The Bottom Line:
AttentionTrust is inviting developers to create applications that will make use of “attention data” being generated by users of the AttentionTrust Extension, an "attention recorder" in the form of a Firefox extension that captures aspects of users’ clickstream and browsing history. To get involved, please download the AttentionTrust Extension and the Attention Toolkit, which records attention data from the Extension to a MySQL database.
There more info below on 1) An Overview of AttentionTrust, 2) What We've Been Up To Lately, and 3) Possible Attention Applications. Please refer this post to anyone who might be interested, and contact us if you have any questions. Thanks!
1) An Overview of AttentionTrust:
Each of us is constantly creating metadata that reflects what we’re paying attention to (and what we’re ignoring), ranging from our browsing histories to our digital playlists. This “attention data” is an incredibly valuable resource that could allow us to understand what attracts our attention and how we spend our time.
But most troves of attention data are inaccessible to individual users, and until now users have lacked the ability to capture and analyze attention data on their own. That’s where AttentionTrust comes in. We’re a newly formed nonprofit organization with a three-part mission:
- Educate people about the value of their attention and the existence of "attention data."
- Empower people to exert greater control over their attention data by developing tools such as the AttentionTrust Extension.
- Build a community of individuals and organizations that will guarantee users' rights to own, move, and exchange their attention data, in a transparent environment that gives users freedom of choice.
2) What’s AttentionTrust Been Up To Lately?
- We released the AttentionTrust Extension, an “attention recorder” in the form of a Firefox You can download the Extension now, and more information is available at our FAQ and specs and resources page.
- We also released the Attention Toolkit, a free, open-source utility that records data from the AttentionTrust Extension to a MySQL database. This Toolkit is intended to serve as the starting point for developers seeking to query and understand attention data, and to build interesting applications making use of this data. For more information, visit the Attention Toolkit page. You can also download the Attention Toolkit now.
- We launched the AttentionTrust wiki, where users can share feedback on the Extension and the Toolkit, request new features or services from AttentionTrust, and participate in a community of like-minded developers.
- We began posting at the AttentionTrust blog, where we’re gathering comments on the Extension and the general concept of attention data from around the web. People who’ve been writing about AttentionTrust include Marco Barulli, Anil Bawa, Eric Butler, James Governor, Kaliya Hamlin, Marshall Kirkpatrick, Steve Krause, Paul Miller, Eric Norlin, Dare Obasanjo, and Michael Sanford, as well as members of our own Board of Directors.
- We’ve signed up hundreds of AttentionTrust members, people who are committed to supporting the AttentionTrust principles that users should be able to own, manage and exchange their attention data in a transparent environment that gives users freedom of choice.
- And we held our first public Board meeting at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco. Thanks to Steve Borsch, you can download an MP3 file (52.1 MB) and listen to the meeting.
3) What Are Some Possible Attention Applications?
The AttentionTrust Extension will allow users to capture, analyze and exchange their attention data, unlocking a tremendous range of interesting applications:
- Where Does My Time Go? People could analyze their own attention data in order to better understand what’s catching their attention and where they’re spending their time.
- Get Connected: People could be connected with others who share their interests, based on an analysis of their mutual attention data. This functionality could support a dating service, or a book club, or a political campaign.
- What are YOU Paying Attention To? People could opt to share their attention data with other individuals in their personal networks, or with the public via a syndication feed. This functionality could support a range of "recommender" services that point people to content that’s catching the attention of others in their network or of individuals whose opinions are of interest to them.
- What's the Web Paying Attention To? People could use aggregated attention data to find content that’s attracting attention across the web.
- What's In It for Me? People could opt to share all or segments of their attention data with companies and other institutions in exchange for something of value, such as a discount on purchases, or personalized services based on the interests expressed in their attention data.
These are just a few of the possibilities, and we encourage you to join us in dreaming of more. If we can help in any way, please contact us. Thanks for your support!
