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Friday, July 18, 2003
Competivitis
Yes I stole the term from BB4 BBQ. But I don't really agree that competition in itself is bad for reality websites.
Competition is what makes things better. It is what makes people create websites and try to fill them with content that will be of interest. It is what makes people go out and try to get the spoiler, by going to extreme means if necessary. Competition is what makes message board posters spend so much time giving us Big Brother live feed updates and ongoing commentary. Competition is what keeps some sites going.
Now if we define competivitis as the disease of taking competition to a point that people become unethical in what they do, well I will agree. When people take material from other websites and don't give credit just to beat the competition, that is bad. When people violate copyright laws, that is bad. When people badmouth other sites on their own, or on others, that is bad. When people try to steal other sites' members, that is bad. When people start doing anything to enhance their site by using other, that is bad.
But what can you do? The internet is still pretty wide open, there is no governing body of reality sites that keeps anyone under control. Sites can pretty much plagiarize each other with impunity without much consequence - who is going to take the time or expense to actually try to use legal means?
What we really need is a good vaccination against competivitis.
Competition is what makes things better. It is what makes people create websites and try to fill them with content that will be of interest. It is what makes people go out and try to get the spoiler, by going to extreme means if necessary. Competition is what makes message board posters spend so much time giving us Big Brother live feed updates and ongoing commentary. Competition is what keeps some sites going.
Now if we define competivitis as the disease of taking competition to a point that people become unethical in what they do, well I will agree. When people take material from other websites and don't give credit just to beat the competition, that is bad. When people violate copyright laws, that is bad. When people badmouth other sites on their own, or on others, that is bad. When people try to steal other sites' members, that is bad. When people start doing anything to enhance their site by using other, that is bad.
But what can you do? The internet is still pretty wide open, there is no governing body of reality sites that keeps anyone under control. Sites can pretty much plagiarize each other with impunity without much consequence - who is going to take the time or expense to actually try to use legal means?
What we really need is a good vaccination against competivitis.
