Ben Werdmuller asks "Imagine I was going to create an open source community platform today. What would be different about it?" I was pondering this for a while but struggling to come up with much.
That was until DHH wrote about friction. Much of what he mentions sums up the way things should be:
- the requirement for friction to underpin communication, and
- the lack of virulence
Communication requires thought, not thumbs up or likes. Communication requires effort, to listen and to reply in meaningful fashion.
Everything on social networks is too easy – that's why I used to like Google+ when it launched. There was no API, no way to share something to the network from outside, everything had to be an intentional act.
So, any community platform created now should reflect these ideas – friction and anti-virulence. Things must be easy enough not to put people off doing them but with just enough friction to make people really want to do them.
