A very interesting piece from Jeff Jarvis on his blog, Buzzmachine about the nature of networks, and in particular the different models between old broadcasting networks and new interpersonal ones. The whole thing is worth a read, but here are some interesting snippets:
Networks are about aggregation more than distribution; they are about finding and being found.
I think there are a couple of levels to this too - your personal network (your online identity, blogs, myspace, friends reunited, whatever) which is very much about linking with people you already (mostly) know. And the aggregators you trust to give you the information you want, whether you do that through a newsfeed or just the recommendation engines on amazon.com
The smart network response to all this is to liquify. You let your stuff be found anywhere, in any medium and any network. You let your public distribute for you (see Jon Stewart’s Crossfire rant). Most important — and this is where Umair said ABC should have been going next — you should recommend good stuff to people and it shouldn’t be just your stuff; you use your relationship, trust, and resources to aggregate stuff and audience across the world of possibilities. (This is essentially what I’m also suggesting to the BBC in my Guardian column this week, coming soon.) In the old static-network world, it made no sense to send people to other networks; in the new, fluid world, they’re going to go there anyway, and so the best thing to do is to help them find the best stuff, redefining the value of a network. And from a business perspective, I argue, you’re wise to grow audience and ad inventory across open networks of the stuff you recommend.
Read the whole thing here.
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