugely not being addressed issue
lacking tools – tagging tools that do it well close the gap
helps understand context – getting to common vocab
connecting silos
ease of sharing resources by perspective
similar interests and experienc over that

Scaling

COld Start Problem
need somewhere to start
Scaling and FUnctionality
people vs times object tagged
many people tagging with few times – dont see scaling – not that useful
few people with many things – skewed perspective
a. works for personal use – delicious lesson – maintain bookmarks and annotate and refine
social tools dont work well beyond
b Serendipity – not perfect tool, not more mature
c Powerful – search working, seeing trends

Phases of interaction
saving and tagging
refinding
clicking pivoting

Personal to Social

As much of 28% of people on the web has taggged

shfit from gen categorization to actual tagging
trends similar to rss
more powerful – beyond alphas to 2nd stage adopters

why tag?
Reasons people tag?
Own value
Add perspective context
refindability
State of interest
Sociality

Biggest reasons – own value and refindability

Spheres of Sociality
Personal (web services, things that matter)
Selective (we are selective vs everyone here – people we

Tools need all 4 layers when in dev phase

Social Context
Personal – Capture
Social – Share
Hook/Copy – Point
Annotate – COllab
Refins – Filter
Privacy – trusted groups

Shape of Tags
where do people tag
social – deliv
viddler – tag at certain bookmarks – in video

Wherever there is a digital obj or marker – they are tagging
People using tag services
tagging
descriptions – and long free text annotation – more than just tags, feeds to info, interfaces to diff svces

commas work well for western euro lang – others dont have that delimeter – text box for each item works well

scanning is big with tags

collective approach – when you look at selective – seeing contacts of people you know with perspective similar to your own

what the collective vs mob vs your network can reduce the tsunami

groups another way to filter, segment

filtering and clustering – flickr does well – find things similar and grouping

tag combinations – raw sugaar – takes trad taxonomy and clusters together – adding and defining context

helps to filter

Library thing – culture – variations and related info (related based on community?)

algorithmic approach – interestingness from flickr

Tag Cloud
not overly fond of tag cloud – dont work well with real people
notfinding relevance – wont come back to the site – nothing of interest – flat list works better – easier for pattern matching

tag clouds best work on granular items

works really well as descriptor

SHopping – Amazon – art of the pivot done well

discomusic.com top pick

people can find recommendations this entity has and works well – nav the amazon site and get rep points

tagging is a feature not focus – secondary order of functionality

Easy tagging with amazon
– taggin is yes no

What Is Going On
I want social web and tagging
kevin federline page on amazon
person making a social statement

talentless page on amazon

Improvements – things not going well yet
value of tagging for non taggers
volatility of tag objects
tethering needed
when we point to things and change them (updated, changed,) – what happens – pointed to similar, or archives

Social Networking – broadline friends
Interoperability – desktop, laptop, push to delicious, flickr
Tag Commons – meta data do we need and looking at interop more successfully

Web2.0 – Evangelism – Liveblogging

Deb Schultz and Anil Dash

deb and anil

Philosophy of evangelism
what is community evangelism
Key concepts
Human tools and tech tools
technical know-how
case studies

WHat can you do with a Book? (AD)

concept that informs a lot of what he sees personally

talk to young people – what can they do with a book – read it, notes, cover it, burn it
dont quickly get to the idea they can write a book

dramatic change for them – they have control over somethign they interact with every day

profound disctinction re the web – the web is something they can manipulate, creat and control

Want to start a podcast, reach a large audience

ton of times reading books or school – but none on the web

diff is the potential of evan

what they can do with the mediaum

2 ideas to review – Persistance and Awareness
fundamental enablers
make the rest o what we do powerful
how many use print or DM?
small number
some actually still cold call caustomers

how do we shift from old school to new school – thru persistance and awareness
obvious in retrospect

media is totally disposabel – degrade automatically – can be lost forever
business comm – a lot that we send comm in a way that says “this is disposable” –
we dont have to settle for that – great comm can be made that we want to keep – meaningful enuff that we want to keep over time

Visits to the Long Tail
from the last month
61% from last month, 27% older than 1 month, 12% older than one month from search

how much of our commm is around newness, and immediacy – we are ignoring almost 1/2 that conv

people are sending links, passing them on, referring to the later

lots of comm going on that is persistant over time – valuable for the long run.
see a lot of cisitors to older content on a blog that is about writing a book (aritfact on a shelf for the rest of your life

blog is persistant over time

social tension arising from use using email and IM over time
emo we need something to hold on to

ikea is a maze – cant get out without buying something

not how the web works
exp of going thru store where they are controlling everywhere you go and everything you see

profound thing – not having a maze

Permalinks and date stamp – see them forever
what was missing from those company websites designed to be ikea store
in all of social media there is a social contract – date stamp promises there will be more updates

A DATE STAMP IS A SOCIAL CONTRACT

because no ones name was attached they were free to make something that didnt have value – namestamp is a confirmation of value

wikipedia – edit link – we trust you to be part of the editing – think about what a leap or promise that is

i have the right to be on the page – think of the risk and opp they are taking wiht that – social expectations being set – I WILL STAY IN TOUCH

Intentions of maintainging relationships

want to talk to someone other than asking for money

we dont stay in touch –

how do we turn the promise to stay in touch where we actually do stay in touch

fulfilling that promise to stay in touch

at the bottom line – what matters

the reason we can trat them as disposable – they are

if we promise and we do so the bar is raised – we can only stay in touch if we add value – no value less attention is paid

kids can watch a movie over and over

resonance there that doesnt happen with web and web20 tech

1/3 of the books he moved he never read

intention of emotional connection

books and movies about meaning ful things we have that ARENT people

can comm using web2.0 that is meaningful and resonant as the best media we consume

as meaningful and the best movie you have ever seen

making something lasting, meaningful and persistant

not to say it will be in the same way – but will be able to comm and treat with the respect appropriate to that comm (friends getting engaged announced with txt)

treating phys objects as disposable – they dont have to be – they can be valuable

MEANINGFUL

how meaningful a relationship you can have with non-competitors

AWARENESS
crux of info overload problem
one key resp as evangelist is to nav sea of info to find what has value and what needs to be trashed

“I NEED MORE EMAIL” – no one says that

awareness not about alert messages – prone to being misused

thoughtless – not appropriate – hurts attention – worse than spam –

junkmail can be deleted – mental expense of people being unintentionally being thoughtless because tools allow it, enable – rude by accident – tools encourage us to do that

WE ARE ALL SINNERS 🙂

offer forgiveness for myself and all of us

dont have to be rude

what inspired us – what do people love and covet – ipod, tivo, wii

why these tools were diff than fax machine in office space

same fols working on them

should be similar

diff b/c they offer you control

tv commercials – loud, obnoxious, annouting

good tv now

tivo – not beholden to schedules or commercials – control
ipod – control instead of radio station
wii – 1 button , move it around – visceral powerful levels of control –

how do we trans to web experiences?

RSS ICON

Feeds about control – choosing where and when you get info
subscribe, get info – on your terms, on your time

some of the best tools for feed look like tivo, ipod and wii

seeing there is a convergence towards software and web tech and phys devices enabling control

persistanc e- val over time
awareness – connection without being rude

Persistance + awareness = a relationship

relationship doesnt fit into columns

assign metrics and measurement about evangelism

goal of evangelism – maintain a relationship on the web

using web2.0 to build relationships

COMMUNITY EVANGELISM

Customeer advocate
listener and educator
world of control – corp has lost a huge amount of control – they can make a huge difference

role of evangelist can bring individuals and community along

Amongst the people – being a native as well as on the road

increaing numbers of ethnographers and anthropologists getitng into tech

everyone here will be talkign about users as if they are the other – we are different from them – we are different – we need to get inside the world of people who dont care and dont use all day every day

learn from it and respect it – there is a diff culture out there and be part of it and bring use to it

evangelist is not sales or marketing role – human face of the company – 3d embodiyment

online and offline – cross functional – not just role of the marketer – not solely a markeitng role
that individual has to have and feel comfortable and empowered across the company – HR, Marketing, corporate, CS

Internal as well as external – need to be able to interface with marketing and CS
not just outsiders –

foil for the company or a critic – say things your CEO doesnt want to hear
externally facing – biggest fan | internally biggest critic

“gone native” – off there on the other side – living in a middle of a bridge between the two

human skills

Listener
COnnecter
Critic
Catalyst (Starfish and the spider – decentralized awareness persistant landscape)
Partial Geek
Detective
Diplomat
Juggler
Driven by relationships
Approachable
Intuitive
Inquisitive

catalyst connector role – need to connect and forge relationships

perceived egotistical evangelist isnt bad

working and thinking on the feet alot

pushing pushing

interesting balance – element to succeeding where good evangelists become as well known in the brands they are worknig with as their communities – is it for you or the company/product

if aligned to these values it is clear to what you are in service of

interesting tension to be explored –

conquistadors thought they were evangelists (ended up destroying the civ they visited – DeSoto)

geek vs partial geek – translating and human skills – you end up treading more lightly – very instructuve to think of the conversation and interactions

bringing your cult to the world that isnt read yet – evolution, interation and change

important – like porn – in it for their ego or corp ego – you know it when you see it

before you start an evangelism program – make sure you are aligned with where the company is
ask the tough questions up front

already dozens of bloggers around MS

that kind of face

transparency – len hasnt gotten a lot of credit for being a catalyst behind that – a lot of clarity around the bigger goal

Sometimes transactions dont matter

there is an exchange going on – its ok to admit that – but need to find respect

Key Concepts

Democratization of tools and access
The Live Web
Decentralization
Amateur culture
Increased individual influence
COntrol is out of control
let the seller beware
people are the message

Blogging and the role of marketing – now we can jump into the conversation
human face – corp blogs and ceo blogs – connector and curator

kind of person that can jump in – people are the message – markets and conversations of the cluetrain

they are paying you – respect and listen to them – relationships take work – take time, take effort – in it for the long haul

EVANGELISM
ANil hates the title
no better work yet
overtly religious analogy going on – look at people who practice and the ones most effective are not evangelists – they are witnesses – live the life you want others to experience

for those evangelizing – goal has to be to live the benefits – if we participate we will gain from it

the role of witnessing – diversion but important point – pounding the podium doesnt work

ideas to cover before break – using web2 to build relationships
1 be where your audience is – mentally and physicall – in the communities online – sometimes in the ugly parts of the web – hard time justifying you are working if that site is in your browser – translating into biz req will save time and trouble later

clean polished parts of the web not where the edge is

someone driven by other motivations will not spend time being detective

not into challenge

no its not

2. Offer something of value – not bribery – info is most valuable (inc connection), validation
a response saying I read what you said (no qual, not agreeing) – saying “I am with this company and are responsing to what you said – goes a long way – validation is huge
things you take for granted – is valuable

3. Use WHat You Got
decision making process of one initiative – put it out there for debat – means the world to those using the product or considering a purchase
share that part of the conversation “oh, you actually put thought into this”
dont have insight or respect of it

can get lost in transparency and authenticity

baby steps to talking in a different tone

not that difficult a transition to make

If youdidnt get your badge this AM – tables at bottom of escalator

[BREAK]

Gnomedex – Steve Gilmor

Attention – getting thru the pile of bullshit and getting to what has meaning

will make an announcement about something in the attention arena – will move forward now

attention records – records clickstream – contribute it to hd or service of choise

3 or 4 of them out there

omidyar network funded – gilmore took opp to resign and as pres to start up gesturebank

root.net – root markets – and gesturebank teaming to create something that inc. – the attention operating system

we own our info – period

users in control

any pub who fights it will be demolished

ask has resp to its clients and customers – but if they donw

an open pool of metadata

give someone who contributes the ability to leverage that info

driver of attention economy is affinity groups

blogosphere is an affinity group – some pol, some tech, etc

within that – google and all are already monetizing

how do you make money ? choice? open or closed – not sure that works (sean)

page view model is being replaced

every lead is crap

aarp has cred because of the size of its userbase – its affinity group

we have a lot of clout in this environment

Gnomedex 2006 Mike Arrington

Sitting in the crowd at Gnomedex and it is just as good as last year.

Mike Arrington – speaking now about the Web2.0 and small companies and what the environment is like

its the best time ever for a startup

advertising spending is a huge part

Mitch Radcliffe brings up why net neutrality will negatively affect the startup world

Youtube was a lot of work – not

Need a FUD word in the network neutrality debate – need to call it net discrimination
Arrington wants to talk about fun stuff

Heather from Fox M&A is here

be careful about trashing – success means diff things to diff people

digg is an ex of one that will make money

VC is flowing in at a higher rate