Comments on: The Top 3 Reasons Social Media is Like Recess

By: Bill Gemmell @simplifywithus

Bill Gemmell @simplifywithus — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:54:07 +0000

I heard someone say today that success in business was like recess, you need to let go of the monkey swing to make your way to the other side.

Seems we all need to get back to the playground!

By: stevecunningham

stevecunningham — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:07:30 +0000

Scott – great thoughts and I'd love to hear more. I'm not as up on chaos theory as you are, but I'm a big fan of Mandelbrot. Thanks for your thoughts!

By: stevecunningham

stevecunningham — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:04:19 +0000

Monika – great analogy – I especially like the bit about ubiquity. It certainly makes me stronger as well!

By: scottsauce

scottsauce — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:36:40 +0000

Hey Steve, as I sat and thought about this, I had an idea that social media could be understood in terms of chaos theory. I began to write and realized i needed to apply a bit of thought to it…which I will. At that point I'll write a bit more extensively on it…but for now, the points that hit me were these:

Four observations from Chaos Theory that shed light on Social Media:

1. Self-Similarity
2. Sensitive Dependance on Initial Conditions
3. Strange Attractors draw potential energry into unique relationships
4. Bottomless wonders spring from simple rules…repeated without end.*

*Benoit Mandelbrot's talk on TED is fabulous… it really inspired me. http://www.ted.com/talks/benoit_mandelbrot_frac...

By: monika hardy

monika hardy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:33:03 +0000

nice post Steve. (did you really cry? dang.)

ok.. haven't ever thought of this before – so i really should take more time… but hey – recess is short.

i'm going with …. swimming.
i'm in my element in the pool. not completely sure why.. but i feel extremely safe there.
thinking of the ubiquity of my online connections – is reminding me just now of that very feeling.
the water is everywhere, always, holding me together and making me stronger.

By: stevecunningham

stevecunningham — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:10:20 +0000

Karen – great analogy! I especially love the thought of the cloth bags in each hand to find fresh insights. Good luck with your stall!

By: Karen Runtz

Karen Runtz — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:15:03 +0000

My first impressions of social media: a packed exhibition hall or a Saturday-morning market, full of noise, bright colours and lights, a sea of rows/directions. I get anxious in crowds, so for me, trepidation is mixed in with the anticipation. As you mention “finding your place” is important. I now set out cloth bags in hand each day to find fresh insights in the channels and networks I follow and I've even set up a stall so I can share in turn what I've cultivated!