News of Google's plan to announce the release of a new set of tools that will make Gmail more social permeated the blogosphere yesterday. The company held a press conference this morning to go over the new release of Google Buzz, and well before the name of the product was even announced Nicholas Carlson over at Silicon Alley Insider had already jumped on crowning it a "Twitter-Killer."
The result of the frenzy is the top seat on Techmeme, and prior to this morning's announcement of Google Buzz discussions ranged from the "Twitter-Killer" proclamation to Robert Scoble's take: "Why Google won't give Twitter or Facebook a buzz cut".
The details are out, but the question remains whether or not this will be a gamechanger for Google. The company has certainly had a rough go at the social space (Jaiku, Dodgeball, Orkut, and others come to mind). One thing struck me yesterday while I was reading the tech-fueled frenzy: the core of what makes social apps so interesting -- the humanity behind the application. Sure, sites like Twitter have become the butt of "I'm eating a sandwich" jokes, and justly so. But there is something to the steady stream of data from people's lives that, when arranged in the right ways, can really hook people in. Scoble has a point, in that the methods Facebook employs to make their app more sticky drive to the core of human interactions -- you want to stay on Facebook because your compelled to connect.
These apps have altered our way of communicating with one another, and whether you like it or not, the immediate nature of the lifestream is taking root across the country. This is no longer the stuff of the Silicon Valley social bubble, even niche products like Foursquare are expanding rapidly into the mainstream market. This stuff is here to stay, and it's going to impact us in ways we may not even yet realize.
Take for example this story posted by TravG73 yesterday about a family who learned about the death of their son via Facebook. It's a heartbreaking story, but not altogether surprising. Through the advent of social media and the changes it's made to our methods of communication, we now learn more about the people we know in a more immediate way -- layoffs, births, and even deaths. Not to trivialize the matter, but even health updates could be broadcast via sites like Twitter. In a hypothetical situation, you could receive automated status updates about a hospitalized loved one on the other side of the world via a private Twitter account while in transit to visit them. That doesn't necessarily sound like a bad thing to me.
Long before the death of MySpace, this trend had already become rooted in reality via a site called MyDeathSpace.com. At the height of MySpace's popularity, people scoured news articles for stories about tragic deaths, and then sleuthed their way to the deceased's MySpace profile. The site appears to be more tuned to celebrity analysis now, but the concept remains. Even Facebook has a plan for your profile after you've passed. Their idea memorializes your profile for loved ones to revisit and share stories about you even after you're not around.
As morbid as any of this may sound, it's rooted to the core of what makes these sites so popular -- the human connection. So as Google transforms Gmail to be more social, my questions remain:
How well will it handle the broadcasting of important life moments?
How connected will this new social app make me feel to the people in my circle?
What's your take? Have you experienced loss in the social media space? Has your online connection to people bolstered relationships, or is it a cheapened version of the real-life counterpart?
Let's discuss in the comments. News of Google's plan to announce the release of a new set of tools that will... more
For years, I have heard about women and stylists smuggling L'Oreal Elnett into the states like contraband. This magical hairspray, known for holding complicated hairdos or soft natural styles in place without getting sticky and hard was once banned in the US due to the use of ozone-damaging fluorocarbon propellants. Thankfully, the product has been tweaked and now Elnett is sold in drug stores everywhere. Recently, we had the chance to try this product ourselves, and I can honestly say I am now hooked. Thank god this stuff is now legal!
L'Oreal Elnett is a proud sponsor of the Fashion 2.0 Social Media Awards.For years, I have heard about women and stylists smuggling L'Oreal Elnett into... more
Last night's season 6 premiere, LA X, cracked the Internet in half. Well, at least for those of you on Twitter. LOST was front and center on both Google Trends and Twitter search trends for the bulk of the evening, and even after the West Coast airing subsided, the chatter continued to push LOST into the top 10 for both trends lists.
So what happened?
Let's eschew a more formal review and go for a "what we learned" recap instead. After all, the need to discuss the events in the 2-hour premiere compelled several coworkers to stop me on my way in this morning to discuss. BTW -- This is one of many reasons to become a fan of the show. The levels of research, speculation, and metaphysical discussion percolates nicely to form a brew steeped in mythology, spiritual mysticism, and downright noodle-cooking scientific theory. Can you tell I need a cup of coffee?
There are two pushes of the discussion that prevail this morning. The first comes from the opening moments of LA X. Juliet cracks on Jughead with a rock, an explosive sound emerges, the screen blooms to white, and we pull out from clouds into the cabin of Oceanic Flight 815 to find Jack...only it's not quite the same Jack. I'm dubbing this sequence, and all other sequences tied this timeline, Bizarro LOST -- it appears to be a world where things we've come to know about our favorite Losties are off kilter ever so slightly.
You could nitpick each scene taking note of several discrepancies from the original pilot scene:
Charlie doesn't rush by Jack before the turbulence of the Swan Station event hits
Cindy (the flight attendant) gives Jack one, not two, bottles of vodka
Jack's hair is longer than it was in the pilot
Each one of these inconsistencies is 100% intentional, but why? We get the feeling that Jack recalls aspects of his time before the Jughead explosion, and certain words, phrases, and people trigger a look of awareness in his eyes. But the Oceanic Flight he is supposedly on takes place BEFORE any of the events on the island. Just when you start to dissect that, something else gets thrown into the mix to ruffle more feathers.
For example, Desmond appears at one point in a "What the hell are you doing here?" moment, mutters the word "brother," and triggers a moment of recognition for Jack. The question here being, is Jack recognizing Desmond from the island? Or is Jack recognizing Desmond from the track while training for his race around the world?
LOST question #23: "What is the smoke monster?" -- ANSWERED
Well, sort of anyway. Can you answer this resolutely if you don't really know the identity of the person Smokie is revealed to be? We've called him the Man in Black, but something tells me this season will give way to a new nickname for Jacob's mysterious rival -- Faux-Locke.
In arguably one of the best moments of the episode, Ben witnesses the wrath of the smoke monster when a group of the Ajira passengers (read: mercenaries of Jacob) decide to enter the tomb beneath the Tawaret against orders. Faux-Locke disappears, and Smokie billows in, delivering hurt in a way we've never seen before. The ring of powder obviously protects from Smokie, but it's not a perfect solution. After Smokie disappears, Faux-Locke re-emerges to deliver the line of the evening, "Sorry you had to see me like that."
You could hear the sound of LOST fans' collective brains popping in the silence following this line. Needless to say, Terry O'Quinn is well on his way to an award-winning performance this season. I'm just saying. As Faux-Locke his eye popping stare, cold indifference with which he speaks of life of the real John Locke, and sinister delivery is equally perplexing as it is captivating. Is Faux-Locke Esau? Why is he so disappointed in Richard and the other Ajira passengers? Were they mislead? (look up Biblical references to Jacob for more on that).
Socially speaking...
Prior to last night's episode, pleas of mercy to keep social media sites free of spoilers littered the social media space. They had little impact on general chatter, however. At the time of publication, LOST remains a trending topic in both Google Trends and Twitter Search, and this growing trend of social popularity mixed with fan behavior has certainly raised some concerns.
For example, this humble author even went so far as to issue a statement of principles regarding my use of Twitter while liveblogging the new season. Something tells me that Tuesday nights will continue to be heavy with LOST discussion until that final episode rolls credits.
What did you think of the episode? Should social media discussion be quieted to prevent spoilers? Where there more important moments from the show you'd like to discuss? Add them in the comments and let's crack this open.
Last night's season 6 premiere, LA X, cracked the Internet in half.... more
Facebook is a really beneficial social networking tool to use when you’re in college. Unfortunately, most students aren’t using this site to its fullest advantages.
Yesterday I highlighted the release of our commenting upgrade, but another aspect of our released slipped under the radar: Following. If you've visited a profile page recently, you may have noticed that your connections module no longer exists.
Don't panic! We've replaced the connections module with a followers module, which clearly lays out a new distinction between the people who follow you vs. the people you follow.
Now you can easily tell who you are following and who is following you, and then you can make adjustments accordingly. As always, the ability to manage your blocked lists is rolled into these lists so you can keep track of who you have on your "don't bother me" list as well.
Additionally, we've made some changes to the profile layout again. Obviously the addition of a "Follow" button was necessary, but we also tweaked our "Send a message" button as well.
For this first iteration, we are laying the groundwork for further improvements to our sharing and private messaging systems on Current. We'll post updates to those as they arise. For now, follow and be followed!
Like the changes? Have some feedback? Please be sure to share your reactions in the comments below, and if you notice any bugs or have any recommendations visit our Get Satisfaction support page and leave us some feedback.
Thanks!
mario
Hey Currentians,
Yesterday I highlighted the release of our... more
The easier, more social, and more entertaining way to discuss media. http://www.blippr.com/The easier, more social, and more entertaining way to discuss media.... more
Join us in a live Twitter Chat to discuss the State of the Environment as it relates to energy and the environment: http://tweetchat.com/room/ecosotu
Hosted by the folks over at http://ecopolitology.org it starts at about 5:55 pm PST but feel free to drop by early and share your expectations.Join us in a live Twitter Chat to discuss the State of the Environment as it relates... more
Take our poll for the Fashion 2.0 Social Media Awards,-http://bit.ly/dCwayt & http://bit.ly/9e9KWLTake our poll for the Fashion 2.0 Social Media Awards,-http://bit.ly/dCwayt &... more
We are super excited. ideeli has partnered with Style Coalition to create the Fashion 2.0 Social Media Awards, where we celebrate chic excellence in the Social Media world. Our goal is to measure the best of style influence online, and we need your help determining which brands engaged you, moved you, and inspired you to shop, dress, and think in 2009. We have 7 fabulous categories we want you to vote on- so kick back, relax and take each poll. Your opinion is important to us. http://blog.ideeli.com/stylepeople/2010/1/27/the-innovator-award-fashion-20.html http://blog.ideeli.com/todays-features/2010/1/27/fashion-20-social-media-awards.htmlWe are super excited. ideeli has partnered with Style Coalition to create the Fashion... more
The fascination of tweeting is extending its wings all over the world. The popularity is such, that the most famous celebrities are also being engraved by twitter. There are several real accounts of your favorite celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, John Cleese, Neil Gaiman, Demi Moore and many more. Yes, this is true that now you can share your tweets with the big names and they are real.
Here’s an interesting description by D. Roberts about social media as a collection of knowledge assets that have to be organized, in order to achieve what he calls “Tangible Knowledge, the Holy grail of finance”.
Some highlights from my transcription below.
(continue....)Here’s an interesting description by D. Roberts about social media as a... more
Making money online from your blogs is a very effective online money making system or way but many fumble initially thinking and getting puzzled about “how to make money” or learning the essential tools. Well actually many professionals and newcomers have managed to succeed in the way of making money online or getting acquainted with how to “make money online”.
This is the brief analysis of five essential tool, namely, Bookkeeping, Invoicing, Word Processing, Voicemail and Remote access.
Computer scientists and college students hoping to start their own business have a few broad lessons to learn from Mark Zuckerberg's success that may apply to careers and life alike.
What’s worse is the harrowing accounts of clever criminals using the site to get personal information. To avoid a call to the authorities, follow these 20 common sense rules to Twitter safely.
“My commitment to Haiti is a unique and everlasting bond."
“I formalized that commitment when I formed my first foundation, in 1994. From that day forward, I have spent tireless hours working on behalf of my homeland on development issues as well as human and immigrant rights.
“I have been committed to helping the people of Haiti throughout my life, and that commitment will continue until the day I die.
“It is impossible for me to even comprehend the recent attacks on my character and the integrity of my foundation, Yele Haiti. The fact that these attacks come as we are mobilized to meet the greatest human tragedy in the history of Haiti only serves to perplex me even further.
“I first learned of these baseless attacks when I left Haiti late Friday, where I had been since 12 hours after the earthquake.
“Let me be clear: I denounce any allegation that I have ever profited personally through my work with Yele Haiti. These baseless attacks are simply not true.
“In fact, I have, time and again, committed significant amounts of my own money to support the work of Yele Haiti and other organizations in support of our efforts over the years.
“More than that, I have spent countless hours, days, months and years of my life committed to the country of Haiti, the people of Haiti and the success of Haiti.
“These baseless allegations were first put forward by a fringe website with a history of pursuing sensationalist story lines. The mainstream media’s pursuit of them has required Yele to divert precious resources during this critical time in order to answer various inquiries. That must end.
“I will continue to commit my focus to what is most important right now: Haiti. Right now, Yele is working with its valuable NGO partners, the U.S. Government, the United Nations and so many others to save lives, honor those who have perished and get aid to the millions of Haitians suffering through the worst human catastrophe of our times.
http://tl.gd/3vi99Wyclef Jean
“My commitment to Haiti is a unique and everlasting bond."... more
I don't know if everyone whosoever blogs feels the same way as I do but I certainly have developed this unique desperation syndrome, which gives me attacks to write millions of thoughts floating into my mind. The syndrome is so dangerous that sometimes I have so many thoughts, so many ideas and so many different things floating through my mind at once that I finally end up spending large amount of time without moving out of my desk. Strangely, blogging is cutting my appetite and ending my basic need of living like water. The desperation of blogging has gone to that extent that I don't feel sleepy until I write something on my blog. That is not all, whenever I m reading something my thought process enters into the calculative mode with different thoughts evolving in support or against of whatever I m reading. On a positive note, I have become a intense thinker.
Polymath Industries, a Seattle start-up devoted to Social Entrepreneurship - is posting a wide variety of business concepts and raw ideas to assist aspiring entrepreneurs and form multi-disciplinary collaborations. Hyperlinks to international organizations promoting social entrepreneurship are also listed on the website.
The company described as a think tank designed to catalyze creative system engineering, promote civil discourse & collaborations through PDF pamphlets, and advance social entrepreneurship.
Items on the webpage include concepts in social dynamics, draft bio-therapeutics, theoretical social and physical sciences, and various bundles formed through technological knowledge management. All concepts and compilations contained on the page are raw ideas or "White Board" creativity, with novelty yet to be determined as of December 2009.
It is theorized that multi-disciplinary collaboration through "Copyleft" exposure on the virtual realm will promote team formation to accomplish 21st Century Problem Solving.Polymath Industries - Initiative devoted to catalyzing social entrepreneurship... more
With social bookmarking sites, webmasters can now generate relevant traffic to their sites easily. Social bookmarking sites allow users to network and associate with each other through tags or bookmarks. Through social bookmarking sites, users and webmasters could interact with one another by exchanging their ideas using this platform.
Free WordPress templates are ideal for your new project as a blogger. For first time bloggers, a free WordPress template is extremely useful and necessary.
