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TOC: Social Software/Gavin Bell
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 — posted by Sarah
Uh oh. Trouble with getting the presentation to display. I hate it when that happens.OTOH, I usually get into my presentation room a LOT early.
Gavin Bell with Nature Publishing Group out of the U.K. Works on social software and web publishing for his employer.
Hmmm. Refuses to start without his slides. I feel his pain, sort of.
Nature Publishing Group publishes numerous journal (35) and also other long-form stuff. So, how to make social software interact with consumers.
Web provides a platform where individuals can talk to each other.
Moves and fiction books are typical accessed sequentially. Web content and music are typically accessed randomly.
Books, moves, and magazines are primarily analog. Others are primarily digital.
The key difference between them is the presence or absence of a plot, which traditionally requires sequential access. The presence of plot can result in reviews that disclose the plot and thus ruin the book experience ("spoilers"). Spoilers are not an issue for music.
This could be interesting, but we're still having technical issues. Hey, a presentation!
History of social software available here.
Social media refers to things like YouTube and Flickr.
Another reference to the fact that books have no batteries. And interestingly, books require your complete attention. Unlike web surfing, you don't give a book only partial attention. (Actually, that's not true. Am I the only person out there who reads while cooking??)
The relationship with digital media can be particularly deep. iPod is not just a music player, but also a data capture device. It learns about listening and viewing patterns. This helps you form a long-term relationship with your iPod and crucially with the underlying iTunes software.
One interesting point: All of the social software found online has analog/offline equivalents. Nobody has invented anything new online, and it's important to carry over behavior expectations into the online world. (I'm not sure I agree with this, but I can't think of a counter-example off the top of my head. Somehow, I have that old quote in my head..."On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog.")
Examples of effective sites: flickr.com
Flickr only works when you sure life experiences with your friends. Need your friends to be at Flickr with you. Without friends, the experience is basically pointless. Flickr started out in a totally different space and evolved into their current space.
Lets you tell your friends what you're doing.
There's no content behind/inside Twitter. (Not very sticky.) No strong ties. (I have to say I think Twitter is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.)
typepad
Blogging platform.
myspace
Works because of the music. Teens joined myspace because of the music community already present.
Started in educational market. Place for core friendship network. They have an API, so you can write additional applications.
Online commenting at The Guardian was troublesome because columnist were responding only in print (and not on the commenting sight).
Publishing examples:
Eyewitness Travel Guides
others
Moral: Focus on specific microcontent and niches.
Message boards tend to become isolated from other content. Better to build interactivity directly into the site rather than segregating forums away somewhere else.
Finally, his own site, the Nature Network. Advice: Allow participants to invite others. Use tagging, such as del.icio.us or technorati.
If an author is already blogging on his own, what could a publisher offer to make it appealing to move to the publisher's site?
Publisher can offer reading groups and book recommendations.
Can build communities around specialist subjects, especially use "pro-am" talent -- amateurs who are producing at a professional level.
URLs need to be short, memorable, and readable. Not acceptable to have system-generated URLs, which are usually long, nasty, and full of special characters.
Summary:
- Content is what social interactions take root on. Who will publish your content in 5-20 years? Is there still an editorial role? How much can you afford to give away for free? In general fiction, the connection across authors in a single imprint is very weak. Problem for the publisher.
- Readers. This is who you build social software around. Architecture for participation and friendship formation. Friendships make for strong ties. If you do it right, your platform will get better and better. Give your users their own space, such as a profile page.
- Partnership. Find offline communities that could use online equivalents. TV and news companies want to take over. If content is not on the map, you are not findable.
- Integration. You want to be part of the web, not just on the web.
- It's not software development. Focus on community building. Getting to launch is 40 percent of the cost.
- "You go to the bar for the conversation." (Not the glasses or the decor.)
Labels: toc2007
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