Blogging and the Wisdom of Crowds

[sue-fl]

I think it's a great idea! I have to say I'm very technically challenged still. So the article was over my head

What I have taken from the posts is to post comments on other blogs that we like. That is what I'm thinking is a great idea. Time is always an issue for me like others. But I do read a lot of blogs that members have here as a break. So it could be worked in my time schedule I think

[tigermom]

Thanks for pointing me at the thread Warlus! It's been a while since I visited GG&J.

I think you have a great concept there. Myself, as a surfer, got caught up in this interesting web of yours, visiting one blog, reading, with interest, commenting, and moving on to a blog you mentioned....

So, this must be a good thing I have bookmarked the blogs mentioned here (and the one you mentioned in your email), and will surely be reading more there, and relating to them in my blog at www.unshroud.com. I would probably drop the mentioned blogs a note in their comments too, so that they know where a "debate" is going on and can bring in my blog as well.

Feel free to do the same with my blog

[anasporn]

Hey Walrus, you have a PM... And it's been a hell of a while since you left a comment on MY blog!

[walrus]

Originally Posted by anasporn

Hey Walrus, you have a PM... And it's been a hell of a while since you left a comment on MY blog!

ya i been a bad boy, spank me!!!

[anasporn]

Spank you...? You'd get off on that, so how would it be punishment?

[virgohippy]

Originally Posted by anasporn

Spank you...? You'd get off on that, so how would it be punishment?

Positive reinforcement!

Or should that be negative...

[Carrie]

But like Wikipedia, blogging harnesses collective intelligence as a kind of filter. What James Suriowecki calls "the wisdom of crowds" comes into play, and much as PageRank produces better results than analysis of any individual document, the collective attention of the blogosphere selects for value.

I am wary of any kind of "value" that "the wisdom of crowds" might put out. Group think isn't my thing, and neither are posses.

A crowd of wolves might feel that the lone sheep visiting as a guest should turn into a tasty dinner.

"Wisdom of crowds" is an oxymoron, and it's why the US is a republic, not a democracy.

[walrus]

Originally Posted by Carrie

I am wary of any kind of "value" that "the wisdom of crowds" might put out. Group think isn't my thing, and neither are posses.

A crowd of wolves might feel that the lone sheep visiting as a guest should turn into a tasty dinner.

"Wisdom of crowds" is an oxymoron, and it's why the US is a republic, not a democracy.

Just because someone participates in a group (or a crowd) does not mean that they automaticly surrender their individualism and become sheep, following the pack. The strength of any group lies in its individuals. Group think does not (and should not) have to be like a pack of animals following an individual leader

[BadWolf]

Originally Posted by Carrie

I am wary of any kind of "value" that "the wisdom of crowds" might put out. Group think isn't my thing, and neither are posses.

A crowd of wolves might feel that the lone sheep visiting as a guest should turn into a tasty dinner.

"Wisdom of crowds" is an oxymoron, and it's why the US is a republic, not a democracy.

Originally Posted by walrus

Just because someone participates in a group (or a crowd) does not mean that they automaticly surrender their individualism and become sheep, following the pack. The strength of any group lies in its individuals. Group think does not (and should not) have to be like a pack of animals following an individual leader

I consider myself a definite loner but I like the idea of like minded webmasters building their own mini community and working together in as loose or as tight a fashion as they might prefer.

The longer I'm in this biz the more I think for myself and the more I realize I'm not in this just for the money. I hear a lot of talk about changing the adult webmaster business.........one way to do that is to lead by example but only a community or group can effect real change. That interests me more than tweaking my PR.

We already do this in one sense in sharing information and through webmaster forums in general as each one has a certain 'personality' while the members remain very individualistic. Hopefully, anyway.

[Ms Naughty]

Hi. I've been away for a while so I've only just found this thread. It's all a bit much to read at present (I'm busy trying to get things back on track here) but I did want to thank Walrus for his compliment about the Ms Naughty blog

[Halfdeck]

I think the biggest obstacle is abandoning the splog/TGP blogging model (which I also do when I got nothing to say or find a bunch of really really hot chicks I don't wanna forget). We only have X minutes a day to read blog posts and its just not worth weaving through a bunch of surfer-targetted light tgp-type posts to find a post I might enjoy reading. For me to visit a blog on a daily basis, every post has to be "genuine." No-bullshit straight from your brain/heart deal which either pisses me off or hit a nail on the head enough for me to take X minutes out of my day to respond.

[virgohippy]

Originally Posted by Halfdeck

For me to visit a blog on a daily basis, every post has to be "genuine." No-bullshit straight from your brain/heart deal which either pisses me off or hit a nail on the head enough for me to take X minutes out of my day to respond.

I feel much the same way. I much prefer the less frequently updated blog which I can rely on for entertainment value then the "productive" writer who's keen on sharing how many times they thought of sex during breakfast over a bowl of cornflakes... that's assuming the post isn't about eating cornflakes out of a pussy.