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…editorial…
signal vs. noise in two-way communication…
The world wide web is indeed wide, and I guess most somewhat regular web-surfers are applying some kind of filtering to keep what they want from all else in an attempt to keep the amount and level of noise down. I certainly do.
At times I'm looking into the noise, and in most cases something I wasn't actually looking for catches my attention and interest. This has thought me to use intelligent filtering, and to be open for positive surprises in the most unlikely places. What I generally perceive as noise isn't always “just noise”.
one way filtering:
In a time of increasing information overload, technical, programmatic and/or mental filtering is a necessity on all channels directed at us. However, too often we may not turn on the same filtering for our own transmissions, and thereby intentionally or accidentally add more noise.
Especially a lot of blogs are updated for the sole reason of updating them, and comments placed for the sole reason of commenting. Not exactly intelligent filtering if you ask me, but I guess they don't.
über-filtering:
Sometimes the filtering is too indiscriminating. For instance when someone sends a mail-message asking for a reply, and then auto-filters out the reply and sends repeated complaints about one not being sent. Nice tactic, although I guess it isn't applied intentionally.
When one has received a few of those complaints it is time to put up a more targeted filter – against foolishness and dysfunctional algorithms. I have some of those filters in place in Thunderbird, but luckily only a limited number have been needed so far.
missing filters:
Some seem to turn off their filtering completely – both ways, and expose themselves to disinformation and scams. Can't be many who let their guard down like that, but probably enough to create markets for criminals and other low-lives.
At least some form of mental filtering is needed so one can keep the smelly fish from the good. We're all exposed to disinformation from everywhere – day in and day out, but hoaxes can lead to serious problems for the unprepared.
one man's signal, another man's noise…
This is a classic situation caused by the fact that we're all using the same channels. No matter how pure a message one sends out, it will be regarded as nothing but noise by many and end up being filtered out by all but the few.
Some senders act as if they're surpriced, and some may even show indignation when their “perfect messages” fail to get through, but of course one can not take such reactions serious. We all know that any message will only be noticed by a few, and then only a fraction of those who notice will actually “get” the message.
counting hits, or rather not:
On the web some make more or less wild SEO attempts in order to reach a larger audience. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and at least they've got something to do while they're at it. High-ranking noise is still noise though, so some of them should try another approach in my opinion.
I still got plenty to do on the web and (especially) in other fields, and am not trying to catch the attention of a wider audience here, there or anywhere. I am pleasantly surpriced by the fact that I've got an audience at all on this site (the mails I'm receiving say I do), and am happy with that while I'm trying to improve the quality of what I serve you.
does it matter either way?
Not really, in all but the rarest of cases. People usually find what they seek – sooner or later, and most also get to say what they want – somewhere. The world wide web is a nice communication channel, and more and more of the world's population get some kind of access to it every day.
Being mentally prepared that ones well-prepared stuff goes mostly unnoticed may help the individual creator though, and those potentially at the receiving end should of course be aware of the fact that they've missed most of the really good stuff because they weren't looking in the right, obscure, places and sifting through all the noise.
It is inevitable that most gets lost in communication today, so we may as well get used to it. It will only get worse on the world wide web – as everywhere else.
I strongly believe the only way to improve the signal vs. noise ratio on the world wide web and related channels, is for us who care about these things to provide quality and avoid transmitting noise, to the degree possible. Think that's why so few of my articles are actually released, and it takes so long to complete those that are.
sincerely 
Hageland 07.sep.2008
last rev: 10.sep.2008
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