What Do You Think Of Memes? Options

[cre8pc]

I'm curious to know what you all feel about memes? These are the "Why I Blog?", "My Favorite Charity", etc. blog posts that list the site owner's thoughts and then they tag others to continue the discussion. Some of them are tracked by people who map out the participants.

The new one on charity (I tagged these forums, just as I tagged the forums membership for the "Seriously" meme, so that those who get left out can opt to participate), has a goal of linking to non-profit sites, in an effort to recognize and promote them.

Are there memes you feel positive towards and others you think are a waste of time? All fun? Sick of being left out?

Any specific, measurable SEM benefit to them?

[JohnMu]

The first 2-3 are fun, the rest are ... ignored.

I don't know about you, but when I start reading a post with "xyz tagged me for the ... meme ... " I just skip over it. Seriously, if someone has something to say, they can just say it. If you want to write something personal, do it. There's no need to wait for a meme to speak your mind, if you're so inclined.

Of course the "free links" factor comes into play a bit, but I doubt that single blog-links like that will bring much of any kind of value in the long run. What's sometimes interesting is to see who tags whom, but after the first few memes you already know how it is going to go. If you have good blogger-friends who you want to tag, chances are they're already in your blogroll anyway.

Maybe that's just because I don't actively blog .

Maybe I should start actively blogging.

Darn, I really should start blogging more.

John

[bwelford]

I think some of the Social Media phenomena have a limited life. For a time they're the place where cool people hang out but when everyone is there then you move on. It's the buzz factor at work. As Softplus says, after the first few memes they lose their appeal. It's just a web-based variant of those e-mails you should send to 10 friends .. and don't break the chain or you will be consigned to eternal damnation.

It's unfortunate because originally meme meant some topic or line of argument that would evolve and could conceivably have something of interest develop. These Multi-Level Marketing variants of this concept have killed that goose.

This post has been edited by bwelford: May 21 2007, 11:23 AM

[meriweather]

I've only been really studying the social media thing for a year or so and memes didn't come on my radar till the "Seriously" meme. With limited knowledge (only 1 meme to my name) I'm inclined to agree with Johns statement that

The first 2-3 are fun, the rest are ... ignored.

Maybe it's just that I never passed on any of the

web-based variant of those e-mails you should send to 10 friends .. and don't break the chain or you will be consigned to eternal damnation.

e-mail chains that Barry refers to. It took me awhile to get 10 (real people) email addresses and then they were too valuable to risk on stuff like that.

Not sure on the SEM benefits Kim, too early to tell. Have gotten a few interesting e-mails and a couple of phone calls in regards to several other posts which seem to have come from people finding the blog through the "Serious" meme, which could be a good thing, marketing wise. I appreciate the inclusion Kim.

The new one on charity has a goal of linking to non-profit sites, in an effort to recognize and promote them.

That got me interested enough to want to go and read it, which I will as soon as I say that yes, if the subject didn't interest me I would pass regardless of the format (meme, cryptograph, sand painting, blog, sky writing...) The one big advantage I see to the Internet is that I can hand pick exactly what I want to spend (or waste) my time on without having to settle for what everyone else reads.

There's my 2,
Doc

Hey John, maybe you really should start blogging more.

[skore]

I have to say - I'm pretty tired of them. At this point it feels like middle school or as mentioned above the awful email chain letters (that somehow I still get every so often). Its also hard if you have a more "business" blog as many aren't that professional (or sometimes even interesting).

Good idea and fun at first but old very, very fast....

/rant

[joedolson]

It depends on the meme. Some of them just strike me as interesting, so I jump on it.

Others...just "ho-hum", so I won't bother.

But the meme which I'll really go for are pretty rare.

[yannis]

The original word "meme" came from one of Richard Dawkins books the Selfish Gene which was about evolution. A meme was defined as a "unit of cultural information". A meme could propagate from one mind to another in a manner analogous to genes. Beliefs, catch-phrases, stereotypes, fashion etc are all memes. They evolve, some of them thrive and others go extinct. The fact that they can evolve is obvious from the fact that the meaning of the word "meme" has also evolved with the internet.

I agree with Barry on:

I think some of the Social Media phenomena have a limited life. For a time they're the place where cool people hang out but when everyone is there then you move on. It's the buzz factor at work."

and like to quote an extract from Karel Baloun's recent book From Inside Facebook

Social networks are emerging like mushrooms and earthworms after a rain. Many will be eaten, some will be trampled, and most will just live short lives before giving way to the next generation. “What works” means it has to immediately improve my life without much effort on my part and provide instant gratification. Conversely, it must not annoy me. Within the confines of my own hedonistic use, it must create more value for the community of users. If this benefit of community gains scale exponentially for small groups, the site will grow explosively.

As for me I am with John on this one. I am very tired and bored of most blogs. I tried to blog a bit on my own and found it very egocentric and stopped. I might give it another go soon though!

As for the "meme" thing that Kim refers to its just 'flirting with google" in disguise!


Yannis

edit: fixed broken quote, Respree

This post has been edited by Respree: May 21 2007, 03:24 PM

[AbleReach]

Because of memes I know the people I read a little better, and I like that.

They have the potential for letting loose a lot of self indulgent, off-topic personal information, and I don't like that.

Who we tag shows who we know, are interested in or read, and that's been interesting, because our community is at once insular and international, personal and professional, and maybe that's part of what makes it work. Fascinates me to no end.

I should blog more, too.

[phaithful]

Not adding much here to the discussion, just throwing out my vote.

I agree Memes were interesting at first but I quickly became tired of them. I just gloss over them. Since I read so many blogs, I find it painfully redundant to have to read a whole post just to find 1 or 2 new links listed that may or may not be of interest.