I’ve always liked Clay Shirkey. Smart guy, pissed enough to be honest (or is that honest enough to be pissed), but there’s also a hint of optimism that makes him reasonable rather than unbearable.
He gave a great keynote, but the story I liked the most was about a friend of his. This friend was watching a DVD with his daughter when his daughter hopped up, ran around the back of the television, and started rummaging through the cables. After a few minutes, dad asks her, “What are you doing?”
The little girl peeks her head out from behind the television.
“I’m looking for the mouse.”
Clay’s response is, paraphrasing, if it’s not interactive, it’s broken. Television and traditional media outlets, and the world in general, need to realize that all the “free time” we have these days will be spent sharing and contributing to the social web. That’s the essence of Web 2.0 and the future of social networks.
3 months ago