October 6th, 2005

Software the Matches Our Authority Model

by Joshua Porter  |   Comments

At the Web 2.0 Conference it is becoming clear that much of the energy spent on applications these days is directed toward wading through the murky waters of recommendations. For example, in Wednesday’s session “Mash-ups 2.0: Where’s the Business Model? “, the number one answer to the question “What kind of mashup tool do you want?” many people suggested something that could make recommendations for them. (one fellow wanted a GoogleMaps and school data mashup so he could tell where the best schools were and the regions they covered)

Going further: How can we create software that allows us to receive recommendations that match our own authority model?

Our own authority model is built upon how we gather recommendations and make decisions from them.

Who do you listen to for movie recommendations? Friends, family, movie critics?

How about software? Friends, colleagues, industry pundits?

The value of recommendations changes according to what’s being recommended. And those people and places we ascribe authority to changes as well. I’m not going to ask my mother, though she uses a Mac, what software I should be using. Usually, I make recommendations to her. I think an important point in all this is that each person’s authority model is unique.

When creating software (web apps) for this, it will undoubtedly be crucial to allow for flexibility that allows for this uniqueness.

Just for the heck of it, the next time you make a decision to see a movie and actually go see it, try to trace the route of authority you took to get there. Can it be done in software?

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