Great insights!

The solution to content overload is to create more content.

I think that statement is worth qualifying, and it’s a shame Steve didn’t explain it further in his post. Two of the biggest challenges I see in surfing the tidal wave of information brought to us by collaborative Web technologies are that of quality and authority. Though the perception is slowly changing, far too many people believe that anything published on the Internet is both factual and authoritative. The detritus accumulating on social networking sites and user forums (e.g., statements of little substance beyond bestowing superficial congratulations or engaging in ad hominem attacks), and unsubstantiated claims that co-mingle with facts on slickly designed, professional-looking sites (e.g., Wikipedia, news blogs) is evidence that we still have a long way to go to find the diamonds in the midst of so much coal. I’m amazed at the level of credibility even some of my university-level students put in information gathered by a single, generic Google search. Fruit that’s fallen on the ground may satisfy a momentary hunger, but does it truly nourish the body? The best stuff is usually higher up, and hidden.

Insofar as Latter-day Saints define creation as organizing unorganized matter, I agree with Steve’s comment. I would argue that at the moment we need to focus a little more on refining what’s already out there, giving it a stamp of authority beyond simply trusting in the paradigm of community authorship to sort the wheat from the chaff, and educating people to dig deeper to find “the best books [or Web sites]” — and a little less on putting up more and more unrefined, unsubstantiated, hateful, and/or divergent content. (Testimony bearing excluded.)

By the way, I also use and enjoy Google Reader. I tried to demonstrate it to my students a few months ago, together with a brief discussion of what RSS is, and most of them just looked at me with blank stares. Not my kids, I tell you!

I recently had something of an epiphany on this topic of content production–as it relates to the Web moving from a “publishing” platform to a “conversation” platform, and the need to learn to be a part of the conversation. http://www.stevehargadon.com/2008/07/solution-to-content-overload-thought.html

Elder Ballard uses the word “conversation” several times in the latest Ensign article. I have something of a standard youth and parent fireside that I give in local wards here, and his article is really helpful.

Thanks for the good discussion (conversation!) here!

Steve