Comments on: 9 Ways Social Media Eliminates Gatekeepers

By: michelletripp

michelletripp — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:31:49 +0000

Hi Mark, thanks for the thoughtful comment! It's rewarding to see posts make an impact. We were all meant to achieve our fullest potential, and now that we have access beyond the gatekeepers, we're no longer limited by arbitrary obstacles. Internet and social media have provided us with an amazing gift.

Thanks again for your support of the blog!

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By: Dan Hutson

Dan Hutson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:51:10 +0000

I actually read BBBM around the time you first posted it. Couldn't agree with you more, although I think there's always going to be a limit to the ability of any tech to get inside my head and know what I want. That's where the curator (aided by tech) comes in. That combination of computational power and human intuition and intelligence will result in the hyper-organizer/recommender/collaborator I'll gladly pay for.

By: michelletripp

michelletripp — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:19:43 +0000

Thanks, Dan! I'm glad you brought up the concept of a curator. Great term! Perfect for putting a name on what's going to need to happen if we're going to make sense of all this new information and access. You're so right… all this information and these opportunities are overwhelming. The value is no longer just in the information, but in the ability to synthesize and organize it. In that vein of thinking, you might enjoy reading the "Big Bang Business Model" post (http://tr.im/bigbangbiz) in case you haven't come across it yet. There are some interesting parallels.

Here's an excerpt you might like:

"…What we humanoids need is a way to synthesize information. We need a serious time-saver. We need access to the best information customized to our personal preferences. New stuff. Old stuff that’s relevant to our new stuff. “Trusted” stuff. And untrusted stuff. Articles and blogs and social media conversations that represent our favorite products and brands, complement our daily activities, reflect our personal goals. All mishmashed into an aggregated system that we’d swear was magic. Super value efficiently delivered so we can be on high receive, while still having spare time to act on it and share it. There’s the value. That’s where the next business model is. Once Big Media crashes into the singularity, there will be an explosive opportunity to harness information. Not paywall it."

My feeling is that an aggregation model (in the form of an app or some sort of cloudware) will solve the impending critical mass of information, connections, and opportunities that threatens to drown us.

(Thanks for sharing, Dan! I'm headed over to your post.)

By: Mark Slatko

Mark Slatko — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:08:15 +0000

OK, so I'm not the second. Still great.

By: Mark Slatko

Mark Slatko — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:03:47 +0000

This post is so insightful, eye opening and so dead on, I'm actually honored to be the second one to comment on it (especially on the heels of Edward Boches, who is an equal authority on the powers of social media). I'm about to forward the post to everyone in the agency. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Michelle.

By: michelletripp

michelletripp — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:00:17 +0000

Hi Edward, I'm glad you enjoyed the post! I have to admit it started out as a comment on your "Do We Still Need The Gatekeepers" article. At some point I realized it was taking a life of its own. Thanks for the inspiration! Your posts just have a way of getting the wheels turning.

You make a great point about how it all boils down to the end of barriers to entry. It really is an amazing thing that all you need is a laptop and the internet to achieve almost anything you can imagine. Great times, indeed.

By: edward boches

edward boches — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:56:32 +0000

Michelle:
Your post is actually about more than the demise of gatekeepers, it's about the end of barriers to entry, a subject I've been planning to write about but you beat me to it. Well done. It's true. All you need anymore is an imagination. When I started you needed money, equipment, Xerox machines, stat machines, printers, drafting tables, landlines, office space. Now all you need is a laptop and an Internet connection. Beautiful thing. Great time to invent, start up, dream big and do it. Can't stand when people complain about lack of opportunities, bad economy or not. With the ability to take things into your own hands, anything is possible. As my friend John Winsor (who practices what he preaches) says, "great time to be alive."

By: Dan Hutson

Dan Hutson — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:09:00 +0000

Thoughtful as usual, Michelle. However, your sequel to this might be on the gatekeeper's more helpful cousin: the curator. The downside to unfettered access to people and information is … well, unfettered access to people and information.

Too much access, too much information can overwhelm and freeze us in our tracks. A trustworthy curator (or curators) can serve as the filter through which only the most useful, actionable information passes. Great editors have always served as the curators of great magazines and newspapers. Now even more individuals have the opportunity to play this critical role. But they'll need to earn my trust.

Yes, I want it all. But sometimes what I want can get in the way of me accomplishing what I need to accomplish. Unlike the gatekeeper, the curator will be my partner and enabler in taking advantage of all the opportunities available to me.

I actually wrote something on point to this a couple of weeks ago, about social media and the paradox of choice. Here's the link: http://bit.ly/Zifyi

By: Tweets that mention 9 Ways Social Media Eliminates Gatekeepers | Michelle Tripp: The BrandForward Blog

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:53:12 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dan St. Peter, JumpStartSocialMedia. JumpStartSocialMedia said: RT @michelletripp: New Blog Post! 9 Ways Social Media Eliminates Gatekeepers http://tr.im/nogatekeeper [...]