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Fuzz Traction: 150 Network Connections and Network Order
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The Fuzz platform is an open platform for participants to make of it what they will. With that caveat, the more that I check out the dynamics of the Fuzz site as an ongoing matter, the more I think that, to generate a self-perpetuating level of (i) network energy and (ii) network order, one should power up network connections with AT LEAST 150 "FRIENDS." In this regard, to share with my own connections, I have taken the liberty to port over from Cameron Obscura's page my earlier expressed views about the Fuzz dynamic at work as at mid-May, 2007; and I solicit your reactions regarding the reasons for my conclusion:
May 14, 5:22 pm TheCapitalClinic said in part to CO:
No doubt the direct Artist-to-Fan phenomenon described in the [Sunday NY Times] article was the primary driver for developing the Fuzz site. Fuzz is still in its early Beta days but has great promise. What happens next on the Fuzz site will I assume have both a generic Web 2.0 element and some Fuzz-specific elements.
As to the generic 2.0 element. All online social communities are attempting to generate a self-perpetuating "virtual circle of growth" that results from the interaction of active nodes on a network generating more and more content, which in turn generates more and more nodes, which generates more and more content. Thus, for example, those early joiners in the Fuzz network who have generated either pointedly or randomly network CONNECTIVITY by having at least 50 "Friends"...start to generate a diverse and pretty interesting buzz that comes from the inter-nodal activity of their direct network connections. Indeed, I have found in the build-up of connections that a combination of 50 active, less active, and largely passive nodes creates a buzz that is "OK", and at 100 "Friends" or nodes on the network, depending on the degree of initimacy, the buzz gets even more intriguing. And at 150 connections, it is even better, etc.
Thus, as a generic threshold matter, all of us who care about nurturing the growing Fuzz community should encourage our "Friends" to widen the circle of their own contacts, even if it is somewhat "promiscuous" as to selectivity to get, at minimum, in the range of 50-150 connections, and continue to build up the power of their connections to generate network energy and content. There are a lot of interesting people out there who are making interesting music or who have interesting things to say about music and everything that music touches [which is practically anything that "gets to us"].
As to the Fuzz-specific elements, this the "secret sauce" of Fuzz that makes it "special" and, thus, I suspect this is a bit more complicated, both in the planning and in the execution. I don't know specifically what this "secret sauce" is - other than its powerful and publically-announced Manifesto [that we all subscribe to].
However, as a long time student of complexity theory, I suspect that the Fuzz-specific "secret sauce" has to do with the development, as an ongoing matter, on how to define and sustain EXCELLENCE. Qualitative distinctions in content are necessarily subjective; but if there is one common element in discernment of quality, it is ORDER. Finding order in the cacaphony of "noise" in a network is itself a non-trivial exercise precisely because what is noise to one node in a network could constitute a "signal" to another node.
I think, learning from information theory, order [or signal] is essentially the "absence of disorder". The mathematical/philosophical symbolic logic of the foregoing is broadly as follows: Excellence = Quality = Signal = Absence of Disorder = Order. Somewhere in this series of algorithms [obviously in proprietary detail to Fuzz] is the Fuzz-specific "secret sauce" that I think the Fuzz team is concocting with the help of all of the active, semi-active, and even passive participants in the growing Fuzz community like ourselves. Fuzz is not only all about "Music Uprising", but also "Music Uprising to Excellence".
May 14, 5:22 pm TheCapitalClinic said in part to CO:
No doubt the direct Artist-to-Fan phenomenon described in the [Sunday NY Times] article was the primary driver for developing the Fuzz site. Fuzz is still in its early Beta days but has great promise. What happens next on the Fuzz site will I assume have both a generic Web 2.0 element and some Fuzz-specific elements.
As to the generic 2.0 element. All online social communities are attempting to generate a self-perpetuating "virtual circle of growth" that results from the interaction of active nodes on a network generating more and more content, which in turn generates more and more nodes, which generates more and more content. Thus, for example, those early joiners in the Fuzz network who have generated either pointedly or randomly network CONNECTIVITY by having at least 50 "Friends"...start to generate a diverse and pretty interesting buzz that comes from the inter-nodal activity of their direct network connections. Indeed, I have found in the build-up of connections that a combination of 50 active, less active, and largely passive nodes creates a buzz that is "OK", and at 100 "Friends" or nodes on the network, depending on the degree of initimacy, the buzz gets even more intriguing. And at 150 connections, it is even better, etc.
Thus, as a generic threshold matter, all of us who care about nurturing the growing Fuzz community should encourage our "Friends" to widen the circle of their own contacts, even if it is somewhat "promiscuous" as to selectivity to get, at minimum, in the range of 50-150 connections, and continue to build up the power of their connections to generate network energy and content. There are a lot of interesting people out there who are making interesting music or who have interesting things to say about music and everything that music touches [which is practically anything that "gets to us"].
As to the Fuzz-specific elements, this the "secret sauce" of Fuzz that makes it "special" and, thus, I suspect this is a bit more complicated, both in the planning and in the execution. I don't know specifically what this "secret sauce" is - other than its powerful and publically-announced Manifesto [that we all subscribe to].
However, as a long time student of complexity theory, I suspect that the Fuzz-specific "secret sauce" has to do with the development, as an ongoing matter, on how to define and sustain EXCELLENCE. Qualitative distinctions in content are necessarily subjective; but if there is one common element in discernment of quality, it is ORDER. Finding order in the cacaphony of "noise" in a network is itself a non-trivial exercise precisely because what is noise to one node in a network could constitute a "signal" to another node.
I think, learning from information theory, order [or signal] is essentially the "absence of disorder". The mathematical/philosophical symbolic logic of the foregoing is broadly as follows: Excellence = Quality = Signal = Absence of Disorder = Order. Somewhere in this series of algorithms [obviously in proprietary detail to Fuzz] is the Fuzz-specific "secret sauce" that I think the Fuzz team is concocting with the help of all of the active, semi-active, and even passive participants in the growing Fuzz community like ourselves. Fuzz is not only all about "Music Uprising", but also "Music Uprising to Excellence".
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posted on May 17 at 9:09 pm
We are looking for active users. The wider the net, the more people we can draw into the party. Yes, make friends...
posted on May 17 at 10:59 pm
I have personally found it very enlightening as my circle of friends grows, how very much connected we all are. There is almost always a common thread that we can begin on, if not a common friend, whether it be musical taste, geography, a song, a band, a scene, an opinion, a current event, a shared understanding via our blogs. Though this idea of the spider-web of networking is not new to me in the business world and music industry, the site gives it a new context and the inherent order of the platform takes the randomness out of it. The manifesto provides the absolute foundation for connectivity for everyone here. It's that important. Thanks for your thoughts, Tom.
posted on May 17 at 11:00 pm
Also, Baby Fuzz should go to bed. It's after 9pm.