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Facebook Fear Clouds Our Judgement

Posted May 1st, 2008 by chrishambly
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Today the BBC reports Identity 'at risk' on Facebook yeah and that's news?

I hang out on Twitter a lot and it always amazes me how there is such a band wagon "fashion" approach to some of this technology, you know a real sheep follow concept going on.

People have been flabbergasted that GASP you could have details stolen on the internet, OMG shock bloody horror, that is such HUUUUUGE news!

Reality check.

To quote: "Anyone with a basic understanding of web programming can write an application." Uhh duh, so that's not happened in the previous 18 years or so of the public Internet? - It's rife!

Seriously though, phising and various other methods of data-mining have existed forever, where there is data available on the Internet a hacker will always try to retrieve it, that's the job description, am I one? No, I'm not, but I've understood that since day 1, it's so obvious it hurts, is it just me?

I've heard people talking of closing accounts, never using FB again not doing this not doing that, goodness me it's barfable really.

Two key things here:

1. Never put your DOB online
2. Never put YOU information online (I mean official YOU stuff, address, financial stuff)

It's quite simple, if you put personal data online, you can expect to be targeted no matter what the platform, if you put your trust in an online platform you are a fool, they are all crackable.

I'll be continuing to use FB and the Internet, I'll just tread with caution as I always have, and if I were you I would not follow "fashion", that's silly. Do we need a nanny do guide us through these treacherous waters? No, we just need not be fashion victims and be self-responsible, and in most spheres in mind, if you follow fashion you are blind.

Rant over.

P.S. this is not targeted at anyone in particular, just generalised.

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Most Annoying Wanky Tweets

Posted April 9th, 2008 by chrishambly
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If you do not use Twitter, this post will probably not strike a chord with you, but then again just imagine these things being repeated over and over in a particular online channel.

OK, so I'm sure I must repeat myself too, I must use phrases that are "pet" phrases that I throw around and probably annoy you too. However, these are this week's non-me-likey phrases that I hear constantly on Twitter.

As I started writing this I asked the people of Twitter themselves so the list morphed into many users dislikes, not just mine. The user who stated the dislike is after the @ symbol.

1. "Spare a Digg for" @audio - I mean seriously, no, back-off with the begging. There is not cat in hells chance of me supporting something just cause you told me too, forget it.

2. "Wow I have xxx many followers" @audio - who gives a damn, this isn't a popularity contest.

3. "My Top 10 Lists" @audio - hehe, yeah I know I've just contradicted myself. But Top is one of those words which too narrow. Top means nothing unless you know the parameters which make it "top" grrrr.

4. "What is the best" @audio - Umm I thought best was a subjective word, you need to define best.

5. "I'm soooo busy with over a million emails to action in my inbox" @dominiccampbell

6. "Need Caffeine" @chrishoskin

7. "For me, it's any Tweet which poses a question - and then when you reply, the originator doesn't answer!" @dungeekin

8. "disliked? the Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz -tweet. annoying" @vanmaanen

9. "For me it's constant "New Blog Post: urlblahblah", dammit have a conversation even if it is one about coffee." @GJD

10. "Basically "Auto-Twits" make my nuts itch" @GJD

11. "any tweet with "wow" in it" @audio - maybe I've done that too, but it just sounds wanky right now.

12. "when two people get into a heated discussion about a passionate subject - to the exclusion of all others. Take it outside, people!!" @Danacea

13. "push comes to shove all that 'i'm streaming live..' business I could live without." @EaonP

14. "Automated playlists from radio stations, although I like hearing what peolple are listening to." @AnnaHill

15. "I like it when people with personal business (especially entrepreneurs) add me to Twitter. I hate it when the personal business is spamming." @ramcosca

16. "here's the worst, people who make a drama out of "Unfollowing", like you get to decide whos' cool. Come on. we're all nerds here." @GJD

17. "least fave Tweets are those posted out of context with the original concept. Difficult to contextualize for non-followers." @fauxpress

18. "good morning" @audio - yes it annoys me the same people say good morning every single day. I dunno I just find it daft, if someone comes back to a channel every day just join in and start yapping, no need for the formalities every day!

19. "My most important pet peeve: Twittering too often. I forgot b/c I don't follow ppl who post too often. :)" @deanpence

So there we have a brief snapshot of dislikes from a variety of people, I'm sure there must be hundreds more, if you think of one please add it as a comment. Or if you like pick one of the above and have a rant about it.

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Twitter Without Images Google Feast

Posted February 15th, 2008 by chrishambly
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This is what Twitter looks like when their image server don't work. Their images are stored on amazon big boys I believe, here: http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/ (that won't work by the way).

It's interesting to note that this is one of the reasons why your Twitter profile ranks so well in Google, oh you never checked? You should.

What you see here is what Google would see, instead of images they would see the text profile names, just as you see here, typically used as an "alt tag" AND "title tag".

There you go.

Some people I know have protected their updates due to their Twitter page out-ranking their blog or whatever domain they wish page.

You had that issue?

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Google Releases Social Graph API

Posted February 3rd, 2008 by chrishambly
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I'm excited about the possibilities of the Google Social Graph API as this will really open the potential for us all to use our connections much more openly than any current system in use. And more to the point we won't have our hands tied with "walled gardens" like Facebook, we'll be able to build our own using our social graphs.

The API already has a demo available which you can try out, I popped along to their demo and entered my twitter url and was impressed by the outcome which I have listed below.

Are you on my list?

Contacts you link to

People who link to you as a contact

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Microsoft Bid For Yahoo Why Not Twitter Too?

Posted February 1st, 2008 by chrishambly
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Microsoft today put a bid in for Yahoo!, which seems, and naturally so I suppose, has everyone excited, for good or bad reasons.

Apparently profits are down for Yahoo! and I guess Microsoft feel now is the time to strike, and gain so much. But what are they after here? What will they gain from this IF this is allowed to go through (I think there are clauses on fair competition about huge deals like this, which would have to be squared away first).

Microsoft have been aiming to get a big slice of the search engine pie for years, yes they have their own search but Yahoo! is well up the radar, of course not even close to the coverage of Google, nonetheless it is a huge player. But more importantly Yahoo! has a considerable user base, as an example I have a Yahoo! Messenger account, a Flickr account and I also have Yahoo! mail (albeit for my junk mail). I’m not in the minority either, I’m sure you probably have a connection somewhere too?

So, Microsoft would gain an even more enormous user base and essentially obtain serious channels into additional markets.

I’m not sure what all this will means yet but what has sparked my interest more that anything is the speed with which the “hot news” riffled around Twitter within minutes.

Microsoft to buy out Twitter? That would be a story too, exciting few days ahead I think.

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Changing Communications

Posted January 28th, 2008 by chrishambly
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Yesterday I mentioned to my partner I intend to use Google Calendar on my mobile phone. I also stated she’d be able to track any updates in my schedule fairly easily. For example, suppose I made an appointment during the day, and input that into Google, she would be in a position to quickly cross-check my schedule should something come on the horizon that she needed to book herself.

I thought this was pretty neat, hmm but I was wrong. Apparently it would be a little redundant due to the amount of tweeting I do concerning my plans etc. She said “I only need to see what your are tweeting and I’d know”.

This made me think hard about what I actually do indeed tweet, and this has got me wondering about my tweet use.

Fact: I am using far less text messages a month than I have in the passed to send updates to friends. I recall in the late 90s I used to get through hundreds and hundreds a month, now I get through maybe 10 a week tops.

Fact: I do indeed tweet rather openly about my whereabouts and “some” of my plans.

Fact: I seem to be actively in communication with my social graph between the hours of 8am and 8pm GMT.

Fact: Not everyone in my social graph follows me on Twitter. However, most of the others use Facebook (my tweets get shown in my FB status). The ones whom are not in either system get an email, or lastly a text message, or private IM.

Oh and of course I just call people a lot more these days too.

There we go, my communication methods have change considerably, and become almost free.

What about yours?

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Do You Fall For Buzz Words

Posted January 12th, 2008 by chrishambly
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I was again perusing my friends’ tweets on Twitter this fine Saturday morning and I became aware that a recent buzz word seems to be “Social Media Breakfast”. Social Media Breakfast I say, hmm … what does that mean to you?

I have an idea of the concept but I really want to know who coined the phrase, and why? Was it coined just randomly like “hey let’s have breakfast” by a few people who use social media, or was it more thought about than that?

Conceptually I don't think it is actually anything new, the premise being that you have a friends list in one of your social networks and you create an event, a social event where you all meet-up, in this case eat breakfast, if like me you are not a big breakfast eater, or like the Italians, stand up and have an expresso on the run, these sessions might not work for you.

However, these remind me an awful lot of the activity we at Audiocourses.com have been practising since 2000. So have we been having Social Media Meet-Ups unwittingly? And have we just not applied a buzz phrase to them? I think so, let me explain.

Running a distance learning school has meant that I have had to build a strong sense of virtual community around the members and within its operating structure. As no bricks and mortar exists for the school (no point considering all students are geographically dispersed) it really is paramount to use scaffolding that supports a strong sense of virtual identity, the school really must give a sense of institution, a sense of community and a sense of something big, something to feel a part of.

Over the years I have utilised various technologies to accomplish this sense of community ranging from ftp upload centres to internet radio, forums, blogs, telephone, email, synchronous chat, text messages and various other bits and bobs. Again all these help cement an organisational concept and mostly all are social technologies, social media.

In addition to those technologies we have since 2000 held weekly online synchronous chats, typically on Sundays. We have termed these Live Workshops. As a distance learning educationalist it is vital I can aid students move away from feelings of social isolation. Think about it, when you go to a traditional University or College you see your friends every day, you meet them in the pub after study and you are generally learning in a very social manner (which is vital in my mind). So the distance learning student needs, actually I would say it is essential, to have mechanisms in place which are for the “social” aspect of learning, and this is exactly what are Live Workshops are.

You can browse through passed Workshops from 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, (I’ve kept the dialogue) and if you do indeed read through these you will soon get the vibe of what is going on. Social friendly sessions, inclusion and openness, community building, cementing attachment, installing belonging.

Now back to my original point.

So we have this large virtual community, we have people who have never met each other personally, from all over the world, only digitally through our social media channels, so if we then have real-life get togethers I guess you could say we are having a Social Media Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Pint, whatever.

This is exactly what has happened over the years, we've had breakfasts, we've had lunches and we've had dinners, and meeting these people for the first time in the flesh (having built a deep relationship already online) has been awesome, really, a fantastic experience. But will I attached the buzz word to it, no probably not, should I do that? Would you, would you raise your hand and say “hang on a minute guys we’ve done this for years already, what’s so new”?

I’d love to have your views on it, should I care about new buzz-words for old concepts?

UPDATE: Bryper is said to be the guy who coined the phrase see here, thanks to @mdy

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