Explicit vs Implicit Content : an E2.0 Ecosystem

by Patti Anklam

In a recent post, Andrew McAfee offers insight into the distinction between implict and explicit content.

Explicit user-generated information is information that people knowingly and deliberately generate by contributing to online platforms. Examples of explicit information include a blog post or comment, a wiki edit, a vote or rating, a trade in a prediction market, a link, and a tag.

Implicit user-generated information is information that people unknowingly generate as they work online. It’s the digital fingerprints or traces that people leave as they follow links, look at content, consider one product then buy another, etc.

This article helped me to think about this distinction in the context of “what the user sees and does” (tools and applications) versus “underlying technologies” (collaborative filtering, visualization, mashups, data mining, etc.) It is the tools and applications that link people and content to collaborative and to co-create. It is the underlying technologies that capture and process the implicit information that provides additional explicit information into the mix. It’s a nice little ecosystem.

 

McAfee’s blog actually centered on the question of which is more important, implicit content (as Tim O’Reilly suggests) or explicit and came to this same conclusion: the more explicit content that is available (the more people contributing to the ecosystem), the more implicit content will become available, enriching the content environment. As E2.0 spreads, McAfee says, decision-makers who bring tools and technologies into the workplace need to be aware of (beware of) the difficulties in analyzing and using implicit data. There are privacy issues and measurement issues (are contributions individual or group? are people contributing to “look good” or to enable?). Along all of these, we’ll be wobbling for a while.

 

 

 

 

Share:
  • e-mail
  • TwitThis
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Digg
  • Reddit
  • SphereIt
  • Facebook
  • Google


No comments yet »

Your comment

HTML-Tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Additional comments powered by BackType





Custom Search
Online Database Reviews

Be sure to catch Bill Ives' ongoing review series in which he looks at online, sharable database apps. The focus of Bill's reviews: web-based business software that enables companies and individuals to better organize, track, and share information, as well as better manage projects, processes and workflows.

Among the Web-based tools he's reviewed: Zoho, QuickBase, and TrackVia.

Looking for apps that help you and your team get work done?

Check out the AppGap's Appopedia, an ever-expanding section with reviews of more than 150 of today's best tools to help you better manage projects and collaborate. Reviews are presented in a useful directory that breaks down tools by category and function, e.g., online crm, project management, human resources, security, etc. Check it out here.

The AppGap Webinar Series

The AppGap has hosted a series of discussions with leading thinkers and doers intended to illuminate how new apps and approaches are changing the way we work and help companies and individuals implement better collaboration, project management, and productivity practices and solutions. Access, via the links below, the recordings, each about an hour long, of the discussions.

- 5 Big Ideas for Getting All That Work Done
- Should Your Business be Friends with Facebook
- The Future of Work

Email Newsletter icon, E-mail Newsletter icon, Email List icon, E-mail List icon Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Recent Comments

  • StefanieM: RT @BillIves: post on Brightidea Releases its Idea Management Apps for iPhone and Android Platforms...
  • JanelleTNoble: @Brightideahq on the leading edge of collaboration trends- going mobile, a must! http://bit.ly/c1DclV...
  • BrightideaHQ: RT @theappgap: New Post “Brightidea Releases its Idea Management Apps for iPhone and Android...
  • insitevc: RT @BillIves: post on Brightidea Releases its Idea Management Apps for iPhone and Android Platforms...
  • ArikJohnson: RT @BillIves Brightidea Releases Idea Management Apps for #iPhone & #Android http://bit.ly/d1VsOR...
The AppGap is a blog and resource on the future of work and how new tools are addressing age-old challenges of organization, collaboration, and innovation. But it is also an idea: that there remains a gap between the toolset that exists and what's needed...

Can today's project management software be done better? What can online CRM help companies companies accomplish? Which development platform can help individuals and organizations build better online databases, Web based applications, and HR solutions? And what are the processes and best practices that help organizations large and small achieve success. Find out more.

About | Contributor Bios | Blog Policy | Contact us