links for 2008-10-19

• 
  Online Fandom » Fan Labor: Exploitation or Empowerment?
  <blockquote>There is a critique of Web 2.0 that argues it is based on free labor done by users from which others profit. We argue that this critique has some merit, but undervalues the rewards fans get from doing this kind of work. We identify the costs fan laborers pay and the rewards they receive. In the end, the tension between empowerment and exploitation is one that each fan laborer has to manage on his or her own. We identify three strategies through which they do this: distancing themselves from the scene as outsiders, viewing themselves as peers of those they ‘work’ for, and viewing their work as an investment in a future career.</blockquote>
  (tags: nancy+baym)
• 
  Some Of These Layoffs Aren’t Really Layoffs
  Looks like a lot of start-ups are using the big chill as a cover for getting rid of underperformers.
  (tags: the+big+chill)