Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Who's Counting? Well, not Google Badges

Who's Counting? Well, not Google Badges

Earlier I questioned how our behavior would change while using Google News Badges. Would the Badge game channel our reading into Badge specific categories? Would content show up in the proper category -- I was only reading about the Budget Negotiations, not about Rs, Ds, or Reid (I swear). 


Early observations were posted here and here


A New Behavior: 


I am no longer clicking deeper into a website, opting to return to Google News for the next link. As an Example, I might read a NY Times article, see links that might look interesting, but ignore them and return to Google News for badge points.


So, what happens when Google News Badges stops adding articles read to a badge? 


Well, I'm just not sure, I haven't seen any of my Badges increment in a couple of days. But I do think that serendipity takes a hit.


Word Origin and History   
Serendipity - 1754 (but rare before 20c.), coined by Horace Walpole (1717-92) in a letter to Mann (dated Jan. 28); he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip, "whose heroes" were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of." 
The name is from Serendip, an old name for Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), from Arabic Sarandib, from Skt. Simhaladvipa "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island." Serendipitous formed c.1950.

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