Comments on: is Google the conversational nerd? http://www.evansink.com/2009/02/is-google-the-conversational-nerd/ musings on local media, and other random acts of two cent journalism. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:20:39 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: How to Get Six Pack Fast http://www.evansink.com/2009/02/is-google-the-conversational-nerd/comment-page-1/#comment-8365 How to Get Six Pack Fast Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:50:00 +0000 http://www.evansink.com/?p=232#comment-8365 Hey, nice tips. I'll buy a bottle of beer to the person from that chat who told me to go to your blog :) Hey, nice tips. I’ll buy a bottle of beer to the person from that chat who told me to go to your blog :)

]]> By: Richard Haussmann http://www.evansink.com/2009/02/is-google-the-conversational-nerd/comment-page-1/#comment-2258 Richard Haussmann Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:48:41 +0000 http://www.evansink.com/?p=232#comment-2258 There's an article that was in the O'Reilly Radar a while back. The writer quoted a friend of his as saying.... “He pointed out that cultural artifacts have always been divided into popular culture (on the tips of our tongues), cached culture (readily available in an encyclopedia or at the local library) and archived culture (gotta put on your researcher hat and dig, but you can find it in a research library somewhere).” (Quote from: http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/02/the-kindle-and-the-end-of-the.html) Let's say we try and apply this pre-Internet information sources. As information progresses through the "arena," (rather than being in the seats, the information or (dare I use a buzz word) meme is a gladiator fighting for its existance), it goes from disposible to more durable and from fringe to pop culture to "tradition." Developing Culture: Social Groups/Locations, Newsletters, 'zines Popular culture: Newspapers and Popular Magazines Cached culture: Popular Books Archived culture: Library reference books I would even go so far as to put Twitter (and user generated sites like 4chan) as Developing Culture, where concepts like the 25 things or LOL Cats are developed as well as “live” news, etc. Developing Culture: Twitter, 4chan Popular Culture: Blogs, FARK, Digg and other news aggregates (because they tend to comment on established news stories or ideas that may have survived the previous “era” and become popular) Cached Culture: Google Archived Culture: Amazon (?) Google seems to try to influence either side with less than spectacular results (Orkut in the US on one side and Google Book Search on the other). What Google can control, at least somewhat, is what and how something enters cached culture and, maybe to a lesser extent, what gets "archived." I think what the Google VP doesn't get is that they aren't going to be able to control the information or who is a "quality voice" and remain useful. They'll be like the librarian who tries to keep Harry Potter off the bookselves. People will just go elsewhere. I'm more likely to google an aggregate movie review or a Pad Thai recipe than take my chances with my social network (not a proper Thai chef in the lot). I don't need Google to index that I took my kids to basball practice today but I might want friends to know as an update. I really don't need "facts" for that. That's not to say that social media has no place in cached culture ("what was the most popular Pad Thai recipe six months ago?"). In the end, Google is best as a library, not a salon. At least that's what I hope they're trying to get at. I don't think they're nerds they're just not in the conversation business. (But like any socially impaired nerd, they want desperately to get invited to the party.) There’s an article that was in the O’Reilly Radar a while back. The writer quoted a friend of his as saying…. “He pointed out that cultural artifacts have always been divided into popular culture (on the tips of our tongues), cached culture (readily available in an encyclopedia or at the local library) and archived culture (gotta put on your researcher hat and dig, but you can find it in a research library somewhere).”
(Quote from: http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/02/the-kindle-and-the-end-of-the.html)

Let’s say we try and apply this pre-Internet information sources. As information progresses through the “arena,” (rather than being in the seats, the information or (dare I use a buzz word) meme is a gladiator fighting for its existance), it goes from disposible to more durable and from fringe to pop culture to “tradition.”
Developing Culture: Social Groups/Locations, Newsletters, ‘zines
Popular culture: Newspapers and Popular Magazines
Cached culture: Popular Books
Archived culture: Library reference books

I would even go so far as to put Twitter (and user generated sites like 4chan) as Developing Culture, where concepts like the 25 things or LOL Cats are developed as well as “live” news, etc.

Developing Culture: Twitter, 4chan
Popular Culture: Blogs, FARK, Digg and other news aggregates (because they tend to comment on established news stories or ideas that may have survived the previous “era” and become popular)
Cached Culture: Google
Archived Culture: Amazon (?)

Google seems to try to influence either side with less than spectacular results (Orkut in the US on one side and Google Book Search on the other). What Google can control, at least somewhat, is what and how something enters cached culture and, maybe to a lesser extent, what gets “archived.” I think what the Google VP doesn’t get is that they aren’t going to be able to control the information or who is a “quality voice” and remain useful. They’ll be like the librarian who tries to keep Harry Potter off the bookselves. People will just go elsewhere.

I’m more likely to google an aggregate movie review or a Pad Thai recipe than take my chances with my social network (not a proper Thai chef in the lot). I don’t need Google to index that I took my kids to basball practice today but I might want friends to know as an update. I really don’t need “facts” for that. That’s not to say that social media has no place in cached culture (“what was the most popular Pad Thai recipe six months ago?”).

In the end, Google is best as a library, not a salon. At least that’s what I hope they’re trying to get at. I don’t think they’re nerds they’re just not in the conversation business. (But like any socially impaired nerd, they want desperately to get invited to the party.)

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