(no subject)

http://www.myspace.com/knotarapper

This is courtesy of one of Brian's friends. Click the link and go to his myspace. There's a song linked on the far right called "Read a Book."

I enjoyed it, and am sharing it with as many people as possible.

The fact that I went down my buddy list and tried to find others who might enjoy the song got me thinking. When we like something online we send it to our friends. Links flying over IM connections, more in the hope of getting the word around than... than what? I don't know. I don't know what else it would do. Maybe someone else can answer that question.

My point remains that when we're in a situation where access to something good is free, we spread it.

I started thinking about why that might be.

*We want to share something valuable with friends. Share a joke, a laugh, a common taste. We want to be responsible for some increase of enjoyment among friends.
*We want the artist to be rewarded somehow, so we advertise for him/her as a way of expressing our gratitude for the service, and for the fact that it was free. That's part of the reason I look for people on my buddy list to share a new find with, rather than just one or two.
*We (the audience) can't repay an artist in many cases (whether it's for a single song available for free or an image created by someone else). Most of us wouldn't anyway, even if we could. However, we lose nothing by helping spread the particular item to someone who may give the ultimate praise: cash.
*I don't know to what extent I believe in the ideally-communal nature of knowledge in what I've seen described as "hacker culture," but if it exists in any form, perhaps a remnant leaked into the mainstream usage of this big shiny hacker toy we call the internet.

In most cases I'd say I'm overthinking things, but this seemed relatively obvious to me. The fact that it's so obvious means that it took longer for me to quit taking it as a given, quit taking it for granted (to use a phrase that I just now realized is the same except for a synonym for "given.").

"Because it is so clear it takes a longer time to realize it. If you immediately know the candle light is fire, then the meal was cooked a long time ago." Ah... the wisdom of Stargate SG-1.

Discuss!

(no subject)

http://www.myspace.com/knotarapper

This is courtesy of one of Brian's friends. Click the link and go to his myspace. There's a song linked on the far right called "Read a Book."

I enjoyed it, and am sharing it with as many people as possible.

The fact that I went down my buddy list and tried to find others who might enjoy the song got me thinking. When we like something online we send it to our friends. Links flying over IM connections, more in the hope of getting the word around than... than what? I don't know. I don't know what else it would do. Maybe someone else can answer that question.

My point remains that when we're in a situation where access to something good is free, we spread it.

I started thinking about why that might be.

*We want to share something valuable with friends. Share a joke, a laugh, a common taste. We want to be responsible for some increase of enjoyment among friends.
*We want the artist to be rewarded somehow, so we advertise for him/her as a way of expressing our gratitude for the service, and for the fact that it was free. That's part of the reason I look for people on my buddy list to share a new find with, rather than just one or two.
*We (the audience) can't repay an artist in many cases (whether it's for a single song available for free or an image created by someone else). Most of us wouldn't anyway, even if we could. However, we lose nothing by helping spread the particular item to someone who may give the ultimate praise: cash.
*I don't know to what extent I believe in the ideally-communal nature of knowledge in what I've seen described as "hacker culture," but if it exists in any form, perhaps a remnant leaked into the mainstream usage of this big shiny hacker toy we call the internet.

In most cases I'd say I'm overthinking things, but this seemed relatively obvious to me. The fact that it's so obvious means that it took longer for me to quit taking it as a given, quit taking it for granted (to use a phrase that I just now realized is the same except for a synonym for "given.").

"Because it is so clear it takes a longer time to realize it. If you immediately know the candle light is fire, then the meal was cooked a long time ago." Ah... the wisdom of Stargate SG-1.

Discuss!

(no subject)

http://www.myspace.com/knotarapper

This is courtesy of one of Brian's friends. Click the link and go to his myspace. There's a song linked on the far right called "Read a Book."

I enjoyed it, and am sharing it with as many people as possible.

The fact that I went down my buddy list and tried to find others who might enjoy the song got me thinking. When we like something online we send it to our friends. Links flying over IM connections, more in the hope of getting the word around than... than what? I don't know. I don't know what else it would do. Maybe someone else can answer that question.

My point remains that when we're in a situation where access to something good is free, we spread it.

I started thinking about why that might be.

*We want to share something valuable with friends. Share a joke, a laugh, a common taste. We want to be responsible for some increase of enjoyment among friends.
*We want the artist to be rewarded somehow, so we advertise for him/her as a way of expressing our gratitude for the service, and for the fact that it was free. That's part of the reason I look for people on my buddy list to share a new find with, rather than just one or two.
*We (the audience) can't repay an artist in many cases (whether it's for a single song available for free or an image created by someone else). Most of us wouldn't anyway, even if we could. However, we lose nothing by helping spread the particular item to someone who may give the ultimate praise: cash.
*I don't know to what extent I believe in the ideally-communal nature of knowledge in what I've seen described as "hacker culture," but if it exists in any form, perhaps a remnant leaked into the mainstream usage of this big shiny hacker toy we call the internet.

In most cases I'd say I'm overthinking things, but this seemed relatively obvious to me. The fact that it's so obvious means that it took longer for me to quit taking it as a given, quit taking it for granted (to use a phrase that I just now realized is the same except for a synonym for "given.").

"Because it is so clear it takes a longer time to realize it. If you immediately know the candle light is fire, then the meal was cooked a long time ago." Ah... the wisdom of Stargate SG-1.

Discuss!