The Open Web

Tuesday, 20 December 2022 17:57 Hrs

seldomlogical.com / 2022 / December / 20 / The Open Web

❝ Take responsibility for own your own data, explore and live in the Open Web instead.

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Own Your Own Data

I've always used my flickr account as a quick way to jolt down ideas and stumbled over this post I wrote to myself in 2009. [0] I'm using a long extinct goal setting and reminder service called 43 Things.

Thirteen years later and the idea of "Owning Your Own Data" and "The Open Web" is as relevent today as the day it was written. This re—write is is a permanant reminder to keep investing in my own data and services.

❝Dear future self, I'm reminding you about your stated goal on 43 things, to "own my own data". How's it going? Sincerely, Your past self.

How's It Going?

Every month I receive this email, ❝Dear future self, sent from the past to remind myself, why I need to control my own data.

Broken Analogy

[1]

I read this on my twitter stream yesterday. As an analogy goes it's okay I guess. But the message it sends has a problem.

Ownership

[2]

If the ownership, house analogy is taken a bit further, wouldn't you rather be exploring the real word? The sad bit, as a user you are playing in someone else's house. You don't own it. You don't get a say in the rules. Think this doesn't matter? Well think again.

Speech

[3]

Take for instance this article by Thomas Hawk, [4] about speaking your mind, flickr and what happens when you do something in someone else's house.

[4]

Own Your Own House

[5]

As I come to the point where I add 10K images to flickr I remind myself of the email message I send myself an email to myself from the past to remind me to own my own data. [6] If you rent you are at the mercy of the landlords. If you speak out or say something your landlords disagree with, you can be kicked out.

Take Responsibility

This kind of thinking is good for business owners and people who own companies. If you own users, you can make money. But you can also be judge, jury and bailiff. Owners get to make the rules. And where the law has yet to catch up, users will come off second best. The open web is like the open road but better. You can choose your own path.

Take responsibility for own your own data, explore and live in the Open Web instead.