Facebook is a collection of communities. As is twitter. As is WordPress.com … and so on … However social networks are owned and run by corporations … and corporations are setup with the primary agenda of “making profit” … So …
Are corporations the best structures to be running communities ? Or does that just lead to the corporation promoting their own agendas, like “profit for corporation first, freedoms of community members eroded as best suits the corporation as a consequence” ?
Does a corporation have the right to “own” a community ? Or is that a contradiction in terms ?
Or perhaps we do need a “big brother” watching over us, making the tough choices, so we don’t have to ?
Discuss …
Cheers
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thats a scary thought considering how some corporations treat their employees such as walmart
Very much 🙂
Neither WordPress.com nor Twitter, Facebook or other social media needs to be run by a “for profit” organisation. It would work at least as well (or maybe even better) when these platforms would be run by a non-profit organisation.
Mozilla shows quite well that a company can be a non-profit organisation and still offer well working software like browsers, email programmes etc (of course that’s judged on what I know about them).
I’m inclined to agree Julia, but as it’s a question, there’s still a doubt in my mind which is “best” … Sometimes for profit organisations do things better … Sometimes they’re just in it for the money … guess it depends on the leaders, and to a lesser extent those who’re running things day to day “on the ground” …
I didn’t mean to say that all non-profit organisations are doing things better, I was just giving an example because I know that I’m not always good at voicing my opinion 😉
understood
I don’t want any Big Brother running a community I am part of. I do wish we could have more control ourselves, though. There’s enough governmental regulation here to drive anyone crazy!
It’s getting worse too here in Thailand, and UK is a nanny state they love red tape … ah, for the joys of real freedom !
Corporations value money over human life.
Therefore we should not let them have the ultimate decision making power over our community.
Well said, can’t fault that …
“does that just lead to the corporation promoting their own agendas”
I think that has been answered about WP with what happened to OM. It has toned down some of the other blogs I follow as well, probably with fears of repercussions.
Hmmm, I already mentioned white picket fence blogging, perhaps this is the end that’s intended for us here …
I think of it more as Big Brother blogging. I feel as though everything I write / type is being watched, and one day I will be asked to tone it down. I hate asking questions on the forum because I get a “you should know this” type of response. I’ve stopped asking questions and just learned to live with what I don’t know. That’s why I enjoyed OM’s Blogging 101 posts.
Ah, ok, great, so it’s not just me then … pretty much mirrors my thoughts … may I quote you on this, or would you prefer these thoughts to remain in “the bowels of the blog” ? … I thought it would make a good foreward for an opinion post 🙂
I say nothing that I wouldn’t want to see in print. Probably why I will never be a politician 😁. Have at it, friend.
Thanks I did 🙂
PS not much innovation or interest in that style of blogging, but I guess the money knows best …
Facebook, Twitter and WordPress would be nowhere without us. Perhaps we have a symbiotic relationship. They provide a platform or service to us, but without us they wouldn’t exist. Let’s not underestimate the power that we have in the process.
Leslie
Well said Leslie 🙂
We wouldn’t have the WordPress community if it weren’t for them. They need to make a living, and I have 2 free blogs.
Or do they ? Charities employ people, but aren’t based on a “for profit” formula … so workers DO “make a living”, but often not to the level of the higher ups owning Lamborginis etc … a charitable organisation could oversea a community like WordPress.com …
So, not convinced WP.com or Facebook or Twitter need to be a “for profit” corporation … but that was the whole question really …