LiveJournal is an amazing, genre-bending web entity. There are imitators (mostly using LJ’s code) and admittedly there are some clunky things about LJ’s execution, but I really would like to dig in and write about just what in terms of architecture makes LJ work and be such a magnet for its users. One small change or different decision in how journals are linked, browsed, or whatever, could completely change the way it all works, and then change how the individuals relate entirely.

I’m still mulling.

But this is a cool link to a mind-map (that works kind of like the infamous “brain” interface) with spatial proximity, size and color being used to map prominence and/or relevance of certain ‘friend’ names on the site. In fact it’s part of a community on LJ called “weblog sociology” which I may have to keep up with more closely. This post in particular and the resulting comments bring up points that I think are central to IA in general. To me, the ‘net isn’t about information, but about connecting people to people (often via their information and knowledge)… but this is another topic upon which I must further mull.

In the meantime:

weblogsociology: MindMap = Friendship Patterns