A lot of the presentations at the ICWSM in Boulder are about extracting opinions from the web. Opinions from respected sources have a lot of value commercially. They are likely to figure largely in the natural search results for a product category, as anyone who has searched (e.g.) for “best digital camera” will note. So market researchers and camera-buyers alike have a keen interest in what opinions have been expressed. Continue reading →

Mark Rogers will be attending the International Conference on Weblogs and Social Media in Boulder, Colorado between 25th-28th March.  And blogging about it if a broken arm permits!  His GSM phone is +44 7866 369181 if you would like to catch up.

The problem created by two or more users SHOUTING at each other online is entertainingly diagnosed by Clay Shirky. He makes some profound and pointed observations about how groups behave online, pointing out that computer software regularly ignores that people make most use of computers as part of social networks. Shirky argues that open communities represent the “Tragedy of the Commons” where the group’s resources are owned in common, but Continue reading →