DISQUS

Wait... since when was beacon not live? Was it only restricted to certain partners?

The profile cleanup wizard probably wiped a bunch of apps off profile pages, which is a huge source of virality for apps. Also, minifeed controls like "i didn't do this" and newsfeed controls that allow you to bury events are probably taking their toll on the most annoying/viral apps. Additionally, platform changes such as giving preference to newsfeed links that do *not* require an app install, plus eliminating events where you were not a primary actor.... all these things are effectively Facebook's spam control experiments. They amount to a predictable decline in usage for the biggest apps, most of which are useless spam-generators.

Check out Movie Clique by Blockbuster. Blows the Netflix app away in terms of functionality. You can link your ratings, queue, etc. and even add to your queue right from Facebook.

/RANT-ON

The bloggers have bludgeoned this issue to death. The damned thing is opt in and they still won't shut up. I think Privacy is the new religion, and we're all being proseletyzed to death with it. It astounds me that people are so uptight. You would think that beacon was ratting out all of the porn bondage sites you're visiting....no, it's telling your friends that you're playing DESKTOP TOWER DEFENSE or -- heaven forbid -- browsing the Coca Cola site.

The mass media has followed suit because they don't know their asses from their heads and get most of their leads on "tech" stories from the bloggers. The public knows even less than the media, and most people believe what the media spoon feeds them. So it's all a self-fulfilling prophecy that's driven by a huge PR cycle driven by the most vocal 0.1% who claim to represent us all in their infinite quest for privacy. I have one message for them: want a global opt out on beacon? LOG THE HELL OUT OF THE SITE.

/RANT-OFF

I have been a FiosTV customer for a year. The new interactive guide is TERRIBLE. It's difficult to navigate and unintuitive. Example: when you are done with a program, it does not return you to that program so you can delete it, it takes you to the folder of episodes for whichever show was at the top of your DVR list.

It has also missed half of our shows that we have season passes for (which are set up, verified, and prioritized in the season pass manager with NO conflicts). We are cancelling Fios this week and will be looking elsewhere.

Maybe Google Earth should just block all IP's to the Middle East until everyone learns to play nice. Heck, may want to include North America in that blacklist to make sure no Al Queda cells can't access it. Also, if we can get Intel, Microsoft, Dell, etc. to make sure no PC's end up in the hands of terrorists, that would be even better.

/sarcasm_off

Well, I can definitely see the usage of the "Likeness" app going down significantly.

top 30 bankable web 2.0 startups (based on momentum, prestige of investors, management, etc.)

Google's foe = Yahoo's friend.

I'm skeptical that 90% of the online population will use something like this. I really think that those of us who have an engineering and/or product mindset (especially those of us who are community pioneers) quickly lose touch with the sophistication and attention span of the bulk of online web users (even the semi-savvy ones). Attending in-person usability studies and looking at the metrics on our company's web site always reminds me of this.

That being said, I think a more robust and configurable (and cross-"platform") permissions system is essential for power users... the "connectors" in online social communities if you will... and, while we are a fickle bunch, it's important to keep us happy!

I invented peer-to-peer music sharing.

In the early 90's I used to trade live tapes of Phish and Blues Traveler over USENET before the Web even existed! We didn't pay any money for the music recordings, we just copied them and spread them along to others! Shawn Fanning was a total poser.

Personally, I think this would be a brilliant move if they get the user interface and permissions right. I do not proactively expand my Facebook network while I do with my LinkedIn network. One more professional contact always seems like time better spent than yet another pseudo-acquaintance with whom I can share my favorite books/bands.

By the way, Hypercube is a GREAT idea and I'm surprised no one has gotten to it earlier. As Mac OSX users, we love our widgets, but Microsucks has not provided a similar platform. Enter Hypercube.

(by the way, Hypercube is way bug-ridden... it should be since it's an alpha... but just be forewarned)

This is a noble effort Plaxo is undertaking but I wonder how big a problem this really solves? I use 2 social networks on a regular basis and personally I don't see value in trying to merge them. In fact, I'd rather keep them separate. Each site serves a different purpose. Facebook = jeans and LinkedIn = business casual. All I'm saying is lets not overestimate the general online population's need to aggregate all this stuff.

my further 2c on the walled garden issue: http://mediatrending.com/2007/08/18/social-netw...

As a sidenote, Plaxo has long been trying to solve a problem that just isn't that big an issue: address book synchronization. When I was a Prod Mgr for Yahoo Address Book, this was clear from traffic numbers and user research. There were a few people that were VERY interested in it (and very vocal about it), but for most users it just wasn't worth the hassle of installing and configuring yet another app.

They have a cool feature where you can import your Amazon purchase history to scan your local area for events of your favorite authors. Unfortunately I've never gotten in to work, it just loops endlessly. Maybe 10 years of transaction history is too much?

Does anyone remember America's Funniest Home videos? From a cursory glance, that's what this appears to be. I know I know, this won't necesarily be funny, but then neither was Bob Saget.

Take it a step further and you're into wiki land. "The Starfish and the Spider" is an interesting read and compares dynamics between decentralized units and centralized traditional corporate hierarchies. The takeaway is that the decentralized organizations require a "catalyst" leader whose talents/traits are much different than a traditional CEO or management professional. You need leaders who can inspire and then step back and LET GO. A rare breed in the business world, especially when money is at stake.

This a great idea and I'll love to see it when it's in release form (after it's had some feedback on usability). I hope they offer LinkedIn because, aside from Facebook, it's the only network I care about.

The interface is confusing (i.e. there is a generic avatar representing me since I posted to my own wall) and really offers no benefit. There are already Flickr integrations in Facebook too, so what's the value proposition?

I did make it out to the unconference and would love to go to each and everyone of those (especially Sonoma... heaven on earth). Alas, budgets are tight so I'll have to read about them. So blog away!

Yawn.

When you can configure your DVR via the website and pull content from the site through your DVR, I will pay it a visit.

sorry, I messed up the HTML tagging somehow. Here is the URL:
http://mediatrending.com/2007/08/10/the-long-lo...

I fully agree that this proliferation is an issue,and its exacerbated by the closed nature of the platform. There needs to be some configurable integration with the news feed so there is some level of stickiness. I think this information flow or stickiness needs to be configurable though, since many people join groups for different reasons (not necessarily to interact). I posted a <a href="http://mediatrending.com/2007/08/10/the-long-long-tail-of-facebook-groups/
">response to your entry here: