What a Listening Application is Not
Recently I posted an entry on an idea I called the “Listening Application.” This idea has generated a number of conversations with peers of mine, many of which inevitably result in listing
applications that seem like they might be “listening”, only to eventually rule them out.
For the record, here is a list of applications that are deemed to not be listening:
- Facebook, MySpace or other Social Networking Sites
- Instant Messenger
- Blogs
- YouTube
I am not surprised that these applications are offered as candidates. When describing a theoretical application that is “gratifying, [and] deepens connections with its users while empowering them”, it is easy to think about the current social revolution that has enveloped the web by allowing users to easily produce and publish content. The ways in which the technologies listed above have deepened and multiplied connections between internet users are countless.
These connections, however, are with users, and they are noteworthy only to the extent that their users are. Facebook and YouTube are user sourcing, leaving the individuals to produce the primary commodity: each other. If there is any user listening going on with MySpace, it is being performed by other users.
Where does this leave us on the hunt for a listening application? I have some ideas that may meet the criterion, and most have the smell of AI. But I am hoping that some of you have ideas as well. Cookies will be made available (digital and otherwise) for people willing to share.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Why is facebook (and the like) not a listening application? I think of it sort of like a therapist. They listen but in a very specific and guided way. They construct a space that is conducive to listening and talking but it has objectives and requires you to engage in a way that is appropriate to that space. I think therapist listen as much as facebook listens…. you just get different feed back.
October 20th, 2007 at 1:41 am
It is tempting, isn’t it? Using your metaphor, I think I would explain my thinking like this: Facebook is the therapist’s room, your friends are the therapists.
It is true. Facebook does provide the space in which the listening occurs, but it is not doing the listening, only facilitating it. The listening behavior, if you will, is still person-to-person.
October 24th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
then my question is, why do we need a listening application? why isn’t an application that facilitates listening good enough? what’s the ultimate goal?
it seems to me that a listening application further separates human connections.
October 25th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
I see what both of you are saying. On the one hand, Facebook/etc, seem like a therapist, of sorts. You can vent, it is all about you, and you can explain your vision of yourself in different ways (listing favorite books, movies etc or adding different applications). Jed, you make a great point. Yes, Facebook may appear to be facilitating listening, it actually really only allows you to vent, no, to communicate outward what you are thinking/feeling. Therapy would do this but an actual therapist would ask questions trying to get you to dig deeper – to ask more questions and possible push yourself until you understand whatever you need to understand. You need a person to be an active listener and to sometimes provide input or insight when you need it most.