About a year ago, I wrote a post on Dunbar's Number. Robin Dunbar, an anthropologist, suggested that from a neurological standpoint, the human brain can handle no more than 150 meaningful relationships. The implication for social media is that you may not need 1,000 followers on Twitter to be effective.Every time I give a social media presentation, a number of audience members will express their horror at the openness and magnitude of Facebook and Twitter.
Well, attendees, your concerns have been heard - enter FamilyLeaf. FamilyLeaf is designed to be that small, closed, private network for your closest compadres. Check out the demo.
For your smartphone, there is Path. A Path network, allows you a maximum of 150 friends.
PS According to the article in the New York Times (by Randall Stross) that inspired this post, Dunbar, is alive and kicking as a professor at Oxford. He further elaborated his theory as follows: "social networks resemble a set of concentric circles: 150 people constitute the outer boundary of friends, 50 is the limit for trusted friends, 15 for good friends, and 5 for best friends."
150.
I can handle that.
No comments:
Post a Comment