赫芬顿邮报纸.docx
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赫芬顿邮报纸.docx
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赫芬顿邮报纸
CoverStory—May/June2012
Sixdegreesofaggregation
HowTheHuffingtonPostatetheInternet
ByMichaelShapiro
OfthemanyandconflictingstoriesabouthowTheHuffingtonPostcametobe—howitboasts68sections,threeinternationaleditions(withmoretocome),1.2billionmonthlypageviewsand54millioncommentsinthepastyearalone,howitcametosurpassthetrafficofvirtuallyallthenation’sestablishednewsorganizationsandamasscontentsovoluminousthatavisittothewebsitefeelslikeatriptoamallwheretheexitsareimpossibletolocate—theearliestandarguablymosttellingbeginswithalunchinMarch2003atwhichtheideaofanonlinenewspaperfilledwithcelebritybloggersandvirallydisseminatedaggregatedcontentdidnotcomeup.
TheinvitationforthelunchcamefromKennethLerer.Hewas51andcastingaboutforsomethingnew,havingrecentlylefthispositionasexecutivevicepresidentforcommunicationsatAOL.Lererwasaprivatemanwhowasnonethelesscomfortableinthepresenceofpowerfulpeoplewithwhomhehadearnedareputationforhoningimagesindisrepair,mostfamouslyforthedisgracedandsubsequentlyrehabilitatedjunkbondtraderMichaelMilken.Lererhadmadeagooddealofmoneyandagoodmanyfriendsafterhavingfirstmadeanameforhimselfinthequixotic1974NewYorksenatecampaignofRamseyClark(forwhichhewashiredbythechairmanofthismagazine,VictorNavasky,wholaterrecruitedhimforCJR’sBoardofOverseers,whichhasnosayincontent).LererwassplittinghistimebetweenNewYorkandskiingathisvacationhomeinUtahwhenhecameacrossanewbookbyayoungsociologist,DuncanWatts.ThebookwascalledSixDegrees.LererwassotakenbyitthathetookWattstolunch.
HebroughtthebookwithhimandWattswouldrecallthatthecopywasdog-eared,theflatteringlytelltalesignofapurposefulread.LererhadaplanandhewantedWattstohelphim.Hehadsethimselfanambitioustarget.HewantedtotakeontheNationalRifleAssociation.
HetoldWatts:
“Iknowtheanswertothisissomewhereinthesepages.”
NineyearsandonePulitzerPrizelater,whatisthephenomenonthatlunchsetinmotion?
HowisitthatTheHuffingtonPost,atturnscelebratedasthesaviorofitsparentcompanyanddecriedasaglitzythiefofjournalismproducedbyothers,hascometomatter?
BeforeitspurchasebyAOLinFebruary2011,HuffPostwasnotapropertythathadproducedmuchinthewayofrevenue;ithadpostedaprofitonlyintheyearbeforethesale—theamounthasneverbeendisclosed—onamodest$30millioninrevenue.AsidefromscoopsfromitsestimableWashingtonbureau,itdidlittleinthewayofbreakingstories,theindustry’straditionalpathwaytorecognition.
HuffingtonPost,whichhadmasteredsearch-engineoptimizationandwasquicktounderstandandpounceontheriseofsocialmedia,hadbeenatoncewidelyfollowedbutnotnearlysowidelycited.ButthatislikelytochangenowthatitcanboastofaPulitzerPrizefornationalreporting—therebuttaltoeverycriticwhodismissedHuffPostasanabasementtoallthatwasjournalisticallysacred.
AriannaHuffingtonlikedtoboastthatthesitethatborehernamehadremainedtruetoitsorigins.Thehomepage’s“splash”headlinestillreflectedaleft-of-centerperspective;ithadthousandsofbloggers,famousandnot,noneofthempaid;andwhiletherewasevermoreoriginalcontent,especiallyonthepoliticsandbusinesspages,thesitewaspopulatedoverwhelminglywithcontentthathadoriginatedelsewhere,muchofitfromthewires(infairness,anapproachlongpracticedbymanyofthenation’snewspapers).ButHuffingtonPosthadevolvedintosomethingmorethantheWeb’sbeastoftraffic,blogging,andaggregation.Thesedays,AriannaHuffingtonhasaregularseatatthepoliticsroundtable,whichspeaksnotonlytoherownfacilityonTVbutalsototheprominenceherorganizationenjoys.
Powercanbefelt,evenifitdefiesmeasurement.Bythewinterof2012,HuffingtonPostcouldlayclaimtoawidelysharedperceptionofitsgrowinginfluence—thewordHuffingtonpreferstopower,which,shesays,sounds“tooloaded.”Forbetteror,intheeyesofitscritics,worse,HuffingtonPosthadassumedthepositionofamediainstitutionofconsequence.
Itwaspossibletodrawallsortsofconclusionsfromdataabout“HuffPo,”bothflatteringandnot.YettwonumbersinparticularstoodoutforwhattheysuggestedaboutthenatureoftheenterprisethatHuffington,JonahPeretti,andthehostofthatfirstlunch,KenLerer,hadbuilt:
40millionand19,000.TheformeristhenumberofuniquevisitorswhocametothesiteinJanuary.ThelatteristhenumberofnamesinAriannaHuffington’scontactlist.
Eachrepresentsanetworkthattogetherconstitutedsomethingfargreaterthanwhateachrepresentedbyitself—anaspiration:
thepotentialpowerthatcomestothosewhocanbuild,nurture,andharnessanetworkthatisatoncevastandloyal.
Emphasisonpotential.
1.Connected
DuncanWatts,anAustralianwhohadcometoCornellforgraduateschool,was32andpossessedadispositionthatcouldbemistakenforcurmudgeonly.TherapidgrowthoftheWebhadprovenaboomtimeforsocialscientists,whocouldsuddenlyperformallsortsofresearchonlargesamplesinveryquicktimeandatrelativelylittlecost.Theresultwaspapersandconferencesandbooksthat,inWatts’view,transformedsociologistsintoengineers.Timeandagain,peopleapproachedWattswithquestionsforwhichhecouldofferonlythemaddeninganswerof“itdepends.”Thisdidnothingtomakesociologistspopular.Nordiditstopallsortsofpeoplefromcomingaround,amongthemKenLerer.
SixDegreesexaminedthenatureofwhatWattscalled“smallworlds.”Theconceit—latertobeadoptedbyfansofKevinBaconandplaywrightJohnGuare—hadcomefroma1967experimentbythesocialpsychologistStanleyMilgram,inwhichhetrackedthenumberofconnectionsitwouldtakeforalettertoreachacertainrecipientunknowntotheoriginalsender.Theanswer:
six.Thatconclusionsuggestedthatitwaspossibleforanyonepersontoreachanyotherpersonintheworldbyestablishinganetworkofdiminishingfamiliarity—startwithafriend,thenafriendofafriend,andsoon—untiltheconnectionwascomplete.ThatpremisehadfueledthestudyofwhatWattscalledthe“scienceofnetworks,”onethatdatedtothe18thcenturyandwhichhadovertimedrawninahostofscientistswhoseemedtothinkallthingscouldbemeasured.Andiftheycouldbemeasured,theymightbegraphedandchartedinawaythatrevealedpatternsthatcould,inanidealworld,bereplicated.
Perhapsthedreamofcreatingvastnetworksofconnectedstrangerswaspossible,ifonlyonecouldidentifytheproperlinks.Or,intheparlanceofthenetworkworld,makingweaklinksintostrongones.
Watts’sbookwasfilledwithimagesanddrawingsthatcouldbeconfounding—howmanythreadsarenecessaryforconnectingamassofbuttonsinawaythatcreatedabuttonnetwork?
—yettantalizing,especially,itseemed,forsomeonetryingtofindawaytotakeononeofthenation’smostpowerfullobbies.
Still,networkswereeternallyunderminedbytheinevitableforceofrandomness.Itwasonething,say,togotoabaseballgameandhearthestirringsofrhythmicclappingthatthencascadearoundtheballparksothatquicklyeveryoneisclappinginunison.Apowerfulthingtobehold—somuchsothataninninglater,youyourselfmightwanttostartthewholestadiumclapping.Maybethepersontoyourleftjoinsin,andmaybefiveorsixothersdo,too.Untiltheclappingdies.InWatts’sview,networkswereawonderfulphenomenontoobserve,butallbutimpossibletoreplicate.Whydideveryoneintheballparkfeelthedesiretojoinintheclappinginthesixthinningbutnotintheseventh?
Whatwasdifferent?
Couldyousomehowrecreatethepreciseconditionsthatmadethatephemeralbutresoundinglysuccessfulsixth-inningnetworkhappen?
Wattsdoubtedit.Thereweresimplytoomanyvariablesatwork.Still,youcould,intheory,trysomething:
Starttoclap,seeifanyonejoinsin,stopiftheydon’t,waitforanewsetofconditionstoarise—anotherplayertobat,arunnerreachessecondbase?
Orthird?
Inotherwords,experiment,andmeasuretheresultsastheyoccur,allthewhileadjusting,tweaking—tryclappinglouder,say,thenfaster,maybeaddingachant—butdosohavingacceptedthelikelihoodthatanimatesworkforallscientists:
failure.
KenLererlistened,andhewasnotdeterred.Networksdid,infact,occur—vastnetworksthroughwhichpreviouslydisconnectedpeoplesuddenlyfoundthemselvesjoinedtogether,perhapstoshareanidea,asong,asentiment,acause.WhynotthentrytocreateanetworkthatcouldchallengethevastandpowerfulandsustainingnetworkoftheNRA?
“Iknowtheanswers,”Wattstoldhim.“Iamconfidenttheyarenotthere.”Then,havingdeflatedLerer,Wattsthrewhimalifeline:
“MaybemyfriendJonahcanhelpyou.”
JonahPerettiwas29andhadalreadyearnedareputationassomethingofawiseguy.HehadbeenatechnologyteacherataNewOrleansprivateschoolwhenhewasadmittedtoagraduateprogramatMIT.Hisplanwastostudywaysnetworksmightfostercommunicationamongteachers,butgotsidetrackedmidwaythroughhismaster’sthesis.In2000,Nikewasinvitingcustomerstocreatefootwearwithpersonalizedwording.Thecompanyhadbeencriticizedwidelyforsellingsneakersmadebydesperatelypoorpeopleinimpoverishedcountries.Peretti,tall,skinnyandbespectacled,submittedhisrequest:
HewantedhissneakersemblazonedwiththewordSWEATSHOP.Nikedeclined.Atwhichpoint,Perettididacleverthing:
hee-
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