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.