Interrelativity

Interrelativity: musings about interrelatedness

  • Reciprocal Self-Disclosure

    I spent a delightful hour reading "Hello, My Name is Scott: Wearing Nametags for a Friendlier Society", by Scott Ginsberg, yesterday (while waiting for a McCrea wine tasting to start).  Scott has worn a nametag every day since October 2000 because "it makes people friendlier and more sociable and also helps them remember my name."…

  • Meetro: Proximity-Based IM

    I discovered Meetro, a proximity-based instant messaging service, while browsing around the Where 2.0 conference pages.  The system shows other users who are logged in and "near" (within a mile, 1/2 mile, 1/4 mile or "other") in addition to IM exchanges, it allows the creation of dynamic groups based on interest and location.  I don’t…

  • People, Food and Other Objects of Sociality in Small Urban Spaces

    In his book "The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces", William Whyte presents a number of observations and insightful analyses of the factors that promote or inhibit sociality in various spaces in urban areas.  I was reminded of the concept of object-centered sociality that I recently read (and blogged) about: shared objects providing the catalyst…

  • Another Hale and Hearty NWEN Pub Night: On Working, Walking, Running, Screaming, Fighting and Soothing

    There was another great lineup of aspiring and inspiring entrepreneurs at the Northwest Entrepreneur Network (NWEN) Pub Night at Hales Ales this past Thursday.  Here’s a brief summary: Working: Steve Bjorg talked about MindTouch, a company that seeks to "bridge the gap between community-driven, open-source developments and today’s business requirements" through, among other things, their…

  • Free WiFi Zones vs. WiFi-Free Zones: Virtual vs. Physical Communities

    The Victrola coffeehouse in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle has shut down its free wireless Internet access (WiFi) on Saturdays and Sundays, in part because people were squatting in — and tuning out from — the physical place, and using WiFi-enabled laptops to instead tune into their virtual worlds.  Glenn Fleischman has an excellent…

  • A Gathering on Gatherings

    I attended the Pomegranate Center’s Annual Gathering today, whose theme was "Community-Built Gathering Places".  The center’s gathering places model is based on the premise that "unintentional encounters happen in intentional environments": Gathering places are where social encounters happen freely and unexpectedly, contributing to a stronger sense of community, better relations among neighbors, reduced vandalism and…

  • The Business Value of Integrity, Openness, Vulnerability and Compassion

    Merrit Quarum, MD, Founder, Chair and CEO of Qmedtrix, highlighted the business value of personal qualities that I have always valued in his presentation today at the NWEN Venture Breakfast Meeting.  He also provided an overview of Qmedtrix’ history and mission, talked about some of his courtroom battles, and shared some of the most egregious…

  • Object-centered Sociality: Digital Affordances in Physical Spaces

    Jyri Engeström claims that the problem with some social networking services is that they focus solely on people and links, ignoring the objects of affinity that those linked people share.  He invokes the concept of "object-centered sociality" (borrowing from Karin Knorr Cetina) to explain how the inclusion of shared [digital] objects, such as photos, URLs,…

  • What’s in a Name Tag?

    Scott Ginsberg ("that guy with the nametag") has been wearing a nametag every day since November 2, 2000.  The nametag creates, in effect, a personal "front porch", projecting an openness that enhances approachability, with respect to both other people’s willingness to approach him and their willingness to be approached by him.  Scott’s web site includes…

  • Establishing a Fair Consulting Rate

    I’ve recently begun to explore the possibility of an exciting consulting engagement.  I haven’t done any consulting work for over a decade; for my first engagement, which lasted over four years, I took over a project a friend had started, and simply charged the same rate he had been charging without thinking seriously about what…