creativity/machine

Does the world need yet another social networking website? Mine probably doesn’t, as I’ve joined and ditched just about every one of them so far (for research purposes, don’t you know). But I do feel obliged to encourage initiatives that attempt to form interest communities rather than provide icky dating services. So after finding a Lucy’s link to my site from FolkLikeMe.com, I joined up.

The name is disturbing (reminds me of the recent television ads for a designed “community” called Forest Lake here in Brisbane, where the happy residents proclaimed proudly, “The neighbours here, well - they’re just like us!”). I also have a deep horror of the term “folk” (although don’t believe this means I am immune to the charms of jangly acoustic guitars and the odd rainstick).

But I am interested in the possibility of communities that form on the basis of shared interests and yet paradoxically enable connections across interests and cultural identities - because nobody puts together exactly the same portfolio of interests, cultural competences and life experiences. Secondly, the “my world my mind” section is specifically designed to allow the development of an online portfolio of each member’s cultural production habits, and not only bare lists of their consumer “tastes” (which has always annoyed me - not because cultural consumption isn’t active, rich and important, but precisely because it is all of those things).

Plus, this is a chance to get revenge on the friends who guilted me into joining friendster or orkut for them. You can find my profile here.