I really like Google+ from a technological standpoint, but it still seems a bit ... empty. Why?
How could a social network build that kind of culture? I really like G+'s circles -- it's like email lists done right. But the posts still feel like Facebook, Twitter, or worse. Everybody seems to want to be heard, but not questioned. Funny link? Cool. Witty insight? Nice! Angry rant or whiny observation? OK, feel bad for you, but I doubt you want to talk about it on Facebook (nevermind that you just did). Conversation starter? ...haven't seen one of those in a while.
I've heard that website users roughly follow a 90/9/1 breakdown -- 90% lurk, 9% contribute, 1% create. Imagine a party where 90% just came to drink you beer, 9% would answer questions when asked directly, and only 1 person actually tried to start conversations. It's an online phenomenon, not a rule of human nature.
I recently posted about this on G+, asking my friends whether they expect people to respond. I've got about 50 people in my circels, and only 2 people responded. I'm not surprised. Most people hop on here to post or to consume, but (ironically) not to interact. I don't even respond to most posts I read. To be fair (and I mean this in the most non-self-deprecating way possible), I'm not sure anybody would really care if I did.
Hangouts are cool -- they force you to be more than passive. I should use those more, but the local bar seems to compete pretty strongly in that niche.
I guess I've got more important things to do that read G+ all day, but somehow I don't have more important things to do than check email all day or go out with my friends every night. I wonder if there's a technological solution (a better Wave?). I doubt it. I suspect it will have to be deliberately cultivated -- a social network that makes the REPLY button larger than everything else and prioritizes posts with between 2 and 10 responses. I don't have the faintest idea how to start building that sort of community.
Hangouts are cool -- they force you to be more than passive. I should use those more, but the local bar seems to compete pretty strongly in that niche.
I guess I've got more important things to do that read G+ all day, but somehow I don't have more important things to do than check email all day or go out with my friends every night. I wonder if there's a technological solution (a better Wave?). I doubt it. I suspect it will have to be deliberately cultivated -- a social network that makes the REPLY button larger than everything else and prioritizes posts with between 2 and 10 responses. I don't have the faintest idea how to start building that sort of community.
Normally I'd never beg for comments, but I'm sincerely curious on this one. What do you think? Do you need a social network in your life that actually wants your thoughtful participation? And if you do, how would one build it?
For me, e-mails and G+/twitter/fb are two very different ways of interacting right now. E-mailing is like inviting your friend or a circle of friends over to your house. You sit around the dinner table and all participate in the conversation. G+, twitter, and facebook reminds me more of everyone standing at the rooftop of their own houses shouting out updates and posts. It's generally meant for a large number of people to be heard and you don't want to shout a response because you don't know who else is listening. It's not a cozy, familiar environment.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have an environment that is essentially an upgraded mailing list to share videos, links, files, etc. Something I could also use for collaborators in lab. I can't imagine using G+ as a way of sharing and discussing data right now because of the nature of the posts that are on there now. It's just not the environment for serious, insightful discussions. How to build something that does invoke that is hard for me to answer right now. I'll have to think about it.
I like your analogy. Mostly because there _is_ no good physical analogy for Facebook -- nobody does that. I don't even go to big parties and do stuff like that. Except for certain parties, but I don't tend to remember those...
ReplyDeleteIf you figure out how to make people be civil and reasonable and responsive online, let me know. I'll help you build it, and we'll make piles of money.