Posts by Barry Parr from March 31, 2008

Barry Parr | March 31, 2008, 08:45 AM
Thinking hard about social media

Bloggers already have access to some excellent tools for content management, but are falling behind in community-building. That's why I'm excited by Chris Pirillo's announcement that he wants to build an installation of Drupal that is optimized for social media. Even if you're a big media company, or never use Drupal, this project could affect the way you run your site.

I don’t want a social network, I want a socially *RELEVANT* network (both on-site and beyond). I don’t want a community platform, I want a participation platform where members are rewarded and ranked appropriately. I don’t want a place where people can just blog, because I’m going well beyond the blog. It’s not just about hosting videos, audio files, or any piece of random media - it’s the discovery mechanisms between them that make them more relevant.

It’s discovery - no matter the community, no matter the type of content. Imagine coming to a site and not just reading about what other people are interested in, but what interests they SHARE with you! Imagine coming to a site and seeing how someone ranks in answers pertaining to your own questions! Oh, I’m confident you may have seen these features elsewhere - but what about for your own site, what about for your own community, what about for your own ideas?

Media are becoming social and many bloggers know they will be left behind by the revolution they started if their tools don't get better. But competition is making everybody's tools sharper. The last time I was in the market for a content management system, I was intrigued by Drupal, but I knew that I didn't have the time or resources to build on its deep capabilities. There's a reason most Drupal sites look alike. It's difficult for the average site builder to transcend Drupal's profound dorkiness.

Chris's intense, well-thought-out description of the content management system he'd like to build is loaded with good ideas that every media company should consider for their sites and possibly demand from their vendors.