I just realized how much Facebook is integrated into my life now. My dad just passed away (it’s still not real as we haven’t had the funeral yet) and I used Facebook to pass the word. In one sense it’s kind of freakish – as that’s an impersonal way to communicate.
For me Facebook was frankly a very efficient way to get the word out – to interact with people. One of the reasons I like Facebook is that it allows you to connect with people in an easy way. I can post one item about my life that’s share with so many people. And it’s better than just a broadcast e-mail – as you can interact with each other. I don’t want it to replace all relationships in my life – but it’s very useful for people who live far away. This may make feasible to keep up easily with those friends that move away.
It may also appeal to the geek in me – which I got from my Father. Writing something online seems so natural – so second nature now (isn’t that strange how quickly that’s changed). Facebook also fills that asynchronous nature of communication – in that you can communicate with many people – just not at the same time. That’s also why texting has become so popular – as you can better time manage your communication.
In some ways this makes the world so much more impersonal – but in others more personal. I can understand the smaller items of your life by what you share – in ways we probably wouldn’t do otherwise.
This was pretty much a rambling – but that’s about the energy and intelligence I have this week…
Facebook is reportedly turning off app notifications from the news feed: http://mashable.com/2010/02/26/facebook-app-notifications-gone/
What would Facebook be like without these – more usable or something? Of course, I wonder then if I’ll ever hear from some people – as it seems that’s all I see is app notifications (those I haven’t blocked yet…). I know Facebook apps are money makers – but they’re kind of annoying. If I see one more Fishville notification….
I finally have a good recommendation for a Twitter/Facebook Client: Seemsmic Desktop. I’ve tested Tweetdeck, Hootsuite and Seesmic and found they all have good features. For me the Seesmic Desktop had the set of functions I needed to be effective:
- I needed access to the following.
- 2 Twitter Accounts
- Personal Facebook Account
- Multiple Facebook FAN pages Read more »
I’ve played with Google Buzz some the last few days and have some first impressions. Frankly I’m still trying to find my equilibrium with social networks – the best way to interact with them. I had heard about Buzz (from Twitter) so I decided to try it. This involved doing something I hadn’t done for some time – log into Gmail. I’ve never really been a Gmail user – as I’m used to my Outlook client and the multiple e-mail addresses I have. In fact recently I merged 2 different outlook files together – plus and archive file. I’m a pack rat when it comes to e-mails – keeping just about everything. Read more »
The news about Google is starting to get interesting – in terms of the scope of what they are addressing now. Google seems to be building a vertical stack of services to cover almost everything to do with the computer. This goes back to what Jeff Jarvis said – Google makes money when we use the web (advertising, advertising, advertising) – and faster means more:
- Google announced today they’re planning on testing out a new 1 gigabit internet service (http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi) – so they could be in the neighborhood soon.
- Google has a DNS service (http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/) – the magic thingy that translates the names we type in into the numbers that define the internet.
- Google has Gmail – it’s free web-based e-mail service. It has a corresponding calendar, contacts, etc. service. One concept of calendars is you can share them – have group calendars, etc.
- Google has it’s Google Docs – word, processing, spreadsheets, presentation, etc. – so you can do those basics online. Read more »
I enjoyed reading “What Would Google Do?” by Jeff Jarvis. This book, despite the title, was not so much about Google but about the impact of Google/Internet has had on companies – especially looking to the future. Overall this book was a good read – as you can tell Jeff Jarvis is a college professor by the insights he has into the effect of Google. If you wondering what the future will possibly be like for many businesses in an Internet age I would highly recommend this book.
For my own sake (and hopefully yours) I will now note some of the items I really learned from this book:
Read more »
The other day I was working on a Facebook “FAN” page for a client of mine and posted an update as a link to a page on his site. I was surprised at how effective the link preview looked – it managed to capture not only a picture from the page but some key text off the page. I was very happy with the results and wanted to brag about a good piece of technology:
Read more »
I was thinking today about the new decade (still hard to believe) but especially about digital pictures and video. I’ve loved going digital with pictures – as opposed to film (am I the only one who never got around to developing film?). I love the ability to take multiple pictures, to review them, to see them on the computer, make slideshows, and videos. I think it’s important to take these snapshots of our lives -as they’ll never occur again. Read more »
Sometimes I wonder if I’m addicted to information – I find myself enjoying Twitter and Facebook feeds, of listening to informative podcasts, reading books, watching Discover channel type shows, reading web page articles, etc. (sometimes at the same time). I like the mental stimulation – sometimes continuous – to the point that playing with my kids can be boring sometimes. When I’m cleaning the house I usually like the TV on for mental stimulation – at work I listen to podcasts to keep my mind occupied. I’ll even listen to a podcast of the news while walking the dog.
Does that mean I’m addicted or is this a cultural trend? I’m not sure that I’m always spending my time in the best way – as I may be missing some of the quality things in life. I know silence is valuable but I have such a hard time with it. Of course, as I write this I’m watching a football game – as I can’t just sit and watch the game….
I wonder if we are on the brink of losing some of the quality of our news – of the in-depth reporting that traditional media has delivered. I find myself watching some news stories on twitter vs. reading an article in Time Magazine. I believe that media is changing – and changing toward a new business model. However, I’m concerned if there will still the in-depth quality we need to get good quality information – to make use think beyond the headline. Read more »
March 4, 2010 8:49 pm | 
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