The Party at the Library
April 7th, 2008 by Ran ZilcaThe web started as the software equivalent of a library. At first, it was only you and the books. You could “browse” different pages of different books, look at the pictures on the pages, and read on. As the initial years went by you started noticing that there are other people in the library as well. They were sitting and reading - like you, but it was hard to know more about them. A bunch of faceless mannequins or crash-test-dummies…
We all know what happened next: the library started carrying videos, CDs and all sorts of other stuff - all for the browsing pleasure of the visitors. Then, visitors were allowed do donate their own stuff if they wanted. Image sharing, video sharing, blogs, and social networks. The mannequins got a face, clothes, and their chance of writing a book about themselves and publishing it in the library!
Use this analogy and you understand why most people use MySpace and Facebook to stay in touch with people they already know and rarely meet new people. Reading books and watching videos is fun, reading other people’s books and watching their videos is more fun. And - leaving them a note at the end of the book is even more fun. But it’s still not really social. There’s no party going on at the library yet.
So what’s missing? We call it “social fabric.” It’s the thing that gets a party going, the vast flow of information that people pick up instantly about other people. When you walk in to a real party you see people move, interact, respond to their environment (the music in the room), and choose their spot (standing next to the punch bowl). You can immediately tell who’s a geek, a party animal, a sports fan, or a metal head. And more importantly - you know who is like you and who reminds you of people you know.
And while it could be pretty darn difficult to get a party with 100 people going, getting it going with 100 million people is much harder. This is what Signal Patterns is trying to do.
Party on 