Since Mixx hit the public scene about two months ago it has manged to ruffle its fair share of feathers from the “fan-boys” of other social media sites. It seems the criticisms attack on two different fronts. Lets look at the first front, the Copy Cat issue, to see if we can’t start sorting this thing out and bringing some closure to it.

Just what the world needs, copy cats

Well the world DOES need copy cats otherwise we would still be riding in horse and carriages, reading books via oil lamp, and performing complex calculations with that antique we call a brain.

Definition of Innovation:

the process of making improvements by introducing something new

Introduction of a new idea into the marketplace in the form of a new product or service, or an improvement in organization or process.

The use of a new technology, item, or process to change what goods and services are provided, the way they are produced, or the way they are distributed.

Those who feverishly defend their site enter arguments in their blog posts and comments to the tune of:

Great, just what the world needs…ANOTHER DIGG COPY CAT!!!

why it has to be digg copycat, why not be creative and start their own social news with its characteristic that differs from others

Oh wow, very original….:/

Since when has copying an idea to improve upon it become so taboo. In fact those individuals who typed those comments did so via a copycatted keyboard, copycatted monitor, with a copycatted CPU. I’ll take this argument little further by time-traveling to Sept 7, 1998, the birth of Google.

Which copy cat is Google?

When Google opened its newborn eyes to the world of search, it was the baby in the group. Altavista, Yahoo, Excite, and Webspider already staked their claims on the world wide web and weren’t doing too bad.

One thing the existing players didn’t have was BackRub/PageRank in their arsenal. In fact, Altavista turned down the opportunity to buy it. Talk about regret. Google stepped into the search arena with a new innovation and the rest, they say, is history.

So if we want to support the copy cat argument, what is Google a copy cat of?

• Altavista
• Excite
• Webspider
• Yahoo
• Any search engine that predated Google.

I say we start splogging all comments with “Google, pft…just what we need another Altavista Clone”.

What does this have to do with Mixx?

Short answer: nothing. Another short answer: everything. Its a display of our arrogance and close-mindedness when we cannot open a dialog of debate to discuss when innovation hits the market. Dismissing an argument with a quip of “Oh that’s so not original” isn’t an argument nor a supporting statement. Its an attempt to control the argument, of which, you don’t understand the underlying dynamics, consequences, or analysis.

Digg did not invent social media, voting, or a wide range of other features that its defenders use as supporting evidence. Digg was the first to POPULARIZE social media.
In popularizing the social media market, Digg became the unofficial gold-standard. Well like the US, its time to change our gold-standard, and innovate in the social media arena. Mixx, along with the others, are doing so.

In Part 2 we’ll play the numbers game.

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