the iCite net > news / blog > a permalink

news and thoughts on and around the development of the iCite net
by Jay Fienberg

iCites are not blog-centric, and system of ends

posted: May 2, 2003 4:10:00 PM

Since I am talking so much about blog software, I should say that iCites are not blog-centric. The earlier experiments I did prior to conceiving the iCite net were actually done around library catalogs, e-commerce stores, content management systems, and online discussion forums.

But, I think, because of the rate at which blog content is developed, and because of the decentralized and unmanaged domain of blogs, having bloggers play with iCites will be the fastest and least controllable way to get to know iCites and see in what ways they are fun and useful and all the things that would be nice.

One of my big design ideas with the iCite net was that, because of the Internet, systems could be designed from the edge first rather than from the center first--without there even being an absolute central "entity" of a system. So, most things like catalogs, cms, and forums are designed around central systems. (But, these days with the Internet, lots of energy is going into caching and "pushing content to the edge".) So, the iCite net is designed to be a "system of ends" (to borrow from The World of Ends).

With the iCite net, the edges (or surfaces) are where things are experienced, and the "center" is simply whatever any individual or group or group of groups holds at the center in any moment--it is not fixed, and its centrality (or singular identity) is a kind of temporary point of view with utility. It is not some kind of "real inside", the outside of which everything points to. Everything ultimately just points to everything.

I think what I resonate with in the idea of social software is this: it is designing for many different bits freely connecting to each other rather than designing for a central "entity". Not that there can't be a central repository or something, but just that it isn't like "we use a groupware application" but more like "we connect openly".

permalink | comments {0} · trackbacks {0}

also available as: rss · rss2 · rdf · atom

Comments and Tracbacks

Note: All comments and trackbacks are moderated. Spam is deleted. Other comments are approved as promptly as possible.

Note: Older posts no longer accept new comments or trackbacks.

« prev post
Tinkering with blog software

» next post
New blog software, changes in URLs, rolling again

blog newsfeeds

brief content:

 XML  ·  RSS  ·  RDF  ·  Atom 


full content:

 XML  ·  RSS  ·  RDF  ·  Atom 


blog archive

2006:
jan · feb · mar · apr
may · jun · jul · aug 
sep · oct · nov · dec
		
2005:
jan · feb · mar · apr
may · jun · jul · aug
sep · oct · nov · dec

2004:
jan · feb · mar · apr
may · jun · jul · aug
sep · oct · nov · dec

2003:
may · jun · jul · aug
sep · oct · nov · dec

first post: 
April 30, 2003

highlight views:
Spammers' Choice
		

Jay elsewhere online
Jay Fienberg - the official home page

Wrong Notes - the music blog of the Ear Reverends

Fine & Full, aka, a fine and full burger

Sociomobilepoetextologia (moblog, currently inactive due to lack of proper mobile)

to enjoy roll
sites I like to read when I start from here

· Anastasia Fuller
· Andy Baio
· Biz Stone
· Boris Mann
· Bre Pettis
· Chris Dent
· Danny Ayers
· Dare Obasanjo
· David Czarnecki
· David Weinberger
· Don Park
· Evan Williams
· Greg Narain
· Jason Kottke
· Jim Benson
· Lucas Gonze
· Marc Canter
· Matt May
· Matt Mullenweg
· Michal Migurski
· Nancy White
· Rebecca Blood
· Reg Cheramy
· Richard MacManus
· Sam Ruby
· Shelley Powers
· Tim Bray
· danah boyd


powered by blojsom


Entries by blojsim