I like checking out the meme-space when I get a notion of a new flavor of idea. Context Management System is something that popped into my head recently, and a google turned up this post. I’m not even sure that it has the same perspective that I do on what a Context Management System should be. I agree with the comments about intent. We need to surface intent of both conscious and unconscious varieties. The trick to this is realizing that intent isn’t a simple scalar value, but rather a multifaceted matrix of factors, with varying degrees of consciousness.

Isn’t this the crux of context?

I’m thinking that a CxMS is the killer app of web2.0. Blogs are individualized expression of CMS, and the high powered CMS allows the full range of collaboration to bring content to fruition.

How is a CxMS different from a CMS? Really, they are quite orthogonal. A simple example is Mountain Dew. Content: highly caffeinated liquid that could be mistaken for antifreeze. Context: go juice for snow-boarders and x-game wannabes.

You wanna get a sense of context, listen to a politician. It’s all spin with no content. Content-less context.

The problem with this characterization, though, is that it comes across as quite negative. And the reason is pretty clear. We hate being coerced, and it’s pretty clear that marketers and politicians are usually after one thing only, and they’ll tell us anything including bald-faced lies to get it. They want the power that comes with our undivided attention.

Remember in Minority Report when Tom Cruise is assalted by blaring ads trying to get his attention? Does anyone that we’ll tolerate this kind of harrassment? I think Spielberg just wanted to give a futuristing dystopian feel, but come on. If one thing is clear about the power of the net, it’s that the consumer is starting to wake up to the power of the collective. Coercion is on the way out the door, but it’s not gone yet. The larger public only needs access to tools that allow them to effectively separate signal from noise in an intuitively obvious and inobtrusive way to start a transformation into a coercionless society.

Give me the tools to wield influence in my micro-contextual interactions, and the collective context will follow suit. We will finally be capable of looking at ourself in the mirror, not as a myriad of individuals, but as a gestalt: the species view.

[Damn, this writing is tortured, isn’t it? Too bad. I’ve got to get this post off of my drafts list. I’ll pretty up the follow-ons.]