Out With A Bang

I suspect part of the reason that I decided to re-visit Mr Shirky’s magisterial tome again tonight is simply to give me an excuse to repeat the gag that appeared on @MrRickWaghorn; that if it is indeed 1500 all over again, then perhaps its more beholden than ever for all us green shoot types to party like it’s 1499…

But there were one or two other reasons why a re-visit was in order.

For as I read it again, there was a line that really stood out. One that we’ve already touched upon with our revolutionary pals at www.peoplesrepublicofsouthdevon.co.uk …

Because, deep in the mists of web history, Craig Newmark’s decision to set up a free classified lettings model in the back end of San Francisco would have barely ruffled a feather as far as any SF Chron ad exec would have been concerned.

And yet he changed the world. Or at least our bit of it.

And therein lies the greatest lesson to be had from Shirky’s latest think-piece.

‘Nothing will work, but everything might…’

That, for me, sums up our thoughts on ‘Addiply’.

I’ve no idea whether it’ll work; where it might take us. Whether the fact that it is sat there on our Craig’s www.thisfrenchlife.com site, happily keeping Craig in hosting and the odd trip to the book shop, is of any great significance.

No idea.

I know how much its earning Craig a month; but that’s Craig’s business. Not mine.

All I know is that in handing over ‘Addiply’ to him to play with; he’s been allowed to experiment; to tweak and to twiddle; to ponder and place at his own pace and of his own accord. We don’t give out a manual.

Do whatever… see what works for you.

It was a message that the People’s Republic took to heart and, lo and behold, they’ve weaved our ‘Addiply’ service into a general advertising package; this bit they’ll do in-house, that bit they’ll out-source…

http://www.peoplesrepublicofsouthdevon.co.uk/advertise/sponsors/

It looks smart; it looks thought out.

But no-one is telling them what to do; they’re working out what works best for themselves; what’s the ‘bottom up’ solution to their advertising needs.

And that’s Shirky all over… that’s one little experiment, on one little website, in one little corner of this green and pleasant land…

‘In craigslist’s gradual shift from ‘interesting if minor’ to ‘essential and transformative’, there is one possible answer to the question “If the old model is broken, what will work in its place?” The answer is: Nothing will work, but everything might. Now is the time for experiments, lots and lots of experiments…

And if by doling out Addiply for free – with no set-up cost and rule-book – maybe that’s what we can encourage. Lots and lots of experiments in how to earn yourself a hyper-niche or hyper-local living.

Cos I don’t know what suits your community best; but you might… Now it might take you two or three goes to work out which model suits; is it Pay-Per-Week? Nah, didn’t work… right, let’s give this CPM thing a go… and, mmm… I’ll see who nibbles at 50p per 1,000…

These are the sort of conversations that, for me, is what the Web demands; it’s empowerment to the people; always has been.

Do not try and impose an answer on us from above; that’s where the whole newspaper model came unstuck; that this was the only place where we could advertise, this was the only time that we could access news… top down, top down, top down…

These are the only people you are allowed to date; these are the only houses that you’re allowed to browse… and this is the only rate that you’ll pay to advertise…

No. Doesn’t work.

Freed from such constrictions – be they commercial or conversational – people want to experiment; they want to find out what works for them and their community; they do not want to told that only one size fits their all… that you’ll take these ads and like it…

No-one has an answer, but everyone might.

And just to confuse matters further, I’d add another little lesson – that whilst everyone might have an answer, the chances are that for everyone the answer might be different.

No one rule will ever apply. All we can ever hope to do is to empower the people to make their own rules. And then empower them again to break and bend them.