When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd
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Re: When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd
#2The "vortex math" talk was removed from TEDx Charlotte's website, but there's a copy here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oRnhrOf0r0
Re: When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd
#3The "vortex math" talk was removed from TEDx Charlotte's website, but there's a copy here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oRnhrOf0r0
The fact that he was reading his entire presentation verbatim should have tipped everybody off in the first minute or so. Nobody who's "at the forefront of the most advanced mathematics ever known to mankind" needs that much notes to talk about it. Shoot, I've never had a prof that needed that kind of help... and they're teaching 2nd year courses.
Re: When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd
#4I'm generally of the opinion that TEDx needs to end entirely. TED is a single organizer, not a movement or a cause - its primary contribution to the world is that of exacting, high-quality curation in a world where everyone has a soapbox.
TED's usefulness to people is the trust in the brand and the trust in their curation quality - if this is lost TED's main mission has failed.
In my opinion, TED has already lost this trust. There was a time where a TED link was a must-click and a must-watch. I cannot remember the last time I bothered clicking on a TED link - it must be at least a year now. It is perhaps not too late to regain this trust - but they need to cut loose the forces that are preventing this.
TEDx is a dilution of the TED brand and the organization would IMO be better off without it, and the brand is TED.
I do believe that high-quality curation, especially when it comes to deep knowledge, is a valuable thing - but would-be curators should have to earn the trust their audiences places with them, not ride off TED's coattails.
Re: When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd
#5For me, when Amanda Palmer did a TED talk, it was the definitive point that they jumped the shark.
Re: When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd
#6For me, when Amanda Palmer did a TED talk, it was the definitive point that they jumped the shark.
You're talking about this TED talk -- http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking.htm...
What's wrong with it? I thought it was a great TED talk, she makes great points about new and emerging forms of artist-fan relationships and its advantages.
Re: When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd
#7I stopped caring about TED talks when it became clear that people were more interested in promoting themselves rather than 'ideas worth spreading'.
Too many posers looking for that epic photo of them on-stage with the head mic attached.
Re: When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd
#8>> "they’re setting up ones that feature “experts” in pseudoscience topics like “plasmatics,” crystal healing, and Egyptian psychoaromatherapy, all of which were presented at TEDxValenciaWomen in December 2012. That conference was described by one disappointed viewer as “a mockery...that hurt, in this order, TED, Valencia, women, science, and common sense.”
Wow. I'm ashamed to have put 'curated TEDx participant' on my resume. Removed.
Re: When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd
#9TEDx talks have lacked credibility from the beginning as far as I'm concerned, but what I find disappointing is that the main TED talks are increasingly just motivational nonsense. There are some very engaging speakers, but the actual ideas and content are often questionable. I find some of the perspectives on and from "developing countries" particularly patronizing and poorly contextualized.
But most people I know find them inspiring and invigorating, and I hate to rain on anyone's parade so I always keep quiet. I just find (many, not all) TED talks make me want to laugh at how implausible/naive/over-the-top the ideas are. Just sayin' ...
Re: When TED Lost Control of Its Crowd
#10I'm generally of the opinion that TEDx needs to end entirely. TED is a single organizer, not a movement or a cause - its primary contribution to the world is that of exacting, high-quality curation in a world where everyone has a soapbox. TED's usefulness to people is the trust in the brand and the trust in their curation quality - if this is lost TED's main mission has failed. In my opinion, TED has already lost thi…
I don't mean to come off the wrong way, but did you even read the article? Most of it was about past transgressions and what they've done to tighten the brand. Maybe you're been away too long. I also somewhat reject your characterization of their mission, because their mission first and foremost is about the spread of ideas. TEDx has irrefutably made TED more popular and mainstream and thus more effective as a vehicle to spread ideas. Yes quality is important, but even with TEDx, the process to become a "TED link" is extremely curated:
"Indeed, open as TED is, pieces of its ecosystem are highly managed. For example, while 25,000 TEDx talks have been produced so far, as of the time of this writing only 228, or approximately 1%—the best of the best—had made it to TED.com for broad-based distribution and endorsement. People who complain that TED is not curating its content are ignoring how selective it is when posting TEDx content."