Archive for 4 May 2004
An interesting take on social software from Danah Boyd (who’s researching articulated social networks for a PhD at the School of Information Management & Systems at the University of California at Berkley):
Did you ever get the sneaking suspicion that this new wave of “social software” is not really making social life easier, but permitting the kind of social awkwardness that is recognized in Asperger’s?
Intruiging point, but is it cause or effect?
Darknet: Remixing the Future of Movies, Music and Television is the latest book from technology journalist J. D. Lasica, due to be published by Wiley later on this year. To quote the website -
it focuses on the digital media revolution, exploring the idea that digital technologies are empowering people to create, reuse and reinvent media
The list of interviewees reads like a who’s who of the movers and shakers in digital media – from the old-media neo-luddites like Jack Valenti and Cary Sherman to the other end of the spectrum with individuals such as Clay Shirky and Laurence Lessig (and a few of the characters in the business like Cory Doctorow and John Perry Barlow).
What’s particularly interesting (apart from the subject matter itself, of course!) is the fact that Lasica has posted the entire text of the book onto a wiki so that interested readers can edit and comment the text itself before it’s published:
In the spirit of open media and participatory journalism, I’d like to use this wiki to publish drafts of each chapter in the book. I hope you’ll participate in this effort by contributing feedback, edits, criticism, corrections, and additional anecdotes, either through the comments field below or by sending me email. Feel free to be as detailed as you like or to insert comments or questions. After all, you’re the editor.
It’s an intriuging approach to the editing process – if you subscribe to the view that “many eyes make light work” as far as editing and proofreading are concerned, then the end product should be more robust as a result. But also there’s the ability to get inputs and viewpoints from a potentially-huge range of readers before the book goes to press – so not only are typographical errors less likely to slip through, but the occasionally-inevitable factual howler should be caught too.
It’ll be interesting to see the final result!
Lee LeFever of Common Craft provides a plain English description of a scenario for using a wiki:
This entry should provide an easy-to-understand (but fictional) example of a wiki at work for people new to the technology/concept
Jonathan Briggs of web-design firm the OTHER media (their caps) is celebrating 10 years in business (although as he points out, their first assignments were for CD-ROMs and kiosks, the web not being invented by then…)
He’s come up with a list of 10 things that he wished someone had explained to him when he first started out:
1. Understanding cashflow is the first important lesson to learn. The cheque is never in the post.
2. Clients will always change their minds.
3. Make sure that you charge properly for the work you do or you will not survive as a business.
4. Business is a combination of therapy, battle and the circus.
5. It is better to deliver 100% of the project than 110% of 90%. Leave exciting ideas that crop up during the project to phase 2.
6. Software engineers cannot spell.
7. Banks don’t want to help small businesses because they will not take risks.
8. There is a considerable danger in over-planning projects. Plan but allow for unexpected events.
9. Don’t accept all the work that you are offered because some of it is not worth doing.
10. Managing client expectations and client education is a major part of the job.
Something in there for everyone!
