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Download: Integrated Employment Branding Presentation Emergent Properties (March 16, 2006) (Thanks to Martin Snyder for provoking the topic.) Some times, more of the same makes for something really different. When that happens, it is called an "emergent property" of the system in which it happened. Or, it is simply called emergence. Emergence is defined with exceptionally clear detail in the wikipedia:
The article gives this example of an emergent property:
If this is making you scratch your head in bewilderment, read on. We'll apply gross simplification to this elegant but confusing idea. Most of us are really fond of a predictable world. 1 + 1 = 2. The ease and repeatability of the equation give us the illusion of stability. One of the most interesting aspects of our world is that sometimes,
In other words, some times, more of the same makes for something really different. This is the case that the voices who decry the use of metrics in blogging are making. Somehow, Blogging creates a universe that ought not be measured lest the magic be taken away. If we measure our blogs, they say, evil will happen and 1 + 1 will only equal 2. That will be the fault of the people who wish to measure things. There doesn't appear to be much evidence that a cake changes texture when you measure it or that air carries less sound because you monitor its temperature. Emergent behavior happens whether or not you keep metrics on the basic stuff. In fact, you can measure the capacity for air to carry sound. That doesn't seem to impair the air. This is the deep end of a long argument. We're not saying that there's no magic to be found in blogging. There is. The more of it, the more interesting things get. There may well be emergent properties galore that come for the widespread use of interactive serial communications. We're also not saying that you can measure the magic. You can't. The number of units shipped does not measure the joy a customer gets. A newspaper's circulation is not a measure of its influence. The number of CDs sold doesn't touch the number of hours of pleasure derived. The number of books sold is unrelated to the number of books read. And on and on. You need measurement for conversation. It's funny that the advocates of metric free blogging all point to the value of conversation. Metrics (or shared precise language) are a necessary part of any substantial conversation. Facts, figures and evidence (the stuff of metrics) make for long term shared conversations that are not arm waving. They help you avoid passive aggressive behavior like "If you try to measure me, I'll stop writing the blog." Don't forget to check out the blogs on bert.
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