1. Visualization of Tag Drafting…

    Tuesday, 29 May 2007 View Comments Posted by: Sean O'Driscoll

    Awhile back I introduced the notion of Tag Drafting as a way to think about adding efficiency to online information consumption…via topic drafting and/or author drafting.  I’m still very sold on this model in terms of how you might apply it to drive high quality content filtration to online conversations – in fact, I’m drafting every day on the topics that interest me most.

    Lots to discuss here in the future about rating, reputation, voting, and social Bookmarking tools – various combinations of which offer community managers a number of new ways to improve communities both for the most active participants and equally importantly the drive-by participants or "silent searchers."

    Sue Waters at Mobile Technologies in TAFE took the topic a little further in a good explanation at this link of RSS Drafting.  She was kind of enough to send me a link to extisp.icio.us.  

    For those inclined to like the idea of tag drafting, this cool little tool gives you a navigable visualization diagram of a tagger’s tags in delicious.  Have a look at my visualization:  http://kevan.org/extispicious.cgi?name=seanodmvp.  Obviously I have a few topics I predominately tag about :)   But you get the idea.

    It’s my belief that people who share one interest often share other and related interests as well.  I still think it is too hard to make all of this super efficient as part of my normal daily workflow, but I see a lot of great innovation leading in the right direction.  Assuming I know the delicious name, I can quickly grab the visualization, click on a tag and click on an RSS feed to everything that person tags on the topic…Love it!

    More to do of course… For example, it would be really powerful if I could create custom groups of people, visualize their tags, and subscribe to a group RSS feed on the topic – a multi-author, single topic RSS feed – sounds like a combination Reputation + Bookmarking + syndication service).  If someone knows an easy way to do this, let me know:)

    Late addition:  Sue also has a great Wiki article on maximizing your use of Delicious.

    Sean

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  2. A day to remember days of great consequence: Memorial Day.

    Monday, 28 May 2007 View Comments Posted by: Sean O'Driscoll

    Memorial Day

    Of all the reminders worth re-reading today, I thought the Gettysburg Address most appropriate.

    The Gettysburg Address

    President Abraham Lincoln
    November 19, 1863

    “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

    Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

     Sean

  3. Halo 3 – user generated insights…

    Thursday, 24 May 2007 View Comments Posted by: Sean O'Driscoll

    Ok, I’ve talked a lot about online communities as a vehicle for capturing product insight and generating a sense of maternity in your innovation…well, here’s an example right here close to home:

    Halo 3 beta preaches to the converted: Landmark program lets fans influence development of favorite franchise

    A ton of interesting things going on here in terms of getting feedback, managing change to a franchise with RAVING fans, and building momentum and buzz for an upcoming launch expected to rival Spiderman 3 in terms of open weekend gross revenue.

    A good illustration is from the article quoted here:

    Download troubles
    “Crackdown” was a minor critical hit, but the game’s impressive sales figures (approximately 900,000) were no doubt boosted by the inclusion of the “Halo 3″ beta. Gamers that tried to enter the beta via “Crackdown,” though, were treated to a nasty surprise last Wednesday when they were unable to download the demo while other beta players enjoyed rousing sessions of digital gunplay.

    Bungie’s message boards were an inferno of impassioned freak-outs, but the crisis was averted that evening when the “Crackdown” bug was fixed and downloads began. To read the message boards now, all is forgiven. Master Chief is truly the Dr. Phil of rampaging gamers.

    Bungie must inch across a precarious tightrope for “Halo 3.” The shooter’s mechanics are so beloved — over 5 million gamers have played around 700 million online games of “Halo 2″ — that Bungie risks upsetting the fanbase by making too many changes. However, there is an equal danger in playing it too safe and not delivering a new enough experience to justify buying an Xbox 360 for “Halo 3.”

    Looks to me like a real and committed relationship between Bungie and it most passionate users…with such a franchise as Halo, everyone wants a win…Bungie and its loyal Halo fans!!

    Sean

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