This weeks activity focuses on the collective intelligence that is harnessed through Web 2.0 Applications. For this blog post I have chosen to review SoundCloud.
Collective Intelligence is created by using a platform that is designed for user contribution. It involves sharing data (information text, sounds, etc) for everyone or selected groups to view. However, it also includes the data that is gained by general participation (registration, views, shares, commenting, etc). Collective Intelligence has the potential to provide data/information/knowledge in context to a specified audience or widely shared to various large audiences. The benefit of collective intelligence is that it can deliver the optimum results or information needed because it has been widely viewed, discussed and revised by multiple inputs.
“It is a form of universally distributed intelligence, constantly enhanced, coordinated in real time, and resulting in the effective mobilization of skills. I’ll add the following indispensable characteristic to this definition: The basis and goal of collective intelligence is mutual recognition and enrichment of individuals rather than the cult of fetishized or hypostatized communities.” – Pierre Levy
I choose SoundCloud because I love using this application to find, like and share music. SoundCloud is simple, as a registered user you have ability to:
- Listen to unlimited music
- Upload 180 minutes (Subscription required to upload more, similar to cloud storage services)
- Embed sound files so that files can be shared through social networks
- Create/Join groups to share and collect music
- Comment and share on audio files
- Download selected tracks
- Like, Repost, Share, Playlists and Follow are the standard features that allow users to organise their music choices
As an artist there is a great opportunity to promote your music by incorporating these features into their marketing campaigns. Many mainstream artists have adopted SoundCloud to share singles, covers or playlists (EPs, Greatest Hits). As a general user, SoundCloud offers individuals with multiple ways to find music by using hashtags and genres. You can choose which artists you would like to follow and create your own stream of music.
Users are provided with 180 minutes of audio hosting, which increases the total collected data/audio by approximately 12 hours every minute. Emerging musicians have a great opportunity to store and share their tracks. SoundCloud is able to store this data, and once this 180 minute limit is reached users require a subscription that increases the storage capacity, thus creating profit for SoundCloud. The end users will always be awarded for their participation because by allowing them to freely listen to all of the audio tracks. As a general user you have the ability to gain followers for the music you repost, like and what playlists you have created.
In summary, SoundCloud is being used by artists and users alike to share and collect music. This service is great for those looking to find new music and have it easily accessible from any device connected to the internet. As the service grows, more audio files are collected, grouped and shared amongst the community. SoundCloud will continue to profit due to the subscriptions from artists who require the extra storage space, which will also provide more music to the growing community and expanding services.
So which service do you use to play music?
Thank you for reading and if you have any constructive feedback or have an opinion on anything I mentioned today feel free to comment below and make sure you mention your SoundCloud profile so I can check out some of your favourite music for now I’ll just leave this here: https://soundcloud.com/jfreck
Jason Collier's Social Blogsphere 