Internet Crash

I can't believe it - it actually happend - the Internet Crashed! Ted Stevens was right - the tubes just aren't big enough to handle it all. Sorry for the lack of posts lately folks - more important things going on at the moment.

Friendverse Weakens

There's a rift forming in your Friendverse and you need to close it before it destroys the social fabric that holds your Friendverse together. The Friendverse is the invisible bond that connects you with your friends - the people you really know, like, and trust.

friend n. - A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.

Yesterday, I was part of a blog conversation about the need for a standard that makes "Friend" lists more portable. Moving from one social network to another, Twitter to Pownce for example, can be a frustrating experience because you have to re-build your "Friend" list every time you move. Wouldn't it be nice if you could take your "Friend" list with you when you move to, or start ,a new social network? The experience is especially frustrating for the socialites that have thousands of supposed friends - people like Robert Scoble who boast "Friend" lists numbering in the thousands. Yes, a standard that makes these lists more portable would be nice but maybe we should be looking at the way we're "Friending" before we start developing a system to support meaningless "Friend" lists.

I've received multiple "Friend" requests from Twitter users that have "Friend" lists numbering in the thousands. The same thing happens to me on Facebook. I completely ignore most of these requests because I don't like the idea of "Friending" people I don't know, like, or trust. I should be able to invite a "Friend" over for dinner. A "Friend" would come to my funeral. Don't you want to know someone, at least a little, before you add them to your "Friend" list? I guarantee you this, Robert Scoble has people on his "Friend" lists that he wouldn't associate with in the real world.

I believe my Friendverse should be based on real relationships, a true reflection of my real world social network. I think people with "Friend" lists numbering in the thousands aren't respecting their Friendverse. Not respecting your Friendverse, letting that rift form, can have real world consequences. Your real world friends, that crucial support network, will weaken as your expanding and meaningless "Friend" lists consume your time, weakening your social network. Your real world friends will begin to question their value in your social network as they become one of thousands that call you a "Friend." If you have thousands of "Friends," what does that make them? A "special" friend, a "best" friend, a "real" friend? If you don't give your Friendverse the respect it deserves you'll end up with a very weak social network and few real world friends.

So perhaps we should stop looking for ways to expand and transport meaningless "Friend" lists and instead focus on building a meaningful and rich Friendverse. People we like, know, and trust.

I Want an iPhone - David Pogue - NYTimes

comScore Releases Facebook Metrics

comScore recently released updated Facebook metrics. The 25-34 age group is growing faster than any other group - 181% year-over-year. Obviously, open registration and a very developer friendly platform are contributing to this growth. The Facebook crew has managed to almost double their unique visitors year-over-year - 26.6 million visitors in May 2007. I've started building my Facebook profile. Have you?

Rich Tech 10

iPhone - Can you hear it now?

A next generation web browser and UI really DOES need a next generation network to deliver the next generation mobile web.

iPhone - 700,000 Sold Over Weekend

Apple over the weekend sold more than 700,000 iPhones to rocket past analyst predictions and shatter AT&T's record by selling more iPhones in three days than Motorola's RAZR did in its first month.

The iPhone Review

If you're going to read one iPhone review, read this one.
iPhone Review - Engadget

Steve Gillmor On iPhone

Steve Gillmor's quick-take on the iPhone. Happy or not? Watch the embedded video below and find out. By the way, I'm loving my Motorolla Q on the Verizon network. The iPhone might be great but the network counts for a lot - complaints from switching Verizon customers, accustomed to Verizon's great network, are already coming in. For me, a network with excellent sound quality, coverage, and reliability is more important than the phone. Can you hear me now? I'm not knocking the phone, I'm knocking the network it's tethered to.