Facebook is growing fast not only in the United States but also in other countries. Not too long ago, Facebook was lagging behind other social networking sites in non-US countries. In the past 12 months, Facebook has grown eightfold in Brazil with 500 millions users, and it has as many users as Orkut's in India. According to Mark Zuckerberg, it's almost guarantee for Facebook to hit 1 billion users (i.e., ~1/7th of the world population in 2010).
Some analysts believe that Facebook is a threat to Google. Both companies rely on ads as a main source of income. While Google can learn a lot of about users' interests from search queries, but Facebook has far more usable personal data. Because Facebook can place more effective ads than Google, eventually Facebook will absorb some market shares from Google.
It will be interesting to see what comes out of these two companies in the next couple years.
Source: Facebook Makes Headway Around the World -- The New York Times
Showing posts with label Social Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Media. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Facebook the new eBay
Recently I discovered few friend pages on Facebook that are dedicated to selling fashion apparel. It's not a new concept, but I think it works well. Instead of selling products to people you don't know on eBay, sell them to people you know on Facebook.
Those friend pages that I have seen so far are created by small business owners in Hong Kong, selling imported Korean and Japanese fashion apparel. They post photos of clothes that they sell on Facebook. If friends are interested to buy, they send Facebook messages to inquire about price, size and delivery location. If the sellers operate a physical store front, they inform potential buyers about the store location and invite them to the store for fitting and more shopping.
I think selling products on Facebook gives the seller few advantages:
Those friend pages that I have seen so far are created by small business owners in Hong Kong, selling imported Korean and Japanese fashion apparel. They post photos of clothes that they sell on Facebook. If friends are interested to buy, they send Facebook messages to inquire about price, size and delivery location. If the sellers operate a physical store front, they inform potential buyers about the store location and invite them to the store for fitting and more shopping.
I think selling products on Facebook gives the seller few advantages:
- Trust is built-in to the social network. Your friends probably feel very comfortable buying products from you because they know you. If the product is bad, they know whom to call.
- Facebook is an excellent platform for word of mouth marketing -- Alice tells Bob, and Bob tells Charlie and David, etc.
- Receive instant customer feedback through wall posts. For example, if friends tell you that they like the same dress but in color red, you know immediate to stock up red dresses next time when you go shopping for inventory. Reliable customer feedback reduces a lot of guess works for you.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Twitter increases TechCrunch web traffic
There is a new trend in social media. Tweets, messages posted on Twitter, may soon replace RSS feeds as a major source of web traffic. TechCrunch recently released its web traffic statistics. Excluding direct hits, after Google, Twitter is the number two source of referral site that drives visitors TechCrunch. I'm very surprised!
Personally I haven't given up Google Reader as the tool for reading news on the web, and I only use Twitter infrequently to catch up real-time event updates. Maybe one day I will switch to Twitter for reading news when more effective tools were developed for this purpose.
Top Sources of Traffic To TechCrunchAccording the author, TechCrunch tweets (messages that contain web links to TechCrunch articles) are becoming valuable link currency for the site. In the past, people follow news through RSS feeds. Today people follow news through Twitter.
- Google: 32.7%
- Direct: 22.7%
- Twitter: 9.7%
- Digg: 7.4%
- Techmeme: 2.4%
- Other: 25.1%
Personally I haven't given up Google Reader as the tool for reading news on the web, and I only use Twitter infrequently to catch up real-time event updates. Maybe one day I will switch to Twitter for reading news when more effective tools were developed for this purpose.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Good reasons to use Twitter
A year ago I complained about Twitter. I thought writing tweets and following others on Twitter were a waste of time. A year later I changed my mind: (1) using Twitter is not a waste of time if I use it with a purpose in mind, and (2) microblogging empowers people to voice their opinions, reversing the typical consumer-producer role in mass communication.
The usage of Twitter is very simple. Instead of writing long blog posts, write short posts. Each post must be less than 140 characters. Instead of subscribing to blog RSS feeds, follow tweet messages and communicate with other users using a special language syntax.
Twitter is not a waste of time
Twittering could be a waste-of-time. But, it can also be useful if we write posts with some objectives in mind, e.g., posting messages to report the state of an ongoing crisis and telling others about events that they can't attend. If you care about spreading words around the web, using Twitter can help you to deliver messages fast and reach more people. If you want to learn about what people think about a particular topic or a product, Twitter is a great source for conducting market research and sentiment analysis.
Speak aloud using Twitter
Microblogging is the product of web communication evolution. It empowers people. In the past, individuals have little or no power to influence how the world thinks. The emergence of microblogging encourages media companies, business and government policy makers to pay attention to the common voices of people.
Summary
It's hard to predict where Twitter will end up as a business in the coming years, but I believe that the idea of microblogging is here to stay. Since I find myself using Twitter more often for many good reasons, I recommend all web users to try out Twitter. As long as we use Twitter to help people learn and spread ideas, it's a meaningful activity. Speaking aloud of our minds through Twitter will encourage free speech and encourage businesses and governments to pay attentions to our needs.
The usage of Twitter is very simple. Instead of writing long blog posts, write short posts. Each post must be less than 140 characters. Instead of subscribing to blog RSS feeds, follow tweet messages and communicate with other users using a special language syntax.
Twitter is not a waste of time
Twittering could be a waste-of-time. But, it can also be useful if we write posts with some objectives in mind, e.g., posting messages to report the state of an ongoing crisis and telling others about events that they can't attend. If you care about spreading words around the web, using Twitter can help you to deliver messages fast and reach more people. If you want to learn about what people think about a particular topic or a product, Twitter is a great source for conducting market research and sentiment analysis.
Speak aloud using Twitter
Microblogging is the product of web communication evolution. It empowers people. In the past, individuals have little or no power to influence how the world thinks. The emergence of microblogging encourages media companies, business and government policy makers to pay attention to the common voices of people.
Summary
It's hard to predict where Twitter will end up as a business in the coming years, but I believe that the idea of microblogging is here to stay. Since I find myself using Twitter more often for many good reasons, I recommend all web users to try out Twitter. As long as we use Twitter to help people learn and spread ideas, it's a meaningful activity. Speaking aloud of our minds through Twitter will encourage free speech and encourage businesses and governments to pay attentions to our needs.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Another powerful Twitter use case
People use twitters for many different reasons. For businesses and investors, some use cases are more compelling than the others.
From the BusinessWeek, this use case describes how businesses can use Twitter to reach potential customers:
Technorati Tags: Twitter
From the BusinessWeek, this use case describes how businesses can use Twitter to reach potential customers:
Here's what happened when Chris Savage, the chief executive of Wistia.com, searched for the phrase "private video sharing" on Twitter, a social networking site. One post he found read, "A teacher requested a private 'video sharing' Web site so that specialists can observe student behavior—can anyone refer one?"
That got Savage's attention. He e-mailed back: "Still looking for a private video sharing site?"
Minutes later came the reply: "YES! It's the first request for one—thought I'd hit up my tweets before [I] go digging."
Savage: "Cool. You may want to check out Wistia.com. Full disclosure, I'm the CEO ;-)"
Technorati Tags: Twitter
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Google to acquire Twitter, for real?
The blog community seems to be saying that Google is in talk to acquire Twitter. By the way, not too long ago, Twitter turned down a half-billion deal from Facebook.
Twitter is a fascinating business and service. It's a simple service. People of all ages can quickly learn how to use it. To some it's an addictive communication and mind-broadcasting tool. However, while Twitter interests many people, but it doesn't really make any money as a business. The question here is why would a search engine company Google want to buy Twitter?
Google is a company that makes money by getting people to pay attention to their online products, e.g., search engines, gmails, news, blogs. The more people they can attract to their online "real estates", the more revenues it will generate from online advertising.
Blogger.com is an good example. It's a platform that attracts visitors, both publishers and readers. While publishers host Google Ads on their blogs, readers click through ads embedded in the blog posts. Blogger.com doesn't charge people for its service. It's free to publish and free to read. But, it helps Google to distribute advertisements and generate ad revenues.
I think Twitter is like Blogger.com. It's a platform for generating extremely high traffic and for distributing advertisements to a vast population. If Google does acquire Twitter, it's not because Twitter is cool, but because it's the new Blogger.
Technorati Tags: Google, Twitter, Business
Twitter is a fascinating business and service. It's a simple service. People of all ages can quickly learn how to use it. To some it's an addictive communication and mind-broadcasting tool. However, while Twitter interests many people, but it doesn't really make any money as a business. The question here is why would a search engine company Google want to buy Twitter?
Google is a company that makes money by getting people to pay attention to their online products, e.g., search engines, gmails, news, blogs. The more people they can attract to their online "real estates", the more revenues it will generate from online advertising.
Blogger.com is an good example. It's a platform that attracts visitors, both publishers and readers. While publishers host Google Ads on their blogs, readers click through ads embedded in the blog posts. Blogger.com doesn't charge people for its service. It's free to publish and free to read. But, it helps Google to distribute advertisements and generate ad revenues.
I think Twitter is like Blogger.com. It's a platform for generating extremely high traffic and for distributing advertisements to a vast population. If Google does acquire Twitter, it's not because Twitter is cool, but because it's the new Blogger.
Technorati Tags: Google, Twitter, Business
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Internet Kills Your Cable TV
In economic downturn, full with uncertainty, cable TV subscriptions (~$40-100 per month) seems to be a luxury for many people. The latest consumer trend is watching TV shows and movies online without paying for any cable and satellite TV subscriptions.
From CNN.com,
My family enjoys watching TV and movies online. Since we had unsubscribed from our satellite TV service, our entertainment experience became rather personal. When we had the service, we were offered hundreds of programming channels, but we only frequented a few on a daily basis. Today, with Hulu, ABC.com and Netflix, we can create our programming schedule. Watch shows when we want and wherever we want.
I highly recommend everyone to experiment life without cable and satellite service. But, be warned, a high-speed internet connection is required!
From CNN.com,
As more Americans get used to watching video on their computers, more
Web sites are popping up to offer free movies and TV shows. Consumers
are taking advantage of this to eliminate cable or satellite TV and integrate their home entertainment with the Web. And online video viewership is skyrocketing.
Internet users in the United States watched a record 14.3 billion
online videos in December, an increase of 13 percent over the previous
month, according to comScore, an Internet marketing research firm.
Popular site YouTube led the growth charge, accounting for almost half the incremental gain in videos viewed.
Internet TV services such as Hulu, Joost and Veoh also are feeding off a new generation of tech-savvy users in search of cheap access to video content. Add to the mix players such as Netflix -- whose Roku set-top box offers more than 12,000 streaming videos and who is teaming with LG Electronics to embed new TVs with the service -- and there's enough online TV options to justify a subscription-free lifestyle.
My family enjoys watching TV and movies online. Since we had unsubscribed from our satellite TV service, our entertainment experience became rather personal. When we had the service, we were offered hundreds of programming channels, but we only frequented a few on a daily basis. Today, with Hulu, ABC.com and Netflix, we can create our programming schedule. Watch shows when we want and wherever we want.
I highly recommend everyone to experiment life without cable and satellite service. But, be warned, a high-speed internet connection is required!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Silicon Valley Lost Its Magic Or Not
The January 12, 2009 issue of the BusinessWeek magazine features a thought provoking article titled "Is Silicon Valley Losing Its Magic". It argues that due to changes in the business environment, Silicon Valley companies are losing their ability to innovate. New Web 2.0 companies like Digg and Facebook, although interesting, have not yet created ground-breaking innovation that are in the same class as those created by old-schools companies like Intel, HP and Apple.
The root problem, the author explains, is in the start-up investors. Investment companies are less willing to give out funding to companies that cannot produce revenues in couple years. Back in the days, when Intel was a start-up, it did not have an exit strategy. Today, if companies do not have an exit strategy and go for VC funding, it is guaranteed that they receive no funding.
Since revenue and profit are so important to start-up companies now, they tend to short-cut their innovation and walk away from basic research, which usually takes many years of development. Use Web 2.0 companies as an example, they created social networks for millions of people, but their revenues are based on ads. Financial and economic impact associated with those social networking sites are far less significant comparing to chips and desktop computer businesses.
Talked to few friends in the Valley, we all agree there is a change in the neighborhood. But, the state of the Silicon Valley innovation is not as grimy as the article portraits. I believe the Valley is not dying but evolving. Evolving from a hardware-centric (or Silicon-centric) factory to a software-centric (or Web-centric) laboratory. Hardware innovation underpins our technology development in the past few decades. But, by itself, hardware is not too much useful to the everyday people. We need software.
When hardware innovation, like which created by Intel and HP, reaches a peak, software innovation will become a dominate force in the Silicon Valley -- who needs due-core CPU and 8G memory if there is no application for them. Software innovation brings more everyday people to the business. A paradigm shift to Web 2.0, social networking and virtual assistants marks begins a new Silicon Valley.
On changes in VC expectation. Is it really a bad idea for start-up investors to pushing for profitability? I think not. I believe profitability is the first priority of a start-up. If innovation cannot yield revenue, it's probably a bad business idea. Even if it's not a bad business idea, it's probably not right for the present market. Basic research that does not yield revenue has no place in start-ups.
In summary, I believe the Silicon Valley has not lost its magic. It's evolving, on a path to a new ecosystem of innovation that is based on software. Only time can tell whether I'm right. But, I have hope.
The root problem, the author explains, is in the start-up investors. Investment companies are less willing to give out funding to companies that cannot produce revenues in couple years. Back in the days, when Intel was a start-up, it did not have an exit strategy. Today, if companies do not have an exit strategy and go for VC funding, it is guaranteed that they receive no funding.
Since revenue and profit are so important to start-up companies now, they tend to short-cut their innovation and walk away from basic research, which usually takes many years of development. Use Web 2.0 companies as an example, they created social networks for millions of people, but their revenues are based on ads. Financial and economic impact associated with those social networking sites are far less significant comparing to chips and desktop computer businesses.
Talked to few friends in the Valley, we all agree there is a change in the neighborhood. But, the state of the Silicon Valley innovation is not as grimy as the article portraits. I believe the Valley is not dying but evolving. Evolving from a hardware-centric (or Silicon-centric) factory to a software-centric (or Web-centric) laboratory. Hardware innovation underpins our technology development in the past few decades. But, by itself, hardware is not too much useful to the everyday people. We need software.
When hardware innovation, like which created by Intel and HP, reaches a peak, software innovation will become a dominate force in the Silicon Valley -- who needs due-core CPU and 8G memory if there is no application for them. Software innovation brings more everyday people to the business. A paradigm shift to Web 2.0, social networking and virtual assistants marks begins a new Silicon Valley.
On changes in VC expectation. Is it really a bad idea for start-up investors to pushing for profitability? I think not. I believe profitability is the first priority of a start-up. If innovation cannot yield revenue, it's probably a bad business idea. Even if it's not a bad business idea, it's probably not right for the present market. Basic research that does not yield revenue has no place in start-ups.
In summary, I believe the Silicon Valley has not lost its magic. It's evolving, on a path to a new ecosystem of innovation that is based on software. Only time can tell whether I'm right. But, I have hope.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Flock's OpenID extension
OpenID is a technology that attempts to solve the login problem on the web. Recently Flock, my favorite social web browser, published a browser extension that adds OpenID support in the browser. The idea is simple but significant. Once you have the extension installed, the Flock browser will prompt you for OpenID login if you come to a web site that supports OpenID.
Here is an intro video of the OpenID extension.
Although it's exciting to see this new extension, but the current implementation is not without issue. The most critical issue: not all OpenID sites allow login using OpenID's created from third-party providers (e.g., you can't currently use your WordPress OpenID to login to your Google account).
For this reason, I find the Flock extension is less useful than it should be. The problem is rooted in the business model and politics behind an one-click signon web architecture. The problem is not in which of the extension design.
The whole purpose of OpenID is that users should have one or two OpenID, and use which to authenticate themselves on the web. If all web sites require login use only OpenID from their own providers, then we are back to "square zero" -- multiple login for multiple sites.
The battle for web authentication is still in progress. With the emergence of Facebook Connect and Google Friend Connect, OpenID must convince more web sites to allow third-party ID login.
Here is an intro video of the OpenID extension.
Although it's exciting to see this new extension, but the current implementation is not without issue. The most critical issue: not all OpenID sites allow login using OpenID's created from third-party providers (e.g., you can't currently use your WordPress OpenID to login to your Google account).
For this reason, I find the Flock extension is less useful than it should be. The problem is rooted in the business model and politics behind an one-click signon web architecture. The problem is not in which of the extension design.
The whole purpose of OpenID is that users should have one or two OpenID, and use which to authenticate themselves on the web. If all web sites require login use only OpenID from their own providers, then we are back to "square zero" -- multiple login for multiple sites.
The battle for web authentication is still in progress. With the emergence of Facebook Connect and Google Friend Connect, OpenID must convince more web sites to allow third-party ID login.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
YouTube Live brings change
YouTube Live celebrates the first streamed event in San Francisco. Part concert, party variety and part party, it brings to life many of the amazing YouTube videos and talent. As I'm watching the live show on my laptop, I can't help to think how much YouTube has changed the world -- the way we consume video entertainment, the lives of thousands YouTube talents, and the whole media entertainment industry.
YouTube may not be the most profitable online video site, but it certainly changes the rule of the game. Anyone with an internet connection can play a role in creating movies, music, news and propaganda (of course). It pushes traditional businesses to think carefully about the internet as the new frontier of the entertainment industry. It reshapes politics and how politicians communicate with the people.
YouTube Live, the event itself, will probably soon be forgotten by most people. But, but the idea it represents will certainly be marked as a significant milestone in the modern media history.
On Nov. 23, 2008, a sister YouTube Live event will take place in Tokyo.
YouTube may not be the most profitable online video site, but it certainly changes the rule of the game. Anyone with an internet connection can play a role in creating movies, music, news and propaganda (of course). It pushes traditional businesses to think carefully about the internet as the new frontier of the entertainment industry. It reshapes politics and how politicians communicate with the people.
YouTube Live, the event itself, will probably soon be forgotten by most people. But, but the idea it represents will certainly be marked as a significant milestone in the modern media history.
On Nov. 23, 2008, a sister YouTube Live event will take place in Tokyo.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
LinkedIn opens its app network
LinkedIn launches a new feature that allow business partners to create applications for LinkedIn. Service providers like Amazon, Wordpress and SlideShare can develop custom applications to link data and profiles from theirs sites to users's LinkedIn profiles.
This idea is nothing new. Many social networking websites provide similar functions. But, I think this idea makes great sense for LinkedIn's business model. LinkedIn's business goal to increase revenue by attracting more users and traffics. I think this new feature is right on the spot.
Read more on ZDNet
This idea is nothing new. Many social networking websites provide similar functions. But, I think this idea makes great sense for LinkedIn's business model. LinkedIn's business goal to increase revenue by attracting more users and traffics. I think this new feature is right on the spot.
Read more on ZDNet
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Beijing Olympic Games 2008 photos
The Olympic Games in Beijing will kick off on 2008.08.08. Traditional media will spend billions on broadcasting the games in 220 countries. This year, social web media will play an important role in delivering news, videos and photos to the digitally connected world. Flickr is a leader in this game.
Olympic Games 2008 on Flickr:
Cool Pics:
Olympic Games 2008 on Flickr:
- Beijing Summer Olympic Game 2008
- BBC Sport Olympic Venues -- Water Cube
- BBC Sport Olympic Venues -- Bird's Nest
- Flickr 888 (flickr's marketing event on 08.08.08)
Cool Pics:
Monday, July 14, 2008
Sleeping Beauty goes social on Blu-ray
In Fall 2008, Disney will release a new version of its classic movie "Sleeping Beauty" on Blu-ray. The disc will offer better picture quality and allow viewers to social. What does it mean?
This is a major revolution in digital entertainment. Today watching movies at home is a rather private activity. With this new technology, we can enjoy movies and social at the same time! I can see myself chatting with friends about fate and truth while watching "Matrix" for the 16th times.
In addition, I think this new technology will change the way movies are made. Watching movies today is a one-way communication. With this new Blu-ray technology, we would be able to make movies that allow two-way communications. Interactive programs may be embedded in a movie and ask viewers for inputs as they watch it. User inputs can influence the story and create alternative endings.
Can't wait to buy a new Blu-ray player.
Source: Disney taps into Blu-ray's interactive technology
Viewers can watch the movie in tandem with friends in other locations and chat using a laptop, PDA or cellphone. (Comments appear on the screen.) Parents who are not able to watch the film with their children can record a video message that will pop up during a designated scene as the child watches. Viewers will also be able to compete against others around the world at trivia.
This is a major revolution in digital entertainment. Today watching movies at home is a rather private activity. With this new technology, we can enjoy movies and social at the same time! I can see myself chatting with friends about fate and truth while watching "Matrix" for the 16th times.
In addition, I think this new technology will change the way movies are made. Watching movies today is a one-way communication. With this new Blu-ray technology, we would be able to make movies that allow two-way communications. Interactive programs may be embedded in a movie and ask viewers for inputs as they watch it. User inputs can influence the story and create alternative endings.
Can't wait to buy a new Blu-ray player.
Source: Disney taps into Blu-ray's interactive technology
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Using FriendFeed is like drinking beer
The Web is like an ecosystem that undergoes changes continuously. A latest innovation in social media is microblogging -- a form of blogging that allows users to write brief text updates (usually less than 200 characters) and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user (see also). Recently I was introduced to a microblogging site called FriendFeed. After using the service for few days, I conclude that participating in microblogging is like drinking beer, moderate use can enhance our life, but over consumption can cause serious damages.
FriendFeed is a service that allows users to publish short notes and share them with other users in the community. Users can also aggregate their personal data from other social media web sites and share them. For example, if a FriendFeed user already has Flickr and del.icio.us accounts, the user can choose to subscribe to those accounts from FriendFeed. Whenever activities occur on either Flickr or del.icio.us, FriendFeed will automatically import those activities as blog entries. Everything appear in one page.
To some, FriendFeed is the Wikipedia for social media. To me, FriendFeed is more than just a massive pool of community knowledge. It's a new medium for communication. Why do I say that? For people who use social media web sites (digg, Flickr, del.icio.us etc.), their most valuable asset is the content that they created -- photos, video, bookmarks, comments, etc. Users don't create those contents for the sake of creating them. They contribute to social media sites because they want to be part of an online community. And, most importantly, as they create, they want to receive feedback from other users. People are happy when they receive positive feedback from the community (e.g., digg comments received 10+ thumbs-up, and flickr photos was liked by 23 users).
FriendFeed is a central hub of social media. It's a place where users can receive feedback for everything they create, no matter where they were created. FriendFeed is also a great hangout place for the social media consumers. People who are more interested in what others have created as oppose to creating new things themselves. Social media consumers usually target few people to follow online, subscribing to their blog feeds, del.icio.us bookmark feeds and monitor their twitter streams. Before FriendFeed, it was difficult to track all this information. Information is usually scatter across multiple places. Using FriendFeed, assuming that most people choose to aggregate their online data, tracking people's online activities is relatively painless.
FriendFeed can be addictive. Knowing that information can reach a wide range of online readers, content creators may be obsessed creating more and more content. They post every single news article they read, they spell out every piece of thoughts that come to their mind, and they publish every photos on their cellphones. Their life goal is driven by the desire to receive more feedback from the FriendFeed community. Somehow by doing so, it satisfies the social itch inside of them.
Just like the content creators, consumers can also over use FriendFeed. Information arrives at FriendFeed in an extremely fast pace. Every few minutes there is a new piece of information being posted. To satisfy their urge to learn, consumers will try to spend every minute that they can spare on FriendFeed. If they can't budget their time, they are likely to jeopardize other important tasks (like work and sleep).
Personally, I have gone across the border, publishing too much and reading too much. But now I think I'm back to normal. I hope by writing this post can bring awareness to the potential danger of being social media addicts. By natural, humans are social animals. As new social media technology emerges, we must be careful of how and how much we use it. Microblogging and FriendFeed are great innovations. Like consuming beer, please use them moderately.
FriendFeed
FriendFeed is a service that allows users to publish short notes and share them with other users in the community. Users can also aggregate their personal data from other social media web sites and share them. For example, if a FriendFeed user already has Flickr and del.icio.us accounts, the user can choose to subscribe to those accounts from FriendFeed. Whenever activities occur on either Flickr or del.icio.us, FriendFeed will automatically import those activities as blog entries. Everything appear in one page.
Why people use FriendFeed
To some, FriendFeed is the Wikipedia for social media. To me, FriendFeed is more than just a massive pool of community knowledge. It's a new medium for communication. Why do I say that? For people who use social media web sites (digg, Flickr, del.icio.us etc.), their most valuable asset is the content that they created -- photos, video, bookmarks, comments, etc. Users don't create those contents for the sake of creating them. They contribute to social media sites because they want to be part of an online community. And, most importantly, as they create, they want to receive feedback from other users. People are happy when they receive positive feedback from the community (e.g., digg comments received 10+ thumbs-up, and flickr photos was liked by 23 users).
FriendFeed is a central hub of social media. It's a place where users can receive feedback for everything they create, no matter where they were created. FriendFeed is also a great hangout place for the social media consumers. People who are more interested in what others have created as oppose to creating new things themselves. Social media consumers usually target few people to follow online, subscribing to their blog feeds, del.icio.us bookmark feeds and monitor their twitter streams. Before FriendFeed, it was difficult to track all this information. Information is usually scatter across multiple places. Using FriendFeed, assuming that most people choose to aggregate their online data, tracking people's online activities is relatively painless.
FriendFeed can be evill
FriendFeed can be addictive. Knowing that information can reach a wide range of online readers, content creators may be obsessed creating more and more content. They post every single news article they read, they spell out every piece of thoughts that come to their mind, and they publish every photos on their cellphones. Their life goal is driven by the desire to receive more feedback from the FriendFeed community. Somehow by doing so, it satisfies the social itch inside of them.
Just like the content creators, consumers can also over use FriendFeed. Information arrives at FriendFeed in an extremely fast pace. Every few minutes there is a new piece of information being posted. To satisfy their urge to learn, consumers will try to spend every minute that they can spare on FriendFeed. If they can't budget their time, they are likely to jeopardize other important tasks (like work and sleep).
Been there, done that
Personally, I have gone across the border, publishing too much and reading too much. But now I think I'm back to normal. I hope by writing this post can bring awareness to the potential danger of being social media addicts. By natural, humans are social animals. As new social media technology emerges, we must be careful of how and how much we use it. Microblogging and FriendFeed are great innovations. Like consuming beer, please use them moderately.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Create tag clouds using Wordle
Tags are wonderful. When you put a bunch of tags together, you get a tag cloud. Wordle is a web site that allows people to create tag clouds from any text. You also get to customize font, color and layout.
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There is a gallery of Wordle tagclouds. If you are on Flickr, check out the Wordle group.
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There is a gallery of Wordle tagclouds. If you are on Flickr, check out the Wordle group.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Web time forgot
The Web is an ubiquitous technology for information sharing. Living in the 21st century, the age of digital technologies, we often forget that some fundamental ideas of the Web really came from the age of analog. Alex Wright wrote a fascinating story about Paul Otlet, a Belgium innovator who dreamed about the Web in the 1930's.
Important works by Otlet began with an attempt to create the world largest paper-based database of every book ever published. After Otlet and his associates created a large database of books and information, they used it to help people to find information. People would send in questions, and Otlet would use his system to find answers. As the number of users grow, scalability became an issue. Otlet believed that the paper-based approach must be scrapped. To solve this problem, Otlet sketched ideas of new technologies to create a "mechanical, collective brain" that would house all the world's information and made readily accessible over a global telecommunications network.
According to some scholars, Otlet may have dreamed the Semantic Web and social networks. Hyperlink is an important concept in Otlet's design of the Web. His vision of hyperlink is very similar to which of the Semantic Web. Hyperlinks are not just "pointers" to information, but also carry meanings about the information that they point to.
Recently a museum was built to house Otlet's work in Mons, Belgium. "Later this year, a new corporate citizen plans to open a data center on the edge of town: Google."
Important works by Otlet began with an attempt to create the world largest paper-based database of every book ever published. After Otlet and his associates created a large database of books and information, they used it to help people to find information. People would send in questions, and Otlet would use his system to find answers. As the number of users grow, scalability became an issue. Otlet believed that the paper-based approach must be scrapped. To solve this problem, Otlet sketched ideas of new technologies to create a "mechanical, collective brain" that would house all the world's information and made readily accessible over a global telecommunications network.
According to some scholars, Otlet may have dreamed the Semantic Web and social networks. Hyperlink is an important concept in Otlet's design of the Web. His vision of hyperlink is very similar to which of the Semantic Web. Hyperlinks are not just "pointers" to information, but also carry meanings about the information that they point to.
Recently a museum was built to house Otlet's work in Mons, Belgium. "Later this year, a new corporate citizen plans to open a data center on the edge of town: Google."
Friday, May 23, 2008
Socialable geeks
Am I a geek or a nerd? Where do I stand in the modern society? How do other people think about me being a geek or a nerd? Answers can be found in this New York Times article by David Brooks. Central to his article is the idea that an explosion of social web technology has given geeks an opportunity to be cool and smart, and today geeks are often enjoying a higher social status than the jocks, preps, frat boys and sorority sisters.
What's difference between "nerds" and "geeks"?
Why geeks are cool and socialable?
What's difference between "nerds" and "geeks"?
At first, a nerd was a geek with better grades. The word described a high-school or college outcast who was persecuted by the jocks, preps, frat boys and sorority sisters.
A geek possessed a certain passion for specialized knowledge, but also a high degree of cultural awareness and poise that a nerd lacked.
Why geeks are cool and socialable?
But the biggest change was not Silicon Valley itself. Rather, the new technology created a range of mental playgrounds where the new geeks could display their cultural capital. The jock can shine on the football field, but the geeks can display their supple sensibilities and well-modulated emotions on their Facebook pages, blogs, text messages and Twitter feeds.
They [Geeks] can visit eclectic sites like Kottke.org and Cool Hunting, experiment with fonts, admire Stewart Brand and Lawrence Lessig and join social-networking communities with ironical names. They’ve created a new definition of what it means to be cool, a definition that leaves out the talents of the jocks, the M.B.A.-types and the less educated. In “The Laws of Cool,” Alan Liu writes: “Cool is a feeling for information.” When someone has that dexterity, you know it.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
SocialDevCamp East, so much fun
I attended the SocialDevCamp East today. It was a lot of fun and very rewarding. The event was kind of like a conference, but unlike a typical research conference it didn't have any specific agenda or planned breakout sessions. I have attended many planned research conferences in the past, but this bar camp (bec it has free beer after 4pm) was definitely a unique experience. I would recommend future bar camps to anyone who is interested in technology.
My lessons learned from this event are as follows. First, the start-up culture on the East Coast is very different from which of the West Coast. On the East Coast, it's difficult to find either VCs or angel investors to fund start-ups that don't a sustainable revenue stream. Second, there is a large pool of talents on the East Coast (in the DC/MD/VA area) that is not currently being utilized to create social web and social media innovations. Third, it's possible to get non-AI developers to be excited about the Semantic Web.
By chance, I hosted a session on the Social Web + the Semantic Web. My original intent was to get people to talk about Semantic Web technologies and businesses that are crucial to the success of Social Web applications. But, it turned out that the audiences were very interested to explore the possibility of using Semantic Web technologies as differentiators to help them to stand out in the fast-change social media world. If you missed the discussion, you can find our discussion topics in this Twitter stream. Also you can find materials covered in my Social Web + Semantic Web slides.
I'm convinced that Twitter is useful (sometimes). While I was attending the conference, I sent my wife the Twitter stream of the SocialDevCamp (#SocialDevCamp). She was able to follow my session and see photos of me in an almost real-time experience.
My lessons learned from this event are as follows. First, the start-up culture on the East Coast is very different from which of the West Coast. On the East Coast, it's difficult to find either VCs or angel investors to fund start-ups that don't a sustainable revenue stream. Second, there is a large pool of talents on the East Coast (in the DC/MD/VA area) that is not currently being utilized to create social web and social media innovations. Third, it's possible to get non-AI developers to be excited about the Semantic Web.
By chance, I hosted a session on the Social Web + the Semantic Web. My original intent was to get people to talk about Semantic Web technologies and businesses that are crucial to the success of Social Web applications. But, it turned out that the audiences were very interested to explore the possibility of using Semantic Web technologies as differentiators to help them to stand out in the fast-change social media world. If you missed the discussion, you can find our discussion topics in this Twitter stream. Also you can find materials covered in my Social Web + Semantic Web slides.
I'm convinced that Twitter is useful (sometimes). While I was attending the conference, I sent my wife the Twitter stream of the SocialDevCamp (#SocialDevCamp). She was able to follow my session and see photos of me in an almost real-time experience.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Twitter, I gave up
Some people are crazy about Twitter. I don't. I joined Twitter when it first came out. After few weeks, my enthusiasm for micro-blogging has gone to nil.
Recently I saw Twitter discussions in few different blog posts. I wonder if I should start using Twitter again? After some thinking, my conclusion that is that it's better for me to stay away from Twitter.
Why I gave up on Twitter:
Do you share my experience? Or are you a Twitter lover and have a different perspective?
Let me know.
Recently I saw Twitter discussions in few different blog posts. I wonder if I should start using Twitter again? After some thinking, my conclusion that is that it's better for me to stay away from Twitter.
Why I gave up on Twitter:
- Don't want to tell the world what's on my mind too often.
- Posting too much Twitter messages can gave people (esp. my boss) a false impression about me being a slacker.
- Posting Twitter messages can't advance my writing skill.
- Don't feel comfortable with strangers following me on Twitter.
- I'm already too occupied with other social media (Facebook, my blogs and gnizr etc.)
Do you share my experience? Or are you a Twitter lover and have a different perspective?
Let me know.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
How Web 2.0 has empowered our creativitiy
All humans are capable of creating new ideas. In the past, to communicate creative ideas would require a deep marketing and sales budget, if you really want your voice be heard. For example, if you were an artist or a writer, your best hope was to seek a media company to back the distribution of your creative products. Without an army strong marketing and sales, individuals (including myself) have limited opportunities to express unpolished ideas and share which with the public. Today, Web 2.0 applications have changed the way individuals communicate their creative ideas.
While preparing my lecture slides on SlideShare, I stumble upon a presentation titled "the thin ideal" -- an interesting look into the history and culture expectation of thin women. On SlideShare, not only you can browse through the presentation slides, but also you can hear the narration of the presentation given by the author. This is an extremely powerful way to expressive an individual's creativity.
Sites like SlideShare and YouTube encourage individuals to create. They eliminated the expensive cost that were previously required for marketing and sales. People are now free to create without worrying that their ideas can't be heard.
Also, Web 2.0 applications have made easy for audiences to submit feedbacks. Take "the thin ideal" as an example. After the slides were posted, a reader submitted a related YouTube video as a comment. As I accidentally discovered the slides, I also discovered a separate video presentation that is relevant to my context.
Web 2.0 is changing the way people share and communicate ideas. If you have ideas to share, examples like "the thin ideal" should encourage you to publish your thoughts online. You publish, they will come.
While preparing my lecture slides on SlideShare, I stumble upon a presentation titled "the thin ideal" -- an interesting look into the history and culture expectation of thin women. On SlideShare, not only you can browse through the presentation slides, but also you can hear the narration of the presentation given by the author. This is an extremely powerful way to expressive an individual's creativity.
Sites like SlideShare and YouTube encourage individuals to create. They eliminated the expensive cost that were previously required for marketing and sales. People are now free to create without worrying that their ideas can't be heard.
Also, Web 2.0 applications have made easy for audiences to submit feedbacks. Take "the thin ideal" as an example. After the slides were posted, a reader submitted a related YouTube video as a comment. As I accidentally discovered the slides, I also discovered a separate video presentation that is relevant to my context.
Web 2.0 is changing the way people share and communicate ideas. If you have ideas to share, examples like "the thin ideal" should encourage you to publish your thoughts online. You publish, they will come.
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