Based in the UK unlike other SNSs horsesmouth is about the sharing of information rather than making connection with already 'known' friends.
The premise, built on the adage that knowledge is power, is to share your potential specialist skills with others without 'image' or popularity being at the fore of connections.
Horsesmouth states:
'we don't want people to find each other because of what they look like... on horsesmouth you'll have to let go of your looks and let the real you shine through'
From your profile you let others know your area(s) of 'expertise' and can advise on anything from the mundane - cookery tips, to more intellectual and philosophical ideas and even emotional relations.
This is an interesting take on the sharing of social resources and knowledge. As Web 2.0 is all about peer participation and user-generated content this seems a more natural way to combine social links, create and share with one another.
What we need to be careful about is how we interpret such information (with a large pinch of salt!). Sites such as Wikipedia seem to stand alone as a definitive guide and information resource and have created what Andrew Keen has labelled in his recent book the 'cult of the Amateur'. Perhaps the sharing and discussions created by sites such as horsesmouth can create new forums for debate and pools of knowledge... or are we being led up another information controlled path?..
BUT I think as geeks we are more savvy than to accept without question information uncovered online. Where Keen's concerns of an amateur culture have come to the fore, we should revel in the opportunities that we have to open debate and stimulate discussions!
A toast to the collabatory Web 2.0 and all from the horses mouth!
4 comments:
Interesting that in USA there are reports of potential employers vetting candidates SNS entries. Is this ethical? Do people feel they have to allow this if they want the job - but they may think about if they want to work for such a organization.
in terms of ethics and social networking this is a very grey area at the moment. The general 'feeling' seems to be though that this information is posted in the public domain, so just as your 'friends' can find you, so can any potential employers. It will be interesting to see how this may change with various privacy settings and networked 'gating' to stop just anyone looking at profiles. Better safe than sorry though. Anything you would prefer to be more discreet, is probably best shared offline.
Is it true - pub tails at my U - that tutors have been know to check up on what students are up too. Story goes - student gets out of class and an extension due to family crisis - facebook - reports 'see my snaps clubbing in Spain. Student gets told off by HoD! Who is right here = was the tutor - tapping her phone - as it were or was he or she stupid. Did this rally happen?
Paul,
funnily enough the 'over - exposure' of information that your describe whilst does sound as though it is the stuff of 'urban legends', has actually occurred! - check out my other blog on Facebook etiquette and the entry entitled 'saving social face' - this may shed more light on your query!
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