[Air-l] maybe a silly question.. but

[Nancy Baym]

>A more complex question are these sites social navigation systems or 
>do they have that potential? Are these better than the simple 
>"recommend a book" or "what others have bought" systems like at 
>Amazon.com

I'd say they have that potential. Thinking about my own experience 
with last.fm, it offers me recommendations based on algorithmic 
analysis not unlike "what others have bought" (in this case "what 
others have listened to"), but I often prefer the recommendations 
that were sent person-to-person because an individual looked at my 
taste and thought I'd like a particular song or artist.


>If a music group can become a hit on myspace does this mean social 
>navigation was how they did it?

No. But it probably didn't hurt. I find it interesting how music 
groups who become hits on MySpace often seek to distant themselves 
from MySpace ("it was the touring that did it!") as if to make more 
'credible' stakes to their fame.

Nancy