It's about people
ongoing · Not an OS
I dropped a comment on this post. I agree with tim so hard it hurts and it seems like a lot of the other commentators were missing the point.
I've heard a glimmer of this same idea in the statement that the internet is not for anonymity (stated in response to some inane comment on reddit). It works very well when you're anonymous, but only because it works very well when any brokenness creeps in. A better explanation might be that even the anonymous seek community, but I prefer to think of anonymity as small scale censorship and we know how well that works on the internet.
We're in a funny place right now with internet technology. It works, many in the know and I'm sure a lot of academics would probably say it could work much better, but it goes. Could this be another case of worse is better? Someone asked the other day why we can't get over Twitter. Why, in the face of it's technical shortcomings and nagging inefficiencies, can't we move to a better platform? Because it's good enough and the people are there.
I don't think "network effects" or "it's viral" are complete enough in their explanation of why these highly connected things become and stay successful. As explanations go, they're still too technical, they kind of make it sound like the reasons for success are new. They're not. The answer is still people. Has been for a really long time and will continue to be when we're all dead and our children (or our robots) are running things.
The moral of this rambling? Don't neglect the people you interact with. Don't neglect the relationships required for your or your company's success. Don't think you are above or outside the need of human contact or cooperation. Right now my wife and I are pondering starting something like a non-profit or foundation to support the kinds of things we're interested in seeing happen in Baltimore. Bread baking/food prep coop and hacker space are the big two and the wall we keep running into is that we're pretty much introverts (INTJ and INTP, respectively). That wall will come down sooner than later, though...
I: It’s About People Not Technology · The “Web OS” meme is harmful because it’s about technology. But the Internet’s killer app is people, has always been, will always be. Every single step forward has involved finding new routes and patterns and tools for people to use interacting with other people. No exceptions.
I dropped a comment on this post. I agree with tim so hard it hurts and it seems like a lot of the other commentators were missing the point.
I've heard a glimmer of this same idea in the statement that the internet is not for anonymity (stated in response to some inane comment on reddit). It works very well when you're anonymous, but only because it works very well when any brokenness creeps in. A better explanation might be that even the anonymous seek community, but I prefer to think of anonymity as small scale censorship and we know how well that works on the internet.
We're in a funny place right now with internet technology. It works, many in the know and I'm sure a lot of academics would probably say it could work much better, but it goes. Could this be another case of worse is better? Someone asked the other day why we can't get over Twitter. Why, in the face of it's technical shortcomings and nagging inefficiencies, can't we move to a better platform? Because it's good enough and the people are there.
I don't think "network effects" or "it's viral" are complete enough in their explanation of why these highly connected things become and stay successful. As explanations go, they're still too technical, they kind of make it sound like the reasons for success are new. They're not. The answer is still people. Has been for a really long time and will continue to be when we're all dead and our children (or our robots) are running things.
The moral of this rambling? Don't neglect the people you interact with. Don't neglect the relationships required for your or your company's success. Don't think you are above or outside the need of human contact or cooperation. Right now my wife and I are pondering starting something like a non-profit or foundation to support the kinds of things we're interested in seeing happen in Baltimore. Bread baking/food prep coop and hacker space are the big two and the wall we keep running into is that we're pretty much introverts (INTJ and INTP, respectively). That wall will come down sooner than later, though...
