Web 3.0 is (probably) being built as we speak
Is consolidation the road to Web 3.0?
I’ve mentioned a few times on this blog that I believe the “Web 3.0″ revolution will be ushered in by Social Hybrids. We are starting to see large Web 2.0 companies getting eaten up by the larger Internet powerhouses — AOL/Bebo, eBay/StumbleUpon, Yahoo/del.icio.us, etc — but there hasn’t been a true consolidation of web properties that combines social media with social networking.
Are we seeing the Genesis of it now? Read more
If Digg Won’t Listen to its Users, We Will
The Digg Town Hall Meetings so far have been like bad sex in a bad relationship. There’s too much time in between causing a buildup that has to be released. When the climax finally comes, it’s too short and completely disappointing.
Mashable.com, who hosted a live blog with the help of The Drill Down crew, put it very eloquently when they summarized the event:
If you were to sum up what we learned from Digg Townhall #02, I would have to say it was… er… well… Jay Adelson really, REALLY loves Vernors Ginger Soda.
They keep saying it’s coming. The changes are coming. Listening to the community is coming. In the meantime, the promotion algorithm seems to be in a regular state of flux — sometimes active members can’t hit the homepage with 200 diggs, other times they’re hitting 10+ times in a day.
Microsoft Buying Facebook would be like Exxon Buying Greenpeace
I’m late on chiming in on this one, but with a reason. I had to pinch myself first, then wait to see if I was getting punk’d.
As many blogs have stated, the rumor that Microsoft is pursuing Facebook is, well, just a rumor. Still, things like these don’t just pop up randomly (very often) without some credibility, especially when it makes sense as a ploy to pressure Yahoo. With that said, I still feel the need to point out why this won’t work. Call it abuse of the hypothetical, but blogs are made to explore the possibilities.
Many, perhaps most, Facebook users do not want Microsoft. They were a little upset when they purchased under 3% of the company. If that becomes 50+%, we will likely see a large-scale exodus. Sadly, it would happen right after Facebook passed MySpace on Alexa. Read more
Name that Nerd
Everyone knows a nerd or two. Do you know the top nerds in the world, and by top, I mean the people who took visionary nerdiness, elbow grease, and luck and translated it all into billion dollar companies? Below, you will find 15 faces (nine singles, 3 doubles). Most readers will be able to name 3 or 4. Real techies can name 5-10. If you can name more, you are a true guru. All 15? Well, there’s a special place for you. Read more
Stop Clicking Banners and Maybe They’ll Go Away
Is it you? Are you the one who clicks on the banner ads on social media and social networking sites like Digg, MySpace, Reddit, Facebook, Propeller, and everywhere else (except Mixx, where I haven’t really seen them yet)? I’ve been looking for whoever it is that still thinks they’re the 9,999th visitor or that they really just won a free Xbox 360. When I find this person, I have one word.
Stop.
It’s 2008. Banner advertisements, as wonderful and beautiful as they were before the turn of the millenium, are now worthless. Or are they? They still seem to be on just about every website (this one included, though I don’t know why I bother since nobody clicks on them). I would think that most people, especially the astute, tech-saavy readers of social media and users of social networks, are immune to them and barely register that they’re even there. Read more
Facebook User-Data Gathering Goes Viral
When a company has news that they want buried, they issue their information on a Friday night and hope nobody in the media notices on Monday morning. Marred in controversy over their Beacon advertising platform, Facebook hoped that their latest attempt to gather more user-data would go unnoticed.
For the most part, it’s worked so far. Read more
Social Niche: How Ning Makes Social Networking More Personal
There has been a trend that has been percolating behind the scenes. While Facebook and MySpace cultivate their mass presence by making the world accessible to people and people accessible to the world, Ning is bringing laser-precision focus to social networking, allowing the niche aspect of internet interaction to flourish.
While the social networking powerhouses offer limited platforms for people to form groups and interact with like-minded people, Ning has made it their purpose to offer flexibility in their product. As the self-proclaimed “Home Depot” of social networking, Ning has a do-it-yourself platform (”you can do it, we can help”) that is simple to use and manipulate. A person can create an account and start a social network geared around whatever they want in a few minutes. Read more
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