Dusty - trampled but not out

I can not believe that it is nearly 2 months since my last blog update.

Creating content such as this blog entry (though seeming trivial) does contribute in its own way to the encyclopedia that is the web ! Every person with their specific combination of interests flavored by their past experiences can provide quite a bit of diverse opinions on a multitude of subjects.

Pushes me to ask the question - In this internet age, what is content ? a video of a 3 year old break dancing, a poem by a middle school student, a comment in the feedback section of a blog ?

Well I think content is anything accessible. The success of the mobile web will be to provide a simple gateway to access the required information. The challenge in search has always been to identify in what context one is executing the search.

My expectation is that in mobile search, when I type in almond and my location has been identified as being in a grocery store, I should see results for comparism pricing and availability at nearby stores; elsewhere, maybe in a park, I should see images and short description of what an almond looks like; and in a restaurant the calorie content !

Will someone perform a search on a mobile device and drill into the search results to see if the Rolling Stones are playing in Denver ? There might be some folks who would do that, but unlikely.

Not only does the information need to be pushed to the user relevant to where they are but maybe also along the lines of what they have specified as their interests.

PS: How I wish I could culture myself to keep this blog active.

Swarming - not Bees but Us !

A new term I got introduced to over the weekend is "Swarming". I got the following from WordSpy as a definition

"The rapid gathering of friends, family, or colleagues using technologies such as cell phones, pagers, and instant messaging"

I looked up on Wiki the meaning of Swarm intelligence and got blown away by what I read -

"Swarm intelligence (SI) is artificial intelligence based on the collective behavior of decentralized, self-organized systems."

A paradigm introduced in 1989, is very relevant to the current trend of social networking. Aren't humans self-organized systems ?

It is interesting to note that technology is currently used to link together elements of a known set. Pushing the limit would require data from a larger set contributing towards decisions made in a smaller set and this decision fed back into the larger domain to help make decisions in other smaller sets.

In my opinion, people are natural discoverers and connoisseurs to varying degrees. There is a tendency to also visit and experience for themselves the benefits documented by others who have blazed a trail to a location.

Similarities can be drawn in the foraging behaviour of bees and the socializing behaviour of humans. A favored patch could be a popular watering hole (a bar).

It would be of tremendous advantage if information is provided to enable decisions to be made. To share information in a very immediate and innovative way similar to a “waggle dance” or leave dissipating pheromone trails as used in an ant colony. Instant information is very prevalent in the Web 2.0 world, but dissipating trail ? It's very relevant to humans socializing. Why have a nasty experience visiting a restaurant that is now a dried up water hole ?

Virtual Worlds Inevitable ?

I was reading with interest this article by Gary Hayes on "Virtual Worlds, Web 3.0 and Portable Profiles".

Many have hypothesized that it is the natural trend in human computer interaction for people to adopt an avatar, build an online profile and live their life in virtual environments.

It is acceptable that real life can be simulated in virtuality, but as in any form of engineering, the simulation has to end up in reality. Though a fraction of initial users will continue to keep virtual environments fun, a majority will use it as a tool to build their real life - engaging people in reality to buildup their virtual life and overflow virtuality into reality.

Humans have socialized through physical contact over hundreds of thousands of years. The term contact could be redefined for the current age as being a simple text message, but to make it a viable social experience, a reality check is required. You could live in a Matrix, but you still need to shop for real groceries to make dinner.

Social Computing vs Actual Socializing

I saw a very interesting comment on the responses to the blog Thinking Beyond Web 2.0

"Social computing seem inversely proportional to actually socializing. You know, in real life. If only it were a positive relationship.

Some examples of web 2.0 having effects outside of the web would be nice. "

Wikipedia defines Social Computing in two ways. The first as supporting any sort of social behavior in or through computational systems, and the second enabling the use of collective intelligence. Very fascinating indeed !

In my opinion, social networks that are predominant on the web initially start off as reflections of the self but end up being second life neighbourhoods. The relationship begins in reality but is fostered in virtuality.

I agree with the user who posted the above comment. It would be great if social computing could help in actual socializing - a reverse of the trend currently witnessed. Social software that will enable people to find others on the web, and foster the relationship in reality.

What is Collective Socializing ?

I have been mulling over the term "collective socializing" for a couple of years. I was introduced to the word collective in younger years of watching Star Trek. The Borg were a collective where members were all linked together sharing knowledge and information.

In subsequent years, "collective intelligence" gained prominence with the success of wikipedia, which itself has a wonderful description of the term here. It is a wonderful self sustaining knowledge base with continuous enrichment. It is remarkable that experts in different domains will volunteer time to create, update and maintain entries in wikipedia. What is more remarkable is that people have grown to trust wikipedia for information.

I have browsed the web for the definition of the term "collective socializing" with no satisfactory answer. Hence, I will define it here -

Collective Socializing is the behaviour observed where people who share the same interests or have similar backgrounds exhibit a greater tendency to congregate at similar locations.

Encouraging collective socializing in the internet era would mean sharing information as to where people are currently gathered and offer this information to motivate others to be part of the gathering or congregation.

With cell phones becoming appendages and location determining hardware and software now prevalent on these phones, the most effective system to date that encourages collective socializing can be realized.