Social Information Architecture IA Summit 2007 Las Vegas, Nevada March 22, 2007

Today’s Agenda 8:30 Introduction to Social IA 10:15 Tagging and Folksonomies 1:00 Designing for Social Sharing 3:30 Presentations, Q & A 5:00 Wrap-up & Drinks

8:30 Introduction to Social IA

10:15 Tagging and Folksonomies

1:00 Designing for Social Sharing

3:30 Presentations, Q & A

5:00 Wrap-up & Drinks

About the Exercises We’ll break into small groups (5 or 6 people) Work with the same group all day Each speaker has different exercises Speakers might influence each others’ exercises Present in the afternoon

We’ll break into small groups (5 or 6 people)

Work with the same group all day

Each speaker has different exercises

Speakers might influence each others’ exercises

Present in the afternoon

Speakers Rashmi Sinha Thomas Vander Wal Gene Smith

Rashmi Sinha

Thomas Vander Wal

Gene Smith

Information Architecture is the Structural design of shared information environments

Information Architecture is the

Structural design of shared information environments

Information Architecture is the Structural design of shared information environments Shared design of semi-structured information environments

Information Architecture is the

Structural design of shared information environments

Shared design of semi-structured information environments

Social information architecture User actions create some or all of the structure of an information environment Using the wisdom of crowds to solve the problems of IA Find, use and interact in information environments

User actions create some or all of the structure of an information environment

Using the wisdom of crowds to solve the problems of IA

Find, use and interact in information environments

Why is social IA important? Growth in online collaboration Emergence of web as social infrastructure Increasing interest in using social media for business purposes Pressure to move beyond hand-crafted IA

Growth in online collaboration

Emergence of web as social infrastructure

Increasing interest in using social media for business purposes

Pressure to move beyond hand-crafted IA

Recent Trends Mass amateurization Mass collaboration Online sharing Explosion of web-based social technologies

Mass amateurization

Mass collaboration

Online sharing

Explosion of web-based social technologies

Social Software Definition Social software enables people to rendezvous, connect or collaborate through computer-mediated communication. Wikipedia

Social software enables people to rendezvous, connect or collaborate through computer-mediated communication.

Wikipedia

More Social Software Definitions Software that treats groups different that individuals Stuff that gets spammed “ people will bend communications tools to social uses” Clay Shirky

Software that treats groups different that individuals

Stuff that gets spammed

“ people will bend communications tools to social uses”

Clay Shirky

Social Software Building Blocks

Wisdom of Crowds Under the right conditions, groups are smarter than individuals Conditions Diversity Independence Decentralization Aggregation

Under the right conditions, groups are smarter than individuals

Conditions

Diversity

Independence

Decentralization

Aggregation

Architectures of Participation Systems designed For user contribution Around the culture and economics of openness For individuals, groups and crowds

Systems designed

For user contribution

Around the culture and economics of openness

For individuals, groups and crowds

Creators, Synthesizers and Consumers

A Digression…

Yahoo’s Popular Photos Different actions lead to different patterns Patterns are consistent (but subtle) This is information architecture Need to understand them if we are to create structure from them

Different actions lead to different patterns

Patterns are consistent (but subtle)

This is information architecture

Need to understand them if we are to create structure from them

Three ingredients for social IA Capture User Actions Aggregate and Display Feedback

Capture User Actions

Aggregate and Display

Feedback

User Actions

User Actions Things people do online that we can track Building blocks Popularity Community Reputation Ignore higher goals & motivations

Things people do online that we can track

Building blocks

Popularity

Community

Reputation

Ignore higher goals & motivations

Del.icio.us

Amazon

YouTube

The Genius of Digg

Aggregation & Display Bringing together user actions in a relevant way Displaying them Rules

Bringing together user actions in a relevant way

Displaying them

Rules

Kinds of Aggregation (not an exhaustive list) Listing Ranking Clustering Collaborative filtering Other algorithms

Listing

Ranking

Clustering

Collaborative filtering

Other algorithms

Listing (and prototagging)

Ranking Count an action Order them

Count an action

Order them

NYTimes.com

Clustering

Collaborative Filtering

Other Algorithms

Interestingness

Feedback

A feedback loop is a system where outputs are fed back into the system as inputs, increasing or decreasing effects. - Wikipedia

A feedback loop is a system where outputs are fed back into the system as inputs, increasing or decreasing effects.

- Wikipedia

Positive Feedback First, close your eyes Listen for clapping If you hear a clap, you must also clap Try to clap within 0.5 seconds Don’t stop until I say stop

First, close your eyes

Listen for clapping

If you hear a clap, you must also clap

Try to clap within 0.5 seconds

Don’t stop until I say stop

Negative Feedback First, close your eyes Listen for clapping If you hear a clap, you must also clap Try to clap within 0.5 seconds Once you’ve clapped, you can’t clap again for two seconds

First, close your eyes

Listen for clapping

If you hear a clap, you must also clap

Try to clap within 0.5 seconds

Once you’ve clapped, you can’t clap again for two seconds

Positive feedback If someone immediately around you has their hand up, raise your hand For now, ignore empty chairs

If someone immediately around you has their hand up, raise your hand

For now, ignore empty chairs

Negative feedback If the person immediately in front of you or to your left has their hand, raise your hand If they put their hand down, put your hand down

If the person immediately in front of you or to your left has their hand, raise your hand

If they put their hand down, put your hand down

Feedback fuels system

Positive feedback in Digg

Positive feedback in Digg

Democradig

Tagging Suggestions

“ There are obvious dangers in establishing a positive feedback loop where potentially unsuitable tags may be reused due to the tag’s initial popularity and subsequent exposure as a tag recommendation. This leads one to wonder whether it is preferable to have popular (but perhaps not intuitively obvious) tags, or to have a larger spread of relatively uncommon tags, possibly representing more accurate reflections or a wider spread of points of view” Marieke Guy & Emma Tonkin

“ There are obvious dangers in establishing a positive feedback loop where potentially unsuitable tags may be reused due to the tag’s initial popularity and subsequent exposure as a tag recommendation. This leads one to wonder whether it is preferable to have popular (but perhaps not intuitively obvious) tags, or to have a larger spread of relatively uncommon tags, possibly representing more accurate reflections or a wider spread of points of view”

Marieke Guy & Emma Tonkin

Places to Intervene (also not an exhaustive list) Introduce delays Modify the strength of feedback loops Who has access to what information? Adjust incentives and punishments Change the system

Introduce delays

Modify the strength of feedback loops

Who has access to what information?

Adjust incentives and punishments

Change the system

Challenges Spam Gaming Balance Relevance Unintended consequences

Spam

Gaming

Balance

Relevance

Unintended consequences

Design Principles Allow for different levels of engagement Monitor and tweak feedback loops Trade-offs: transparency v. gaming Digg started simple, became more complicated to deal with gaming (but also became less satisfying to use) Participate in larger ecosystem YouTube is viral Design new actions, aggregators, display

Allow for different levels of engagement

Monitor and tweak feedback loops

Trade-offs: transparency v. gaming

Digg started simple, became more complicated to deal with gaming (but also became less satisfying to use)

Participate in larger ecosystem

YouTube is viral

Design new actions, aggregators, display

Exercise