Heh, made me remember a post I made last year about how most people can get easily lost in the 'city' that is in the internet ('Lost on the Internet'). That most people are here as tourists, and the tech savvy are the people who live here. It's our responsibility to help others, and to be planning the city (or all our cities) so that people don't get lost and mugged in a back alley somewhere!
Elisa Hebert
· 8 months ago
It makes me think about the balance between the stuff in the clouds and the stuff I can hold in my hands... and the difference (or not) between relationships formed in the clouds vs. face-to-face.
Jennifer Tutwiler
· 8 months ago
First, awesome photo of Chicago! Second, this is a truly intriguing way to look at a person's activity on the web. It really fits in with some things I've been thinking about lately about being a business on the web and balancing that with being a person, first and foremost. I'm going to continue this line of thinking based on the "city" concept. Thanks Chris!
jmctigue
· 8 months ago
Like any good city, there are places you like to go and hang out - your "haunts". And like any good haunt, these place constantly provide good content - be it food, drink, entertainment or information. The Web just makes it easier to find and store these places in a convenient spot. Someday the disconnect between real and virtual place will start to disappear (I'm thinking of the Star Trek virtual reality deck here), then it will be the best of both "worlds".
Merlee
· 8 months ago
Reminds me of when I worked at GM several years ago. I worked in the IS&S department, and our Intranet was called "Trucktown". All of our apps and sites were related to areas in Trucktown. We even had an amazing image painted to represent it. It really worked quite well as a visualisation tool.
David Cutler
· 8 months ago
This "city" you speak about is digi-real... where digital meanderings help make real carbon interactions better. Your IMS conference earlier this week proves how valuable face-to-face interactions are to our collaboration and progress. (Thanks for making it great, BTW)
Don't you love how Netflix used the best of digital (customizable db of favorite movies) with the best of delivery (U.S. Postal to our doors)?
As Netflix evolves to exclusively digital activities, I don't think us people will ... Hey - let's twetup and go bowling!
Hugh MacLeod
· 8 months ago
Wow. I can see my old office building in the picture. "Memories...." ;-)
Ellen Crimi-Trent
· 8 months ago
I am the Mayor, the baker and the candlestick maker of my city. I am focused on entertaining with business in mind. I think cities are far from boring so why should mine be. In my city I hope to connect more and entertain more as well as inform. I think the cities that do not think of the people that live in them or connect to them are missing the point. Why be in the city if you do not use it to its full potential. Thats all I have to say!
Mike
· 8 months ago
Interesting way of putting it Chris. What came to mind was that your sites visitor's are the city's population. How can you make your city more attractive to your inhabitants. Very much like real mayors do, build on the community, make it a place where people want to 'live'
Chris Brogan
· 8 months ago
You've got it, Mayor Mike. Thanks for visiting my city. I'm thinking exactly this.
gradontripp
· 8 months ago
I'm the community organizer. The one that brings the businesses, entertainers and everyday people together for the common good.
The web is my city, and I want it to be the best it can be.
Julius Orias
· 8 months ago
Great information Chris, I was thingking for running a Mayor now in my city, just kidding :) Anyways, building up relationships is the key to success in life, especially with the economy is in recession, but working online is the easiest experience for me and it does pay my monthly bills.
Cheers, Julius
frank barry
· 8 months ago
Makes me think about running a city (blog/web site) on the web. What type of city would i be? How would i build, connect, share with other cities ...
Mostly i think "what would make people visit and want to come back to my city" ...
It's not an easy thing to do, run a city that is. And it's even harder to run a city that people want to come visit/hang out continually.
Interesting post -- sometimes it seems like the internet has too many people vying to be mayor.
Carole Hicks
· 8 months ago
Here's one person who does NOT want to be the Mayor. I want to be that kewl bike messenger person that goes really fast in and out of traffic where the cars are standing still and I'm in fantastic shape and have a tan and all the sad people are sitting in their cars smoking and drinking bad coffee...and I have mac earbuds in and I'm listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers on my ipod. (this fantasy world is fun...must remember to do this more often)...thanks Chris! -- Carole http://twitter.com/carole_hicks
I like to think of myself as the owner of the only Internet cafe in town.
See, the town I live in is a small place. We don't have huge infrastructures; we don't have massive grids for public transport. I had to take out a grant just to open my cafe in the first place.
But open it I did. And in the early days, I lost a lot of money. Sure, I was in business, and the business of business is to make money.
But I knew that wasn't the way I should run my cafe. At least, not initially,
No, instead, I opened up my cafe to everyone. I was the host, but I was also the guest. I threw the party, but I also listened to the music that was being played/
Soon, people talked about this cafe where the Internet was free and people came to share their stories. And when it got busy, people were happy to pay to keep the service. And I was happy to work even more to keep the service people wanted.
Internet cafes - cities wouldn't be the same without them.
williamarruda
· 8 months ago
Hi Chris. I love the way you think. I think of the web is one of my cities. I have two cities - the real world and the virtual world. Although you can live in one city, it is much more fun and productive to live in both - creating connections between them. I tell my personal branding clients to take all of their traditional real world personal branding activities (speaing, writing articles, attending networking functions, etc.) and connect them with the euivalent in the virtual world. Then, your personal brand is consistent online and off.
The first idea I start to think of with this idea, which has sort of been spread around before is that Facebook was building that "online" city of your from your real world city, and at the same time, blogging and twittering both build your online world more from scratch - it doesn't necessarily yet exist in the real world.
Besides that little idea, I would want to build a city that fills people's need and help making it someplace they want to be.
Gabe Taviano
· 8 months ago
The web will never be my city. Suggesting that it is requires me leaving the culture I've been placed in. And that leaving would demand that I spend more time online with people I will mostly never meet than time I have to give to those around me. I could go on, but won't.
BarbaraKB
· 7 months ago
Agree w/Gabe. I understand what you're trying to say here, Chris but it's a stretch for me. Perhaps because I love my city, Cincinnati and have way too much respect & love & care for the people (PLURAL) who built it. No one person builds a city, it takes *people.*
ED
· 7 months ago
I had never thouhgt of a blog as city of oneself. But as I think of what you mean. It makes a lot of sence, when designing one's blog. Links are the street, that lead into more Links to other parts of interesting locations, more links. You build your site for commerce, so to create a wealth of shared information. This in returns builds commerce for a city or your blog. Very interesting way at looking at your blog as a city. I must say Chris, an outstanding way of looking at blog sites. A big thank you Chris, as I ponder my new design and layout of my new commercial gateway to the world....?
All Comments
Don't you love how Netflix used the best of digital (customizable db of favorite movies) with the best of delivery (U.S. Postal to our doors)?
As Netflix evolves to exclusively digital activities, I don't think us people will ... Hey - let's twetup and go bowling!
The web is my city, and I want it to be the best it can be.
easiest experience for me and it does pay my monthly bills.
Cheers,
Julius
Mostly i think "what would make people visit and want to come back to my city" ...
It's not an easy thing to do, run a city that is. And it's even harder to run a city that people want to come visit/hang out continually.
http://twitter.com/franswaa
Brian
cleverwebtech.com
See, the town I live in is a small place. We don't have huge infrastructures; we don't have massive grids for public transport. I had to take out a grant just to open my cafe in the first place.
But open it I did. And in the early days, I lost a lot of money. Sure, I was in business, and the business of business is to make money.
But I knew that wasn't the way I should run my cafe. At least, not initially,
No, instead, I opened up my cafe to everyone. I was the host, but I was also the guest. I threw the party, but I also listened to the music that was being played/
Soon, people talked about this cafe where the Internet was free and people came to share their stories. And when it got busy, people were happy to pay to keep the service. And I was happy to work even more to keep the service people wanted.
Internet cafes - cities wouldn't be the same without them.
Best.
William
www.reachcc.com
Besides that little idea, I would want to build a city that fills people's need and help making it someplace they want to be.
Very interesting way at looking at your blog as a city. I must say Chris, an outstanding way of looking at blog sites. A big thank you Chris, as I ponder my new design and layout of my new commercial gateway to the world....?