Individuals define who they are by whom they associate with. Back in the day, these associations were family and neighbors. Today, communication technology and mobility have broken these boundaries. We can talk to anyone anywhere - not just the people within earshot. And we can travel around the world in a day. The internet accurately reflects how isolated individuals are today. Even "social networking" is more about millions of individuals broadcasting themselves than it is communities individuals may choose to join.
To design media to stimulate camaraderie and community, Comradity starts by establishing context - who cares?, where are they?, and why are they there? . Visualizing the answers to all three questions at once is the goal. One software we are experimenting with is the WebTrend map. It is a visual way to organize people and view what what they are linking to and twittering about. Sort of like going to a cocktail party and being able to eavesdrop before deciding who you want to start listening to.
Here's an example. It visualizes, from a bird's eye view of the "Future of Media" community Comradity is participating in. These are people who I am following on Twitter and, in most cases, who also follow me, because they are "who cares about the future of media."
Let me know what you think. If you would add others, twitter me @comradity. It would help if you give me the twitter handle.
I will leave the link here so you can use it to see what everyone's talking about.
Unfortunately, it is only available in Firefox and Safari. I have asked when IE will be available and will let you know here.
