“RHYTHM NATION”
The
Power of Algorithms
Did Janet Jackson get it right or wrong when she sang,
“We are a part of a rhythm nation?” Well, I, for one, think she was on to
something bigger than all of us. Perhaps her title referred to racial unity and
the world living as one.
You might say it was a hopeful prospect but maybe not
too farfetched when we think of how the world exists by check and balances.
For those unfamiliar with the term algorithms, the
meaning and the purpose allow me to enlighten you. Algorithms aren’t new and
have been around for as long as 4,000 years. The concept was first formalized
in 1936 by Alan Turning’s famous Turning machine with Alonzo Church’s lambda
calculus, paving the way for modern computer science. More info on this subject
can be found @ https://m-cacm.acm.org.
The word algorithm itself is derived from a
mathematician from the 9th century named Muhammad ibn Musa
al-Khwarizmi and later Latinized as Algoritmi. The father of Algebra. @ https://www.aljazeera.com
Per Merriam Websters: Algorithms: a procedure
for solving a mathematical problem (as of finding the greatest common divisor)
in a finite number of steps that frequently involves repetition of an operation. Broadly: a step-by-step
procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end.
After last week’s fiasco with certain social media outlets
going offline, we discovered they are a force to be reckoned with economically
and reported they lost billions.
Wow! What most programmers and mathematicians understand is
that algorithms problem solve. These binary functions the general public never
give any thought to or even care happens behind the scene. But they are a
primary element and important to our everyday life.
Social media outlets already know this and are essential to
their operation. Maybe those obviously unaware never noticed certain
advertisements and images tied to their likes and relevant information.
Or perhaps you thought that each time you did a Google search,
it somehow miraculously, like magic knew exactly what you were about to type
and what to search. You aren’t wrong, but it’s not magic. The reason for this
is the algorithms they use to enhance searches and predictive typing.
Like it or not, algorithms are part of our everyday existence
in ways you never conceived—a powerful tool designed to help us make decisions
based on suggestive behaviors.
In other ways, algorithms can be pesky such as book sales and
rankings, compared to other authors in the same genre, much like Facebook, who also
rake in billions of dollars despite last week’s losses.
The book industry is just another example of how algorithms have
advantages and disadvantages. Once you learn how they can work for you are
helpful in rankings and sales.
Let’s use Amazon KDP as an example since they are a popular publishing
platform for independent authors. Amazon KDP gives up to seven options of
keyword phrases when uploading your book. If you choose wisely grasshopper, you’ll
have the ability to reach readers when they search using specific phrases tied
to those keywords.
It’s good news for authors in the 1-100 category of best seller
rank based on the number of books sold per day.
As I said before, algorithms are powerful, and once you
understand how they work and what they are used for, will determine how it can
work for you.
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