A look at LinkedIn and applications of "attention economy" and working memory as they apply to this and other social and professional networking sites.

1. There is something else that moves through the Net, flowing in the opposite direction from information, namely attention. So seeking attention could be the very incentive we are looking for. Week 3: Attention Economy & Working Memory LinkedIn There is something else that moves through the Net, flowing in the opposite direction from information, namely attention. So seeking attention could be the very incentive we are looking for. - Michael H. Goldhaber in The Attention Economy and the Net, 1997

2. Attention Economy & Working Memory Economists and strategists alike acknowledge a changing economic model. One that acknowledges open access to information and with that, the challenge to create and provide content that sticks. Whether new content emerges out of the desire for attention (to be noticed), or to crowdsource ideas, we cannot ignore the fact that our attention is being pulled in more directions than we can manage—and companies are fighting for it (Leary, 2010). In fact, our attention has been monetized and accepted as currency in today’s economy. We have control of what videos go viral, what restaurants get yelped, what establishments get checked in to via foursquare. Our attention is really worth gold in today’s user-driven economy.Iskold (2007) notes that it is important to realize that the key ingredient in the attention game is relevancy. As long as a consumer sees relevant content, he/she will stick around (Iskold, 2007). So what makes content relevant? What makes it stick? Digital Culture expert, Kevin Kelly identifies intangibles that suppliers (companies via their websites, etc.) must offer as a value ad (Wikipedia, 2010) in this attention economy: Immediacy - priority access, immediate delivery Personalization - tailored just for you Interpretation - support and guidance Authenticity - how can you be sure it is the real thing? Accessibility - wherever, whenever Embodiment - books, live music Patronage - "paying simply because it feels good", e.g. Radiohead Findability - "When there are millions of books, millions of songs, millions of films, millions of applications, millions of everything requesting our attention — and most of it free — being found is valuable." Understanding working memory has a lot to do with the stickiness of a website. If working memory can be likened to a computer’s RAM (Wikipedia, 2010), then the principles of an attention economy may be applied to website design. If an attention economy is defined as focused mental engagement on a particular item of information, where items come into our awareness, we attend to a particular item, and then we decide whether to act (Davenport & Beck, 2001), then how are websites cashing in on this or modifying their strategies and customer service teams to tap in? What are companies providing that make it worth the customer’s time to provide personal information—email addresses, phone numbers, date of birth? What’s the value added?

3. Attention at Play: LinkedIn Immediacy: Status update feed. Information is immediately accessible and delivered to users. Accessibility: If you don’t have an iPhone App, you’re not accessible. Personalization. This includes a “Welcome, user”, but should also be about knowing the tendencies of the user. Findability. Based on networks, affiliations and recommendations, users are able to be found.

5. Accessibility: access through smartphones and any computer.

6. Patronage: Recommend others because you believe in the work they do

8. References Duct tape photo: lynndove.wordpress.com Goldhaber, M.H. (1997). The Attention Economy and the Net. First Monday, Volume 2, Number 4 - 7 April 1997. http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/519/440 Iskold, Alex. Edited by MacManus, Richard. (March 1, 2007). “The Attention Economy: An Overview.” ReadWriteWeb. Retrieved on July 10, 2010 from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/attention_economy_overview.php. Wikipedia. (2010). Wikipedia Encyclopedia. Working Memory. Retrieved July 9, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_memory.