It seems my additional segment on Google Knol about Linked Data has attracted attention. Kingsley Idehen, President and CEO of OpenLink Software, has shared it with his Friendfeed connections:
This is interesting because Kingsley Idehen and I aren’t connected in any way. We’ve never met. We’ve never exchanged as much as a “Hello, pleased to meet you” online. Kingsley has worked in the Semantic and linked data-related sector for well over a decade and is a respected commentator / panelist at the various conferences; I know this much because I did my research and Googled him!
I’m also aware that Kingsley previously got engaged in a fairly involved online exchange with Greg Boutin (a former BCG consultant, Stanford MBA) about the definition challenges of the Semantic Web. Actually, I thought they both made valid points and what was most interesting was that their intellectual approach was simply different: Kingsley from a classic computing background and its vernacular, Greg from a trained business strategy background and its turns of phrases.
My conclusion was that these seemingly juxtaposed perspectives can actually…….twain.
GOOGLE KNOL: TRUST, CREDIBILITY + AUTHORSHIP
Meanwhile, something interesting is happening amongst two sets of authors on Knol: the issue of trust, transparency and credibility is arising. There seems to be two factions: a Knol Authors Foundation (KAF), which was established several months ago, and an emergent competing group called Knol Site Metrics (KSM) who question the KAF’s rights and principles to be the arbiters of all issues author-related.
For whatever reason representatives from both sets have been commenting on my knols this past fortnight:
(1.) The Global Brain — the KAF team
(2.) How to LOL — the KSM team
The first team want me to join the Knol Authors’ Foundation as a director of some unofficial board of members they’ve constructed and one of them says my ‘Global Brain’ knol can “be a template for other authors” whilst the second team have stated I’m in line to win the “Knol for Dummies” contest and they seem to be on the judging panel or somehow involved with the judging panel appointed by Google Knol and Dummies.com.
Let me state clearly that I don’t personally know any of the people in either KAF or KSM.
It’s all very interesting but until I hear directly from a Google Knol team member on whether they’d like me to do whatever or I’ve won whatever, I have no basis to trust either parties!
LOL and in that stated position I just highlighted a great irony of online content, context and credibility!
SERIOUS STUFF: CONTENT STRATEGY
Yesterday I had dim sum at Hakkasan which was recently rated #4 restaurant in the UK in the San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants guide, a gastronomy list compiled by chefs and food critics who are “in the know”. Most of the afternoon’s conversation was about content credibility, velocity of delivery (i.e., this includes targeted direction as much as speed) and value which will impact on how the content is monetized on-site as well as via syndication by third parties.
My friend (let’s call him “Bob”) has invested some capital in a well-known news service which targets financial services professionals. Bob and I have been friends for more than a handful of years, but we’ve never discussed this investment previously or ‘e-Intelligence’ which I created, project managed and was Editor-in-Chief of at the big bank in 2000.
Bob — being a lot older and wiser and seriously successful — tried to explain to me the exact nature of why senior bankers are willing to pay the site’s subscription charges (information competitive advantage) and how well the content syndicates across third party properties. He noted that the content is much more differentiated and diffused than its competitors, which is why it’s so influential.
[NB: Web 1.0's use of "content differentiation" is now becoming Web 3.0's proposed "content contextualization," by the way; just an observation of mine.]
I — having utilized and distilled every financial news information source known (Reuters, B’berg, Thomson Financial, PwC Moneytree, Financial Times, 247WallStreet, Silicon Alley Insider, TheStreet.com, The Banker, efinancialnews, NVCA, EVCA sources etc to name but a few) as well as having subscription access to McKinsey Quarterly, BCG, Oliver Wyman and every other mgmt consultancy report known. PLUS having plumbed the gold nuggets from Jupiter Media Matrix, Gartner, Nielsen, Comscore and a whole raft of Internet analytics as well as quality Internet blog sites. Most importantly having run ‘e-Intelligence’ which amalgamated / twained analysis provision on the banking, TMT and management consultancy sectors with financials, strategy diagrams and synchronous user participation — told Bob in no uncertain terms that his investment’s operating in Web 1.0 terms and we’re on the verge of Web 3.0 already!
Then I suggested three key improvements he should put to the CEO (in his capacity as an investor who wants to see the value of the company increase and smart diversification of the product).
Bob will probably now raise it at the next board meeting, :*).
