Social Networking « TechPulse 360

The Future Of Social Networking Communications?

September 15, 2010

What is the future of social networking?

Ask LinkedIn, the world’s largest network for professionals, and the answer is communications.

In the past year, the number of “status updates” LinkedIn circulates among its users increased 10 fold, says CEO Jeff Weiner. Up next? The company is exploring the use of instant messaging and video conferencing, Weiner said during an interview at the Demo Fall 2010 conference in Silicon Valley.

LinkedIn is exploring instant messaging and video conferencing, says CEO Jeff Weiner

The goal is not just enable people to connect but to communicate, he said.

But LinkedIn’s communications-focused vision wasn’t the majority opinion at the entrepreneurial conference. Far more social network start-ups zeroed in on the traditional notion of information sharing. While many of the business plans were not new, they did appear to be well executed – at least at this early stage of their development.

Here is a sampling of the companies at the event:

*Real estate social network site HomingCloud as a dating site for homes, apartments and condos. List a property for sale and the site will match the post with buyers looking for a similar property in the area. Once connected, the buyer can view a video and decide whether to move ahead.

“Who needs a broker?” asks CEO Tina Fine. “Now you don’t.”

*Needly of Santa Monica also wants to bring buyers and sellers together, but to sell merchandise, not real estate. People post items for sale and list items they would like to buy. Then they search the site for a match.

That site doesn’t yet have an automatic matching feature. Maybe that is version 2.0.

*Online shopping site Zappli likes to bill itself as the Facebook for merchandise. Clearly, The San Francisco company has a long way to go. But the service offers several valuable features for shoppers, including advise for buying a gift for a friend. Learn about her preferences and buying habits from the profile she posts on the site before making a purchase. Users also can get advice on products from friends.

The Facebook for merchandise is a big claim. More likely it is a feature Facebook should build into its site, but so far hasn’t.

*What about finding a new restaurant or club? Ishi Systems used the event to launch Picksie, a service that recommends places of interest based on a user’s profile. Add a review and the site learns more about what someone likes and doesn’t like.

*Then there is Copia, a social network for books. Display favorite books for friends to see and share reviews. Then create a book club. The site also has an online bookstore.

Leave a Comment » | news | Tagged: Demo Fall 2010, LinkedIn, Social Networking | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

Smart Meters And Social Networks

April 28, 2010

Finland has long been a leader with smart meters and smart grids. It is no surprise then the small Scandinavian country has big plans for its smart –power infrastructure: the melding of smart grids, cloud computing and social networks.

The result could be a collection of virtual micro grids and more grassroots power management.

Finland's vision for its smart grid includes micro grids and social networks

Finland’s eagerness to deploy a modern energy infrastructure has much to do with the country’s harsh winters. Energy use per capita is among the highest in the world and domestic resources are limited largely to hydropower.

The desire to give consumers more control over their energy use led the country to require that all homes have smart meters by 2013 – among the most ambitious deployment targets in the world. About half of Finland’s 5.3 million people have smart meters today.

With the completion of the rollout, several new innovative services will become available, including the freedom for citizens to create virtual micro grids to share and manage power.

If a friend has solar panels and produces excess power, he or she can share that power with neighbors, says Seppo Yrjola, principal innovator at Nokia Siemens Networks, which is helping with the rollout.

“That’s really a virtual power plant,” Yrjola said at the Nordic Green II conference. “I think the venture capitalists are very excited” about the investment opportunities.

Finland’s vision goes where few other countries dare tread. Yrjola says the goal is to enable people to create micro grids much as they form groups of friends on social networking sites. In that sense, cloud computing, social networks and smart grids will intersect in 2013 or 2014 after the smart meters and accompanying network infrastructure are installed.

The notion is that villages, districts and communities will be able to form micro grids and negotiate for cheaper power. No one knows how the system will be used, says Yrjola.

The completion of the rollout should enable other services as well. Renewables, such as solar, will more easily plug into the grid and information on real-time pricing will be available. Consumers also will be given more control over their home appliances.

“We are building the infrastructure,” he says. It is up to consumers to decide how to use it.

3 Comments | news | Tagged: Clean Tech, Finland, Smart Grid, Smart Meters, Social Networking | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

Wall Street Journal Tells Reporters To Act Professional Online

May 15, 2009

The proliferation of online social networking and other Web 2.0 sites (read: Twitter) creates a new minefield for reporters.

Don't connect with confidential sources on social networks, Dow Jones advises

Already journalists labor under the fear that an anything-goes Internet has undermined press ethics. Independent bloggers don’t necessarily have to live by the rules of established media outlets, giving them a potential advantage on an un-level playing field.

Now the popularity of micro-blogging site Twitter and of publicly exposed social networks lays new traps to snare reporters.

That’s why the Wall Street Journal stepped in with clear rules on what journalists can and can’t do in the rapidly evolving world of cyber reporting.

Unsaid in the WSJ guidelines is the sense that the public cares more about press integrity than might be expected.

According to the rules, reporters must identify themselves and say they work at Dow Jones, traditional requirements at the company. They also must shy away from expressing personal opinions.

Here are some additions for the social networking and Web 2.0:

“Don’t recruit friends or family to promote or defend your work.

“Consult your editor before “connecting” to or “friending” any reporting contacts who may need to be treated as confidential sources. Openly “friending” sources is akin to publicly publishing your Rolodex.

“Let our coverage speak for itself, and don’t detail how an article was reported, written or edited.

“Don’t engage in any impolite dialogue with those who may challenge your work — no matter how rude or provocative they may seem.

“Avoid giving highly-tailored, specific advice to any individual on Dow Jones sites. Phrases such as “Travel agents are saying the best deals are X and Y…” are acceptable while counseling a reader “You should choose X…” is not.

“Business and pleasure should not be mixed on services like Twitter.”

Maintaining press integrity is critical at a time of industry upheaval.

Leave a Comment » | web 2.0 | Tagged: dow jones, Micro-Blogging, Press Ethics, Social Networking, Twitter, Wall Street Journal | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

Privacy Group Finds Loopholes In New Facebook Privacy Policy

March 24, 2009

Facebook’s privacy policies have been a lightning rod for controversy, and it’s easy to see why.

The site is the nation’s new town square. People come, meet others, share thoughts and expose the kind of personal information they might in close, casual conversations.

Facebook creates a loophole for the "limited" use of personal data, says Jeff Chester

The trouble is the close, casual conversations take place on the Internet, where all sorts of strangers can listen

For the most part, Facebook has been respectful of individual rights to privacy. But several of its polices have come close to the edge, such as its Beacon advertising program that let advertisers list a member’s online purchases.

Last month, Facebook proposed changes to its privacy guidelines that gave it new liberties to use personal data from members, but then revoked them in the face of a gathering storm of protest. In the process, it agreed to let members comment and vote on future changes to the rules.

The Center for Digital Democracy praises the new public participation, but complains of loopholes and ambiguity in the new policy.

“In all the principles, the wording allows enough legal wiggle room for Facebook to ignore them completely,” writes Executive Director Jeff Chester.

For instance, statements such as “people should have the freedom to share whatever information they want” would be better phrased, “People have the freedom to share whatever information they want,” Chester says in seven pages of criticism made available Tuesday.

He goes on to say Facebook fails to adequately inform users how third-party developers might use personal data for advertising and marketing.

Facebook also creates a “huge loophole” when it reserves its “limited” use of personal data without stating what that limited use is.

While Facebook’s steps toward openness are laudable, questions from privacy advocates such as Chester are well worth the asking.

1 Comment | news, web 2.0 | Tagged: Center For Digital Democracy, Facebook, Privacy, Social Networking | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

Revolution In Interactive TV Viewing Coming Soon

March 16, 2009

The foundations are being laid for a dramatic change in television viewing that will take the passive out of couch potato.

Imagine social-networking features that allow people to chat with friends during a program. Messages would appear at the bottom of the television screen.

Social networking features may let friends message one another

Or how about an interactive ad where a click will take a viewer to a Web site with more information or the option to purchase a product?

Home shopping channels might be so interactive that viewers could search through product lists and select the items they want displayed on their screens.

All this will be possible within the next 12 to 16 months, says Edgard Villalpando, senior vice president at ActiveVideo Networks, a private company developing software to make the television interactive. The San Jose company’s combination software and service works in conjunction with the set-top boxes consumers gets from their cable operators.

Already ActiveVideo has contracts with Oceanic Time Warner Cable in Hawaii and Grande Communications in Texas for home-shopping services.

“The big trick is how you monetize this,” says Villalpando. “The monetization all comes down to advertising.”

The shift in the television viewing might so dramatic that in two years programming itself could change. Production costs are likely to fall and some on-air segments could compress from 30 minutes to 15 minutes.

Producers also may choose to air some television series for four weeks instead of the typical 13 weeks, says Villalpando. With interactive television, audience feedback can be very fast.

Leave a Comment » | communications, hardware, news | Tagged: ActiveVideo Networks, Home Shopping, Interactive TV, Social Networking, Television, Time Warner Cable | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

MySpace Slumps In February; Facebook, Tagged Soar

March 13, 2009

Even social-networking sites can feel the blues.

Growth in traffic rose a reasonable 4 percent in February, compared with last year, but fell 1 percent from December as the world was gripped by the economic crisis, says Hitwise.

Facebook soared during the month, taking it out of the hide of MySpace as older users migrated from the News Corp. property to Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild.

Traffic to Facebook grew 149 percent while MySpace visits fell 28 percent. Traffic to Tagged skyrocketed 280 percent.

According to Hitwise, the market share ranking among the top social networking sites are as follows: MySpace, 52.2 percent; Facebook, 36 percent; Tagged, 2.5 percent; and MyYearbook, 1.6 percent.

MySpace had the highest amount of time spent on-site: 29 minutes, 38 second.

But here is the most interesting observation. People 18 to 34 make up between 54 and 59 percent of people using Facebook and MySpace. People 35 and older prefer Facebook. Traffic among these older adults increased 23 percent on Facebook while falling 2 percent at MySpace.

Seems Rupert Murdoch can’t related to people his age.

3 Comments | news, web 2.0 | Tagged: Facebook, February, Hitwise, Mark Zuckerberg, MySpace, News Corp., Online TRaffic, Rupert Murdoch, Social Networking, Tagged | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

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