Technics: Internet: Thawtprovocation from Read/Write Web

Read/Write Web is an email newsletter we get daily. Today it's got an stimulating article, "Read/WriteWeb on del.icio.us" (Feb15) from which a quote seems a propos to this column. I hardly ever click-up the companion site of the newsletter, but as background to the quote here's an important point that contextualizes what follows.

The pattern on del.icio.us is less obvious, but things become more clear once we realize that del.icio.us and comments on a blog reflect different kinds of actions. Comments reflect passions, bookmarks serve as references - so there is little overlap between them. More importantly, comments (like posts) are short lived. Unfortunately in our day and age, news and even analysis has a life span of a few hours. Once a post is off the front page of a blog, it is less discoverable and typically is not commented on anymore.

The bookmarks of del.icio.us, however, have a longer lifespan. After the first person bookmarks a post, it starts traveling through the del.icio.us network, acquiring more and more links, and growing stronger. What popular bookmarks indicate is a combination of time and usefulness. All of these posts are roughly 6 months old. It is likely that in another 6 months a new batch of R/WW posts will cross the 500 threshold on del.icio.us. This is just how references and networks evolve.

My uncle Owlb (editor of refWrite) insists I record each of my posts on delicious, so I do so. What the deuce? What's good for the gander is as good for the goose!

Technotes, by Owlie Scowlie

While I'm at it, did you notice on today's refWrite frontpage we updated the Valentine's piece by Unc with a YouTube 41-second videoclip (I'm the guy who got Hizz Nubbs to place it on the page, but I've got to give credit to columnist Audiovisiotor for finding it. Teamwork's a scream.