Information

There was so much material included in "Selling Wine Without Bottles on the Internet" that I needed to blog a little more on the subject of information. The author tells us that information is an activity, a life form and a relationship. He explains that information is a verb, not a noun, and is something that happens in the field of interaction between minds, objects of other forms of information. Information has to move and has to be shared, but I'm not sure I agree that it is a verb. I think of it as a ball, that has to be moved or thrown to be in motion. We personally have to throw the ball or share the information. We all benefit if information is shared. If one person shares his ideas with another, they both are informed and by more than one person possessing the information, they may be able to expand on the idea.

Information is a life form. When ideas are shared and more people have that knowledge, it spreads. Information is able to spread to all areas of the world within minutes and once it has gone out, there is no restraining it. Digital information is a continuing process similar to stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. No one knows exactly what happened originally, but has a vague sense of the story.

Information is a relationship. Receiving information can be as creative an act as generating it. Only people understand the information being sent to them. If it is nothing they need or can use, their perception is that it is meaningless. Based on the point of view and authority, people are willing to pay for that which they believe to be worthwhile. The author makes a valid point...owning a fabulous CD of your favorite artist may be enjoyable, but paying the price to attend a live concert is more than worth it.

Another valid point was that those who act on their information and ideas are the ones who reap the rewards. It is not enough to have a good idea and sit on it. Patent it and get it out on the market! If you don't act on it, someone else will.