Meme - A definition

“an element of a culture or system of behaviour that may be considered to be passed from one individual to the another by non genetic means, esp. imitation.” -from The Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary (2004)

The best example of a meme in Internet world is BoingBoing: a directory of wonderful things, which is described Cory Doctorow in an interview as being “is a place where four eclectic people catalog every thing they think is interesting.” It has an audience every day somewhere in the realm of 2 million netizens.

That just blows me away. I am sure all types of marketing suits are trying to work out how to harness this potential. It also indicates how if you can sort information and filter it in a meaningful way on your website then you are providing a very useful and popular service. What is it that is so attractive about Boing Boing? I think it is also important to note that is a collaborative effort. Not the work of just one person.

The reason I became interested in Mr Doctorow is that I read a great article about the Metadata called Metacrap. His writing style is intelligent and funny and I respect his opinions. I hope one day other people can say that about my writing. I don’t think I have got to that level yet.

Australia’s copyright law breaks search engines

I was interested to hear about Phillip Ruddock and his role defending the copyright laws. Since the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with America copyright has been extended from 50 years to 70 years. It is making it difficult for those in the libraries who often have to verify copyright. Learn more about the changes in this article
An article from Boing Boing: a directory of wonderful things