lessons in the desert

Going to the desert is always an extremely intense experience for me. There is nothing like spending a week in an extremely hostile environment to shake everything up. So, needless to say, the desert taught me a few lessons. I’m now back and processing.

To back up… Burning Man is an annual festival held in Black Rock City (Nevada). 30,000+ people trek to the desert to build a community, construct large art projects and party. By Saturday, hedonism is at an all time high, in preparation for burning the man, a large glowing structure at the center of the city. On Sunday, repentence is had as people burn away the year’s sorrows at the mausoleum (called the Temple of Honor this year).

I am in awe with the creation of the city and the community. In theory, there is a balance between construction and destruction, as everything created is burnt or torn down… leave no trace. Unfortunately, a rush of people come towards the end of the week to party and help destroy. It feels so odd since these people are not the same as those who help create. As a result, i always feel myself going from awe to irritation.

I remember standing at the Burn last year listening as folks on my left yelled slurs at the girls in their drunken frenzy while those on my right repeated their vows of love over and over again in their ecstasy-driven cuddle puddle.

This year, i went at the absolute beginning of the week, in part for personal reasons and in part to watch the community evolve from an anthropological perspective. I vowed to leave when i had enough, when i was losing track of the beauty of it all. And thus, i came home early, on the day of the Burn.

[more personal reflections inside]

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i’m back…

I’m back from the desert. It was a completely intense experience, as always, and i’m still processing. Bits of what i learned will slowly leak out here and updates will begin again.

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The Value of Fakesters

[temporary vacation pause as i haven’t left town yet.]

The more i talk with people, the more i feel as though Fakesters provide a very valuable role in the spread and value of Friendster. Let me explain.

How many users who surf Craigslist read Missed Connections or Best of Craigslist? Rarely do these have value other than humor, yet humor brings people back to the site for pleasure and fun.

Surfing Friendster for Fakesters is like treasure hunting… people love running across these icons of creativity. It motivates them to surf around the network, far more so than simply searching for a date. Dates happen accidentally this way. This is probably a preferable functionality anyhow, as desperate searching is rarely as meaningful as accidental connection.

When people are seriously looking for people, they don’t want Fakesters to be connectors (i.e. searching in the gallery), but when they come across them via surfing, they click on them only if they value them. If not, they’re ignored. Rarely do i run into someone who wants Fakesters obliterated; often, they just want them to not impact their network numbers or their Gallery.

Fakesters motivate people to be more creative with their Profiles. Fakesters remind users that Profiles are only an articulated performance of self and not to be taken seriously, even in the cases of Realsters. Fakesters remind users that an articulated network is not the same as one’s real social network and thus doesn’t have the same level of trust and accountability as one’s “real friends.”

Although Clay argues that Fakester.org is inherently stupid, i personally love that folks are tracking the issue. The tension between the Fakesters and Jonathan is growing and i don’t think that Jonathan realizes the impact of his decisions. Fakester Revolution may represent the extreme and opinionated minority of Fakester appreciators, but these voices are definitely being heard by the press and impacting the average user, who thinks that Jonathan’s censorship is just pushing things a bit too far.

Somehow, i’m guessing that Friendster will not be nearly as novel and interesting when the creativity is all obliterated. We’ll see when i return in September…

[back to genuine vacation. just out of curiosity, i wonder if Friendster’s traffic will be impacted by the rush to the desert.]

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a genuine break

I’m about to embark on my first no-email vacation in 5 years. I will not be blogging, emailing, phoning or otherwise staying connected with anything other than the playa. Of course, that’s always a fascinating opportunity to watch as urban tribes come together in reality, build a community and tear it down. Somehow, i’m sure i’m going to learn more about social networks watching folks in the desert than i would sitting here behind my screen.

Anyhow, have a fantastic end of August and i’ll see you in September!

Note: when i return, i will be back in school officially. So, if you have the urge to email me, realize that i’m not prepared for my email overload and will probably take at least a month to make up for 2 weeks away.

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a real break…

I’m about to embark on my first no-email vacation in 5 years. I will not be blogging, emailing, phoning or otherwise staying connected with anything other than the playa. I love you all and i’ll see you in September!

When i return, i will be back in school officially. So, if you have the urge to email me, realize that i’m not prepared for my email overload and will probably take a month to make up for 2 weeks away.

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Nearly Roadkill

Whenever i read about or hear about the Friendster/Fakester Revolution, i can’t help but think back to Kate Bornstein’s “Nearly Roadkill”.

For those who haven’t read it, it’s the story of a point in time where the Internet is controlled by corporations who serve the needs of the government. Outraged at having to constantly identify themselves online, a group of netizens gather to revolt. Of course, this is all told through a fun erotic story between two characters who refuse to reveal their gender, instigating an FBI search.

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