odd time signatures - Latest Comments in My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

SuperZoe — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:46:17 -0000

My first thought: who is Andrew Baron?! I love your take on the ego-driven insanity that is a by-product of the social network frenzy! And what good is the attention if everyone knows you aren't Andrew Baron?! So silly.

And I will NOT google "who the hell is Andrew Baron?" just on principle. I have to do something important...check people.com (right after I donate blood, of course.)

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

marilynpratt — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:20:38 -0000

@marilynpratt is where I am on Twitter. Think of how powerful to get the voices to harmonize around these themes. Can't stop thinking that your voice and Erin's were the clearest I've heard in weeks.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

joan — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:41:41 -0000

hear, hear! great post.

when you put it in this context - it makes so much of what we do seem frivolous, doesn't it?

i hope andrew baron rises to your challenge.

thanks for your efforts!
joan @ globalgiving

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Donna — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:27:50 -0000

Love this post, thank you!
Donna @
GlobalGiving

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Donna — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:27:47 -0000

Love this post, thank you!
Donna @
GlobalGiving

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Karoli — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:32:51 -0000

Erin, yes. Thank you for zeroing in on that.

What has been the itch on my back today has been how much effort is put into 'social media', networking, whatever you want to call it, and yet the real definition of social gets lost in there somewhere.

If air is worth $1500, how much more value should be placed on the life of a man, woman or child? A Twitter account could be gone at the flash of a server or the whim of Twitter's owners itself. But that man or woman or child will still be hungry, or ill, or at risk for dying in childbirth.

That was where I was heading, for sure. Let's really make social media social.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Karoli — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:19:21 -0000

WhyMommy,

Queen of Spain rocks. :) She's even threatening to flash her boobs if the big techie boys don't blog it. :) Welcome!

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Karoli — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:18:09 -0000

Hi Veronica and welcome to the blog! Thank you for those kind words. :)

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Eric Rice — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:03:50 -0000

@lons- Yeah sadly, it can be argued that our -pastimes- and activities are pretty damn retarded too. For all the preciousness anyone with a damn Twitter account and a social media byline has, you'd think the relevance would be pretty high. For all the change-the-world crap we have to hear from the likes of our ilk, it's CERTAINLY warranted to say 'hey wake the heck up, fools'. And then we'd all go OH YEAH maybe we are being kinda dumb.

But no.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Queenofspain Erin Kotecki Vest — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:59:34 -0000

Bu the larger point here - he is using his influence in social media or on the web as a whole and it's enough to garner cash...yes? So while operating in that space-why not consider other ways in which to use that influence?

Here is a community (I use that term loosely) that has JUMPED at attempting to buy his account. Why aren't they JUMPING to buy health care for women and children in nepal or jumping to provide birthing kits and doulas? In a fund raising effort LARGELY IGNORED by the tech/sm community?

Everyone is buzzing about the money involved in selling a twitter account and discussing community and followers. Seems awfully shallow as they ignore the money, community, and followers involved in the blogher initiative.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Karoli — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:28:04 -0000

Well, I think I disagree. Many have already made the "unfollow" argument, so
I won't unpack that again. The point I'm trying to make is twofold: 1)
Trying to put a monetary value on a fluid community like Twitter is silly
and insulting to the community; and 2) If you all have enough money to be
tossing it around on air, why not do something good for others?

Keep in mind, I did not ask him to TELL me whether he donated or not.
You're right, what he does with the money (assuming there is any) is
entirely his choice and none of my business. I simply challenged him to
consider what the value of a real community is -- is it a commodity to be
traded on an auction site or is it real people, here and abroad, starving?
I obviously choose the latter. What he chooses is entirely up to him.

Thanks for the visit.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Lons — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:05:21 -0000

Obviously, it's always good to donate to charity, so I'm not trying to knock your overall point here. BUT...it would be easy to make this argument about absolutely anything. Any hobby, any passion, any pastime, any activity, any trip. Anything. It's not a knock on Baron's little social experiment to say that the money might be better used if donated. Any money I spent this month on anything other than rent and food would have been more appreciated by someone less fortunate.

There are a number of arguments to be made for declining Baron's offer, reasons that paying him for his Twitter account would be a wasteful and pointless transaction. But they have nothing to do with charity. I think the major flaw in the entire scheme is the freedom of Baron's followers to unfollow. If someone who wants to use the account for marketing starts sending out lots of Twitter spam, followers will simply opt out, and then that money was then entirely wasted. But this is a knock on the value proposition offer itself, not Baron's right to make it or anyone's right to take him up on it if they think they might financially benefit.

You either believe that this is a worthwhile expenditure or not. What Baron decides to do with the cash afterwards is immaterial and, frankly, not really your business. (No one should be scolded into donating to charity. It's typically something people do because they WANT to do it.) Just my two cents.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Karoli — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:48:03 -0000

Thank you, Corvida! Much appreciated. :)

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Karoli — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:48:02 -0000

Thank you, Marilyn. If Twitter were working right now I'd check your link,
but it seems to be down. :) I will do what I can to help the cause for the
World Food Program. What I read last night about the challenges being faced
with regard to world hunger was truly frightening. I wish more time and
focus would be put on this instead of bickering Democratic candidates.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Corvida Raven — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:40:50 -0000

Great challenge! Added to Mixx!

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Marilyn Pratt — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:34:58 -0000

Hurray, Karoli. Thanks for your sane voice. I also found this through Queenofspain tweet and mightly glad Erin surfaced this for us. In fact, I myself crossed swords a tiny bit with others last night in twittersphere voicing similar sentiments: http://twitter.com/marilynp...
If it is any consolation, some of us are challenging our online community and social collectives to use all their ego-bo to raise money for the World Food Program. Our goal is 200,000 euro. Engaging with the community in the project http://www.sapfeedingknowle... is what makes most sense to me presently as a community evangelist. So thank goodness for your voice of sanity. And your list of action items. May your suggestions be virally propagated with the same epidemic proportions that poverty seems to be growing in the world. Yours was a bright clear pool near all the murky puddles.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Lisa Stone — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:09:04 -0000

"Truly, what matters about the word “social” are people."

Nice, Karoli! Thousands of women's lives changed forever. This has my vote. And Amen to adding another zero to the end of this number. We can do it...

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Karoli — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:54:03 -0000

It's his account. Why wouldn't he keep the cash? If he were auictioning for charity why not say so to encourage participation?

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Patrick Lajeunesse — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:48:04 -0000

Did you really think he'd keep the cash? Clearly he should have said what he intended to do with it when he started this... but I would be stunned if he kept it, or even intended to.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

WhyMommy — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:25:43 -0000

Excellent, excellent point!

Found you (ironically?) through twitter today - thanks to Queen of Spain.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Veronica Giggey — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:22:29 -0000

This is the first time I read your blog, you are amazing!

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Karoli — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:16:18 -0000

Thanks, Elisa. Let's go for the extra zero on the end of that total on the widget. :)

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Elisa Camahort Page — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:09:25 -0000

Wow, you rock. I blogged about how lame this was, but didn't even THINK to make the suggestion you're making. You will make at least one person think and do something different, I am sure. was just being snarky.

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Karoli — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:01:41 -0000

@Erin, thanks! I'd like to see another zero added onto that widget counter.

@christian did he say so? I doubt it, don't you?

Re: My Challenge to Andrew Baron

Gideon — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:01:14 -0000

Amen. So much is wasted on excess.