Unwritten rules of the web

Anarchy VS government

2005-09-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

Within the world where you are allowed and supposed to interact there are two types of social softwares. The anarchic and the governed social software.

The vast majority of popular social softwares are governed by the creators AND the users. Lets have a closer look at those users in later posts.

More about rules for digital interaction

2005-09-20T03:47:00.000-07:00

Speaking about rules, there are two levels of rules

1- The one level you are meant to interact in. The game or forum or whatever itself. Breaking, or bending the rules here is mostly harmless (but also annoyning to some other users).

The designers of your virtual world might say "shit, we didnt think of that", and either fix the hole in the set of rules that you exploited, or say "shit, why didnt we come up with that first?" and let it be a accepted behaviour by other users.

2- The technical level. Break the rules here and you can "cheat". Often, figuring out how to cheat is more fun than doing it. And you might upset the designers of your social software. So just don't.

If you are the designer of a social software, EXPECT people that people will try to cheat by hacking in.

Law and order imposed by Web?

2005-08-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

In the transformation of the web from read-only to a read-write media something very funny - but dangerous will happen.

A shining exampel of this is this story:

A girl on a subway in NY takes a pic of a flasher. She posts the pic on Flickr. The story makes firstpage of NY newspaper.

But- what if he is innocent?

Well, let's hope he´s not. This is a good example of how easy it is to use the web just compared to a few years ago. To take a picture and post it on the internet was indeed a bigger effort a few years ago.

Now, I dont expect all stories like this one to be as big. And most stories will remain in the offline world. But stories like this wil be more common. And not all of the persons involved will be guilty.

Web 2.0 - in brief

2005-08-24T03:16:00.000-07:00

Web 2.0 is this:
Websolutions created to let the user create and provide the content of the websolution itself? - see for example del.icio.us.

RSS (subscribing to content via RSS readers)

Tagging, instead of the classic hierarchical treelike organized content, we have it all in a database soup and adding tags help us find it, (Tags are metainformation which is the information you need to find the information you seek :-). And anyone is welcome to tag.

Did I miss something? Most other distinguishing features for Web 2.0 is covered by above, as far as I can see.

What we don't know yet, is how/if this will affect internet behavior, or simply just strengthen old behaviour. (people will read same content, but with RSS, go to same websites, but use tags insted of browsing, have more and easier ways of communicating, but be too shy to do it)

Tag web 2.0

The four horsemen of the infocalyps.

2005-08-22T02:41:00.000-07:00

The fear of the openess of the web is always there- a public forum will by some always be regarded as a potential marketplace for drugdealers. The possibility to upload files to a website is by some doomed to end up as a database for forbidden porn. Or so they think.

Well, guess what. It happens, but it is actually pretty rare.

The fear of the neo-nazis, the drug-dealer, pedophiles and organized crime (Trolls, chek it out in Wikipedia, they dont belong in this post, they are minor asshats and not illegal.)

Web 2.0 again

2005-08-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

The technical aspects of Internet 2.0 is not the topic of this blog. The topic is what does it mean to you?

First of all: nothing revolutionary. No need to buy a new computer. No need to "start all over" and learn again. It's no revolution. It happened and is still happening in a slow, pice by pice, user by user incremental way.

You will notice it not by the new techniques being used, but rather how the web as a whole slowly moves toward the information flow of radios (earlier it has been compared -and still is by some-to publishing, "a webpage as a newspaper that needs editing every day").

Yea well... I'm not updating every day, but the true Internet 2.0 websites are. By the users.

Observation # 4

2005-08-17T02:05:00.000-07:00

Since the online world is growing rapidly, and more people than ever join the big communities, the total overflow of information spawned a new way of organizing info.

The old way, used in hundreds of years, is to let someone with knowledge about the information (a librerian?) categorize the bits and pieces of info (books) to make information easy to find ("hmm.. thats on shelf 13, under non-fiction")

Well.. the organizers of the online world cant do that if the information (also called content) is added faster than they can categorize it. Which is just what happens at for example Flickr.

Therefore, the user who provides the content also labels it, with sometihing called a tag.

This way of organizing is called folksonomy. It is more random, more subjective and completely lacks order and structure. And again... its very very subjective. What is non- fiction and what is fiction? (UFO landings are... fiction? science fiction? Facts?)

There is a debate is whether this is good or not. Thats missing the point. So far, there are no options.

Web 2.0 or: why you are here.

2005-08-16T05:07:00.000-07:00

Well then -what happened? Internet came, loads of money pumped up a "bubble" that popped, and then...the days came and went and ..the hype is back? And it is called Internet 2.0 or something like that.

And what is it and hat fuels it?

First of all, more people today use the internet in many more ways simply because broadband is more common.

Second, CMS (also known as CMT's, or content management systems), got so cheap and simple that they were for free and text only (blogs).

Third- for those of us who already knew how to create and maintain a website, RSS came in to the picture. (something for the masses- blogg, and something for the few- RSS). (and yes, RSS is still for the few)

And here we are. Internet 2.0

Always at home

2005-08-10T03:21:00.000-07:00

With an active online life - you can travel far and still be able to walk in and have a chat with your friends - as nothing happened.

And people like to do that. So the market for hotspots and other internet connections at your seat on the train or plane will grow.

There's no place like home.

What is new and what is not?

2005-07-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

As always: we are humans, which basically means that we are more or less social creatures, with different (or similar or same) needs and goals, and we use different (or similar or same) ways to reach our goals. Look into sociology and psychology for a lengthier explanation of that.

New: We have a new world with new tools, the world is called the online world. The tools are still being invented but some of them are email, social softwares, blogs and games.

But we are still the humans - and this you have heard before – we are built for coping mentally with a life much more primitive than that we live today.

Therefore we are sometimes trapped into beliving that the online world differs very little from the offline world.

One major difference is that when you live in the offline world, the people you meet mostly don’t share your interests. Social interaction also is more forced. You rarely choose your colleagues, fellow passengers on a bus, or neighbours.

When in the online world – that’s exactly what you do In the online world you choose your company – always. And THAT is new. (add the global aspect to this, if you are not sure if it is genuinely new).

Observation # 3

2005-07-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

Short: Sharing is gaining. Giving is impossible. (since you keep what you ”give”)

Longer: This observation can again be seen as a sort of reversed capitalism. To build your Nick- to get a reputation among your fellow virtual friends, you shall give. It is very possible to “buy” friends in the real world as well, but since all usual interaction on the web is immaterial, you should really spend on the web. What you trade with – the currency used to “buy” friends and reputation – is files and knowledge. Files (pictures, movies, music, games, documents and whatever people are looking for) and knowledge (simply correctly answering questions) is not lost when given or shared, The side effect of the main transaction (giving someone what they asked for) is a growing reputation to your nick.

Observation #2

2005-07-08T04:31:00.000-07:00

Short: Consuming is producing (or can be) (Like Lego.)

Longer: One of the nicer features of an active weblife as for examble a blogger is that the process of consuming becomes productive. Fooling around with social tagging, blogging, filesharing and sampling of music and movieclips contributes to the enlargement of the onlineworld.

Mixing different platforms (mobilephones) media (movieclip) and mediachannels (mms to mailadress to be posted on a moblog, to be viewed in recievers browser) is a complex chain of different techniques, hard- and software companies and operators, made possible by standards, but; carried out by users/consumers of the required techniques.

And not a single one of the companies in the chain had ”making-a-part-of-a-moblog-solution” as their main object.

The metaphor for this can be a sandbox

Observation #1

2005-07-08T04:08:00.000-07:00

Short: Metaphors have a decisive influence on the future development of the web

Longer: Since day one, the web has been subject to a lot of metaphors, simply because metaphors work very well for describing things and events where we lack a precise vocabulary. New words and expressions, such as “Blogg” or “mososo”are being created, but are vague and interpreted in different ways until the exact meaning of them is widely accepted, ( and the feature it describes therefore is considered ready, done, shipped and delivered. ?).

When it is widely accepted, it really takes off in use and sort of freezes in designing/development. Or, when most designing/development is done, people start to use it? And therefore agree on the description of it, the label?

Misunderstandings and misinterpretations and wrong labeling of metaphors and words are very harmful. Much BS has been said about “the information highway” and “pirates”. Some media starts “bloggs” which when you look closer just are ...well, webpages? And file sharing is by some considered criminal.

Rule #9

2005-07-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

Short: On the Internet nobody wants to hear you scream.

Longer: As web publishing is made simpler by blogs and other social software, more people publish on the web.

New islands is added to the arcipelago of the web- the onlineworld is growing and getting more populated.

And how are people supposed to find you? Well, screaming seldom works. But whispering does, if its done on several places. Your weblife will genererate tracks that people can follow. Your nick, some links, a posting here, a profile, som tags and - tadaa- your nick starts to be recognized by likeminded. But let them find you by being yourself, attentionseekers are disliked.

How many spams do you reply to?

Rule #8

2005-07-05T01:13:00.000-07:00

Short: There are no rules

Longer: There are no rules. Internet interaction is not a game (games have beginnings, rules, winners and ends). Internet interaction is a play, like children play. To engage when you feel like it, leave and and pick up again after a while, or start all over somwhere else.

This means that all the rules can be bent, broken or circumvented. (Use different nicks for different situations. )

Me for example, chose this rule not to be the last. Did I brake any rule by not letting the obvious "there are no rules" rule not be the last one.. No. Apparantly not.

Rule #7

2005-07-01T02:06:00.000-07:00

Short: Learn the Lingo

Longer: Ok - vlogging, podcasting, webcams etc is growing - but almost all social interaction on the web is still via text based messages (such as mail, ICQ, post in forums etc). And, as in all groups of people, a slang is developed over time.

To better understand, and express yourself, learn that slang. Abbreviations, symbols and so forth are an important part that is needed when we interact without body language and the "hrmms" and "uhs" of the spoken language.

So, if you master the language, you will better be able to express yourself.

PS:Im not gonna explain any *lol* or :-) things here, 1- there is other websites for that and 2- they cange over time and between groups of users.

Rule #6

2005-06-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

Short: Dont be shy, dont get mad and never get hurt.

Longer: Since you will always meet guys with longer track records, more time and more fans (or just more time, or plain evil doers) you will come under attack.

If it is personal - ignore it. If it is more matter-of-fact - stay within the topic discussed, don't get personal.

And if it is somenone with more time, more fans and longer trackrecord, and a cooler more recoqnized nick (some might say powerful nick) who is harrassing you - remember that the guys cheering him are doing it to kiss his ass, not to harass you. And those on your side -well- they dont say much. (unless you can have a non-public communication with them, such as a PM or mail).

It's like back in the schoolyard. The bigger guys have a bunch of lesser guys around them. The smaller guys shatter untill the fight is over.

Well, that said, the smaller guys on the schoolyard are more likely to be behind the more powerful nicks :-)(Did I get personal?)

Rule #5

2005-06-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

Short: When you are a newbie you are excused

Longer: The difference between the offline world and the online world (in questions of social interactions) are small. New guys eager to learn and open about their inexperience are treated well.

New guys with a bad attitude are not.

But if you say you'r a newbie after stating the obvious or doing other no-no thing, you are excused.(for the most- at least as long as your intentions where not harmfull.)

And remember - YOU are also supposed to be nice to newbies.

Rule #4

2005-06-17T01:56:00.000-07:00

Short: The web is an archipelago of interests, not a blurry soup of information.

Longer: Since Internet is driven by interests, like-minded tend to group up, like in the offline world. That means, when you are entering a community or other social cluster of users, they most likely have a shared view on the topics discussed. They may argue on the small things - within the topics discussed- but the shared interest of the larger things made them group up to start with. And attracted you too. (in forums for gardeners people may argue how to mown the lawn, but not on how to chip a PS2)

Like in the offline world, some users/people have more authority than others, based on their history. Their Nick's are more recognized.

Pick a figth with one of them to be respected or rejected.

Dont bother if all you want is to stay in the background.

Rule #3

2005-06-15T05:16:00.000-07:00

Short: Internet is for nerds

Longer:Radio is for company, TV is for enterteinment, Internet is for interests. That means, that if you ave a strong intrerest in anything- really anything- internet is the place for you to let your interest flourish. Meet others with the same interest, learn, teach and discuss. Create a blog or website in honour of your interest. Join communities and mailinglists. Subscribe to RSS, add bookmarks to your browser...

Now you know it. But, there are som mediacompanies out there trying to entertain you on the net. They don’t know yet.

And- if you are not a nerd, if what you want is bread and entertainment: stay in the offline world -have a pizza in front of the TV. (nothing wrong with that)

PS I owe this insight to this man

Rule #2

2005-06-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

Short: Speak your mind but dont expect or seek agreement.

Longer: When engaging in discussions and conversations in forums, communities and IRC - speak your mind. Listen/read, reply and so on like in debates in the offline world.

But do not expect consensus. Consensus is for the offline world. On the web you leave instead of negotiate an agreement with you opponents. Simply just stop posting. And see rule #6

Rule #1

2005-06-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

Short: get a nick

Longer: a nick is your name on the web, your alias. Pick something good. Dont use blanks. If your name is John Doe, your nick might be JohnDoe, John_Doe or JohnD. or John.. but - since you want to be unique, John Doe is not good. Come up with something new. (name and age? JohnD33?)

If you truly have a unique Nick, then you will be very searchable on google.

Nicks are also known as Nicknames, aliases, handles.

And - as Vernon Vinge said - keep your true name to yourself