Re: [projectvrm] Microsoft's Personal Health Care Records

Hi Joe,

 

You made two points.

 

First. “VRM is specifically about the information as it pertains to vendor/customer or (buyer/seller) interactions, e.g., vendor-customer relationships.” That’s a scoping/focus issue which I have no problem with. It’s why we called it the Buyer Centric Commerce Forum in the UK.

 

Second: “The point of VRM isn't about gathering and managing information generally. That's a huge problem, arguably the uber-myth behind the semantic web.”

 

I absolutely agree with you. But the way you are using the ‘relationship’ word does not address the point I raised. The ‘R’ word in abstract begs the central question: on what terms is this relationship being built?

 

When push comes to shove, the terms of vendor-customer relationships are either designed around the vendor’s value agenda (buy me!) or they serve the individual’s value agenda – is this the best decision for my life, circumstances, priorities etc?

 

However you cut it, you can’t avoid the fact that for the individual, value is defined by an improved ability to make and implement better decisions. Personal decision-making purposes and processes are the heart of the issue: everything we do follows from this.

 

The ‘R’ word in abstract simply skates over this elephant in the room as if it doesn’t exist. This doesn’t benefit anybody in the long run.

 

Alan