Slashdot Mirror
Illumio to Launch Social Network Advice Software
hdtv writes "The New York Times is reporting that Palo Alto-based Illumio will soon try to figure out the experts among your social network with a new online service." From the article: "Illumio is not a search engine, like Google or Yahoo. The system works by transparently distributing a request for information on questions like "Who knows John Smith?" and "Are Nikon digital cameras better than Olympus?" to the computers in a network of users. The questions can then be answered locally based on a novel reverse auction system that Illumio uses to determine who the experts are."
He's a long-winded boor with a bad attitude. Stay away.
You are so boring that when I see you my feet go to sleep.
The URL for the illumio is
URL: http://www.illumio.com/web/home.jsp
It is still not launched and all you can do is register for their early release program. Looks like they are generating hype by all the means they can utilize including posting on the slashdot.
They're not looking for real experts, but for people who have influence over others. The question about how many "John Smiths" you know is a sociologist's question to determine the span of a person's personal network (in a predominantly Anglo-Saxon society).
I don't know whether it will work, but the holy grail is to identify a few highly influential people who can be the focus of marketers. It's in no company's interest to mis-identify the "experts", because they all need to find them.
A focus group is just a bunch of random morons off the street, but someone with a vast social network whose opinions are respected and followed is gold to marketers. If the marketers are ethical they'll pass these people's opinions on to product managers as prioritary and may even give free stuff in exchange for advice. If they're unethical they may try to bribe these people into spouting lies for them, but that carries a huge risk of backlash. If opinion leaders tell their friends "don't trust this company - they asked me to lie about their crappy product" it's time to short the stock.