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April 2003 |
Silicon Valley BuzzSupported
by The Hoffman Agency China 'Social Software' Effectively Combines the Best of Real and Virtual Worlds The smaller the group, the more immediate value in the relationship. That's one notion behind an emerging phenomenon called "social software,'' products that help groups work with each other more effectively. "SocialText'' (www.social text.com) is all about a Web you can write on as well as read. Among the base technologies are online chat and something called a Wiki, an extremely lightweight but writeable Web page. Once you're inside the Wiki, you can edit any page yourself, using tools that make it simple to create new links and annotations. It sounds like potential anarchy, and it could turn into a mess without limitations on who can participate in a given group. But I've participated in several of these conversations/collaborations lately, and I can attest to their potential effectiveness. "Meetup'' (www.meet up.com) is a brilliant idea -- using online technology to get people together and coordinate a real-world meeting, not the virtual kind. Yes, in person. People organize everything online first, including voting on where to meet in some cases. Check The technology of war improves, if that's the right word, with every new conflict. So does the technology of journalism, which is why so many news junkies and journalists are agog at the pictures, sounds and words coming out of Iraq these days. By some accounts, there's too much information coming at us. People's moods seem to change by the minute, with each piece of good or bad news from professional and amateur journalists who have deployed an array of tools -- weblogs to mini-cameras to high-speed data links -- to bring the war to the world in something close to real time. Moore's Law and its corollaries, describing the relentless progress of all manner of information technologies, tell us that the gear we consider fancy and far-out today will be nearly ubiquitous. The importance of this to future journalism is, once again, the idea of the people at the edge becoming part of the process. When the audience can use these tools, the emergent journalism that follows will barely resemble what we do today.
The downturn has given Silicon Valley workers and businesses plenty of time and reasons to network. But with money tight, many are thinking twice about spending money on professional associations. Some groups are retooling their programs and cutting fees to attract and keep members. Although some organizations -- especially new ones and those for the unemployed -- are growing rapidly, a number of groups have struggled to keep their members during the downturn. Some members are leaving the area altogether. People who used to belong to several groups may renew just one membership -- or none. There are plenty of reasons to network right now. Personal connections remain one of the best ways to find a job. Being with other people can also give a psychological boost, especially to the job seekers who make up a large percentage of attendees at many groups' events. A number of groups have cut their fees or offered discounts for the unemployed. Others have changed their events. Money isn't
the only barrier to networking. Many of those who are still employed
are working long hours. For job hunters, obstacles range from family
commitments to discouragement. Part of the problem is that there
simply aren't enough jobs. But some say not everyone networks effectively. Do-Not-Call List Opens Californians tired of incessant telemarketers can now sign up for a national "do not call'' list that promises to stop many, but not all, unsolicited pitches. State officials and consumer groups unveiled California's sign-up program on March 31. When it does go into effect, officials said, it will help level the playing field for American consumers, who get 100 million marketing calls a day. By mid-evening Monday, 25,000 people had signed up for the list, the state Attorney General's Office said. Telemarketing has become a $300-billion-a-year business, employing about 4 million worker. The steady stream of calls is also driving consumers to wits' end. Many people no longer answer their home phones, and companies have sold millions of gadgets designed to eliminate telemarketing calls by faking the tones of a disconnected number. (In response, a Massachusetts company earlier this year unveiled a telemarketing tool it says can penetrate home privacy defenses.) Backers say do-not-call lists stop unwanted calls at the source, avoiding the need for gee-whiz gadgetry. The national do-not-call list will not go into effect until Oct. 1. Businesses will be required to purchase the list Sept. 1, and they will have one month to scrub names and numbers off their marketing lists. There are exceptions to the program. Companies can call people who have bought, leased or rented something from them in the last 18 months. And a company can call people who have inquired about or applied for something from the company in the past three months. Charities, political calls and surveys are also exempt from the new law.
San Jose's own version of the Amber Alert -- the statewide system that beams notices about abducted children to news outlets and electronic freeway signs -- will start this month, but police are still building up a bank of e-mail addresses. To keep the workload manageable, officials said, they will e-mail only businesses, youth centers, neighborhood associations and any other group of 10 or more people. The recipient would then forward the message to people on their list. The messages in email will include the summary of a crime, and a description of a suspect and a vehicle. Computer users won't be able to reply to the e-mail, but there will be a phone number to call with information. In September, San Jose
police began e-mailing school districts to alert them about significant
incidents: strangers who have harassed children on their way to
class, a physical attack near the school, or protests that were
occurring near school grounds that could be viewed as offensive
to children. People said it will be important for groups to pass
along the crime alerts or post them in a visible spot because many
families don't have personal computers or e-mail access. |
