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POPSTexting instead of sleeping
This is so disturbing. Social media has such wonderful potential, but seeing it used like this is depressing. Call me crazy but i would strongly consider advocating legislation that caps the number of text messages, tweets, status updates, etc. that a minor is allowed to send. God knows how many of them text while driving, putting us all at great risk. Between twitter and text messaging, society's use of social tools to stay connected 24x7 all day, every day just makes no sense to me. Seeing tweets about what people are doing, who they're with, where they're going, what they're eating, what they're watching just makes no sense to me. Who cares! Is there no joy in doing something anymore unless we can instantly tweet about it, upload a photo of it or broadcast it to our 'friends' on facebook? I think there is so much to gain from social media...so much to learn. But right now i feel like people are drunk on the idea and using it extreme ways that will look foolish in hinds
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POPSIs social media making us safer? I suppose this may seem obvious, but i hadn't really thought about it. I've heard talk about how people shouldn't post things like "on vacation" on twitter because criminals can use that info to go rob your house. But the idea that people have instantaneous ways to get information and reach out definitely suggests that we could become more efficient in crime avoidance. Thinking that a great idea for a new service would be some kind of social network 911 call. Press a certain button and automatically post an alert to the following people via twitter, facebook, sms, etc. Then, using GPS, the people could get your message and your location.
14
POPSBefore the Internet, people used to stop writing This is such an interesting phenomenon. I never really thought about it, but i suppose that if you're job didn't require it, when would you really have a need to write something that included paragraphs. But these days, with all the communication that takes place via email, facebook, twitter, blogs, etc., people are writing way more than ever. An interesting thing i've experienced is that my handwriting has suffered tremendously since almost all my writing is now done via keyboard.
4
POPSFacebook says "Twitter is in the rear-view mirror" I guess when you're the size of Facebook and still growing like a weed, you've got a right to pound your chest. By putting themselves in the same class as Google it seems to me that Facebook is positioning itself for a major IPO.
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POPSThe impact of jealousy on facebook and twitter This is such an honest, introspective and important comment about the impact of social media. Sure, social media is fun and cool and all that, but there is no doubt that the typical offline dynamics of envy, jealousy, competition, humility and conceit all play a serious roll in our web relations as well. As i read this post, i was moved by how honest this person was able to be (with themselves and the public). I have, at times, experienced similar feelings and i'm sure many other people have as well.
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POPSDoes Yahoo think we're a bunch of stupid dogs? When i saw this image on Yahoo's soon to be released "twitter-killer" page, i immediately imagined a conversation inside Yahoo that went something like this: Yahoo exec: why the image of a bunch of dumb dogs? Yahoo marketing person: "well, twitter has a bird so we figured we'd have a few dogs." Yahoo exec: brilliant!
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POPSTweeting our brain cells away Though i'm no scientist - and i'd certainly word it a bit differently - i share these sentiments about twitter. To be clear, I think there are many positive aspects of twitter too, but this is certainly one of my criticisms/concerns. I recommend reading the rest of this article...it's thought provoking and insightful about how different sources of entertainment and communication affect us (Twitter, Facebook, video games, etc.)
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POPSAs Twitter grows, so does the noise it produces This is an observation that i can attest to. When we first started developing Amplify, we were so impressed by Twitter's growth, that we pretty much decided to make Amplify an application exclusively for twitter. Our messaging, sign up and user experience were all developed specifically for twitter. It's fair to say that strategically, we put all our eggs in twitter's basket. Well, for many of the reasons sited in the article this was clipped from, not anymore. I'll leave it at that for now...lots coming soon!
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POPSIt's harder to read books these days (via @haraya) Clipped this from a great article that not only analyzes how the fast paced nature of interactions via email, twitter, facebook, etc. has made it more difficult for us to find the time and patience to settle into a good book - but also contemplates why finding the time and space for reading books may be more important than ever as an escape from the frenetic pace of online communication. On a personal note, i totally relate to this. About 2 years ago i started reading numerous books about American history. I was loving it. Each night i looked forward to finding time for whatever book i was reading. But now, i find myself constantly in need of checking my email, twitter, amplify, clipmarks, etc. and making no time for books. Just last night i started a book about Benjamin Franklin, saying to my wife, "i really miss the enjoyment of reading books - going to give it another shot."
4
POPSHere's an interesting take on twitter Clipped from a funny/interesting blog post...recommend reading it. I wouldn't be surprised if Twitter proves to be a fad or goes on to decades of relevance...or somewhere in between. I honestly don't have conviction about it either way.
3
POPSDoes news now break too fast? via @kenyarmosh Ken makes a great point - one that has serious implications. The one aspect of this that disturbs me is that i think there is a trend towards becoming desensitized to news - it's sort of becoming a game - and to giving less time to think and talk about things because we're always looking for the next hot story.
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POPSThe biggest threat to twitter is quantity over quality (via @StevenHodson) I believe there is a point at which the number of people you're following begins to work against the quality of your experience. By building a platform that has always tilted the playing field towards amassing as many followers as possible, i think twitter's greatest concern should be that they have been steering people towards a worse user experience. Going forward, i believe that social media sites need to prioritize high quality friends/follows ("sources" on amplify) over high quantity.
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POPSThe goal of twitter's new home page... The quote above is from @biz. I just don't see this being twitter's problem. i can't imagine a simpler, more straightforward service than twitter. I genuinely believe that people who don't use twitter don't use it because they're not interested in what it does...not because they don't understand what it does.
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POPSCould Facebook have peaked? Though each of these excerpts made me laugh out loud, they are from of an interesting article that discusses the possibility that Facebook may have seen its best days and that its demise may be forthcoming...some excellent insight into the nuances of the user experience.
2
POPSChronology of statements around @techcrunch releasing twitter's stolen info Love that Techcrunch says they got the green light, but explicitly admits that twitter isn't happy about it - what kind of green light is that?? Then @ev and @biz flatly deny giving the green light. @arrington says "let the healing process begin." are you kidding me - you release a whole bunch of sensitive, private, stolen info and then cavalierly tweet, 'let the healing process begin.' the only healing process needed is for people to unfollow @techcrunch and make a statement that this kind of behavior won't be rewarded. I'd be the first to do it, but i already don't follow them.
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POPSComments by @biz on @techcrunch releasing stolen docs I really want to see Arrington pay for this...he's such a pompous ass in the first place - but to play god and decide day-by-day which documents to reveal and which to keep confidential is absurd. He should have taken the stolen information and alerted twitter about what happened and not even considered publishing them or reading them.
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POPS#twitterconfidential - @ev responds to @arrington Personally, unless twitter did give TechCrunch the green light to publish the stuff they did (which @Ev denies in this tweet), i find techcrunch's decision to publish this info despicable. this is stolen, private information that is nobody's business. for tc to make it public only gives people an incentive to get their hands on things they shouldn't have and turn them over. If techrunch had morals, they would have said they're above this kind of thing and shredded the info...before reading it themselves - it's none of their business either. I'd like to see Twitter take a stand and never give TC the scoop on anything again.
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POPSBruno dies by the Tweet you live by the Tweet, you die by the tweet. Personally, i have found the promos for this movie to be unfunny and obnoxious. no interest in seeing it.
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POPSFor Twitter, the medium is the message! I totally agree that when it comes to Twitter, the medium is the message. Despite it's certain drawbacks, the magic of twitter is in the 140 character limitation on all tweets. It's impact on the user experience is all encompassing - both for contributors and readers. There are many other reasons for its growth (the open API for one), but the straw that stirs the drink for twitter is the bite size tweets that flow thru the system 24x7.
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POPSIt's time for advertising to catch up to social media I often hear skepticism from old media companies about how social media will never make money. Strikes me as the kind of skepticism that typically occurs during major shifts that usher out the old and welcome in the new. The clip below speaks of the need for advertising to evolve to better integrate with today's new social media experience. I hope and believe that it will.
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POPSHow social media has changed P.R. Public relations has always been about who you know, but the people on the 'who you need to know' list have changed as a result of social media - primarily twitter.
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POPSIs twitter boring you? @davewiner says yes. I've been hearing this quite often lately, so figured i'd clip @davewiner's tweet and ask if others are feeling the same way. personally, i have always found twitter to be a volatile blend of boring and rewarding. my biggest disappointment with twitter is that it's not tapping into people's innate desire to give, but is instead being positioned and treated as a massive "look at me" platform. i think this stems from management's decision to put the focus on a bunch of boring, attention seeking celebrities in their recommended list. that damaged the vibe of the site and overall user experience.
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POPSThe lesson of Amazon.com: start simple and evolve. Though it's taken me a number of years to actually practice this discipline, i have always believed that simple, narrowly defined user experiences are prerequisites for building something big. Google, twitter and amazon are great examples of that.
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POPSFacebook badly needs the Retweet 100% agree. The Retweet is freaking brilliant. It rewards the person doing it as well as the person receiving it...and it allows information to circulate throughout twitter very efficiently. without something like it, the facebook stream is much less dynamic and viral.
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POPSWhat Twitter and slot machines have in common i suppose that just like the spins of a slot machine, most of our tweets come up blank (no response, no retweet, etc.). But just often enough we get a little bit of feedback and maybe just maybe we occasionally come up with 3 cherries! And, of course, just like sitting in a casino, it often seems like other people are winning. I suppose Twitter works like that too...we all watch as other people get @replies and retweets just like watching people at the nearby slots who seem to have better luck that us. strictly from a psychological standpoint, it seems plausible that twitter may have much in common with casinos.
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POPSAn opportunity that can't be missed in iran I clipped this sentence from @willhelm's commentary here http://bit.ly/JvZes. Though i agree with this idea, i worry that if Obama were to meddle in this too much and make it about him, it could backfire terribly. This might sound naive, but i'm hoping and believing that via social media - particularly Twitter, Americans are making it very clear that we support the Iranian people - perhaps in ways that are more effective and powerful than anything one person could say (even if that person is the President of the United States).
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POPSIran explodes. In other news, Phil Mickleson is playing good golf. There is something so fundamentally flawed with today's news/media. Perhaps the most politically volatile and critical issue of this decade (at least) is occurring in Iran and the place to really feel the emotion and intensity of people's interest is on twitter. On sites like CNN, MSNBC, etc., it's the usual bullshit blend of news and pop culture. I couldn't believe that i just hit msnbc.com and a picture of Phil Mickleson had the biggest presence on the page. Pathetic!
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POPSI wish twitter was a sea of green for this reason... who could possibly disagree with the statement above by Amnesty International. i know it won't change much, but this is why my profile is and will remain green...i truly wish/hope that more people on twitter would take the small step of going green as a statement against the violent rhetoric and actions of the leadership in iran.
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POPSThe impossibility and inevitability of revolution Though this clip is in the context of what's taking place in Iran, similar thinking applies to many things in life. People never imaged google could be bigger than microsoft, yet now it seems obvious. Certainly, people downplayed the significance and potential of Twitter (myself included), yet now it's growth seems unlimited. I guess the point i'm trying to make (trying being the key word) is that what seems impossible becomes possible all the time...yet in general, people tend to revert back to being skeptical that it can happen again.
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POPSWhy i've made my profile pic on twitter green for Iran I've read some blog posts and heard some people criticize the "green" movement as a bunch of people who don't really know what they're talking about and should just stay out of it. I don't agree with that line of reasoning at all and wrote the following comment explaining why...
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