|
| quote: | Originally posted by DigiNut
I wasn't really commenting on his credibility, just pointing out his flawed premise in this particular article.
To be perfectly honest, though, now that we're on the subject, I think he's a bit of a blowhard. A lot of his talks on things like ontology and tagging and categorization are just plain nonsense. Whenever I hear (or read) him I always get the unshakable impression that he's indirectly trying to sell us something.
In any event, Shirky may be an expert on many things, but I think what he's writing about here is well outside that area of expertise. Clay knows a lot about networks and systems, but he very often loses me when he starts getting into the social and economic (or worse, philosophical) aspects. This particular piece was more like metacognitive fluff - it's hard to even understand what his point is, much less what his evidence is.
Just my two cents though. |
Thanks for the change. A few random thoughts:
(1) DigiNut, I don't know you at all, but you strike me as someone who may be considered to be a blowhard from time to time. No offense, as you are definitely not alone in these here parts (present company included, at times). Which leads me to point #2.
(2) Blowhards can be entertaining and/or thought provoking. It's a matter of personal preference really, as to how you like your content served. I may not always agree with the opinions and/or the delivery of opinions by blowhards/commentators/entertainers such as Jim Cramer, Richard Dawkins, Mark Cuban, Donald Trump, Stephen Colbert, Vince McMahon, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, etc., etc., but I certainly think they are worth listening to every once and while. If only for a laugh.
(3) I find people who are in the business of selling ideas, such as Shirky, interesting. We are all usually selling something, whether we are aware of it or not. I am not sure what you mean when you say you have an "unshakable impression that he's indirectly trying to sell us something." Would you be more comfortable if he were "directly" selling you something, or would you rather he stop selling altogether?
(4) I am not aware of one person that regularly expresses their opinions, regardless of medium, who doesn't open themselves up to criticism. The more prolific a journalist/author/blogger/reporter/member (of a message board like this) is, the more chances that this person has to say something that is confusing, stupid, misinformed, misinterpreted, offensive, etc. Shirky is fairly prolific, and so it doesn't surprise me that there are many things that he has said that you disagree with - especially on topics which you have relatively greater knowledge. You have offered some clues as to your area of expertise, and I'll keep these in mind the next time I am looking for answers.
(5) It does not bother me when a person delves outside their area of expertise, particularly if they have taken the time to do some base level of reading or research, have thought things through a bit, and are willing to listen and learn. The last paragraph of Shirky's post struck me as being rather humble and informed, not condescending and naive:
"And the hardest discipline, whether talking to my students or the companies I work with, is to hold back from offering too much advice, too definitively. When I see students or startups thinking up something crazy, and I want to explain why that won’t work, couldn’t possibly work, why this recapitulates the very argument that led to RFC 939 back in the day, I have to remind myself to shut up for a minute and just watch, because it may be me who will be surprised when I see what color comes out of the bag next."
(6) How exactly is the topic of entrepreneurship outside of Shirky's area of expertise? I must admit, you've got me baffled on this one. He worked as the CTO of a successful startup. He has worked at an investment firm specializing in early stage companies. He has written extensively about the internet and technology since 1996, which means that he witnessed/experienced/analyzed the internet bubble of the late-90s and early-2000s, a time when more than a few new companies were started. He works as a consultant and a professor at NYU, where he has ample exposure to young minds and entrepreneurs.
Outside his area of expertise? I don't think so, man.
Last edited by SuperJimbo on Jun-07-2007 at 23:19
|
