Comments on: Will the Tragedy of the Commons doom social networking? http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134 Exploring business and its impact on life with Stever Robbins Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:02:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Dov Gordon http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134#comment-929 Dov Gordon Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:11:36 +0000 http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134#comment-929 Hi Stever, I see this as more of a natural evolution of things, a survival of the fittest, rather than a Tragedy of the Commons. Tragedy of the Commons refers to a situation where there is a positive benefit to individuals while the negative effect is spread amongst many. So if individuals receive a benefit of +1.0, the price is spread across and paid by many, say, -.10 per person. Plus there is a time delay and at first, the damage isn't noticed. Then one day it hits everyone and reduces the value of the benefit. The interests of the individual clash with those of the community. With social networking sites, the interests of the individual DO tend coincide with the interests of the community. The greater the value to each individual, the greater the value to the community. So the social networking sites that provide the greatest benefit to the most people will survive, like any other product or service category. Furthermore, while Tragedy of the Commons refers to a conflict over resources, the scarce resource you refer to here is time. But time is not a scarce resource in the way that grass is on a prairie – the original analogy used by Garrett Hardin. We all have the same amount of time – and I cannot choose to take only 23 hours today so that you may have 25. We allocate our time according to where we perceive it will give us the greatest benefit. And if we are interested in social networking, over time, we will gravitate to those sites that give us the greatest return for our time spent. Regards, Dov Gordon Hi Stever,

I see this as more of a natural evolution of things, a survival of the fittest, rather than a Tragedy of the Commons.

Tragedy of the Commons refers to a situation where there is a positive benefit to individuals while the negative effect is spread amongst many. So if individuals receive a benefit of +1.0, the price is spread across and paid by many, say, -.10 per person. Plus there is a time delay and at first, the damage isn’t noticed. Then one day it hits everyone and reduces the value of the benefit. The interests of the individual clash with those of the community.

With social networking sites, the interests of the individual DO tend coincide with the interests of the community. The greater the value to each individual, the greater the value to the community. So the social networking sites that provide the greatest benefit to the most people will survive, like any other product or service category.

Furthermore, while Tragedy of the Commons refers to a conflict over resources, the scarce resource you refer to here is time. But time is not a scarce resource in the way that grass is on a prairie – the original analogy used by Garrett Hardin. We all have the same amount of time – and I cannot choose to take only 23 hours today so that you may have 25. We allocate our time according to where we perceive it will give us the greatest benefit. And if we are interested in social networking, over time, we will gravitate to those sites that give us the greatest return for our time spent.

Regards,
Dov Gordon

]]> By: Stever http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134#comment-914 Stever Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:29:01 +0000 http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134#comment-914 Hi, Tshombe. I don't really know how I do all the things I do and still have time to eat and sleep. I even have time to relax and socialize, somehow. As I figure it out, listen for it on my new podcast (http://getitdone.quickanddirtytips.com). Hi, Tshombe. I don’t really know how I do all the things I do and still have time to eat and sleep. I even have time to relax and socialize, somehow. As I figure it out, listen for it on my new podcast (http://getitdone.quickanddirtytips.com).

]]> By: Tshombe http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134#comment-913 Tshombe Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:22:30 +0000 http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134#comment-913 By the way, Stever, I don't know how you do all the things you do and still have time to eat and sleep, let alone spend time social networking! You're amazing. By the way, Stever, I don’t know how you do all the things you do and still have time to eat and sleep, let alone spend time social networking!

You’re amazing.

]]> By: Tshombe http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134#comment-912 Tshombe Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:20:51 +0000 http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134#comment-912 I'm with you Stever. There is so much vying for our attention, it's just not possible to give all of my attention to every social networking site. That said, I'm not sure that it's a bad thing to have many different social networking opportunities. It's not so much different in the offline world, as far as networking groups are concerned. It seems that everywhere I turn another one is popping up in my community and someone's banging down my door to get me to join! Great post, Stever. Thanks. I’m with you Stever. There is so much vying for our attention, it’s just not possible to give all of my attention to every social networking site.

That said, I’m not sure that it’s a bad thing to have many different social networking opportunities. It’s not so much different in the offline world, as far as networking groups are concerned. It seems that everywhere I turn another one is popping up in my community and someone’s banging down my door to get me to join!

Great post, Stever. Thanks.

]]> By: Articles by Stever » Archive » The Tragedy of the Commons explained http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134#comment-883 Articles by Stever » Archive » The Tragedy of the Commons explained Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:24:10 +0000 http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/will-the-tragedy-of-the-commons-doom-social-networking-134#comment-883 [...] also think social networking sites are a Tragedy of the Commons. I’m not yet completely sure, though. Time will [...] [...] also think social networking sites are a Tragedy of the Commons. I’m not yet completely sure, though. Time will [...]

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