Thing 12

I personally don't see these social media sites as important as some of the other tools we have been learning about. Each of the sites remind me of a RSS feed with the added dimension of organizing articles by those most popular or those most read. This seems to be more of a superficial use of the power of Web 2.0 tools. With that comment in mind I do not see them as productivity tools but more time wasters.

It reminds me a bit of what a local radio station is attempting to do to replicate the voting aspect that is evident in these websites. They have one story that is repeated more frequently that becomes a highlight story because the listeners vote on their choice for top story. I know all of these techniques are meant to draw upon the concept of human behavior that says we are more motivated to continue following the story if we have a say. American Idol and other voting shows rely on this as well. My interest level for this is pretty low.

To respond to the final question, I usually will read/browse articles based on my level of interest. Good old-fashioned skill in writing headlines is probably the thing that draws me in.