This may be a bit more extreme than the average person's social media information flow, but I created a diagram (using MindManager) showing how the information I create flows through the online world.
In the current version (v0.1 see end of post for latest version info) there are 12+ different types and sources of content from events to photos to comments and more. All this content can be re-used using either RSS or APIs. Therefore I can re-channel information from many sources into, among others, Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo Pulse, Spock, my Skype mood and onto my website (using a Plaxo Pulse widget). This enables me to use the 'best tool for the job' for each type of content, but ensure that it is also made available on the platforms that the majority of my friends and connections are using. (Making it convenient for them of course greatly increases the chance they will actually see it).
Profilactic deserves a special mention for being the tool that aggregates all the RSS feeds into one, although most content can also be pulled into Facebook directly using applications. It's also better to add feeds directly to Plaxo Pulse rather than just pulling in the Profilactic feed so that Plaxo knows what type of information it is dealin with. Twitterfeed is the tool that takes the Profilactic feed and pumps it into Twitter, which then automatically updates my Facebook status. Twype is the magic that takes my latest Twitters and changes my Skype mood.
This is the first version and I wouldn't call it final. Some of the relationships have been omitted or simplified (the yellow nodes), as the chart just got too complicated with all the direct relationships. There is a lot more to be added. I also need to go and check I haven't missed any major types of content and do a bit of tidying up to make it easier to read.
I tried quite a few tools before deciding on MindManager, an d overall I was very pleased with the way it worked. The nodes are all linked and the favicons are pulled in automatically. For the next version I may use less floating topics and turn them into subtopics so hopefully the auto layout will work a bit better.
Overall, it was very helpful to see an overview of how my online information flows. I managed to get rid of some redundant channels along the way and am in a good position to consolidate and make sensible decisions about how to share information from now on. It does show the complexity consumers are dealing with in the Web 2.0 world, and it will be interesting to see how the leading services help us deal with this. Facebook is of course the best example to date.
You can download the file as a pdf, png (graphic), mmap, or xmmap xml file. (For the mmap file, you may have to right-click-save. If you want any other versions that MindManager exports to, let me know).
Updates
Jan. 8 2008 - v0.3.1 upload. Important changes include:
- Used MindManager's RSS map part functionality to start to import feed content directly into the map. Just two examples added and shown at the moment - del.icio.us and CoComment. These sub topics cover other parts of the map (which is good otherwise the map would repaginate too much) but the branches can be open and closed as necessary.
- Added a sub-map and for sites that don't import the content, but do link to my profiles on other sites. Added link relationships for sites that do import content and also link back to it.
- Started to create map parts so that I can easily add new formatted sections to the map. Was previously using the format painter. Also added some more icons and gave names to these icons. MindManager has great filtering functionality, so if I mark up the map well I will easily be able to hide and display different parts as required.
- Add a 'To Do' section. Still lots of things to add. Also wondering whether I could use this map to create an APML profile for myself.
Jan. 7 2008 - I uploaded version 0.2 which has a few small additions but most importantly a mobile layer.
