Predictability: Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? Dr. Edward Lorenz.
It is often said that content defines a network – that success in a network is dependent upon the strength of content. One immediately thinks of the media and entertainment industries that are all about content creation and sale. Traditional publishing also comes to mind.
But the role of content to value creation (and conversion) is not always so clear. Cooperative systems are in their infancy. So we don’t fully understand the subtle differences that cause some communities to work while others do not. Often, we “have to try some things.”
Using the SoPhy framework, the role of content is to build value through exchange. If content is exchanged – the greater the network value. If content is added and not exchanged, network value is not affected. The point is that simple changes in systems often drive complex and unpredictable results. And so it is with community and engagement. Almost identical uses of technology can create very different user experiences.
Often, communities or engagements supported by very similar applications of technology may seem to drive very different results. The differences may lie in the subtleties of how content is used, whether there are calls to action, whether expectations have been properly created, and whether a community has been successful in establishing trust.
Like Dr. Lorenz’s butterfly, small changes and subtle differences, will drive very different outcomes.