Comments on: Polymeme: Architecting the way out of echo chambers? http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/07/02/polymeme-architecting-the-way-out-of-echo-chambers/ EthanZ's musings on Africa, media and international development Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:45:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: denise young http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/07/02/polymeme-architecting-the-way-out-of-echo-chambers/comment-page-1/#comment-1076967 denise young Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:50:14 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2108#comment-1076967 This is great! It answers a real need for those of us who have drifted away from mainstream media outlets but are still motivated to keep feeding our polymath appetites with quality content. Thanks Ethan for writing about this. This is great! It answers a real need for those of us who have drifted away from mainstream media outlets but are still motivated to keep feeding our polymath appetites with quality content. Thanks Ethan for writing about this.

]]> By: links for 2008-07-03 « andrew golis http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/07/02/polymeme-architecting-the-way-out-of-echo-chambers/comment-page-1/#comment-1069747 links for 2008-07-03 « andrew golis Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:36:35 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2108#comment-1069747 [...] …My heart’s in Accra » Polymeme: Architecting the way out of echo chambers? Very cool site on an anti-homophily crusade. Serendipity and breadth of focus rules! (tags: new.media blogging tagging homophily ethan.zuckerman) [...] [...] …My heart’s in Accra » Polymeme: Architecting the way out of echo chambers? Very cool site on an anti-homophily crusade. Serendipity and breadth of focus rules! (tags: new.media blogging tagging homophily ethan.zuckerman) [...]

]]> By: Wayne http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/07/02/polymeme-architecting-the-way-out-of-echo-chambers/comment-page-1/#comment-1069287 Wayne Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:01:57 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2108#comment-1069287 Thanks Ethan - and thanks Evgeny! I've added the Polymeme general feed and am cleaning out a few others in my overgrown feed list already. Routes to smart material off the well trod digital path are sorely needed. Here's hoping Polymeme is a smashing success. Thanks Ethan – and thanks Evgeny! I’ve added the Polymeme general feed and am cleaning out a few others in my overgrown feed list already. Routes to smart material off the well trod digital path are sorely needed. Here’s hoping Polymeme is a smashing success.

]]> By: Lucy Hooberman http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/07/02/polymeme-architecting-the-way-out-of-echo-chambers/comment-page-1/#comment-1068924 Lucy Hooberman Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:24:55 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2108#comment-1068924 About seven years ago I started a research project that tried to define what a "serendipity engine" or a "discovery engine" might look like for people who positively wanted to find material on the web (or anywhere) across boundaries and silos of the then rather rigid hierarchies around subjects. We felt that nearly all development on the web was focussed on the faster, bigger, better delivery coming from business models, and not much was coming from more creative, cultural or gender specific models of searching and navigation...In those days it was very hard even to get people to imagine that some people wanted a journey of discovery through content, not just an arrival point. And so we were reduced to comparing this to either taking the motorway/freeway or to taking the scenic route , perhaps with a picnic! All that time ago we felt the easiest way to do this would be to explore these silos or hierarchies using a thesaurus model rather than a dictionary model to find what that might bring...maybe the time has come to get that research out again... About seven years ago I started a research project that tried to define what a “serendipity engine” or a “discovery engine” might look like for people who positively wanted to find material on the web (or anywhere) across boundaries and silos of the then rather rigid hierarchies around subjects. We felt that nearly all development on the web was focussed on the faster, bigger, better delivery coming from business models, and not much was coming from more creative, cultural or gender specific models of searching and navigation…In those days it was very hard even to get people to imagine that some people wanted a journey of discovery through content, not just an arrival point. And so we were reduced to comparing this to either taking the motorway/freeway or to taking the scenic route , perhaps with a picnic!
All that time ago we felt the easiest way to do this would be to explore these silos or hierarchies using a thesaurus model rather than a dictionary model to find what that might bring…maybe the time has come to get that research out again…

]]> By: Hanan Cohen http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/07/02/polymeme-architecting-the-way-out-of-echo-chambers/comment-page-1/#comment-1068157 Hanan Cohen Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:45:07 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2108#comment-1068157 After unsubscribing many feeds, PolyMeme is the first one that got me to subscribe. Thanks! After unsubscribing many feeds, PolyMeme is the first one that got me to subscribe. Thanks!

]]> By: Codrin Arsene http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/07/02/polymeme-architecting-the-way-out-of-echo-chambers/comment-page-1/#comment-1068056 Codrin Arsene Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:10:10 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2108#comment-1068056 Dear Mr. Zuckerman, Let me start by telling you how much I enjoy reading and referring your posts on my Blog news section. My name is Codrin Arsene, I am a young Africanist doing research at the University of Chicago, who has recently launched an African portal on political affairs. My website is designed to offer visitors daily analysis of the most important events, provide them with the most recent video news, daily updates of the most significant breaking news on the continent, with blog news and also a short feed of news explored somewhat in detail, on the right column. My primary area of interest is Chinese investment in Africa but I write on various African political events. The mission of this portal is to create the largest database of African and Africa-related blogs. By the end of the summer I hope to create different feed reads that will pile blog news from different social areas from African culture, Africa and technological advancements, African politics, travel to Africa and other similar resources. These feeds with compliment the current web platform that is mainly focused on political events. It will allow users to subscribe to these feeds and receive all the blog entries they want from a particular field of interest. I have also added you to my blogroll, followed your blog progress and, at times, I have listed your main stories in the Blog news, linking our blogs. As you will see the linkage fully respects the journalistic deontology listing the exact title and source. Since the blogroll is becoming bigger and bigger you will find that I might list fewer stories from your blog, only those which are of great importance for a particular day (I’m also limited by Google which only allows me to list 10 stories in the News section). While I’m really interested in your postings I’m also interested in helping bloggers with a great interest in African affairs interact. In the near future I will create a listhost inviting all those bloggers, researchers, PHD candidates with an interest on Africa to start debating on an issue that they feel they have the background and the knowledge to engage in such a debate. I will pair 2 or 3 bloggers for a limited period of time and give them the opportunity to debate and answer the questions other users will ask. I will also create several pages with the debaters’ profiles and resumes, if they accept this offer. If you would like to participate in such a project, please do not hesitate to contact me at csarsene@gmail.com so that when the listhost is launched I can add you on it immediately. I would also kindly ask you to add me to your blogroll if you think that the content of this portal is of general interest for the people living in your area or visiting your blog. By no means will I delete your blog from the blogroll or stop referring your stories if you choose not to add me to the blogroll. I will only do that at your explicit request. I hope that this project will help us bond, create strategic partnerships and collaborate in the future. After two weeks of generating Africa related content, this portal currently runs at 100-150 unique visitors a day. All the best Codrin Arsene http://codrinarsene.com/ csarsene@gmail.com +17739527859 PS: I apologize for not sending this messege to your email address but i could not find one listed on your blog. Dear Mr. Zuckerman,
Let me start by telling you how much I enjoy reading and referring your posts on my Blog news section.
My name is Codrin Arsene, I am a young Africanist doing research at the University of Chicago, who has recently launched an African portal on political affairs. My website is designed to offer visitors daily analysis of the most important events, provide them with the most recent video news, daily updates of the most significant breaking news on the continent, with blog news and also a short feed of news explored somewhat in detail, on the right column. My primary area of interest is Chinese investment in Africa but I write on various African political events. The mission of this portal is to create the largest database of African and Africa-related blogs. By the end of the summer I hope to create different feed reads that will pile blog news from different social areas from African culture, Africa and technological advancements, African politics, travel to Africa and other similar resources. These feeds with compliment the current web platform that is mainly focused on political events. It will allow users to subscribe to these feeds and receive all the blog entries they want from a particular field of interest. I have also added you to my blogroll, followed your blog progress and, at times, I have listed your main stories in the Blog news, linking our blogs. As you will see the linkage fully respects the journalistic deontology listing the exact title and source. Since the blogroll is becoming bigger and bigger you will find that I might list fewer stories from your blog, only those which are of great importance for a particular day (I’m also limited by Google which only allows me to list 10 stories in the News section).
While I’m really interested in your postings I’m also interested in helping bloggers with a great interest in African affairs interact. In the near future I will create a listhost inviting all those bloggers, researchers, PHD candidates with an interest on Africa to start debating on an issue that they feel they have the background and the knowledge to engage in such a debate. I will pair 2 or 3 bloggers for a limited period of time and give them the opportunity to debate and answer the questions other users will ask. I will also create several pages with the debaters’ profiles and resumes, if they accept this offer. If you would like to participate in such a project, please do not hesitate to contact me at csarsene@gmail.com so that when the listhost is launched I can add you on it immediately.
I would also kindly ask you to add me to your blogroll if you think that the content of this portal is of general interest for the people living in your area or visiting your blog. By no means will I delete your blog from the blogroll or stop referring your stories if you choose not to add me to the blogroll. I will only do that at your explicit request. I hope that this project will help us bond, create strategic partnerships and collaborate in the future.
After two weeks of generating Africa related content, this portal currently runs at 100-150 unique visitors a day.

All the best
Codrin Arsene
http://codrinarsene.com/
csarsene@gmail.com
+17739527859

PS: I apologize for not sending this messege to your email address but i could not find one listed on your blog.

]]> By: Evgeny http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/07/02/polymeme-architecting-the-way-out-of-echo-chambers/comment-page-1/#comment-1067746 Evgeny Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:23:25 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=2108#comment-1067746 Thanks for the kind words, Ethan! Let me also point out that there is also OpenCalais functionality to automatically "measure" buzz in all of our 20 areas: polymeme.com/buzz One of the challenges for Polymeme in the future is how to expose people to stories from various fields without ruining their user experience. So we'll probably be rolling out some tools along the Library Thing's UnSuggester, to recommend stories that may not otherwise appear on one's radar (based on previous user history)... p.s. You make it sound as if I am due to receive a Pulitzer prize for reporting soon -- I am not a full-time reporter, more of a commentator, so that your readers don't get confused -- there are still real people out there doing real reporting and not just writing essays and commentary like me:-) Thanks for the kind words, Ethan!

Let me also point out that there is also OpenCalais functionality to automatically “measure” buzz in all of our 20 areas: polymeme.com/buzz

One of the challenges for Polymeme in the future is how to expose people to stories from various fields without ruining their user experience. So we’ll probably be rolling out some tools along the Library Thing’s UnSuggester, to recommend stories that may not otherwise appear on one’s radar (based on previous user history)…

p.s. You make it sound as if I am due to receive a Pulitzer prize for reporting soon — I am not a full-time reporter, more of a commentator, so that your readers don’t get confused — there are still real people out there doing real reporting and not just writing essays and commentary like me:-)

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