Twit-out | May 21st, 2008
I’m not a big Twitter guy to begin with, but I do use it occassionally . Earlier tonight, and a couple of times this previous week, they’ve had some outtage issues and I’ve experienced the pain with many of my friends on FriendFeed.
A recent post on FriendFeed by Bwana McCall, orginally proposed by Shey, asked that we boycott Twitter usage one day to show that the people ARE Twitter. Susan Beebe came up with the day called “Twit-out” (logo by Andrew Dobrow) and the rest should go down with history. The recommendation by me is to use FriendFeed only, as I’ve been calling for the wide adoption of FriendFeed in the first place! Who needs Twitter?!
DISQUS added to blog.
If I ever do pick up the blogging habit on a more regular basis, I’ve now got DISQUS for comments. The wider adopter that it has, the better it will be.
The Web Takes Time
The web takes up a lot of my time. I’m not sure if I would classify it as a passion, or a hobby, or an addiction, but I’m on a lot. I check my RSS feeds through my Netvibes homepage, check my email with Thunderbird (3 different google IMAP accounts), check in on things at work with Logmein, and recently I spend a big chunk of time at FriendFeed. This would all be fine and dandy, but doing one of those other things will most certainly point to new things that I’ll discover and need to check. About 30 minutes ago, I added blogger Louis Gray to my feeds (someone who I wish I discovered earlier, because he has a lot of great things to say). I added Louis because I follow him on the aforementioned FriendFeed, and doing so adds to my cycle of things to check. I don’t consider that a bad thing or a burden, but know it will take up more of that valuable time.
I don’t really think I’m “addicted” to the Internet in the clinical sense. I avoid using it at work so it won’t interfere with my job, I don’t neglect family or friends because of the Internet, and if just can’t get around to it, not having access doesn’t really affect me. That said, it does take up most of my free time. I gave up watching TV years ago. I don’t need it and most of it simply isn’t entertaining to me. (Note: This is somewhat ironic because my job directly involves television media. Not just some television media… ALL of it, particularly the news.) I find the entertainment that’s on the Internet much more entertaining, interesting and importantly, personal. Television is not “interactive” unless watching with a group of friends, but the Internet is interactive at almost every juncture. I can vote things up, digg it, comment on it, bookmark it, favorite it and interact with others who are doing the same. The bad part is that there is not a clear cut end to my Internet cycle. Television shows have a beginning and end. The Internet, as far as I can tell, never ends.
I happen to have a lot of time right now, with my wife and daughter out of town (until Mid-May, ugh), so I’m spending more time than ever doing my Internet “cycle” (Intercycle - the process and amount of time it takes me to check everything I MUST check during a web session.) If I finish my Intercycle, and I still have time (not needing to go to bed, work, or eat), I’ll simply repeat the Intercycle. Commenting and sharing is a built in function of my Intercycle and certainly adds to the time.
Unfortunately, because I currently have more time, I’m becoming more efficient with my Intercycle and find I have even more time after I complete it. So, sometimes instead of the simple repeat, I’ll add more stuff to my Intercycle. I’ll seek out new webapps, or sign up for multiple betas, or get more involved in the communities that are in my Intercycle. While this isn’t intially a problem, when my wife and daughter are back, my Intercycle time will need to be cut dramatically and I’ll have to choose things to cut. That’s always a tough process.
What is your Intercycle, and how long does it take you to “accomplish” it?
Other things: My friends can’t keep up with my Intercycle, which allows me to introduce them the to a lot of new things. Again, they can’t keep up, so I’m often telling them how I’ve already seen something when they try to show me. My iPhone has taken on an Intercycle of it’s own, which can be problematic.
A Big Step (A 6,572 mile step to be exact)
My wife and daughter are currently in Japan. I miss them horribly, so I’m not sure how rational these thoughts are, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have them.
I’m fantasizing about quitting my job, moving to Japan, and trying to make a living as a niche blogger. Sure, I’d have to find my niche (using being an American in Japan as a start) and work on my writing skills, but I don’t think the idea is completely “crazy.” My wife and I would reverse roles as the main “breadwinner,” but she has a law degree and could easily eclipse my current salary in a few years, leaving me to spend quality time with our daughter and honing my “craft.”
There are, of course, concerns. While she may be able to make a decent salary, there would be some initial concerns about a change to the quality of our life. The cost of living in Louisville, compared to Japan is going to mean major changes to our lifestyle, but I believe my wife would sacrifice whatever she needed to so she could live in Japan. She’s made it clear to me several times that she’s no fan of living in Kentucky. I would say “hate” would be strong word, but I’ve taken her from Tokyo to San Diego (which she didn’t complain too much about) to Louisville, each time move feeling a “downgrade” to her. I naturally would love to make her happy and get her back to Japan and her family. My family, I believe, has become accustomed to my lack of roots, though I know my mother would likely be heartbroken with our departure. However, it’s either one grandparent or the other that would be heartbroken, so it’s a no win situation in that category.
So, what will it take? Guts. I’m not afraid of the unknown, but I feel that the ultimate responsibility is that our family can be supported, so this would likely involve me remaining here while my wife finds a job, then the subsequent move by me. The toughest part would be dealing with my own ego. I’ve been the selfish one focusing on my career while my wife has taken care of our daughter, remaining at home. I know she has her own dreams and desires that involve a move forward in a career of her own. The thing is, if I could do something like professional blogging, it would be my “dream job,” so why am I so hesitant?
If by chance any professional bloggers are to happen across this post, PLEASE let me know what I’d be up against if I decided to move with this. What can I expect? Am I completely naive?
Update: We’re still looking to make the move at some point, but work a little slower towards making this happen.
FriendFeed as a networking tool.
I’ve become quite addicted to FriendFeed lately, making it the first and the last thing I do each day, and at several opportune times in between. While I initially used it to find new and interesting things, ala Digg, Mixx or Google Reader, I’ve recently seen the potential for networking. Sure, there are other “social networks” that you can say give you the same opportunity to meet with people and interact, but FriendFeed (henceforth in this post to be called “FF”) does something different. You begin to see your interests aligning with someone else, whether it’s their comments on the posts of others, or simply what they post. Since they’re not only posting directly to FF, but their OTHER social network environments as well, you begin to see the whole picture of who someone may be.
I’ll admit that I’m a web “addict.” I love the interaction between people from all over the world, the technology that can bring people together, and the things you can learn from people you’ve never actually met. With that, my heroes are the highly recognized bloggers and the tech insiders. As an example, Robert Scoble and Leo Leporte are two people who I would love to be. Their “job” (only in quotes because it’s a dream job for me) is talking and writing about the things I love, and watching their FF, I know they’re genuine and likable guys. They’re just two examples of those I follow on FF, and there are many more, but I feel lucky, if not privileged, to be able to follow along, interact and comment alongside them.
With that in mind, I also think their is an opportunity is there for business networking. I’ve had some correspondence with Nigel Eccles of hubdub.com, which is a social site focused on betting fake “money” on news stories and their results. It’s a great deal of fun and a brilliant idea. I recently filled out their survey, and one of the questions asked how they could make their site more “viral.” I thought of how I had recently suggested FF to Nigel, which he recently joined. What I’ve observed in recent startups is that these high level bloggers write about a service more if they’re positively interacting with those who are in charge… the CEOs and the developers. It only makes sense. If we’re going to a web that’s more social, why shouldn’t those in charge be PART of that social environment? This is nothing new really, I’m not telling anyone anything they don’t already know because I’m simply talking about social media, but I think FF gives the opportunity to pull it all together in one nice neat package. If you’re a startup, you’re going to want your service be available to FF and you’re going to want to interact with those who use it. I can personally say that I’ve signed up with some services that can be followed on FF.
Finally, I need to give a shoutout to my favorite Social Media Specialist, Ginger Makela, who has great comments and an active part of the FF community. Following and meeting great people like Ginger is what makes FF so fun and interesting.
If you would like to subscribe to me, I’m here. I’m not a professional blogger, nor am I particularly interesting, but if you follow me, I’ll follow you!
You want 30, I’ll Give you 10 | Advertising 2.0
Entertainment is changing. It’s all online and in bite-sized chunks of 30 second clips and videos. Sure, there is the exception, the odd site that shows full-length programming, but much like everything, entertainment is becoming “smaller.” The obvious example is YouTube, but extends to small snippets of stories (RSS), email and a little thing called Twitter. Advertisers have had the luxury of a full 30 seconds to show you their product and convince you that you needed it, or a full page print ad that grabbed your attention. This, however, is the past. There is the obvious need for change when the entertainment ITSELF is only 30 seconds and the print is but a few lines of text, with maybe a picture.
People have also become a little less open to the idea of having their entertainment interrupted. There are a tons of options, including the ever popular Bittorrent, where I can view the same entertainment without interruption or a single bit of advertising. It’s just as easy and fast, and we won’t bother to talk about the legality, because that’s no really a concern as far as I can tell.
So, what are the options?
I think one of the better options is to make the advertising part of the entertainment. Advertising, done right, can become the show. The best example is the Superbowl. Companies pay millions for their time, and they’re going to make the best of it by showing commercials that you will not want to skip. While the “big game” is talked about in the office the next day, the following topic will be the commercials. Advertisers need to embrace online video as if every day were the Superbowl. On the Internet, your advertising can go “viral,” and be seen and talked about by millions each day for weeks. If a piece of advertising is “boring,” we, as consumers who want to be entertained, will find a way to skip it.
Another option, is to “reward” those who watch. People love free, and honesty prefer to take the legal route if given the option. (I’m sure someone has thought of this, but if not feel free to take the idea, but just remember me when the time comes.) Make a site devoted to advertising products and give people credit for watching commercials or clicking advertisements. Make sure no one can “game” the system by the use of a small random quiz about the content, and just let the system work for you. With the credit they receive, use a partnership to let them download music, movies, shows, and games, or have them trade it for products that are associated with their products. The other part of the deal is that people must enter personal information that will be shared, but have the promise of no spam. The reason, of course, is demographics. Advertisers and marketers will know exactly who is exploring their product, with solid metrics. This information would be invaluable, I would think. Another option with this is to give extra credit to those who share their favorite advertisements with friends (set a limit to avoid friends spamming friends). The possibilities really seem limitless if done with the consumer in mind and rewarding them for having an interest in your product.
This isn’t about me selling an idea, it’s actually something I would like to see and become a part. I’m fascinated by the two-way street of advertising, and the give and take between advertiser and consumer.
The final option is the blitz and it’s really the combination of the above. The idea is to use entertainment and the promise of something for free in return for your constant use. This is the model I believe that has worked for Google. The idea of having a multitude of great tools and ways to access entertainment for free makes Google a very attractive company and option for people to use. The way I see it, the more people on the Internet, the more people there are to click they’re partnered advertising. If you know only 1 out of 10,000 people will click the ads, you want as many as possible as your audience. This is one reason I’ve been very surprised that Google has not gone the ISP route and offered the Internet for free. I can only figure that’s it’s not cost effective for the amount of people it would take to pay for their venture, but make no mistake that Google wants the Internet to be easily accessible and free.
I’m not an expert in advertising, but I would say I’m an avid consumer, which makes me somewhat of an expert when it comes to the results of advertising. If you want my attention, you need to keep up with my interests, and I’ll leave it at that.
More to come…
28 Million Americans Ignored
Online video is great, sites like YouTube and Hulu can bring hours of entertainment and enjoyment to millions each day, but there is one segment of Americans who do not (can not) enjoy them — those who are deaf.
If you want an INSTANT audience for a new online video site, make one with captioning.
knobee reboot
Sometimes you just need to start over and reinvert yourself (or you blog). The release of Wordpress 2.5 seemed to be the perfect opportunity to do so.