Well, according to this chart tracing the interests of Canadian Facebook users, yes. Movies, photography and travelling beats hockey too (except in Winnipeg and Calgary. Go Flames!). Interests by Canadian City (Through the Lense of Facebook) at Buzz Canuck

The fascinating part of this for me is how we all seem to have the same top interest (music), then reading, then movies. For the top three items, the chart is quite consistent across the country; as we go down, the interests by city become quite diverse. Even though we’re pretty similar at the top, our regional differences are quite pronounced in the bottom half. I’d be interested to know if this is representative of the Facebook user demographic or if this is consistent across the broader population? Anthropologists?

Note to Sean: I’d like to know either your methodology in creating this chart or the source of this chart.

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Associated Press reports that Ebbsfleet United, a fifth-tier UK football club, has just been purchased by 20,000 fans. Each fan bought into the team for $72, and has a say in who plays, who is traded, who is picked up, and the day-to-day running of the club. The goal is to move the team into the next conference up, League Two.

Every armchair quarterback must take a look at this. Fans have always been very vocal about the performance of their teams, and here’s an opportunity to put your money where your mouth is. However, I wonder about the ability of the group to work effectively.

A group is more likely to come up with a good decision if everyone is  independent; independence being the freedom of influence from others. However, in a group like this, there will be a powerful set of influencers - the more vocal and passionate fans will be able to influence the less committed people. Since this will be a social, and probably quite public, venture, the lack of independence will play heavily on the decisions of the group. Fans will influence other fans, leading to pressure on the individual to conform to the group.

There is a tendency for individuals to go against their better judgment for the sake of conformity to the group (Solomon Asch, Social Psychology). Groups put strong pressure on individuals to conform, especially among homogeneous groups. However, since the pool of fans spans 70 countries instead of just a local group of 20,000 in Kent, there is a certain amount of diversity here which bodes well for independent input.

Can the group make a better decisions than single expert coach or manager? While group wisdom consistently outperforms average individuals, expert individuals can be equal to or better than the group. I wonder how much of an expert a 9th place, fifth tier club can have. While the group can probably perform quite well at this level, I have doubts that this would work at the Premier League level.

This will be a very interesting experiment with potential ramifications for the future of sport. Keep an eye on this one.

For further reading, check out The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki.

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… that the best way to clean an oil-spill bird is with Dawn dish detergent - “they (the bird rescuers) [are] most likely to use Dawn, which they receive in large donations from Proctor and Gamble” (Slate Magazine Explainer).

There has been a lot of testing throughout the last few decades, and, according to the International Bird Rescue Research Center, “‘Dawn’ dishwashing liquid was a standout! Oil seemed to fall off the feathers! Rinsing was easier than we thought possible.”

I didn’t know that. And I will look at Dawn twice the next time I am shopping for dishwashing liquid. It seems to work (well, at least on oiled birds), and, via donation, P&G is doing something good for the world (no word on how much oil is spilled getting the product to market, though…).

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After a sh**storm yesterday (did I hit a nerve? I saw a 5x traffic spike) and a looong night with a teething toddler, here’s a whole lot of not much.

I just launched a web site for a new Vietnamese restaurant in northwest Calgary, the Green Papaya. No wonder I’ve been craving Vietnamese food for the last few weeks. Can’t wait for it to open. Web site notes: the Vietnamese characters were the toughest part of the site. Just sourcing the HTML entity codes was difficult, but I found a great site for it, and I’m glad I know my eth from a dyet.

I have created the first draft of my Squidoo Lens, Social Media Marketing Action Plan. Comments? Please be kind, I’m still battered and bruised (but pugnacious - watch out). It’s aimed at smaller business who want a way to get started interacting with their customers online in a non-”marketing” way.

Things I’m reading:

Interesting article on raising a brand-free kid. Something I’m struggling with, having a toddler of my own.

Primate Diaries. Monkeys, evolution, athieism, Intelligent Design and religion. Put your thinking cap on.

And I will never pass up a chance to promote The Comics Curmudgeon.

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Today is the civic election in Calgary, and a lot of talk has been given to the curbside recycling issue, yet there are few good plans.

It’s just embarrassing that Calgary doesn’t have curbside recycling, and the plans that council have discussed are too expensive for average Calgarians. Even at $100/year ($8/month - the original plan was $21/month), this is still over 4x more expensive than Vancouver, which pays $22.46/year. Council: find the will to make curbside recycling happen for a price that all Calgarians can get behind.

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