This is getting ridiculous. Someone needs to write a compelling narrative which makes a case for how all of these social media widgets integrate in real life. These whatzits just appear on the internet and everyone starts using them because they are the new thing. Are they useful or are they answers to questions no one is asking?
I need to take some time and think about what it is that I want. How do I want all this information to be managed and what level of interaction I want with other people. By default it feels like there’s a fire hose of data. I want a single method of parsing that data down to the most granular level. I want to know about this person’s updates, but not this other person’s, but I want to have access to both of their contact information.
Time to give Facebook and Twitter another close examination. See what switches need to be flipped.
Hear hear. I tend to adopt social networks based on the people who used them who I want to stay connected with. I have most of my stuff integrated through a feed reader. I don’t use Facebook that much b/c it doesn’t integrate like that well. Buzz doesn’t seem like it adds much to the space except confusion.
I’m often among the first to leap aboard interesting new social networking ideas. I’m particularly fond of things like Gowalla and Foursquare, which encourage you to go out and “do” things, you know, outdoors.
Buzz, though? I’ll confess I haven’t given it a go myself yet – but I don’t really see the point. My main online “socialising” is done through Twitter mostly, Facebook second (though that site gets more and more irritating daily) and that’s about it.
The trouble with starting a new social networking gizmo is that people who are already established on something like Twitter are going to be hesitant to jump ship to something else. This means you get distinct communities forming on different sites.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It helps to filter the noise a bit. Plurk, for example, which is like Twitter with comment threads, is mostly populated by Japanese people and Second Life enthusiasts. Bebo is full of chavs/gang members – at least here in the UK. MySpace has its own “subculture”, as does Facebook, though Facebook is probably what could be considered an online “pop culture” rather than a distinct community of its own.
In some ways I like the ability to say things and for other people to hear them. In “reality”, I often feel stifled or nervous. However, as with anything, you can have too much of a good thing, I think. 🙂
Foursquare definitely looks interesting and I want to check it out. What usually happens to me with apps like that is I end up being the only person in my circle of friends who uses it. I think the apps which emphasize the social aspect of social media are more fun when there’s a broad buy-in from one’s own social circle.