radical_edward wrote:
] What is that supposed to mean? I mean that seriously, not
] maliciously or sarcastically.

You are using something that is not even 1/10'th of the way built. The core ideas behind MemeStreams are not well represented in its current implementation.

In 2001 Decius and I started construction on this implementation. Our intent was to get something a mature enough implementation on the Internet, that we could use as a model to display and discuss our ideas.

This system is missing many things. There is no public grouping architecture yet. There is no form of collaborative weblogs/groups yet. Many parts of it are missing. Many capabilities (such as picture posting) have not been added yet. Most of all, the system in its current incarnation does not see time or interface well with other blogging and social network sites. (Which is finally possible now that other SNS's are starting to export FOAF, which we will be doing too)

Accepting the current implementation of MemeStreams for what it is, I only have one regret: The top level page of the Social Network section of the site. It creates a very false impression of what's happening in the community.

Everything MemeStreams does is based upon the individual who does it. No two person's Reputation Agent views are the same. The main page is only the most active posts in the community. Only those two extremes are visible right now. Its not possible yet to form into public groups. Everyone has their own individual view of the community. In a way, it is a representation of a pure idea anarchy. The most important aspect, is history.

When looking at that dreaded page (the top level of the Social Network section), there are several names on there that are not familiar to may new readers here. Yesterday, I had dinner with Cyantist. I hardly ever see her, she never posts here anymore, and she just reads. Maybe at some point she will re-engage the site, but like all of us she has the right to not care. Darwin was really active for awhile, and a good user too, but he was mostly interested in moving up that dreaded ranking. When he hit the point where he didn't progress any higher, he lost interest. That's something I'm upset about actually, I liked having him active on here. Reknamorken is an old friend of Decius and I. They don't get along that well anymore. They can't see eye to eye politically, they were both born to argue, and both (must) think of each other as rivals. As some point that will probably change, but in the meantime we just don't talk about it. Brad is dead now, Renka showed up to pay tribute. That says something about the significance of a place online.

Speaking of Brad.. How long he hangs in his very high position on that dreaded list has mostly to do with how the site grows, who sticks around, and who is vocal. There are an assortment of users who are relatively new, but have started to move up the list because they are active posters who often contribute links the community is interested in. Inignoct, terratogen, etc.. That page is based on a sum of numbers that are only totaled in that way, on that page. Its a very false indicator. When the system sees time, we will be able to produce statistics pages that make more sense. Then, the people who were here in the beginning, will matter only to each other. That "Most Recommended" page will only be based on activity in say, the past week or month. For now, that, and the redirect that sends / to /topics/, are matters of convience. In place only to hold a place, that will be occupied by better things in a better future.

I've said it once, and I'm sure I will say it many more times. This system is still very young and immature. I'm glad everyone who is here is here though. I hope you all enjoy watching it grow. :)

Anyway.. To try and directly answer your question is hard. We see the concept of MemeStreams as holding potential to be a core Internet technology, in the way that Google is a core Internet technology. Our goal with MemeStreams is to create a system for the sharing, routing, storage, and subsequent query of human knowledge. When you blog something here, you are keeping a record of resources you found useful, describing them, and sharing them with the other people who are connected to you on the system. MemeStreams keeps track of things, as passively as possible, and uses that information to build you an individually tailored view of what's been posted by people whom you trust and often get information from. All of this, can be used to tailor search results in ways we have not yet tapped. As this scales up, it creates an environment for many-to-many communication. This system is a catalyst for creating dialog between people. We see this as having potential of being a very powerful tool as we mature it. We see ways to connect our vision with everything from email, to music downloads.

However, as many have pointed out.. The development of MemeStreams has been moving very slow. We are looking for more developers interested in working on the project with us. That is harder then it sounds..

RE: Behind the Rise of Google Lies the Rise in Internet Credibility