The Democratization of Activities: Bigger Than the Old Network

We're tagging OSU's group list as a way to pre-populate standard groups. (So if similar groups are already in the system they can pick or select all tags from the matching group pool.)

Tagging at this volume is pretty tedious (but that's the idea, this way, no one else will have to do it). We picked OSU because they are huge and have more than 1200 groups on campus. This size serves as a great template list and a great showcase for how recommendations can increase participation. (See The Paradox of Choice for why a 1200 item list isn't the best interface for action.)

Anyway, with 1200 groups, the entire long tail is represented. So we're tagging away and I'm thinking how exciting it is to surface, through tag based recommendations, some of these obscure clubs.

And then I came to OSU Capture The Flag started by Greggory Webb (who is obviously a ton of fun and a go getter student leader). In the past, Greggory's fun would have been limited by his own network. How much influence can he exercise over his network? Is it adequate to get a game together? Maybe 1 in 10 are as fun as Greggory, so he has to get to 200 before he has even a modest game. 200 is a big network, that's a rare amount of pull.

As I'm tagging these groups, I'm constantly thinking of myself as the freshman being presented with this tag cloud to pick from, thinking of what tags I would add to my own profile. And I'm thinking I would definitely click on "capture the flag". Maybe I'm the 1/10.

OSU has almost 67,000 students on Facebook. All kinds of diversity, but I bet there's a pile that would just focus on their common love of an "old classic".

Through the new system, Greggory's idea of fun will extend out well beyond his personal network. It will explode out across OSU, regardless of his own fame or money or coolness, just on the merits of the idea, and land directly in front of the 1/10.

This new interface just may create industrial mega organizational challenges for Greggory, but you know? I bet he's the kind of guy that will give it a go.

And I bet he will learn a lot. And I bet a capture the flag game with 6,000 students would be one of the coolest things to hit OSU in years.

Wouldn't it be fun to start worrying about too many students involved?