Disqus - Latest Comments for fogofeternity

Re: Retaggr - An Interactive Business Card

fogofeternity — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:41:27 -0000

While it's good to see a company that's working hard to engage with its customers and developing its products based on their feedback, I'm not sure of the function of the retaggr. I'm not a fan of the "online business card" in any case, though the lifestream profile idea has more chance of long term success. For the idea of an online business card, I think it's an irrelevant idea. A business card is intended to give people information of how to contact you. All information which is directly linkable to on an individual's website anyway.

Re: Windows 7 Multi-Touch - pass the Windex

fogofeternity — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:30:12 -0000

Yeah, I really find it difficult to think of a situation where I'd use it for anything practical. I can't envisage any app I use today where win touch would be helpful or even desirable, and I use a lot of apps.

And of course we'll have to buy new monitors. :)

Re: "Give me my precious"

fogofeternity — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:41:43 -0000

I kind of like Disqus and its solution. What I don't like is that it doesn't provide a linkback to your blog from your name/icon on another blog. Instead it links back to your Disqus profile. I still like to feel that adding pertinent comments and developing a conversation on another blog might help with measurable traffic back to my own blog as well, and Disqus limits that impact. Of course I can measure incoming traffic from Disqus, but it's adding another link in the chain and it's them that are getting any main traffic benefit, not me.

Not that I'm less likely to comment on a Disqus powered blog, as traffic isn't the primary focus of why I comment, but it's a nice to have benefit!

In terms of the overall debate, I concur entirely with Steve. Once you hit submit, control over "your" content is lost. I understand why there's a certain amount of resentment of the fractured commenting that the likes of FF develop. Many bloggers are still heavily focused on their traffic and direct activity on their blogs in terms of comments/linkbacks - it's measurable and gives you a sense of progress. While ultimately it's beneficial to be talked about anywhere, the idea that you're missing out on the conversation about something you wrote can be slightly frustrating.

Re: Who Are You People Anyway?

fogofeternity — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:33:10 -0000

I don't think that our online world is a reflection of the real world. We're focused far more on acquaintances and contacts as opposed to good friends and close relationships. Those closer relationships we continue to deal with via contact in person, on telephone, or through email. I don't believe that social networking is how we interact regularly with our close friends, and neither is it a method by which we develop new friends.

It is a way in which we network ourselves though. And we network a different persona than we do when making friends. Sure we'll reveal some of ourselves, but ultimately networking is about creating relationships of function rather than of pleasure. And I think that's what people often fail to realise. Labels of "friends" on blogs, rss, social networking are misleading. We're talking contacts.

Re: Why Facebook Is Useless

fogofeternity — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:39:29 -0000

I think procrastination is the internet as a whole's killer app. :)

Re: 4 Useful Twitter Tools You Shouldn’t Twitter Without

fogofeternity — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:34:52 -0000

Sure, Three Great Twitter Sites.

Re: Why Facebook Is Useless

fogofeternity — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:02:55 -0000

Sure, there's nothing wrong with Facebook per se, but it has no "use". It does get highlighted as an example of the success of social networking sites though, and I'm not sure that's the best description of it. Albeit maybe I'm looking at social networking as more functional and with a wider focus than just "people I already know".

It's not really just about advertising, but about the long term sustainability of Facebook. The problem with useless games and reconnecting with friends is that there's nothing killer there to make Facebook long lasting. Other sites have had that same burst of popularity, press coverage etc, but not long lasting success at that kind of level.

I basically think that Facebook's *active* userbase will dwindle. It'll remain viable but not in any particularly industry leading way. It doesn't have a focus beyond the "reconnect with friends" - even the likes of MySpace which are considered direct competitors have a reasonably unique selling point as a forum for new music.

Re: Why Facebook Is Useless

fogofeternity — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:50:09 -0000

I agree, it is a very enclosed space. That's a major factor why it's a failure as a social networking tool. Social networks develop in various ways - e.g. through email, wider interaction, added value - and Facebook doesn't provide that.

Re: 4 Useful Twitter Tools You Shouldn’t Twitter Without

fogofeternity — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:32:46 -0000

Thanks for the heads up on TweetBurner, that's not a tool I'd made much use of in the past.

While I love Twitter, I also think it's one of the social networking services that's most easily underutilised. Until you start developing strong networks and a good focus, the on-the-surface triviality and difficulty finding followers can make Twitter seem like a bit of fluff rather than something that can be seriously utilised.

The tools you've identified (and I wrote a similar article myself earlier today identifying some Twitter tools I think provide benefit in some other areas) can make Twitter far more effective.

Re: NIN Giving Away More Free Music

fogofeternity — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:12:40 -0000

I think it's genuinely interesting the understanding that NIN have of "Web 2.0". I'll admit that I'm not a massive fan of the "Web 2.0" label, but in terms of acknowledging the wider benefits of social media it's good to see more mainstream artists getting involved.

Re: ISPs, Throttling, Torrenting, and Pirates

fogofeternity — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:00:13 -0000

What's worrying there is that the UK regulators aren't apparently considering a "three strikes and you're out" rule for copyright *infringers* but for those *accused* of copyright infringement. I would assume that'd be unenforceable in the UK as soon as challenged, but the very idea that it's supposedly being considered is cause for dismay.

Also I'd be curious about the grey areas that exist with BitTorrent. Yes there's lots of legal stuff using the effective delivery method of BitTorrent. And there's also illegal downloads of copyright movies. But what about the not uncommon practice of TV companies apparently deliberately leaking pre-broadcast copies to BitTorrent to develop a buzz in the run-up to wider broadcast - as pretty clearly happened with Sarah Connor Chronicles or Battlestar Galactica: Razor? Technically downloading that would be copyright infringement I imagine, yet it's being tacticly promoted by the TV companies who are pursuing the wider benefit.

Re: Facebook Is Not Really That Special

fogofeternity — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:51:41 -0000

Very much agree with your thinking here. I've been on Facebook for a while but I just don't do anything on it because, effectively, there's nothing I really need to do. So far as I can tell it just has no particular functionality at all. Sure there are various "entertaining" (to some people) applications, but it doesn't even really have an effective blogging section for personal updates. At best I might use Facebook to link up with someone I lost touch with, but if that's the case and we start talking again the likelihood is that our relationship will quickly move off Facebook and on to IM or email.

It seems to me that Facebook is actually among the weakest of the various social networking sites in terms of any wider functionality. I use StumbleUpon, which gives me both interesting and worthwhile content relevant to my interests, and which I can also blog to. I use LinkedIn for professional contacts and for discussion on specific aspects of business. And then I have something like Livejournal which I monitor randomly because it seems to be where my friends arrange the "hey, we're going out for a drink at blah pub tonight at 8, turn up if you see this" kind of gatherings.

Facebook just seems a bit like the emperor's new clothes, pretty and high publicity but no real substance.