Alone Together
December 15, 2006 —
(Page 1 of 2)
People are by their very nature social beings. We live in families, join clubs, and bond to form towns, counties, states and nations. We create norms of behavior, set moral standards. We gather at picnics, root for our favorite teams, take classes together, practice religion. In short, we get together.
I mention this because Microsoft recently released Zune, its first music player. It is like Apple’s iPod in many ways: It’s small, lightweight and can play music or video. But Microsoft’s marketing differentiates Zune by claiming it offers a social experience.
Music can be shared through the use of wireless technology built into the Zune player, creating what Microsoft chairman Bill Gates calls “connected entertainment.”
This is but the latest in social networking, or social computing. MySpace is arguably the best-known example now, as people of like interests create virtual meeting spaces to share stories, photos, music and video. Google, Yahoo and others also are launching into this space.
In our world of software development, we enable social computing through the use of collaboration tools, which join together developers working in remote locations around the world. Some tools go beyond source-code and issue-list sharing to enable real-time messaging, discussions lists and even video and audio conferencing.
However, the more technology advances in the ways it brings us together, the more it succeeds in keeping us apart.
People are at their most creative when they’re together. One idea sparks another, and suddenly there is a flash of inspiration, created by the combustion of thoughts and suggestions and revisions. The whole group is thus lifted by their collective contributions and accomplishments. In my world, I have found that writers and editors work best when one is looking over the shoulder of the other, striking a phrase here, replacing a word there, and then working through a troublesome passage with the joined vision and energy they bring to the work.
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