Comments on: Learning about social software http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/09/13/learning-about-social-software/ a blog about information Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:37:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Everything about Prediction Markets » Blog Archive » Learning about social software http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/09/13/learning-about-social-software/comment-page-1/#comment-9516 Everything about Prediction Markets » Blog Archive » Learning about social software Fri, 29 Sep 2006 14:13:25 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/09/13/learning-about-social-software/#comment-9516 [...] Original post by JP and software by Elliott Back [...] [...] Original post by JP and software by Elliott Back [...]

]]> By: Zbigniew Lukasiak http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/09/13/learning-about-social-software/comment-page-1/#comment-7750 Zbigniew Lukasiak Thu, 14 Sep 2006 08:53:05 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/09/13/learning-about-social-software/#comment-7750 But after the experiments were done the Physics started. Now we don't know what really works in Social Software, the models tried at the first incarnation - groupware - failed, but it does not mean that there are no rules and we can only gather outcomes of individual experiments and we can never have any theory. There is a theory and we should strive to discover it. We need to play with our models, assumptions about what really plays role and what we can throw out from the model to simplify it. But after the experiments were done the Physics started. Now we don’t know what really works in Social Software, the models tried at the first incarnation – groupware – failed, but it does not mean that there are no rules and we can only gather outcomes of individual experiments and we can never have any theory. There is a theory and we should strive to discover it. We need to play with our models, assumptions about what really plays role and what we can throw out from the model to simplify it.

]]> By: Stephen Smoliar http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/09/13/learning-about-social-software/comment-page-1/#comment-7686 Stephen Smoliar Wed, 13 Sep 2006 15:26:03 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/09/13/learning-about-social-software/#comment-7686 The best parable about experimenting comes from an old B.C. comic strip (views of modern life in a caveman setting). Peter, the "intellectual" in the cast of characters, is dragging a forked stick on the ground. He announces to everyone, "I shall now prove to you idiots that parallel lines never meet." He shows the parallel lines drawn by the stick and continues, "I shall walk around the earth; and, when I return, you will see that the lines are still apart. ... See you later." So he walks around the earth; and, as he walks, (you guessed it) the ends of the stick wear down from the friction. When he returns, the stick has worn down so much that the two forks are gone. So there Peter stands, in from of the same crowd, with his stick now drawing a single line, looking very sheepish! Before the publication of "guides" for "dummies" and "complete idiots" became an industry, there was this really great book called HOW TO LIE WITH STATISTICS. It was one of the best introductions to what statistics could tell you and, more importantly, what they could NOT tell you. The B.C. parable really needs to be expanded into a book called HOW TO LIE WITH EXPERIMENTS (or, perhaps even better, HOW TO LIE WITH SCIENTIFIC METHOD). There is certainly a whole book's worth of content on improper experimentation, beginning with design and going all the way to interpretation of results. The purpose of this cautionary rant is to draw a distinction between EXPERIMENT and EXPERIENCE. Having had to supervise the management of a mini-conference on persistent conversation, I know that there are some good minds out there who know about designing experiments for social software, but I am not sure how much all that experimentation has done beyond advancing individual publication records. So what is the other side of the coin? I would say it is based on anecdotal accounts of experiences. This has assets and liabilities. The most important liability is that one cannot generalize from a single instance, but the fact that the anecdote is grounded in a single instance gives it a concreteness that is lacking in most experimental results. Also, the narrative of the account, like any narrative, can be interpreted in many ways. Is that an asset or a liability? I do not believe there is a hard-and-fast answer to that question. Back in 1984 Eric Eisenberg wrote an excellent paper about "strategic ambiguity," explaining the strategic assets of different people coming away from an encounter with different interpretations. I think this applies to how we interpret narrative accounts of experiences, particularly with new technologies. My punch line, then, is that you will probably learn more from experiential accounts than you will from experimental results; but do not assume that what you learn is "truth." All we can ever do is gather evidence. How we use that evidence will always be highly situated, and our situations will always be changing? As long as we are comfortable living in a world of "evidence without conclusions," all will be well! The best parable about experimenting comes from an old B.C. comic strip (views of modern life in a caveman setting). Peter, the “intellectual” in the cast of characters, is dragging a forked stick on the ground. He announces to everyone, “I shall now prove to you idiots that parallel lines never meet.” He shows the parallel lines drawn by the stick and continues, “I shall walk around the earth; and, when I return, you will see that the lines are still apart. … See you later.” So he walks around the earth; and, as he walks, (you guessed it) the ends of the stick wear down from the friction. When he returns, the stick has worn down so much that the two forks are gone. So there Peter stands, in from of the same crowd, with his stick now drawing a single line, looking very sheepish!

Before the publication of “guides” for “dummies” and “complete idiots” became an industry, there was this really great book called HOW TO LIE WITH STATISTICS. It was one of the best introductions to what statistics could tell you and, more importantly, what they could NOT tell you. The B.C. parable really needs to be expanded into a book called HOW TO LIE WITH EXPERIMENTS (or, perhaps even better, HOW TO LIE WITH SCIENTIFIC METHOD). There is certainly a whole book’s worth of content on improper experimentation, beginning with design and going all the way to interpretation of results.

The purpose of this cautionary rant is to draw a distinction between EXPERIMENT and EXPERIENCE. Having had to supervise the management of a mini-conference on persistent conversation, I know that there are some good minds out there who know about designing experiments for social software, but I am not sure how much all that experimentation has done beyond advancing individual publication records.

So what is the other side of the coin? I would say it is based on anecdotal accounts of experiences. This has assets and liabilities. The most important liability is that one cannot generalize from a single instance, but the fact that the anecdote is grounded in a single instance gives it a concreteness that is lacking in most experimental results. Also, the narrative of the account, like any narrative, can be interpreted in many ways. Is that an asset or a liability? I do not believe there is a hard-and-fast answer to that question. Back in 1984 Eric Eisenberg wrote an excellent paper about “strategic ambiguity,” explaining the strategic assets of different people coming away from an encounter with different interpretations. I think this applies to how we interpret narrative accounts of experiences, particularly with new technologies.

My punch line, then, is that you will probably learn more from experiential accounts than you will from experimental results; but do not assume that what you learn is “truth.” All we can ever do is gather evidence. How we use that evidence will always be highly situated, and our situations will always be changing? As long as we are comfortable living in a world of “evidence without conclusions,” all will be well!

]]> By: Portable Antiquities Blog http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/09/13/learning-about-social-software/comment-page-1/#comment-7674 Portable Antiquities Blog Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:27:17 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2006/09/13/learning-about-social-software/#comment-7674 <strong>Social software experimentation</strong> I’ve been surfing around alot during my two week break from the Museum, and enjoying the time off immensely. It has allowed me some time to develop and experiment with various internet software; I’ve just revamped my rugby club website&#82... Social software experimentation

I’ve been surfing around alot during my two week break from the Museum, and enjoying the time off immensely. It has allowed me some time to develop and experiment with various internet software; I’ve just revamped my rugby club website&#82…

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