Comments on: Passing the buck http://synapses.co.za/passing-buck/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=passing-buck one neuron at a time is better than nothing Mon, 21 May 2012 14:02:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: JP Rossouwhttp://synapses.co.za/passing-buck/comment-page-1/#comment-182 JP Rossouw Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:42:43 +0000 http://synapses.co.za/?p=245#comment-182 You are sitting in a room with a group, and everyone is murmuring to one another, but one man is talking the loudest, after a short while dominating the room. He has all the attention, but is his opinion more important? SEO, aggregators, etc, do reward the loud (as does popular culture and modern news), but the web also rewards (more usefully) the persistent. The persistent are more likely, I'd argue, to contain experts or at least genuinely interested parties... though they can also be full of loons. You are sitting in a room with a group, and everyone is murmuring to one another, but one man is talking the loudest, after a short while dominating the room. He has all the attention, but is his opinion more important? SEO, aggregators, etc, do reward the loud (as does popular culture and modern news), but the web also rewards (more usefully) the persistent. The persistent are more likely, I’d argue, to contain experts or at least genuinely interested parties… though they can also be full of loons.

]]> By: Jacqueshttp://synapses.co.za/passing-buck/comment-page-1/#comment-177 Jacques Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:32:03 +0000 http://synapses.co.za/?p=245#comment-177 I meant to mention the "wisdom of crowds" - thanks for the reminder. I've read it, and am happy to accept that the consensus can be a safe choice when it comes to trivial matters - the example you mention (humour) is apt. But I'm not happy to accept the wisdom of crowds for anything technical or complicated, or something where I suspect I may have an idiosyncratic point of view. If this all makes me sound elitist, ah well... I meant to mention the “wisdom of crowds” – thanks for the reminder. I’ve read it, and am happy to accept that the consensus can be a safe choice when it comes to trivial matters – the example you mention (humour) is apt. But I’m not happy to accept the wisdom of crowds for anything technical or complicated, or something where I suspect I may have an idiosyncratic point of view. If this all makes me sound elitist, ah well…

]]> By: Michael Meadonhttp://synapses.co.za/passing-buck/comment-page-1/#comment-176 Michael Meadon Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:37:36 +0000 http://synapses.co.za/?p=245#comment-176 Well... I see what you're saying but there is something to the 'wisdom of crowds'. (It's been hyped, for sure, but there's a valuable remainder). For one, Wikipedia is the largest and best encyclopedia in history and the bulk of it was written by non-experts. (The editorial oversight thing is still in trail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Flagged_revisions). Also, Digg, the 'Popular' pages on Google Reader and Google News, etc. are a great way of keeping track of non-serious stuff (humour, etc.) and I always find it interesting what people are reading about. (Though, the 'Popular' items on Google News often makes for depressing reading - the important stuff is often overwhelmed by garbage such as the latest flap about, say, Dancing with the Stars). Anyway, I'm not really disagreeing with your overall point, but I do think you take it a bit far in the elitist direction. Well… I see what you’re saying but there is something to the ‘wisdom of crowds’. (It’s been hyped, for sure, but there’s a valuable remainder). For one, Wikipedia is the largest and best encyclopedia in history and the bulk of it was written by non-experts. (The editorial oversight thing is still in trail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Flagged_revisions). Also, Digg, the ‘Popular’ pages on Google Reader and Google News, etc. are a great way of keeping track of non-serious stuff (humour, etc.) and I always find it interesting what people are reading about. (Though, the ‘Popular’ items on Google News often makes for depressing reading – the important stuff is often overwhelmed by garbage such as the latest flap about, say, Dancing with the Stars).

Anyway, I’m not really disagreeing with your overall point, but I do think you take it a bit far in the elitist direction.

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