Doc Searls extends the discussion initiated by Stephen Lewis about how some content can get completely filtered through lens of numbers and popularity. And how the numbers can miss the real impact that the Web can have. A very good read.
I have long wondered why do we revere the numbers so much on the Web. One thing I learned from various readings was that Web was a way of liberating from the hierarchies in communication and talk to the market directly. Web is the best way to enable markets as conversations!
Eliminating middlemen is the best thing that the Web can do for you. Or you can replace the middlemen with Web because it is ubiquitous, has wider reach and does not play business tricks. The new web sites getting developed focus a lot of SEO, visibility, ranks and ensuring that traffic increases. But I wonder how many businesses try to use Web to improve their communications! We discussed this yesterday with respect to a certain distribution, and tried to find if we can eliminate the middle men. Surprisingly, there are paths to do that even outside the Web. It is more of the attitude and knowing what you exactly want rather than the technology. But Web for sure is today the best and easiest way to talk, and listen directly, by eliminating the middlemen.
This has been mostly a freewheeling thought, but something that I truly believe in. Feel free to hit back or add to it.
