Jan 6, 2010 0
A History Junkie Jackpot
I am and always have been a history junkie. I can nerd-out for hours on the History Channel, and prefer fiction that weaves the story seamlessly within a historically accurate depiction of life at the time. So, I was thrilled when I stumbled across this fantastic blog called Shorpy. It is an photoblog, and the person who runs it has been able to collect some of the most interesting pictures of random life in 1900 – 1920s roughly. It is fascinating …if you are a history nerd like me.
After geeking out with this amazing site for several hours over the holiday, I began to think about how this blog is a product of one of my favorite benefits of the social web. More specific, I love that where the internet has evolved to today is a vast platform that allows great sites and blogs like Shorpy to surface and become a magnet for niche tribes to come together.
Clearly there are other history nerds out there (or there would not be a History Channel), but even within that larger group of people there are smaller groups that share common passion for very specific types or periods of history. These are the niche tribes that I am talking about. Groups of people that always existed prior to social web, but were too hard to connect …or more likely were below the threshold to where they realized there were others out there like themselves.
What is interesting is that there is a correlation between true happiness or passion levels & the more niche the group is. So, a member of the United States Civil War History Club = 5,000 people of moderate dorkiness and happiness utility levels. However, a fan of Civil War Confederate Saber & Musket Photography Club = 10 guys who have never had a date but go off the charts with personal happiness whenever a new photo is uncovered.
People are not just in one tribe. They are simultaneously in hundreds based on what they do for a living, what they are passionate about, things they are affiliated with.
If you had to think about yourself and make a list quickly.
- What tribes are you a part of?
- How many are there?
- Can you rank them based on which ones you are most passionate about?
- Can you rank them based on which ones you spend the most time with?
- Do those rankings match up?
