Give the people something to ask for
Steven Greenberg
ownership won't get us what we want. Today, I want to talk about what
I want us to do instead.
To begin with, what's standing in the way of the user being able reuse
their data? Assuming that there aren't any laws, it's really just a
matter of what the site chose to do. A user's access to, and control
over those bits of data they provide to a site is determined by the
agreement they sign when they join the site. That agreement is
different on every site and, generally, the thing they have in common
is that they're not very good.
Market pressure from the users, not blog posts or industry groups, is
what actually causes companies to change. Why don't the users demand
something better? In part, it's because they don't have something
specific to demand. There is no way to bring market pressure to bear
because each provider defines their own terms.
DataPortability.org helps by providing a set of standard agreements,
covering a range of alternatives and providing a shared vocabulary for
the conversation. Clearly stated, with a logo for each.
The site can pick and display the one that they want. Users know what
to expect from the site, and also what the site expects from them.
This kind of "sunlight" allows users and providers to negotiate an
agreement that's acceptable to both.
Our effectiveness as an organization will come from providing the user
with tools that help them get what they want.
Tomorrow: An outline of what those agreements might look like.
Steve
Steve Repetti
MORE!!! Very cool. I'll catch my breath and put my two cents in too...
On Sep 17, 5:39 pm, "Steven Greenberg" <green...@puzzlingevidence.net>
wrote:
J. Trent Adams
I'm liking where this is going. But it's like watching an episode of
"24" with a cliff-hanger.
I see much good synergy here with ProjectVRM.
On pins and needles,
Trent
Elias Bizannes
You might want to add to season one "why companies don't want data
portability" followed by a "why they do want data portability"
Episode one of your series answers the question we have, but I like
big picture, keep going - will make people fully understand why
ownership is not the answer beyond just throwing the terms around.
Sent from my iPhone
On 18/09/2008, at 8:40 AM, "J. Trent Adams" <jtren...@gmail.com>
wrote: