Some stats on market share email, news, messaging, maps, social networking

From the New York Times. Interesting stats.

notes from session 3

Our discussion of paper on friendster

This discussion focused on a range of points, including:
the relationship between research and personal experience
design and the 're-design' of systems through their usage
the way in which idealised sociological views (in this case of how relationships might happen) get materially embedded in the design of applications
how the use of this application reveals the complexity of identity
ideas of the public and private and how these get taken up and understood differently by people
the need to reflect on our own processes and experiences when researching software – including what motivates us
the ways in which system are not designed to reflect reality
the question of whether or not systems such as this offer new ways of performing identities
the pleasures of fraudalent identities
the remaking of authority and power relations – a sense that everyone is equal but that they are not – the ever present power relations of off-line realities
motivations and negotiations of identity – different levels of negotiation
the nature and character of friendship on and off line

Our use of supporting technologies in the group to date

Carey gave her 'reflection' on the groups use of the wiki, blog, mailing list etc. Her main points were:

There are some differences in many of the posts that go on wiki and blog – as outlined in the table on our wiki – such as length, personal vs public, etc.

However the distinction in our use of these resources is not as clear as the table we built up may suggest.

There were many posts that went across the blog and wiki, these seemed to have a particular characteristic which was the interconnectedness of 'content/info' and 'narrative/personnel account' almost as if the impossibility – or difficulty of separating out the the knowledge/info and the personal experience it was embedded in meant that it could not be clear where to put the post. Is this perhaps something to do with the personalisation of knowledge and the shifting boundaries between knowledge, information and personal experience?

We then looked at these in terms of how they configure the semiotic resources of time, pace and rhythm, spatial design, public private differently.

At the next meeting we will attempt to think what the effective use of these semiotic resources might be like for learning.