Mobile Blogging…Literally
February 23, 2010 by Ryan
So I’m lying in bed, writing this post, while listening to the new Ok Go album, all from my phone! It’s ridiculous how much of a fanboy I am of the Motorola Droid! This picture…got the link while doing all this! It’s called multi-tasking…take that iPhone!
YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, ESPN, Google Reader, Google Buzz, Gmail, Google Maps…basically everything Google. All from my phone! I’m one of those guys that basically needs internet access pumped directly into my bloodstream and the Droid is my IV. Yes, I know I’m an addict.
Being a Verizon-Loyalist/AT&T-Hater, I envied all the capabilities and apps the iPhone had. I waited year after year for the iPhone to come to Verizon, but it’s still “next year”.
With Android, I finally have an app-friendly phone! So many cool apps! My favorites:
- Qik- Broadcast video straight from your phone to Facebook, YouTube & Twitter
- PhoneMyPC- Access & control your computer from your phone
- WorldTour- Changes the background on my phone to live images around the world: Times Square, the Pyramids, the Effiel Tower, Boston Harbor, Sydney Harbor, etc.
- Rhapsody Beta- They finally released a beta for the subscription music service that I love! I can listen to anything, anytime, as many times as I want!
So far I’ve convinced two guys from work to get a Droid. I wish I had to disclose endorsements or getting paid for any of the products I’ve mentioned but, unfortunately, I am not being paid for any of this! If any of the aforementioned companies want to pay me I would be glad to offer my endorsement!
P.S. This post was written on the new Wordpress app!
The Twitterization of Facebook
March 16, 2009 by Ryan
Kicking & Screaming: It seems like Facebook is going
to compete with Twitter whether it’s 100’s of millions of
users want it or not!
@joelcomm: 8 million Twitter users is nothing compared to 160 million Facebook users. Yes, it’s big. But you ain’t seen nuttin’ yet.
Facebook has made some curious moves lately:
- Facebook homepage redesigned with statuses front & center.
- Facebook opening up option to display profiles publicly.
Twitter: The Little Site that Could
Why are they doing this? Answer: Twitter. Joel Comm calls it “the water cooler of the 21st century.” Gary Vaynerchuck calls it “the little site that could.” Many have viewed these moves as a way for Facebook to compete with Twitter. With Twitter on the rise, it seems like an obvious and necessary move for Facebook. The two sites are very similar and have emerged as the two heavy hitters in the social media landscape. But is it really necessary for Facebook to become Twitter?
Integrating Facebook & Twitter
Many Twitter users have been looking for ways to integrate the two for a long time. Services like Ping.fm and Twitter’s own Facebook app have been used to sync across both networks. More recently, third party Twitter apps like Seesmic (Twhirl), PeopleBrowsr.com and the newest TweetDeck release have added Facebook integration. Generally, Twitter users don’t have issues with using both!
I guess there are some Twitter loyalists out there:
@johnmorgan: Best way for Facebook to be more like twitter? Stop sucking.
Even Demi Moore prefers Tweeting:
@mrskutcher:Facebook is cool but Twitter is the sh*t!
A friend of mine, Jordan Brown, says that, “LinkedIn is for people that I’ve worked with. Facebook is for people I knew in school and growing up. Twitter is for people that I want to know.” That’s how I use it. I don’t necessarily think Facebook needs to make a play at edging out Twitter.
The Shiny New Toy
The problem I see is with Facebook users. Facebook is a great place to connect, to share and to keep up. For some users, Facebook is all they use: no more emailing, no more blogging, no more instant messaging outside of it! Even with all that functionality being overwhelming for some, it’s been a winning formula and Facebook has grown to 160+ million users.
In comes Twitter, with its explosion of users, both everyday and celebrity. It’s the newest, shiniest toy for many people.
Jimmy Fallon is trying to get one of his audience members followers than Barack Obama Twitter account.
Ellen Degeneres overtook Levar Burton and now has her sights on MC Hammer.
But there’s a problem assuming everyone wants the same thing. Facebook serves a certain need and it has done it very well. Is it worth disenchanting Facebook’s established user-base to edge out Twitter? I’ve already seen numerous complaints about the new design. Just search for “keep the old design” in Facebook and look how many Facebook groups there are!
Here are some questions I’ve been asking:
Is Facebook looking to capitalize on an “inevitable” collapse of the revenue-less Twitter?
Will Facebook users warm to the new functionality or will there be another exodus (like the one over the recently discarded TOS revison)?
What do you think?
Here’s a great post on the same idea by Rachel Levy: Does Facebook have Twitter-envy?
Photo by hyperscholar
How Do You Process All This Information?!
July 22, 2008 by Ryan
I have 28 34 (and counting) blogs that I read through my Google Reader. I follow 100 +600 people on Twitter & Plurk (thanks to ProBlogger). I find more and more friends from childhood, high school, college, etc. on Facebook everyday. How do I process all this information!?
I’ve actually cut down the number of blogs that I read (I had some that would post 5-6 times a day)! My reading of ZenHabits has got me to try and simplify. But at the same time, I just added like 80 people to my Twitter/Plurk/Facebook! One good thing is that the additions are not as demanding as the blogs. Which reminds me! I have like 5-6 books that I want to read!
I guess it comes down to priority. What priority is all of this information for me to get through? How thoroughly do I want to digest each source? It’s pretty easy to “fill up on junk food” with all the social networking. Even some of the blogs are low-nutrition! I know that I should spend more time of the information that has the best return on investment (i.e. books, quality blog posts & family info streams). Being that I aspire to income generating blogging, I also need to invest time into developing contacts and relationships. So, while there is going to be a good deal of personally irrelevant info, I do plan on spending time with my “new” friends.
Anyone else dealing with this? How do you handle it?
This post is part of my Information Overload Series
- How Do You Process All This Information?!
- Waiting on Diamonds to Play with the Rough
