Disqus - Friends of ethan

Re: Help me push this post up Techmeme

MG Siegler — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:17:10 -0000

Thanks for the shout out Mathew. Definitely agree with your opinion here - it seems like every week now one of the biggest stories on TechMeme is about TechMeme and how is being gamed or something along those lines - it's still by far and away the best reference for tech news at any given time (when you don't have time to go through your 10,000 feeds), far ahead of Digg and the like in terms of fresh stories. As you say, if you feel like someone is simply trying to game the system, "don't click on them".

-MG

Re: Is ArmchairGM the future of blogs?

MG Siegler — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:02:19 -0000

It's a great site, I've been using it for a while - has quite the loyal following (at least if nominations for the Open Web Awards are any indication).

Re: Gmail colours: Is this really news?

MG Siegler — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:02:06 -0000

Not only am I excited, I LOVE this update, much more so than the other recent Gmail updates. As my inbox gets more and more crowded I found myself wanting more than just the star to differentiate between things and the plain labels all seemed to blend together - this is a great solution because Google gives you the option of using both the loud background color labels and the more subtle text color labels.

I know a lot of these small Google updates get a ton of hype only to never be talked about 2 days later, but I really do love this one.

Re: Gmail colours: Is this really news?

MG Siegler — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:09:47 -0000

Ha ha, I don't doubt it.

Re: Gmail colours: Is this really news?

MG Siegler — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:10:34 -0000

Alex - if you read Google's official post, it sounds like they are working on something just like what you are suggesting.

Re: Is a muzzle being tightened around Microsoft bloggers?

MG Siegler — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:04:02 -0000

Very interesting, if that is true, Microsoft is going to be getting even more flack (if possible) from the blogosphere. I just assumed many weren't talking about IE8 since it's looking like it potentially won't be out now until 2009 after Bill Gates himself promised new versions of IE every 9 to 12 months...

Re: Is a muzzle being tightened around Microsoft bloggers?

MG Siegler — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 23:47:42 -0000

Agreed, as I wrote in reply to a comment on my post about the Blog Council - Microsoft seems to be one company where the bloggers are actually very involved - and I think that is a very good thing no matter what they say.

Re: Google AdSense experimenting once more?

MG Siegler — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:17:45 -0000

Yep, noticed the same thing earlier today an interesting idea.

Re: The Angst in Twitterdom

MG Siegler — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:55:22 -0000

Oh i definitely think it can get more pop appeal - just wait until all the "tweens" start using it (tweens, twitter, I see a connection) and it becomes a breeding ground for gossip about 'The Hills'. I cringe at the thought...

Re: The Angst in Twitterdom

MG Siegler — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:50:38 -0000

True enough - you mean when I get requests from buyingstocks00383 they aren't a real person who wants to be my friend? :)

Re: Is Google going after Wikipedia?

MG Siegler — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:51:18 -0000

Yes, this story is going to explode over the next few days I think. I like how Google seemed to make their official post unnecessarily wordy so as to maybe mask their full intentions. You'll also notice they mention Wikipedia exactly 0 times!

One note: while Google is working with "experts" at first, it seems like anyone will be able to make a page once they open it up. However with their various rating systems in place, no doubt the "expert" pages will float to the top.

And yes, the monetization factor is huge. Imagine how much money Wikipedia would make with just one ad - you can bet Google, which refers millions of visitors to that site, knows full well - and if they recreate a Wikipedia, with the twist of authority and monetization - that they can feature in their own results, they're looking at another huge pool sea of money.

Re: Knol - a potential fertile ground for smart spammers and marketers?

MG Siegler — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 01:03:47 -0000

That's a very good point that I haven't seen brought up yet. I'd have to imagine that despite their oddly extreme emphasis they they will not edit Knol in anyway, if someone is spamming they've got to ban them right? That would kill their credibility on day 1.

Re: Knol - a potential fertile ground for smart spammers and marketers?

MG Siegler — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 01:20:09 -0000

I think if Google was smart they would limit it to one Knol per search result - only the "best" one - however they determine that.

Re: Google crosses the “activity streams”

MG Siegler — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:59:52 -0000

This is always what I've thought Google's end goal would be in terms of social networking - at least since last January when I first noticed the user profiles for Google Groups (which I believe is there origin).

http://www.parislemon.com/2...

"I would not at all be surprised to see these user profiles (which have an icon place holder that is the exact same as the Google Talk icon placeholder and now Gmail contact list icon placeholder) consolidated as one giant Google user profile for each user that is used for every Google Service they use..."

Great title by the way!

"'scuse me Egon? you said crossing the streams was bad!"

Re: This whole Web 2.0 Office Suite meme is stupid

MG Siegler — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:27:07 -0000

Exactly. That's the way a Windows supporter should go about thinking about this issue - with a level head like yourself, not some rush-to-conclusion quasi-propagandist nonsense that a relatively new concept is already dead because 70% of 600 people that such a service probably isn't geared towards said that hadn't heard of it.

If MS listens to people like that they are doomed, they should be listening to you as someone who supports them but always paints a realistic picture both good and bad.

Re: Prediction for 2008: consumers say goodbye Microsoft - Hello Apple

MG Siegler — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:19:42 -0000

Agreed, but the question is will YOU say goodbye to Microsoft and 'hello' to Apple in 2008?

And yes I realize my two posts ended up on a somewhat similar tilt :) The 2nd didn't start out that way, then I realized the iPhone selling that fast was just more backup for the points I made in the first. But I really have thought that since day 1 with the iPhone - that Apple has absolutely revolutionized mobile computing - that we were going to start to see actual useable devices beyond the laptop.

That said, I also think you're right that for many customers the transition will indeed be to the mac desktops and laptops first. Those are far from dead, but I cannot wait to see what computing will be like in 10 years - I think Apple is leading the way in these first steps.

Re: Digg bait: Cute girls, Digg song

MG Siegler — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:42:20 -0000

And not surprisingly at all it's already well on its way to the top 10 of the day. I was pleasantly surprised though, much better then I thought it would be given the titles of the posts about it :)

Re: Quick Thoughts for 1.2.08

MG Siegler — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:57:27 -0000

Looks like you just pushed me onto Techmeme. Much appreciated Steven, hope you had a good new year.

Re: We have met the enemy: He is us

MG Siegler — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:14:03 -0000

Thanks Mathew - again I agree with you here. While I understand what Steve is getting at, I think he is not looking a strength that I see (and it seems like you do) in going to Techmeme and finding a discussion via familiar authors on a topic. If only one person talked about something, it wouldn't get a lot of play, but look at the times where some of us have seemingly brought about responses simply by writing on something - the Google Reader Social fiasco comes to mind.

No one wants to read a post that is simply a copy-and-paste quote of someone else's with a link (which some people do - even on Techmeme), but if you have something to add or an opinion, I see no problem in weighing in on an already-covered topic - I think some forget that people on Techmeme have readers OUTSIDE of Techmeme as well - should those people not learn about certain things just because they don't go to Techmeme?

That being said I too like original ideas and many of my biggest stories are those. But do I think other news and important events should simply be overlooked in favor of those? No.

Re: WinExtra nominated

MG Siegler — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:17:16 -0000

Congrats Steven, I assume I can still vote as an American right?

Re: Tinfoil hat alert: Digg has secret editors!

MG Siegler — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:17:18 -0000

Ha Deep Digg. Nice.

Yeah, as I've quite literally exhausted myself writing about this on numerous sites, the problem isn't with the editors, it's the complete lack of transparency in the process.

Re: Tinfoil hat alert: Digg has secret editors!

MG Siegler — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:30:25 -0000

I'll tell Deep Digg you said so right after I ask him "what's the frequency Kenneth?" :)

Re: Is Joost headed for the deadpool?

MG Siegler — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:30:07 -0000

As a fan of Joost since the get go I fear you may be right - they've simply failed to garner much buzz beyond their initial pre-launch hype (which as you well know was considerable). If only they could find a way onto a device like the Apple TV...

Re: Twitter and Pownce need to merge

MG Siegler — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:07:12 -0000

I'm with you on the merging. I've been trying to use both today back and forth and it's tiring. Even with fairly different feature sets/selling points, I think there is only room for one of them to reach mass appeal.

Re: No Queensbury Rules Here

MG Siegler — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:54:52 -0000

I actually completely agree with what you are saying Steven - to an extent. Any company in any other industry and the hostile approach MSFT took would hardly be given a second look, but on the flipside, because MSFT's image is so poor with the community at large, that is breeding a lot of the crap they are getting - including Yahoo not wanting to sell to them at any cost in the first place.

I kind of talked about that issue in my post where I talked about Microsoft's "Gordon Gekko" - this isn't Teldar Paper MSFT is trying to take over, it's Yahoo, which is still beloved by a great many people despite their struggles the past few years. Microsoft really needs to try and improve their image in that same community if they want to stop getting slammed. Perhaps they don't care about it - as you indicate, it's their right to do what is best for their business - but that seriously could very well be a factor that derails this whole bid.

I, for one, hope this WorldWide Telescope thing is really cool - if it is I'll be among the first to praise it, just as I was with the Surface Computing. But the fact that once again it will be Windows only (supposedly) just shows more of the same from Microsoft. It might be a smart business move, but their bad image is really starting to hurt them - and it's equating to bad business.