Comments on: The Attention Question in Social Business http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/ The people woven web Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:34:50 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Monkeymagic » The Attention Question in Social Business http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/comment-page-1/#comment-33868 Monkeymagic » The Attention Question in Social Business Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:02:05 +0000 http://socialwrite.com/?p=520#comment-33868 [...] here October 05th 2009 | Comments(0) | Asides on attention design paradox productivity psychology [...] [...] here October 05th 2009 | Comments(0) | Asides on attention design paradox productivity psychology [...]

]]> By: Jevon http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/comment-page-1/#comment-33829 Jevon Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:57:43 +0000 http://socialwrite.com/?p=520#comment-33829 @jim part of my point was that a lot of enterprise social computing tools right now focus primarily on drawing attention, and not on increasing productivity as a result. Increasing productivity is a much more difficult process than just "connecting people to see what happens". @jim part of my point was that a lot of enterprise social computing tools right now focus primarily on drawing attention, and not on increasing productivity as a result. Increasing productivity is a much more difficult process than just “connecting people to see what happens”.

]]> By: Jim Brown http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/comment-page-1/#comment-33828 Jim Brown Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:40:54 +0000 http://socialwrite.com/?p=520#comment-33828 Thank you for a brilliant observation. I agree with the observation, but your post led me to the wrong conclusion. That was probably more my doing than yours, but I struggled with it for the last few days (thanks for that). I focus on the use of social computing for product innovation, product development, and engineering and product lifecycle management (PLM). When I tried to apply the anology there, I couldn't make it fit. Then it occured to me why I couldn't apply the "Jevons-Jevon's Analogy." Is it really a problem that we are consuming the use of attention if it leads to greater levels of productivity? No. In fact, that is what we are trying to do. It is another paradox. Of course we don’t want to use up our scarce resource of peoples’ attention – but we do want to maximize it. And social computing helps maximize the productivity of this scarce resource. The issue is maximizing the business value from the scarce resource. The paradox and the analogy are important, but if you don’t consider productivity it can lead you to a very wrong conclusion. In fact, the Wikipedia definition of Jevons Paradox points out that it “ignores other benefits from increased efficiency.”Aren’t those exactly the benefits we are trying to achieve with social computing and social business? There is more in my post, although it may be more focused on social computing in PLM and not as interesting to your audience. Thanks again for a briliant post and for making me think! http://tech-clarity.com/clarityonplm/2009/social-computing-plm-scarce-attention/ Thank you for a brilliant observation. I agree with the observation, but your post led me to the wrong conclusion. That was probably more my doing than yours, but I struggled with it for the last few days (thanks for that).
I focus on the use of social computing for product innovation, product development, and engineering and product lifecycle management (PLM). When I tried to apply the anology there, I couldn’t make it fit. Then it occured to me why I couldn’t apply the “Jevons-Jevon’s Analogy.” Is it really a problem that we are consuming the use of attention if it leads to greater levels of productivity? No. In fact, that is what we are trying to do. It is another paradox. Of course we don’t want to use up our scarce resource of peoples’ attention – but we do want to maximize it. And social computing helps maximize the productivity of this scarce resource.
The issue is maximizing the business value from the scarce resource. The paradox and the analogy are important, but if you don’t consider productivity it can lead you to a very wrong conclusion. In fact, the Wikipedia definition of Jevons Paradox points out that it “ignores other benefits from increased efficiency.”Aren’t those exactly the benefits we are trying to achieve with social computing and social business?
There is more in my post, although it may be more focused on social computing in PLM and not as interesting to your audience. Thanks again for a briliant post and for making me think!
http://tech-clarity.com/clarityonplm/2009/social-computing-plm-scarce-attention/

]]> By: PLM and Profitability http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/comment-page-1/#comment-33827 PLM and Profitability Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:32:27 +0000 http://socialwrite.com/?p=520#comment-33827 [...] I learned this week ? came from a post on Socialwrite.com titled The Attention Question in Social Business. I have struggled over this one for the past several days because the post puts forward a [...] [...] I learned this week ? came from a post on Socialwrite.com titled The Attention Question in Social Business. I have struggled over this one for the past several days because the post puts forward a [...]

]]> By: Social Computing in PLM and the Scarce Resource of Attention | Clarity on PLM http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/comment-page-1/#comment-33826 Social Computing in PLM and the Scarce Resource of Attention | Clarity on PLM Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:29:52 +0000 http://socialwrite.com/?p=520#comment-33826 [...] I learned this week … came from a post on Socialwrite.com titled The Attention Question in Social Business. I have struggled over this one for the past several days because the post puts forward a [...] [...] I learned this week … came from a post on Socialwrite.com titled The Attention Question in Social Business. I have struggled over this one for the past several days because the post puts forward a [...]

]]> By: Enterprise 2.0 and the Paradigm of Social Partnerships | Pretzel Logic - Enterprise 2.0 http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/comment-page-1/#comment-33821 Enterprise 2.0 and the Paradigm of Social Partnerships | Pretzel Logic - Enterprise 2.0 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:05:16 +0000 http://socialwrite.com/?p=520#comment-33821 [...] Examples of “fall outs” will be misconstrued outcomes from Attention optimization (see v. good post by Jevon MacDonald on this), a rudderless rush towards the ‘real time enterprise’ vs. ‘right [...] [...] Examples of “fall outs” will be misconstrued outcomes from Attention optimization (see v. good post by Jevon MacDonald on this), a rudderless rush towards the ‘real time enterprise’ vs. ‘right [...]

]]> By: Powwownowbizfsh http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/comment-page-1/#comment-33818 Powwownowbizfsh Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:30:01 +0000 http://socialwrite.com/?p=520#comment-33818 Great post. And it boils down to simple management of attention in the same way that we manage time. Acknowledge we have a finite amount, and plan in advance how much we will devote to any forthcoming tasks. The problem is, as you point out, that this is all new, so we leap into the Twitter/Facebook/over-connected community oblivious of the fact that we need some disciplines when we have this many connections. A good blog post always sets you thinking. Thank you (although I don't have time for this). :-) Great post. And it boils down to simple management of attention in the same way that we manage time. Acknowledge we have a finite amount, and plan in advance how much we will devote to any forthcoming tasks. The problem is, as you point out, that this is all new, so we leap into the Twitter/Facebook/over-connected community oblivious of the fact that we need some disciplines when we have this many connections. A good blog post always sets you thinking. Thank you (although I don’t have time for this). :-)

]]> By: Twitternytta (vecka 39) | The Brand-Man http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/comment-page-1/#comment-33787 Twitternytta (vecka 39) | The Brand-Man Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:19:17 +0000 http://socialwrite.com/?p=520#comment-33787 [...] Från @peterkim Om uppmärksamhet och sociala medier, av Jevon MacDonald på Dachis Group: The Attention Question in Social Business by @jevon http://bit.ly/REVqO [...] [...] Från @peterkim Om uppmärksamhet och sociala medier, av Jevon MacDonald på Dachis Group: The Attention Question in Social Business by @jevon http://bit.ly/REVqO [...]

]]> By: Corporate America | Don Gaines http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/comment-page-1/#comment-33746 Corporate America | Don Gaines Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:09:49 +0000 http://socialwrite.com/?p=520#comment-33746 [...] *this quote came from a blog post written by Jevon MacDonald about attention as a resource in social business, you can read it here. [...] [...] *this quote came from a blog post written by Jevon MacDonald about attention as a resource in social business, you can read it here. [...]

]]> By: Rob Paterson http://socialwrite.com/2009/09/21/the-attention-question-in-social-business/comment-page-1/#comment-33739 Rob Paterson Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:11:25 +0000 http://socialwrite.com/?p=520#comment-33739 I think you are onto some thing major here J - You know that when you are in flow how an interruption can lose you hours - even the idea itself. My sense here is that my own isolation here on PEI reinforced by my living in the country and only going into town occasionally has helped my own thinking. Walking and mowing are two very important processes for me. Real problems and really new ideas do not get solved or discovered by being in the mainstream or by being busy with many things. They tend to be serendipitous flashes arising from almost unconscious processing - like that time before you get up in the morning. How can you see the patterns when you are too busy? On the other hand I would go barmy if social media did not connect me to you and other friends - I van have my isolation and not. On the other hand there is a limit to how many online relationships I can attend too as well. With a measly 1,200 Twitter followers - I interact with maybe 100 tops and 30 most often and I really care the most about 8-15 - so the Fibonacci numbers come back again. My world of attention is very small really. As is the correlation my world of influence - my inner circle. I don't think that this limits of attention can be breached successfully. As we connect to more than 150, our attention gets drained and we have no more influence - unless we are a A lister and that is show business and another topic. If anything too much attention is being used up for most people. Might be interesting to test the limits of attention in number and depth of relationships with more rigour. After all if the social enterprise is to exist - lets leave Kumbya and find the science - for if it is natural the math will exist - it always does I think you are onto some thing major here J – You know that when you are in flow how an interruption can lose you hours – even the idea itself.

My sense here is that my own isolation here on PEI reinforced by my living in the country and only going into town occasionally has helped my own thinking. Walking and mowing are two very important processes for me.

Real problems and really new ideas do not get solved or discovered by being in the mainstream or by being busy with many things. They tend to be serendipitous flashes arising from almost unconscious processing – like that time before you get up in the morning.

How can you see the patterns when you are too busy?

On the other hand I would go barmy if social media did not connect me to you and other friends – I van have my isolation and not.

On the other hand there is a limit to how many online relationships I can attend too as well. With a measly 1,200 Twitter followers – I interact with maybe 100 tops and 30 most often and I really care the most about 8-15 – so the Fibonacci numbers come back again. My world of attention is very small really. As is the correlation my world of influence – my inner circle.

I don’t think that this limits of attention can be breached successfully. As we connect to more than 150, our attention gets drained and we have no more influence – unless we are a A lister and that is show business and another topic.

If anything too much attention is being used up for most people. Might be interesting to test the limits of attention in number and depth of relationships with more rigour.

After all if the social enterprise is to exist – lets leave Kumbya and find the science – for if it is natural the math will exist – it always does

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