- How are Information Economy dynamics changing society? In particular, how do they affect neighborhoods and local politics?
- How would you frame the significance of the fact that roughly three quarters of the world’s population appears to not be presently part of the Information Economy?
- Where is the significance of the individual when compared to or made part of the “Wisdom of Crowds”?
Review – The Long Tail: Atoms and Bits
“The Long Tail”, the title of the book by Wired magazine’s editor Chris Anderson, is a phrase that has entered the popular business lexicon with nearly as many interpretations as there are people quoting it. The term describes a graph showing very high sales and demand on the left (the head) and the rapid decline of the same on the right (the tail). This decline, while initially radical, flattens out and goes on to the right without ever actually getting to zero. Anderson’s book is about:
- what is significant about this tail
- what enables it to be important today with digital distribution, social means of production and effective filters and search capabilities, and
- what makes this a game-changing opportunity for businesses, consumers and society.
Reflection – Class readings and discussion: 7/7/08
The level of discussion was more broad this week. I found the discourse intriguing on what constitutes free and the emerging requirements for effective filters, given the scale of information available. Attention and reputation as the stuff of value, with the decline of the cost of the information in an information economy, is significant as each of us only has so much time (an aspect of attention). To invest that wisely becomes critical for individuals, as do both of the above for groups/businesses/organizations.
Thoughts – on Free
The idea of Free as put forth in Chris Anderson’s article invites scrutiny, especially around assumptions and (more or less) hidden connections.
So much of the discussion seems to assume that everyone has access to the digital marketplace. While that is a goal that is represented by efforts like One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), the fact remains that the greater part of humanity has no access to a computer or other online portal. Perhaps, that being understood, discussion about the portion of humanity that does have access becomes just that.
Abstract – How Not to Build an Online Market
A challenge I have in relating the article “How Not to Build an Online Market” to the book is the former isolates business-to-business (B2B) markets while the greater portions of Long Tail that I have read so far deal primarily with business-to-consumer (B2C). However the markets described still rely upon online technologies, breath of scale, aggregation of products, economics of distribution and the ostensible “demise of the middleman”. This last point seems to me to more closely model the more human element in business.
Reflection – Learning Goals
Identifying my learning goals for the Net-Centric Economics class has required my spending a little more time drilling down into my own thoughts more specifically than I might normally. I generally approach learning with a very open mind and with seemingly vague expectations. This can have the effect of allowing me to identify interesting directions and goals as I go and keep me from “rat-holing” my study by only looking for the things that I really am trying to find; this enables “found knowledge and insight” in my opinion and experience. Unfortunately, it can also have the effect of causing me to float through a learning experience without as much direction as might be helpful. So, this has been a helpful exercise.
Reflection – Class readings and discussion: 6/30/08
I was most surprised by how intriguing the whole presentation, discussion and exercise around critical writing was to me. First I noticed how much I already do this, despite my not thinking of critique in that way. The challenges to assumptions, even my own, require a dual approach of approaching a topic or thought with both a strong sense of where and what I believe and know, along side of meta-awareness of this individual sense; to be in the moment and see myself in the moment, so to speak. I appreciated the consolation that “I can do this!” that I experienced, too. To Dru’s point, critiquing experts can appear a bit daunting.
Well that happened….
First entry into the blog that will house, initially, my work surrounding the Masters of Communication in Digital Media and, to start, the Net-Centric Economics class.
Sweet…
Authentic Voice 