Collective (with a wierd asterisk)

January 14, 2003 2:34 PM

Collective* is the BBC's attempt to build an online community (or have a go at a simpler version of h2g2). Actually seems like an online version of The Guardian's 'The Guide' (mini what's on section which appears every Saturday). Overall it does feel a bit too processed. Should these things be so structured, or is it better that they develop naturally?
posted by feelinglistless (4 comments total)

I just read an article about this by Clay Shirky the other day. It's "an extension of a speech [he] gave at the BBC about the prospects for online community building by broadcast media." On the one hand the bbc name will be able to generate a lot of interest, and if they follow these guidelines it may be successful. We'll see how they do...
posted by jacobsee at 2:50 PM on January 14, 2003

Why should the BBC be doing this at all? It's not especially good, it doesn't break any new ground, it doesn't exploit any of the BBC's other resources when it could, it's just more consumerism for consumerism's sake and it covers an area that already seems perfectly adequately served elsewhere.
posted by kerplunk at 3:08 AM on January 15, 2003

Because the BBC are nothing but leeches & stagnators hitching a ride on an all pervading platform which we're forced to fund (or face the prospect of jailtime), they seem to want to saturate every space in the hope of keeping themselves 'relevant', thus ensuring their survival as a publicly funded tumor made up of chancing talentless wasters who like to keep themselves firmly lodged between the masses and the substance, like a cultural firewall, and funnel through the sterile chaff synergized with whatever their army of p.r brown envelopes providers and overpayed license fee funded position-abusing 'consultants' happen to be currently pushing.
posted by Kino at 10:42 AM on January 15, 2003

Those in parts of the world who only really know the beeb for it's news and it's drama will think the above comment is a crock of horseshit. It's worth pointing out that those who have grew up surrounded by it's output and watched what it has became. whilst simultainiously being forced by law to pay for the 'pleasure', will have a slightly different viewpoint. Not that it matters i suppose, cuz this threads history.
posted by Kino at 10:08 PM on January 26, 2003