Curiouser and Curiouser!

Curiouser and Curiouser! on social-networks http://matt.blogs.it/ RSS feed for topic social-networks Copyright 2006 Matt Mower Squib/0.1 self@mattmower.com self@mattmower.com en-gb First Ryze London mixer Wed, 30 Oct 2002 10:25:50 +0000 I went to the first <A href="http://www.ryze.org/">Ryze</A> london mixer event at <A href="http://www.styleinthecity.co.uk/bed_smithfields.html">Bed on Smithfields</A> last night and I must say I had a very good time.  At least that's what my sore head and hoarse voice would seem to indicate. It being my first networking event I was unsure what to expect and somewhat nervous.  This wasn't helped by my being greeted by a huge throng of people packed into a downstairs bar.  It sure was cozy.  In the end that turned out to be good.  Lots of friendly people packed together we all seemed to get along and talk to each other. I met everyone from Jazz trumpet players to VP's of strategic planning.  I met quite a few people in the same boat as me (starting a company), lots of people looking for business and even a mixaholic who just loves networking events and meeting lots of different people. I will definitely be back and this time I WILL HAVE BUSINESS CARDS! http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00000792.html liveTopics 1.1 close to release Fri, 15 Nov 2002 00:18:21 +0000 It looks like I might finally have squashed the remaining bugs in liveTopics 1.1, what started as your run of the mill complex update spiralled into an endless cycle of fiddly little bugs.  But it's starting to look good now.  I'm hoping to roll out to testers very soon. Between this and trying to come up with a decent pitch for business blogging I haven't been posting much.  I've been reading a lot though and making lots of new friends via <A href="http://www.ryze.org/view.php?who=mowerm">Ryze</A>. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00000825.html Getting linked in Fri, 06 Jun 2003 17:10:24 +0100 I didn't get <A href="http://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</A> until today (can anyone tell me how to find the URL for my profile?)  I was already a member of <A href="http://www.ecademy.com/">Ecademy</A> (which I don't use much) and <A href="http://www.ryze.com/view.php?who=mowerm">Ryze</A> so why join another of these things?  I basically joined because Marc Canter sent me an invite, looked around for a bit (it looked intimidatingly confusing) and then left.  I don't think i've been back since. Today I had a reason to go back and the experience has made me see LinkedIn in a new light.  I've been trying to make contact with someone without much success.  I was speaking to <A href="http://radio.weblogs.com/0114726/">Ross</A> about it and he suggested he could help, could I send a message via LinkedIn? I found the person I wanted to make contact with, who is connected through Ross.  I created a message and when I submitted it, I was shown the path from me, via Ross (intermediate steps hidden) to the target.  I added a note for Ross and sent it off.  He then has the opportunity to approve or reject it & add his own comments before passing it on. Actually using this process I see a value that wasn't apparent to me when I simply thought about it after first joining.   I shall definitely be looking into LinkedIn a bit more closely. My thanks to Ross for pulling me in & holding my head under the water! http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001474.html Relationships are multi-valent Mon, 15 Sep 2003 09:17:35 +0100 <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <A href="http://www.corante.com/many/archives/2003/09/14/codifying_relationships.php">Granularities of relationships</A>. <DIV id=blog><A style="BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none" href="http://www.corante.com/many/"></A> <H2 class=date>September 14, 2003</H2> <DIV class=blogbody> <H3 class=title>Codifying Relationships   - Posted by Liz Lawley at 2:22 PM</H3> One of the problems that plagues the YASNSes (as Clay calls the growing number of social networking systems) is how to define or codify relationships. On the one hand, trying to make all relationships equal and bidirectional, as <A href="http://www.friendster.com/">Friendster</A> and <A href="http://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</A> currently do, is clearly problematic. As I wrote on <A href="http://joi.ito.com/joiwiki/LinkedIn">Joi Itos LinkedIn wiki page</A>: <BLOCKQUOTE>Id also like to be able to differentiate between (at the minimum) two types of contactsthose whom Im willing to receive referrals from, and those whom Im willing to have make referrals on my behalf. There are far more in the first category than the second. Im more than happy, for example, to have Meg Hourihan or Anil Dash send someone to me. But since I dont have extensive working relationships with either one, Im not sure Id want them to be the first line of introduction for me to someone elsefor that, Id be more comfortable with someone like Joi or Clay Shirky or someone Ive worked more closely with.</BLOCKQUOTE> But today I was playing with a pre-alpha version of a new system that does in fact allow me to define types of relationships, and as others have pointed out, that has its own set of problems. In the system I was looking at, I was given the following options: <UL> <LI>I am a close friend of this person <LI>I am a friend of this person <LI>I am an acquaintance of this person <LI>I know this person (by reputation) <LI>I know this person (in passing) <LI>I am related to this person <LI>I would like to know this person </LI></UL> I was trying to categorize my relationship to another system user, a well-known Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Ive met the person at a party, and had a brief conversation, but I have no idea if the person remembers me. Id like to get to know the person better. SoI might be an acquaintance, I do know the person in passing, I definitely know the person by reputation, and I would like to know this person better. What do I choose? (I ended up giving up, btw, and not choosing anything.) This is where <A href="http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/001404.html">David Weinbergers concerns about making the implicit explicit</A> become most relevant for me. Relationships are complicated. Expressing them algorithmically is terrifically difficult. Reducing the complexity takes something important way from the relationship. And forcing users into these choices without a clear and compelling payoff for doing so (payoff for the users, that isclearly the marketers and demographers get a payoff!) seems doomed to failure. [<A href="http://www.corante.com/many/archives/2003/09/14/codifying_relationships.php">Many-to-Many</A>] Marc's response to Liz's post............ My bet is that there WILL be a way to algorithmically express dynamic - changing relationships.  Afterall - that's what real life is. Dynamic, adaptive user experiences are where it's at. I also bet that this new system Liz is talking about will be able to handle OTHER kinds of challenges presented to the social networking world - like "why would I want someone to link to my FOAF file?" or "what I show to a stranger should be different than what I show to a close friend."  I also have it from a very good source, that this un-named new pre-alpha system will attempt to grapple perhaps the BIGGEST challenge of them all: "how do we inter-connect and share social networks BETWEEN disparate social networks"?  You have to imagine aggregating people together, but if 'someone' could do it - that would be totally cool.</DIV></DIV> [<A href="http://blogs.it/0100198/">Marc's Voice</A>]</BLOCKQUOTE> I've thought about this a little and I think the problem here is that the current approaches only tackle half the problem. It is reasonable to expect that being able to define a relationship in more accurate terms than the simple "friend" is a good thing.  Yet in Liz' case the increase in granularity lead to hieghtened indecision and ultimately an inability to make a choice.  We know granularity is important, yet further increasing it will lead to more indecision, not less. My take is that the missing piece is a recognition that relationships are multi-valent.  From such a viewpoint statements like: <UL> <LI>I know this person (by reputation)</LI> <LI>I would like to know this person </LI></UL> do not define a relationship, but name some of it's many characteristics.  Being able to choose many of these statements (and you could expand the list of statements considerably) allows you to provide depth and, where necessary, inconsistency to how you view the relationship at that time. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001617.html Too many social networks spoil something or other... Wed, 17 Sep 2003 13:35:00 +0100 <div style="margin-left: 40px;">I am still trying to wrap my head around how to turn <a href="http://xml.mfd-consult.dk/foaf/">FOAF</a> (Friend of a Friend) into a viral tool that can compete with <a href="http://www.friendster.com/index.jsp">Friendster</a> (<a href="http://paljunction.com/">Paljunction</a> is another one). <a href="http://www.gyford.com/phil/writing/2002/12/23/friendster_and_f.php">Others</a> are thinking about this too. The objective would be to keep the FOAF info open and let mulitple companies compete for the interface. Eventually, however, I suspect that the IM players are going to absorb this functionality and blow away all of the Web interface players, so if we can get the data in an open format, we can get interoperability. [<a href="http://jrobb.mindplex.org/">John Robb's Weblog</a>] </div> One way to tell when the market has reached saturation - all the good names are gone.  I mean Paljunction?  Come on... http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001629.html Met David Rosam for beers Fri, 07 Nov 2003 10:18:15 +0000 You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on. -- Dean Martin I confess to having something of a hangover this morning. Met <a href="http://dangerous-thinking.com/archives/002498.html">David Rosam</a> last night for beers. David is great company and we talked about loads of stuff including his new phone which has a dandy camera in it. My phone will need to be replaced at some point soon and I think I am starting to crack about cameras and colour screens. I'm also resolved to take another look at Ecademy and maybe set-up a club there. Looking forward to meeting up again soon David. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001706.html Fitness Amplifiier Sun, 18 Jan 2004 07:42:04 +0000 <blockquote>...If you think about the power law as themes or ideas instead of people and you think about fitness as the level in which an idea resonates with people, the power law could be viewed as an amplifier for ideas and memes that are sufficiently interesting. Because fitness so influences a nodes ability to climb the power law, I think the notion that I described in the <a href="http://joi.ito.com/joiwiki/EmergentDemocracyPaper">Emergent Democracy paper</a>, where the tail of the curve is where the creativity happens and the power law is how an idea whose time has come goes main stream still makes sense. I think the key to making the system "fair" is to make sure the tail is inclusive as possible and to try to encourage technology and norms to value fitness over simply linking to those who are popular. As <a href="http://radio.weblogs.com/0114726/2003/02/12.html">Ross shows in his three layers</a> of creative, social and political, I think the power law is the final amplification part. In fact, the tail of the power law, the creative layer and the social layer where the initial deliberation occurs might where we should be focusing our energies.[<a href="http://joi.ito.com/">Joi Ito's Web</a>]</blockquote> Interesting thinking from Joi. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001826.html Lurkers within Fri, 13 Feb 2004 08:44:44 +0000 <blockquote><a href="http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2004/02/ton_on_weak_tie.html">Lurking - Ton on Lurking and Weak Ties and their value in networks</a>. Ton has a superb article on the value of lurkers and their weak ties and their power to help networks... [<a href="http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/">Robert Paterson's Weblog</a>]</blockquote> Interesting notes about lurkers and their significance. Inside companies I think there are, typically, less forums to lurk in. Developing a weblogging culture will help to promote the lurking within. Ton has also prompted me to wonder about whether there should be tools for lurkers. If we see lurking as a useful complement to participation, what can we do to facilitate it? http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001877.html 3rd Gurteen Knowledge Conference on Managing Organisational Complexity Wed, 03 Mar 2004 20:13:46 +0000 Spent today at <a href="http://www.gurteen.com/">David Gurteen's</a> 3rd Knowledge Conference on Managing Organisational Complexity. It was a great day and I took lots of notes and photos (to the extent that I annoyed most everyone!) Sadly Dave Snowden was not able to attend in person due to personal circumstances, however we got virtual Snowden which was still very good. Today certainly added a new layer to my thinking and i'm going to be percolating all this stuff for days and weeks to come. Right now I'm up to my ears in a market research exercise for K-Collector so expect blogged notes & photos probably Friday. Plus I got to meet Ian Glendinning of <a href="http://www.psybertron.org/">Psybertron</a> which was cool. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001957.html Turning costs into profits Sun, 14 Mar 2004 09:47:26 +0000 I'm scouting <a href="http://www.ecademy.com/">Ecademy</a> and <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a> and just came across <a href="http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?op=view&id=40750">Larry</a> who works for a company that sounds very interesting: Whilst most companies who take away redundant computer equipment charge you for it, Larry's company actually gives you a percentage of the profit they make on the sale. They turn a cost into a profit. That sounds like a brilliant idea to me. I wonder if it works as well as it sounds. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001977.html Fifty words:that find me, and in the darkness... Sun, 14 Mar 2004 11:09:21 +0000 Here are my current 50-words from my <a href="http://ecademy.com/account.php?id=20719">Ecademy Profile</a>:<blockquote>Fifty Words: london, poker, cats, INTP, music, powershot a70, thunderstorms, italy, wine, reading, books, kurt vonnegut, comedy, tony hancock, film, maltese falcon, laughter, learning, research, challenge, caring, win-win, search for meaning, pragmatic, writing, games, collaboration, complexity, aspects, hi-tech, degree, director, knowledge, strategy, early adopter, km, knowledge management, entrepreneur, innovator, software, networking, java, topic maps, values, weblogs, knowledge organisation, rss, politics, libertarian, open minded, listening, leadership</blockquote>It was an interesting exercise coming up with this list. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00001978.html Getting golden conduct out of leaden instincts Tue, 30 Mar 2004 13:37:55 +0100 Great article by Butler Shafer <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/shaffer/shaffer65.html">Utopia and Reality</a>: <blockquote>If you seek perfection, my advice is to study mathematics. Otherwise, as the study of economics suggests, learn to evaluate options on the basis of comparative advantages. But, in doing so, be certain you are considering all the costs and benefits of your actions; the long-term as well as the short-term; the psychological and spiritual as well as the material. Do you endorse political programs because you truly consider them more beneficial than non-political ones, or have you simply failed to account for many of the costs of such programs, costs which their authors prefer to keep hidden from your calculations?</blockquote> ... <blockquote>The diamond may serve as a useful metaphor for the design of social systems grounded in the connected, horizontally-based strength of their members, rather than in vertical power structures. The Amish who have no coercive political organization and who embrace the private ownership of property know what we have long since forgotten: politics divides us and, in so doing, weakens our social connectedness. Political systems set group against group, engendering a distrust of everyone except, of course, political leaders. By such means, the networks that would otherwise connect us to one another as we pursue our various self-interests, become cleaved.</blockquote> ... <blockquote>Those who persist in trying to breathe life into dead horses are the real utopians. The political structuring of society has long been grounded in pie-in-the-sky fantasies that power-hungry men and women can make us better than we are; that ever-more sophisticated weapons of death and destruction can bring peace to the world; and that, in the words of Herbert Spencer, there is a "political alchemy by which you can get golden conduct out of leaden instincts." As our formal world continues to disintegrate before us, it is time that we abandon the utopian fictions in which we are conditioned and face the stark reality that whatever future we have will be decided by the content of our thinking. Because only you and I are in control of and, thus, responsible for our thinking, only you and I are capable of bringing order to our world.</blockquote> http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002040.html Conversations Mon, 12 Apr 2004 23:22:39 +0100 A few days back I had the pleasure of a <a href="http://www.skype.com/">Skype</a> call from <a href="http://www.terryfrazier.com/weblog/">Terry Frazier</a>.  Unfortunately I was busy Skyping with someone else at the time so had to call him back.  At that point he was Skyping with <a href="http://www.henshall.com/blog/">Stuart Henshall</a>, so Stuart conferenced me in to that call.  So there were were London, Atlanata and California on a free call with great quality.  Thank you Skype. And speaking of conversations with people from far flung places <a href="http://www.blogstreet.com/">Veer Bothra</a> (Bombay) was the first person to visit the <a href="http://matt.blogs.it/2004/04/09.html#a1399">#kmtalk</a> IRC channel that I setup.  <a href="http://chocnvodka.blogware.com/">Suw</a> dropped in also.  We had an interesting chat.  I hope that, in time, others may find there way there also. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002066.html First outing for People Centred Knowledge Management Thu, 22 Apr 2004 13:04:12 +0100 <blockquote><a href="http://blog.xrefer.com/2004_04_01_xrefer_archive.html#108246245765384532">City Information Group April seminar - A trip to t ...</a>. <a href="http://blog.xrefer.com/#108246245765384532"></a>City Information Group April seminar - <a href="http://www.cityinformation.org.uk/Events/FutureEvents/April04.htm">A trip to the virtual world</a> - 27 April 2004 - London, UK - Roger Brown from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), will describe the dramatic transformation of the GSK libraries from physical to virtual, focussing on the implications for their information vendors. Matt Mower, partner in Evectors Software, will discuss exciting new developments in people-centred knowledge management. He will focus on "social software" including weblogs, aggregators and instant messengers [<a href="http://feedster.com/rss.php?q=evectors&sort=date&ie=UTF-8">Feedster.com Results For: evectors</a>]</blockquote>I shall be speaking on April 27th to the <a href="http://www.cityinformation.org.uk/">City Information Group</a>.  I am presenting the first fruits of the work that <a href="http://paolo.evectors.it/">Paolo</a> and I have been doing over the last couple of months.  I'll be presenting our theme: People Centred Knowledge Management, talking about issues such as collaboration, innovation, and trust, and illustrating how social network tools from weblogs to wikis to IRC combine to address those issues in a way existing tools cannot. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002113.html Social network software frenzy Wed, 12 May 2004 07:33:14 +0100 <blockquote><a href="http://socialsoftware.weblogsinc.com/entry/5214444809933077/">Social Networking Services Meta List</a>. I have marked all new updates to this list, since 01 May 2004, with an asterisk (*). The transition of this list to a parking place in the right hand column is still in the planning stage. It is still my desire to set up a wiki space associated with the ongoing discussion of this list, along with a topical news aggregation system for details related to each service. Comments, appropriate links, and recommendations for additions and deletions are welcomeas always. <img src="http://www.weblogsinc.com/common/images/0142605493758137.jpg" align="right" border="0" height="200" width="200"> <h2>business networking sites</h2> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.affinityengines.com/" title="Affinity Engines">Affinity Engines</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Business Parc" href="http://www.businessparc.com/">Business Parc</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theconneck.com/" title="The Conneck">The Conneck</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.contactnetworkcorp.com/" title="Contact Network">Contact Network</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.corporatealumni.com/" title="Corporate Alumni">Corporate Alumni</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ecademy.com/" title="ecademy">ecademy</a>, <a target="_blank" title="eConozco.com" href="https://www.econozco.com/">eConozco</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.eliyon.com/" title="Eliyon">Eliyon</a>, <a title="EntreMate" target="_blank" href="http://www.entremate.com/">EntreMate</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Friendly Favors" href="http://www.favors.org/FF/">Friendly Favors</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.goingprofessional.com/" title="GoingProfessional">GoingProfessional</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.growingco.com/" title="Growth Company">Growth Company</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.imnotfromhere.com/" title="I'm Not From Here">Im Not From Here</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.interfacesoftware.com/products/interaction/ia_summary.cfm" title="InterAction">InterAction</a>, <a target="_blank" title="ITmob" href="http://www.itmob.com/">ITmob</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.itsnotwhatyouknow.com/" title="ItsNotWhatYouKnow">ItsNotWhatYouKnow</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Join Network PLUS, LLC" href="http://www.joinnetworkplus.com/files/home.php">Join Network PLUS, LLC</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Konnects" href="http://www.konnects.com/">Konnects</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Link Silicon Valley" href="http://www.linksv.com/">Link Silicon Valley</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.matcheroo.com/" title="matcheroo">matcheroo</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://mediabistro.com/" title="Mediabistro">Mediabistro</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://network.monster.com/NewEntry.aspx?mode=one" title="Monster Networking">Monster Networking</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.netminer.com/" title="NetMiner">NetMiner</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.netmodular.com/" title="Netmodular Community">Netmodular Community</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.networkingforprofessionals.com/" title="Networking For Professionals">Networking For Professionals</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.onlinebusinessnetworking.com/" title="Online Business Networking Resource">Online Business Networking Resource</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Open Business Club (openBC)" href="http://www.openbc.com/">Open Business Club (openBC)</a>, <a target="_blank" title="OrderGenerator" href="http://www.ordergenerator.com/index.htm">OrderGenerator</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Point Relevance" href="http://www.pointrelevance.com/">Point Relevance</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Polypol" href="http://www.polypol.com/">Polypol</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.powermingle.com/home.asp" title="PowerMingle">PowerMingle</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.realcontacts.com/" title="RealContacts">RealContacts</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.refernet.net/" title="ReferNet">ReferNet</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Reunion" href="http://www.reunion.com/">Reunion</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ryze.com/" title="Ryze">Ryze</a>, <a target="_blank" title="SelectMinds" href="http://www.selectminds.com/jsp/Front/Main.jsp?cmd=home">SelectMinds</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.shortcut.nu/" title="Shortcut">Shortcut</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.siliconvalleypipeline.com/" title="Silicon Valley Pipeline">Silicon Valley Pipeline</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.spoke.com/" title="Spoke Software">Spoke Software</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sullivanexecutive.com/community.html" title="Sullivan Executive Networking Community">Sullivan Executive Networking Community</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Tacit - ActiveNet" href="http://www.tacit.com/">Tacit - ActiveNet</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://teng.scottopia.com/" title="TENG">TENG</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.visiblepath.com/" title="visiblepath">Visible Path</a>, <a target=" _blank=" href="http://www.wisdombuilder.com/" title="WisdomBuilder">WisdomBuilder</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Zerendipity Networks" href="http://www.zerendipity.com/">Zerendipity Networks</a>. <h2>common interest networking sites</h2> <a target="_blank" title="ANTfriender" href="http://www.antfriender.com/v12/index.php">ANTfriender</a>, <a target="_blank" title="ArtistNow!" href="http://www.artistnow.com/">ArtistNow!</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Bigcampus.net" href="http://www.bigcampus.net/">Bigcampus.net</a>, <a target="_blank" title="BookCrossing" href="http://www.bookcrossing.com/">BookCrossing</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Buzznet" href="http://buzznet.com/">Buzznet</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.classmates.com/" title="Classmates.com">Classmates.com</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Collegester" href="http://www.collegester.com/">Collegester</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.communityzero.com/" title="Community Zero">Community Zero</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fastcompany.com/cof/" title="Company of Friends">Company of Friends</a>, <a target="_blank" title="DeanSpace" href="http://deanspace.org/">DeanSpace</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.delphiforums.com/" title="Delphi Forums">Delphi Forums</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Digital Squeeze - Beta" href="http://www.digitalsqueeze.com/home.php">Digital Squeeze</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Downelink.com" href="http://69.44.155.137/">Downelink</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Foodsters" href="http://www.foodsters.com/">Foodsters</a>, <a target="_blank" title="FunHi" href="http://www.funhi.com/">FunHi</a>, <a target="_blank" title="GamersGlue" href="http://www.gamersglue.com/">GamersGlue</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.globealive.com/" title="Globe Alive">Globe Alive</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gradfinder.com/" title="gradFinder">gradFinder</a>, <a target="_blank" title="HRTS" href="http://www.hrts-iba.org/index.html">HRTS - Hollywood Radio & Television Society</a>, <a target="_blank" title="HOT or NOT?" href="http://meetme.hotornot.com/">Meet Me at HOT or NOT?</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.netplaya.com/" title="Netplaya Burning Man Community">Netplaya Burning Man Community</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Neurona" href="http://www.neurona.com/">Neurona</a>, <a target="_blank" title="PayDemocracy" href="http://www.paydemocracy.com/">PayDemocracy</a>, <a title="quad5" href="http://www.quad5.com/home.php">quad5</a>*, <a target="_blank" title="Schoolster" href="http://www.schoolster.com/">Schoolster</a>, <a target="_blank" title="SongBuddy" href="http://www.songbuddy.com/lc/soaf">SongBuddy</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.talkcity.com/" title="Talk City">Talk City</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Thefacebook" href="http://www.thefacebook.com/">Thefacebook</a>, <a target="_blank" title="TheSquare" href="http://www.thesquare.com/">TheSquare</a>, <a target="_blank" title="threedegrees" href="http://www.threedegrees.com/">threedegrees</a>, <a target="_blank" title="UpMyStreet" href="http://www.upmystreet.com/">UpMyStreet</a>. <h2>dating sites</h2> <a target="_blank" title="AfroRomance" href="http://www.afroromance.com/">AfroRomance</a>, <a target="_blank" title="americansingles.com" href="http://www.americansingles.com/">americansingles.com</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://amigos.com/" title="Amigos.com">Amigos.com</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.asiafriendfinder.com/" title="AsiaFriendFinder">AsiaFriendFinder</a>, <a target="_blank" title="BERKZTER" href="http://www.berkzter.com/">Berkzter</a>, <a target="_blank" title="BlackPlanet.com" href="http://www.blackplanet.com/">BlackPlanet.com</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Cherish" href="http://cherish.com/">Cherish</a>, <a target="_blank" title="collegeluv.com" href="http://www.collegeluv.com/">collegeluv.com</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Country Singles" href="http://www.countrysinglesonline.com/">Country Singles</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Cupid.com" href="http://www.cupid.com/">Cupid.com</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Date.com" href="http://www.date.com/">Date.com</a>, <a title="Dating.dk" href="http://dating.dk/">Dating.dk</a>*, <a target="_blank" title="eHarmony" href="http://www.eharmony.com/">eHarmony</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Equally Yoked" href="http://www.equallyyoked.com/">Equally Yoked</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://friendfinderinc.com/corporate/" title="FriendFinder">FriendFinder</a>, <a title="The Place for Gay Christian Singles!" href="http://gaychristiandating.com/">Gay Christian Dating</a>*, <a title="The Place for Gay Jewish Singles!" href="http://gayjewishdating.com/">Gay Jewish Dating</a>*, <a title="Gay Military Men Seeking Other Gay Men" href="http://gaymilitarym4m.com/">Gay Military M4M</a>*, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.germanfriendfinder.com/" title="GermanFriendFinder">GermanFriendFinder</a>, <a target="_blank" title="hotsaints.com" href="http://hotsaints.com/">hotsaints</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.indianfriendfinder.com/" title="IndianFriendFinder">IndianFriendFinder</a>, <a target="_blank" title="jdate.com" href="http://www.jdate.com/">jdate.com</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Lavalife" href="http://www.lavalife.com/">Lavalife</a>, <a title="LDS Singles Mingle" href="http://www.ldsmingle.com/">LDS Singles Mingle</a>*, <a target="_blank" title="LDS Singles Network" href="http://ldssinglesnetwork.com/">LDS Singles Network</a>, <a title="LDS Singles SingleSaints" href="http://www.singlesaints.com/">LDS Singles SingleSaints</a>*, <a target="_blank" href="http://love.com/" title="Love.com">Love.com</a>, <a title="Older Gay Men Get Better With Age. Find Your Man Here." href="http://m4mseniors.com/">M4M Seniors</a>*, <a target="_blank" href="http://match.com/" title="Match.com">Match.com</a>, <a title="meetic" href="http://www.meetic.com/">meetic</a>*, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.myematch.com/" title="MyEMatch">MyEMatch</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Overweight Date" href="http://overweightdate.com/">Overweight Date</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://passion.com/" title="Passion.com">Passion.com</a>, <a target="_blank" title="POP! PeopleOnPage" href="http://www.peopleonpage.com/">POP! PeopleOnPage</a>, <a target="_blank" title="PlanetOut Partners, Inc." href="http://www.planetoutpartners.com/">PlanetOut Partners, Inc.</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rateordate.com/" title="RateOrDate">RateOrDate</a>, <a target="_blank" title="RedDate.com" href="http://www.reddate.com/">RedDate.com</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Relationship Exchange" href="http://www.relationshipexchange.com/">Relationship Exchange</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.seniorfriendfinder.com/" title="SeniorFriendFinder">SeniorFriendFinder</a>, <a title="Single Seniors" href="http://www.singleseniors.net/">Single Seniors</a>*, <a target="_blank" title="Swappster" href="http://www.swappster.com/">Swappster</a>, <a target="_blank" title="TrueBeginnings" href="http://www.truebeginnings.com/Default.htm?V7=1">TrueBeginnings</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.udate.com/" title="uDate.com">uDate.com</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Vegetarian singles" href="http://veggiedate.org/">Vegetarian singles</a>, <a target="_blank" title="webdate" href="http://www.webdate.com/">webdate</a>, <a title="Yahoo! Personals" href="http://personals.yahoo.com/">Yahoo! Personals</a>. <h2>face-to-face meeting facilitation sites</h2> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.8minutedating.com/" title="8minuteDating">8minuteDating</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.evite.com/" title="Evite">Evite</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://firsttuesday.com/" title="First Tuesday">First Tuesday</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thelunchclub.net/" title="The Lunch Club NYC">The Lunch Club NYC</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.meetup.com/" title="MeetUp">MeetUp</a>, <a target="_blank" title="MixerMixer" href="http://www.mixermixer.com/">MixerMixer</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.netparty.com/" title="Netparty">Netparty</a>, <a target="_blank" title="new-in-town" href="http://www.new-in-town.de/nit?">new-in-town</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.socialcircles.com/" title="Social Circles">Social Circles</a>, <a target="_blank" title="WhizSpark" href="http://www.whizspark.com/">WhizSpark</a>. <h2>friend networking sites</h2> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.backwash.com/magazine.php" title="Backwash">Backwash</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Breedster - about" href="http://breedster.drunkmenworkhere.org/about.html">Breedster</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.buddybridge.com/" title="BuddyBridge">BuddyBridge</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.chiafriend.com/" title="Chia Friend">Chia Friend</a>, <a title="ChosenNet - Jewish Social Networks" href="http://www.chosennet.com/">ChosenNet</a>*,<a target="_blank" title="Christianster" href="http://www.christianster.com/">Christianster</a>, <a target="_blank" title="click2friends" href="http://www.click2friends.com/">Click2Friends</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.easeek.com/" title="easeek">easeek</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.efriendsnet.com/" title="eFriendsnet">eFriendsnet</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.encentra.com/" title="enCentra">enCentra</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.everyonesconnected.com/" title="everyonesconnected">everyonesconnected</a>, <a target="_blank" title="FriendFan.com" href="http://www.friendfan.com/">FriendFan.com</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://friendity.de/index.jsp" title="Friendity">Friendity</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Friend MAP" href="http://friendmap.jp/">Friend MAP</a>, <a target="_blank" title=" Friendoo" href="http://friendoo.com/">Friendoo</a>, <a target="_blank" title="friendsbay.de" href="http://friendsbay.de/">friendsbay.de</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Friends of Friends" href="http://www.friendsoffriends.com/">Friends of Friends</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.friendsreunited.com/" title="Friends Reunited">Friends Reunited</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Friendset" href="http://www.friendset.com/">Friendset</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.friendster.com/index.jsp" title="Friendster">Friendster</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.friendsurfer.com/" title="Friend Surfer">Friend Surfer</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.friendzy.com/" title="Friendzy">Friendzy</a>, <a title="Gruuve" href="http://www.gruuve.com/">Gruuve</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.heiyou.com/" title="HeiYou">HeiYou</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hi5.com/" title="hi5">hi5</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hipstir.com/" title="hipstir">hipstir</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.huminity.com/" title="Huminity">Huminity</a>, <a target="_blank" title="HummingBoard" href="http://www.hummingboard.com/index.htm">HummingBoard</a>, <a target="_blank" title="The Impersonals " href="http://www.impersonals.com/">The Impersonals</a>, <a title="iSocialite" href="http://www.isocialite.com/">iSocialite</a>*, <a title="Korea Data House" href="http://datahouse.co.kr/">Korea Data House</a>, <a title="LDS LinkUp - LDS Social Networks" href="http://www.ldslinkup.com/">LDS LinkUp</a>*, <a target="_blank" href="http://lianqu.com.cn/" title="LianQu">LianQu</a>, <a target="_blank" title="linkyourfriends" href="http://www.linkyourfriends.co.uk/">linkyourfriends</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.livingdirectory.org/" title="Living Directory">Living Directory</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Metails.com" href="http://www.metails.com/">Metails</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mrneighborhood.com/" title="mrNeighborhood">mrNeighborhood</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/" title="Myspace.com">Myspace.com</a>, <a target="_blank" title="NetFriendships" href="http://www.netfriendships.com/">NetFriendships</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Neurofriends" href="http://www.neurofriends.net/">Neurofriends</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.orkut.com/" title="orkut">orkut</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.paljunction.com/" title="PalJunction">PalJunction</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.peepsnation.com/" title="peeps nation">peeps nation</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.qpengyou.com/" title="qpengyou">qpengyou</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ringo.com/" title="Ringo">Ringo</a>, <a target="_blank" title="saywhatz" href="http://www.saywhatz.com/">saywhatz</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.emode.com/" title="Tickle by Emode">Tickle by Emode</a>, <a target="_blank" title=":: ticqle - with wires or without" href="http://www.ticqle.com/wired/default.asp">ticqle</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://cluster.tribe.net/tribe/servlet/" title="Tribe.net">Tribe.net</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.uufriends.com/" title="UUFriends">UUFriends</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://mywallop.com/" title="Wallop">Wallop</a>, <a target="_blank" title="WiW" href="http://www.wiw.hu/hu/index.php">WiW</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.worldshine.com/" title="WorldShine">WorldShine</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.yeeyoo.com/" title="YeeYoo">YeeYoo</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.yoyonet.cn/" title="YOYO">YOYO</a>, <a target="_blank" title="zenetwork" href="http://www.zenetwork.com/">zenetwork</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.zerodegrees.com/" title="Zerodegrees">Zerodegrees</a>. <h2>pet networking sites</h2> <a target="_blank" href="http://backwashpets.com/magazine.php" title="Backwash for Pets">Backwash for Pets</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Dogster" href="http://www.dogster.com/">Dogster</a>, <a target="_blank" title="HAMSTERster" href="http://www.hamsterster.com/">HAMSTERster</a>, <a target="_blank" title="KissyKat" href="http://www.kissykat.com/">KissyKat</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Neopets" href="http://www.neopet.com/">Neopets</a>. <h2>social networking plus and/or edge cases</h2> <a target="_blank" title="Blogpod" href="http://www.blogpod.com/">Blogpod</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://buddyzoo.com/" title="BuddyZoo">BuddyZoo</a>, <a target="_blank" title="del.icio.us" href="http://del.icio.us/doc/about">del.icio.us</a>, <a target="_blank" title="dodgeball" href="http://www.dodgeball.com/social/index.php">dodgeball</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dudecheckthisout.com/" title="Dude Check This Out">Dude Check This Out!</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://eurekster.com/" title="Eurekster!">Eurekster!</a>, <a target="_blank" title="eventSherpa" href="http://www.eventsherpa.com/">eventSherpa</a>, <a target="_blank" title=" Expressions" href="http://www.my-expressions.com/">Expressions</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Findapix" href="http://www.findapix.com/default.htm">Findapix</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/">Flickr</a>, <a title="fonetango" href="http://www.fonetango.com/">fonetango</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Fotolog.net" href="http://fotolog.net/">Fotolog.net</a>, <a title="Funchain.com" target="_blank" href="http://www.funchain.com/">Funchain.com</a>, <a title="2Entwine | Gush" href="http://www.2entwine.com/">Gush</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.helloworld.com/" title="HelloWorld">HelloWorld</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Home Exchange" href="http://www.homeexchange.com/index.html">Home Exchange</a>, <a target="_blank" title="HomeLink" href="http://www.swapnow.com/,">HomeLink</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Intervac" href="http://intervac-online.com/">Intervac</a>, <a target="_blank" title="JournURL" href="http://www.journurl.com/">JournURL</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.knowmates.com/" title="KnowMates">KnowMates</a>, <a target="_blank" title="LiveJournal" href="http://www.livejournal.com/">LiveJournal</a>, <a target="_blank" title="MixedNutz.net" href="http://mixednutz.net/">MixedNutz.net</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Mooble" href="http://www.mooble.com/friends/">Mooble</a>, <a target="_blank" title="M-Tone" href="http://www.mtone.com/">M-Tone</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Multiply" href="http://multiply.com/">Multiply</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Nioki.com" href="http://www.nioki.com/">Nioki</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.opinion-exchange.com/" title="The Opinion Exchange">The Opinion Exchange</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Palbook" href="http://www.palbook.com/">Palbook</a>, <a target="_blank" title="PeopleAggregator" href="http://peopleaggregator.com/">PeopleAggregator</a>, <a target="_blank" title="PLINK" href="http://beta.plink.org/">Plink</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.repcheck.com/" title="RepCheck">RepCheck</a>, <a target="_blank" title="SmallPlanet" href="http://www.smallplanet.net/">SmallPlanet</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://smallworld.columbia.edu/" title="Small World Project">Small World Project</a>, <a target="_blank" title="SocialCanvas" href="http://socialcanvas.com/">SocialCanvas</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.socialgrid.com/" title="Social Grid">Social Grid</a>, <a target="_blank" title="SQUIBY" href="http://www.squiby.com/">Squiby</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/" title="StumbleUpon">StumbleUpon</a>, <a target="_blank" title="TXTPARTY.COM" href="http://txtparty.com/">TXTParty</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Upcoming.org: Home" href="http://upcoming.org/">Upcoming.org</a>, <a target="_blank" title="WiredReach" href="http://www.wiredreach.com/">WiredReach</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Yafro Moblog" href="http://www.yafro.com/">Yafro Moblog</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.zdarmanet.net/" title="Zdarmanet">Zdarmanet</a>, <a title="Zopto" href="http://www.zopto.com/">Zopto</a>. [<a href="http://socialsoftware.weblogsinc.com/">The Social Software Weblog</a>] </blockquote> Gads, where did they all come from!?! http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002228.html Social Tools for Enterprises Symposium in London Tue, 08 Jun 2004 12:24:14 +0100 Now that we have the agenda sorted I am happy to announce the 1st, London, <div style="margin-left: 40px;"><a href="http://www.kmcluster.com/lon/LON_Summer_2004.htm"> Social Tools for Enterprises Symposium</a> </div> which <a href="http://www.evectors.com/">Evectors</a> is organising ably supported by <a href="http://www.kmcluster.com/">KM Cluster</a> and a group of the usual suspects (see the <a href="http://www.socialtext.net/stes/">Wiki</a> for details). We think this is a great opportunity to start showing people that social tools (both people tools and software tools) are ready for prime time and deliver bottom line benefits to enterprises. The event will be held on Monday 12th July at the <a href="http://www.bloomsburysquare.co.uk/intro/index.html">Bloomsbury Square Training Centre</a>. We've got a great list of people leading sessions which we hope will be a bit different to the usual chalk & talk conference fare. We really want a conversation to emerge from this event which will help to enlighten people interested in social tools but unsure how to put them to best use in their own contexts. So we have: <ul> <li>Stowe Boyd - <a href="http://www.corante.com/about/research.shtml">Corante Research</a> & <a href="http://stoweboyd.typepad.com/awm/">A Working Model</a></li> <li>Lee Bryant - <a href="http://www.headshift.com/">Headshift</a></li> <li>Prof. Marc Eisenstadt - <a href="http://kmi.open.ac.uk/home-f.cfm">Knowledge Media Institue</a></li> <li>David Gurteen - <a href="http://www.gurteen.com/">Gurteen Knowledge</a></li> <li>Euan Semple - <a href="http://www.bbc.com/">BBC</a></li> <li>Phil Wolff. - <a href="http://www.dijest.com/aka/">A Klog Apart</a> & <a href="http://blogcount.com/">BlogCount</a></li> </ul><a href="http://paolo.evectors.it/">Paolo</a> and I will also be there. I think it has the potential to be a great event and a great day I hope that you will come and join us. Please tell all your friends! http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002301.html Getting creative: five social tools to give you an edge! Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:33:29 +0100 Tomorrow I'm speaking at the <a href="http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/x0007eaf6">Gurteen Knowledge Conference</a>.  My topic is: <blockquote>Getting Creative: Five social tools to give you an edge! </blockquote> My aim is to establish the link between creativity and social networks, and then to show how tools like blogs, wikis, instant messaging and topics can be combined to help build a culture of creativity. This is only my second speaking engagement.  Wish me luck! http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002367.html Cutting the dead wood Wed, 16 Mar 2005 13:07:53 +0000 Following <a href="http://www.corante.com/getreal/archives/2005/03/14/unlinking_from_social_networks_part_7_noaccounts.php">Stowe's lead</a> I've begun a process of removing myself from useless social network applications. Though I was initially very positive about these services long acquaintance has lead me to conclude that they really haven't grown my social network, merely created some kind of reflection of it. I would meet someone, either face to face or through my blog, and then we'd go "let's join networks" but I can't say I ever experienced significant second order effects. Maybe I just don't network that way. So in the spirit of if it isn't working -- stop doing it I've terminated my accounts with Ecademy, Ryze, and Orkut. LinkedIn was the service I've had the most positive experience with so I'm going to ponder that one a little. Since I've re-introduced comments on C&C you know where to find me if you want me -- right <a href="http://matt.blogs.it/">here</a>. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002464.html Weave a circle round him thrice Mon, 22 Aug 2005 14:12:22 +0100 I just <a href="http://www.feedblog.org/2005/08/kottke_is_upset.html">Kevin Burton's response</a> to <a href="http://www.kottke.org/05/08/so-long-technorati">Jason Kottke abandoning Technorati</a> in which he says:<blockquote>I'd rather have a Technorati that was fast and always worked even if that meant only indexing 1M blogs. Even 500k blogs as long as they are the top 500k blogs.</blockquote>Which is, I think, indicative of a class of problems people are experiencing in thinking about the blogosphere that revolve around a concept I'll call Leaderboardism. Right now Technorati are <a href="http://www.technorati.com/about/">claiming to index 15.7 million blogs and have a database of 1.4 billion links</a>. WOW! Those numbers are certainly impressive. But what does this huge data-warehouse buy us? Gripes about performance and database outtages aside, not much it would seem. I don't get anything from a Technorati search that I value over, say, a Google search. In particular I don't seem to get value from Technorati understanding the blogosphere better than Google which you would think they really should. Kevin thinks a better idea is to just index the most important 500,000 (3% of Technorati's claimed reach) of blogs in the blogosphere. Sure that would make Technorati fast. But would it make it more useful? After all, who is deciding who is important? How are they deciding it? And isn't importance subjective anyway? To my way of thinking what Kevin is advocating would make Technorati faster and less useful in equal measure (unless you are mainly interested in what the usual suspects think). The problem is that the blogosphere has grown too large for summary statistics to be relevant to a large group of people anymore. Your Top 100 isn't mine because you aren't interested in basketweaving and vole racing and I am. I think Technorati (and <a href="http://www.feedster.com/">Feedster</a> who seem, so far, to have avoided many of Technorati's pitfalls) should abandon Leaderboardism and focus instead on how to make their database relevant to each individual. Relevance is about understanding the context of the reader and delivering the results they would have asked for if they'd only known what they were. I will consider it a success not when I can see <a href="http://www.technorati.com/pop/blogs/">The Top 100 Blogs</a> but when I can see The Top 100 Blogs you've never come across but will wish you had! For reference I read 2 of Technorati's Top 100 (although I have read about 30% at one time or other and am familiar with over half) so clearly their measure of relevance doesn't match mine very closely. This takes me all the way back to where I started thinking about <a href="http://matt.blogs.it/2002/05/31.html#a63">Village Shops in Blogspace</a>. Update: This post lead to me being asked to contribute to an <a href="http://www.publish.com/article2/0,1895,1856550,00.asp">article on Technorati</a>, and later to my <a href="http://matt.blogs.it/2005/09/08.html#a1981">posting a follow-up</a> item. http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002868.html So it's a social world after all Thu, 08 Sep 2005 13:12:43 +0100 At the last minute it looks like I will be attending <a href="http://www.oursocialworld.com/">Our Social World</a> tomorrow in Cambridge. Some old faces, some new. The best part is that it was my CEO who has suggested I go along with him! http://matt.blogs.it/entries/00002887.html