Oct 9, 2009

Clearing the Fog: A Call for Organized, Meaningful Information Exchange

Let's face it - we are inundated with information. The problem is, much of it isn't organized in a way that helps us make better decisions or gain deeper understanding. In the current landscape, we have a situation that I like to call "manufacturing confusion".

Imagine a system where each reason to agree or disagree is tagged, organized, and classified. You could trace the genesis of an argument, finding the first person who made that claim, or discover more eloquent ways it has been expressed.

Each post would carry a wealth of associated information: better or more succinct ways of expressing the same idea, the inception of the argument, and references to books, songs, and statistics that support or challenge this perspective.

To cut through the noise and make real progress, we need not just more, but better organized information. We should be brainstorming common interests and opposing viewpoints, and generating alternative solutions.

I've been toiling away at this concept since 1998, and it's been quite frustrating to see that no one else seems to be advocating for or trying to build the web forum of my dreams. On the surface, it seems simple - a platform that promotes meaningful information exchange, instead of cluttering the web with more noise. I've started some work on this project at Group Intel and Idea Stock Exchange, but I would love to brainstorm with others about the features of this forum and how to bring it to fruition.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you're as passionate as I am about making the internet a platform that promotes good information, I would love to talk about it with you. Let's start a conversation today to build a better tomorrow.