Reflections on readings for Jan 21st

Re: Improving your ability to share and connect (http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=57822962130)

I did not know Facebook had a higher, more noble, if you'd like, goal than just to connect people. It turns out that Facebook folks want to make the world more open so that people know what is going on around them. They hope as people share more, so will the organizations, companies and governments. Interesting...

It actually could work. Certainly, organizations, companies and governments should know that media (including social medium like Facebook) is like sports - nobody cares about the second. You'd better tell what happened first, otherwise, you'll end up justifying your own actions, no matter how right they were. In addition, many companies, organizations and governments open Facebook pages. It helps them to look like they keep up with modern trends, technology and care about young people.

What do you think? Would Facebook make the world a better (more open) place bringing more transparency and reinforcing accountability?

Re: Clive Thomspon on Real-World Social Networks vs. Facebook "Friends" (http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/16-08/st_thompson)

Reality mining is beneficial. Especially, when it helps to figure out what actually goes on in reality. One of the conclusions made in this particular study is that managers are rather peripheral and not a crucial link that spreads information among team members. I'm not surprised. Sincere communication requires trust. Trust is more likely achieved among equals, i.e. fellow colleagues, not with your manager who has authority over you.

The article also raises a crucial issue in relation to studying communication patterns and reality mining - in whose hands this information can end up and how they are going to use it. Predicting disease outbreaks, social trends etc sounds great. But how about getting to know people so well that you can manipulate them to do virtually anything. Or raising "zombies" when you take the communication patterns' studies to the next level and figure out exactly what kind of upbringing or social trends lead to what personality.

I may be overreacting, but access to information (especially scientifically proven and well-researched) is too powerful not to provide for every nightmare scenario, not just the privacy one.

Re: VISUALIZING THE U.S. SENATE by SOCIAL GRAPH - Andrew Odewahn (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8I5iMa_VV0)

Great work with numbers and statistical analysis. Although I'm not sure how the information about these patterns can be used...Any ideas?

Off-topic: that picture of a weird animal behind the speaker did not complement the presentation well, I think. Associations can be very powerful.