The concept of data being the new intel inside is integral to all Web 2.0 platforms however it is particularly interesting to see how the concept is applied to Meetup. Meetup is a service that allows people to organise gatherings related to a shared interest. This can include people who want to meet up with others of the same age, movie buffs, and even musicians who want to get together.
In Tim O'Reilly's blog What is Web 2.0, it is said that the owner of the data itself is just as important as the company behind the website. The most obvious data provided by Meetup is harnessed from the collective intelligence; data such as the various groups on offer and details of the gatherings themselves. However the information that is not so obvious can be just as or even more valuable.
Meetup utilises services such as Google Maps to create a better experience for users due to the maps being integrated; meaning that is much easier to find the location of a gathering. This would also allow Google to harness data regarding where people most like to meet for example. While it cannot be determined if this is already happening, the possibility shows that the "inside" data can be just as important as the surface level services being offered.
It should also be noted that the success of meetup would rely on the quality of the gatherings being provided by the community. If the information from the community is of no use to anyone then the service isn't used and all the inside data becomes almost worthless due to the lack of it. However in the case of Meetup this is not an issue, most likely due to the fact that the same people accessing the data are the people creating the data, having a vested interest in it's quality. It is obvious then that Meetup is ensuring the quality of it's website as well as internal data and it is achieving this through harnessing the collective intelligence.
Hi Nathan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for all these information! You mentioned about Meetup and harnessing data. Well, as you see, most of the group may be pretty good (as I had no such experience so far, I guessed it based on its coverage), however, based on the research of website reviews (http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.meetup.com) some of the members are facing problems like faking personal data and bad customer services. That maybe because the Meetup Inc. claims that they have no liabilities with these “inputted data” even if they are fake, and the “managing gap” is taken advantages by those people with bad intentions. For example, for sales-calling purposes, or stalking activities. Sorry maybe I digress from the topic but I think information on such social platform should be trustworthy and reliable and monitored carefully as for security reason. Also, feedbacks through customer services should be cherished as important data. But those bad experiences show that they don’t do properly. Thus, somehow I couldn’t agree that the Meetup manage its data quite successfully. What do you think?
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Chuan
Thanks for your comment Chuan. It is certainly an issue that not everyone will be using Meetup.com for its intended purpose. Like all Web 2.0 platforms it also invites some poor information. I have found though that with Meetup this is regulated quite well by the user base as unpopular groups just simply don't have many members and get forgotten easily.
DeleteHi Nathan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for giving us such an interesting example. Meetup is a very useful platform that can bring people from virtual world to the real world. This platform let users organize themselves who have the similar hobbies for face-to-face meetings and activities. They can determine different party themes, such as sports, travel, business and so on. However, there is some false identity information on this platform. This may cause some crimes. For example, some criminals may use this platform to chat with others, gain their trust, then meet them to commit a crime. So it is important to ensure the accuracy of data. I think that data is the basic of a platform, accurate data is the basic of a successful platform.
I am looking forwards your next post. Thank you.