Hello devoted and/or passing readers,

Please follow my blog by tuning into it’s new address: http://www.gawrilla.com

Thanks,
Kevin

via hockeyband.com

Facebook has recently rolled out an update to its popular IM system, FbChat.  It allows users to incorporate their customized “Friend Lists” on the chatting platform.  With this update, Facebook now allows users the ability to appear either online or offline to a select group of their friends.  A small, but useful update for those who love to chat while appearing invisible to those random “friends” who you just don’t want to be bothered with.  In fact, a handy tool for any “Facebook stalker.”

Joking aside, the more interesting question raised is: “What is the future of our web interactions?”

With so many modes of communication on the net today, I sometimes wonder what the future has in store.  FbChat is extremely useful to Facebook’s platform as a whole.  I know for me, Instant Messenger (AIM) has been completely replaced through the use of both the GChat (Google) and FbChat services.  And still, despite the luxury of instant messaging, email remains my preferred method of communication…at least for the majority of my online interactions.

So what’s the future of web interaction?  With the push for a more real-time web, many tend to side with instant messaging (can’t get more real-time than that, right?).  What about Twitter’s huge impact on the social web?  Are tweets, microposts, and status updates the new way to share our thoughts and feelings?  Have we completely escaped from the conventional vocal conversation?

What do you think?

During Michael Arrington’s interview with Kevin Rose, the Digg-founder states, “I believe that it’s time for Digg to get a little bit more real-time in nature. And we need to be a living and breathing site.”  He goes on to say that he expects Digg to see these changes somewhere in the next six months.

There’s no denying the fact that most future web services will instinctively adopt a real-time functionality.  Just one look at microblogging and/or activity streaming, and one notices just how useful the real-time web can be.  Digg’s current offering definitely lacks this dynamic, so it is an obvious and necessary next step.  One can only wonder just what exactly this new iteration will include.

In regards to Arrington’s inquiries involving the future direction of Digg, Rose explains: “…new directions for us that you will look at and I guarantee you would be like that’s a ballsy move.”

So what will the “New Digg” be like?

You can safely bet that the site will become more interactive by nature.  Most likely, the site will develop a real-time platform for ‘digging’ content while showing activity feeds of Digg members (not unlike Twitter/FriendFeed).  I presume that content will extend beyond just news into all sorts of categories.  In fact, the interview had also mentioned (pretty unclearly, however) thoughts of digging certain advertisements/campaigns.  Overall, I see the service eliminating certain barriers, becoming even more transparent.  I can even see them utilize the tools they have developed in Digg Labs, like Stack [pic], for example.  Used effectively, this could bring a new dynamic to the sometimes-static nature of Digg.

It is definitely time for Digg to become more social and interactive.  I just wonder if it will be enough to grab the attention of the masses, something that Kevin Rose so desperately wants to achieve.

“I believe that it’s time for Digg to get a little bit more real-time in nature. And we need to be a living and breathing site.”
-Kevin Rose

Editor’s Note: The author of this article is an avid Digg user and a contributing writer for a major Los Angeles news publication. This is his unfiltered rant.

The Diggbar is terrible. Now that that I got that out my system! What ticks me off more than anything is the unfavorable trends occurring with Digg.com. It is what has me recently shying away from this amazing resource of great (sometimes reoccurring) information. It’s this secret society of intelligent and money hungry, tech savvy robots in the digg community. Who are these people exactly, Kevin Rose? Loved you on Late Night, but we both know Jimmy Fallon had no idea about what you were talking about.

Look, I read articles all the time. I love to Digg. I find it is a great way to find new and interesting articles in a most timely fashion. I can consume everything on the site with no problem. The only issue stems when I try to share my stories with the Digg community. Posting a story to share on Digg is so easy to do and always impossible to make the front page, regardless of the quality of the content.

This is when I realized that Digg.com is the central hub for the secret society known as:

The Diggalotti.

Daa Daaa Daaaa! Don’t recognize the term? The Diggalotti are members of the Digg community who work in the ways of the secret order of the Illuminati. This all-controlling group of power hungry domineers run the world that is Digg. They Digg and they Digg-a-lot-i.

Power users. Names like MrBabyMan, d2002, etc. You’ve seen them. You’ve read their articles. Like information superhighway super troopers, they are able to do things that none of us can do. They manage to get to the front page with only 30 diggs. They can have a popularity ratio of 25%. Are they really that fast at posting up stories? Does duplicating other people’s stories affect their popularity? Jesus, I feel like its high school again on Digg where getting popular is easily attained so long as you accept shouts or anything that comes out their ass. If you want to have power too, you have to do what they do. I know, I know. Of course there are exceptions. There is always the random geek who gets in with the cool crowd. (See: Long Duk Dong)

They are probably great people. I have read about MrBabyMan and realize he does exist. But it also has me wondering about motives and the status of other power users. Digg is incredibly marketable. The digg effect can take a video and make it a hit viral sensation. It can take an article from some unknown blogger from Mauston, Wisconsin and make her the next bestselling author. It can take a potential Presidential candidate and make him think he’s about to take office. (Sorry, Ron)

If I was a corporation and I wanted to promote a soft drink, (maybe a funny viral video to that laughing kid who happens to be drinking a Coca-Cola) I would love more hits. Or if I worked at The New York Post, why not have a power user share the controversial Obama Chimp illustration to drive hits that day to the site. Are these users paid to spread the word about the next big blockbuster movie? Let’s say “2012.” That article by POWERUSERX about the world ending is only there to generate buzz even if it never mentions the movie. It’s strategic and it’s smart, but it makes me lose faith as an “regular” user. If I were a member of the Diggalotti, I would accept the money given to me by some marketing honcho at Universal Studios.

I’m not angry. I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I still love to Digg. I just wish I could contribute to Digg without having to think about the mystery behind the system or how to fit in. One thing is for certain, the All Seeing Eye is clearly there. The only thing I can hope is that Rick Roll isn’t behind all of this.

There is somewhat of a war waging between both the Twitter and FriendFeed services as of late.  More specifically, a “battle” between the services’ users.  For the most part, FriendFeed users LOVE FriendFeed and CAN’T STAND Twitter, whereas Twitter users LOVE Twitter and CAN”T STAND FriendFeed.  So, the natural follow-up to this debate is to ask the question: Who’s right?

Twitter, for better or for worse, has emerged into the mainstream.  FriendFeed, on the other hand, tends to “fly under the radar”, and seems to appeal only to the tech-savvy and early adopter crowds.  Mind you, this is exactly how Twitter once existed to the general public less than a year ago.  So, I guess the first topic to explore would be to see where Twitter went “right” and where FriendFeed went “wrong”.

How much is too much?

The common denominator in both the Twitter and FriendFeed services lie in their ability to facilitate converstation, acting as a “global chatroom,” where users are free to share their thoughts and see what others are talking about.

Twitter does exactly this, and only this.  Twitter remains an extremely minimalist service that has succeeded in creating its own platform for communicating…in short, 140-character capsules.
FriendFeed, on the other hand, takes this style of communication to the next level.  Users are able to bring in content from around the web to share and discuss material with no restrictions.  The platform is the quickest and most efficient “real-time” platform on the web allowing users to have conversations instead of just messages.  The service also boasts an amazing number of tools and filters to help users “cut through the noise.”

So why hasn’t everyone jumped onto FriendFeed?  It’s clearly more robust with features, doing everything Twitter does and much much more.  So why do the majority of people still prefer Twitter over Friendfeed?

The answer is: Simplicity and Familiarality.  Despite the fact that FriendFeed is a lot more powerful than Twitter, there is something to be said about the act of signing up, typing 140 characters, and becoming part of the Twittersphere.  Similarly, it is worth noting the insanely basic Twitter interface that everyone and their mother can relate to.  It’s quite possibly the most intuitive UI…it’s a stream of short messages…and THAT’S IT.
FriendFeed gives users a lot more freedom and little direction after signing up.  This is why the tech-savvy LOVE it, and the less technical CAN’T STAND it.  FriendFeed allows its users to use the service however they please, establish various feeds and filters, post to different networks, and tweak a ton of account settings.  Overall, FriendFeed falls short in the two areas Twitter excels in: Simplicity and Familiarality.  As Michael Arrington puts it, “FriendFeed Is In Danger Of Becoming The Coolest App No One Uses.”

So who wins the Race?

As Twitter’s user base and third party support continues to skyrocket, it would be hard to imagine someone dethroning the popular service.  That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for FriendFeed, however.  The service is way too powerful to die.  I think it is best summed up in a post by Alex Scoble (shown below).  He states, “Twitter is like a pager…friendfeed is like a smart cell phone…”  To which Justin Korn replies, “Not everyone needs the smart cell phone…just a basic one will do.”

Is FriendFeed just ahead of its time?  Will people eventually start to consider leaving Twitter for FriendFeed, just as many of us have ditched our basic cell phones for “smarter” ones?

Ironically enough, it is on these smart phones where a huge number of tweets are sent everyday.  The timing could not have been more perfect for Twitter.  Unfortunately for FriendFeed, it looks like they may have to wait in order for time to catch up with them.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”

-Charles Caleb Colton (1780 – 1832)

There is an obvious trend that exists within today’s internet-based businesses.  Companies are “stealing” other companies’ ideas, concepts, and functionality.  Well, stealing may not be the most accurate description.  I believe the term borrowing may better sum up what is actually happening.  In any event, this post discusses the recent events of companies like Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, and Google; and how these internet giants and revolutionaries play an integral role in each other’s future development and innovation strategies.

Facebook to Stream “Real Time”

New Facebook: Twitter + FriendFeed + 175 million users

-VentureBeat Headline March 4, 2009

Perhaps the most noteworthy example of “Valley borrowing” involves the redesign of Facebook’s homepage.  In an effort to remain fresh, Facebook has taken a page out of Twitter’s playbook and will now be augmenting users’ ‘News Feed’ to incorporate a “real-time” stream of actions, comments, etc.

Twitter has garnered massive attention for their real time communication platform, and for good reason.  It seems as if everyone is now re-focusing their sites on incorporating some level of “real-time” communication.  It will be interesting to see how Facebook incorporates this microblogging functionality within their huge social network; and most importantly, how users will react and take to it.

FriendFeed Offers Up Free R&D

I had dinner with Scoble and Louis Gray, they both said that Friendfeed was Facebook’s R&D Department. Interesting, I think there’s some truth to it.

-Jeremiah Owyang

Maybe the biggest victim of “Valley borrowing” has been felt by FriendFeed.  So much so that they have even been referred to as the R&D department for several web-based companies.  This aggregation/life-streaming service has been imitated by various internet companies, but none more popular then by both Facebook and Google.

So What’s the Takeaway?

Imagine, for example, Nike, Inc. (NYSE: NIKE) released all of its product details, manufacturing processes, and company resources to the public.  In other words, everybody would have the ability to see how Nike manufactures any particular product, the costs associated, and where the resources are coming from.  This is a pretty wild concept for most.  But this describes how a web-based business exists to the general audience, and most importantly, to current and potential competitors; completely open and virtually barrier-free.  In essence, everybody becomes a source for research and development.

This illustrates why the web have matured so quickly.  Web businesses constantly feed off of their surroundings, augmenting, tweaking, and innovating on top of previous platforms.  And this is exactly why certain web technologies are adopted in such large quantities.  Imagine, again, that all companies operated like the Nike example above.  What sort of companies would take shape from this freedom of information?  Most likely, they would be some of the most efficient, and cost effective companies ever created.  And that is exactly what we are seeing in today’s web firms; some of the most productive “web hybrids” to date.

It boils down to the remaining open and transparent.  And we have seen the benefits in doing this.  Twitter’s open application programming interface (API) standard allowed the service to reach audiences well beyond its initial reach.  We are starting to see more and more web firms gravitate towards open API’s as a result.

The type of comeptition created by “Valley borrowing” is unbelievably fast-paced.  In just a matter of months,  a successful web firm may find themselves forced to shift focus in effort to keep from becoming obsolete.  Web firms are now expected to create the most complete platform possible for their customers/users.  And isn’t that what business is all about?  Creating the best most efficient product for the customer?

“I’m nervous about sharing my ideas and putting them out into the open”

This is such a common sentiment shared by many aspiring entrepreneurs.  I’ve heard it time and time again.  It isn’t hard to understand why these individuals feel this way.  I mean, who wants their ideas to be stolen right out from underneath them?  Who wants to give up control of their beloved baby to some strangers?  Who can they trust?

These seemingly valid concerns are quickly discredited when you start to really evaluate the situation.  The majority (probably 98%) of these ideas are exactly that, just ideas.  In other words, nothing!  You don’t have control over anything because you don’t own your idea.  Similarly, worrying about someone stealing it is almost like worrying about someone stealing your air in a public park.  Please, do not worry about something you have little control over.  Instead, focus on the all important next step: spreading your ideas to whomever will listen.

Spread Your Ideas

Very rarely does an individual possess the skills and knowledge required in developing an idea into a working prototype (whatever form that may be) all by him/herself.   So, the natural next step is to tell close friends or family members…you know, those trustworthy individuals in your life.  You may still be reluctant to “tell the world” and face possible criticism.  My advice here is to focus on the close individuals that “get it” and forget the rest.  In other words, don’t spend hours trying to explain to Mom and Dad how your web service will work.  That will only frustrate and tire you out.  Instead, associate with the innovative thinkers and those who will help build upon your ideas.  This breeds creative thinking and helps stimulate your mind, body, and soul (for all you spiritual entrepreneurs).

The social web has been described as a humongous cocktail party, where people are free to mingle, shake some hands, and make some small talk.  When I think of spreading ideas on the web, I like to think of myself sitting at a booth at that giant party with some close friends discussing a business idea.  Your table is going back and forth on certain business models and logistics, perhaps writing all of this down on the back of a napkin.  Wouldn’t it be wise to make a few copies of that doodle, jot down some contact info, and pass it along to some smart individuals that you have met?  Well, the answer is yes, and the ’social web’ has made doing just that easier than ever.

If you find yourself reading this and thinking: “Wait, Kevin, so what happens if they go home from the cocktail party and start to work on the idea without me?”  Well, this is my breakdown of the few possibilities that will occur after this “napkin exchange of business ideas” :

• They throw out the napkin (65%)

• They look at the napkin for a few moments, think about it for a few more, then throw out the napkin (20%)

• They contact you back, and you start a dialogue about your idea (12.5%)

• They pass the napkin along to a friend (1.5%)

• They lock up your napkin in their vault and start working on it alone (1.0%)

You’ll discover a few things to be true in this sort of situation:
1)People are usually not interested in your ideas, and do not want to steal it.
2)If you have caught their attention, odds are they will seek you out; it’s in their best interest to work alongside the original mind behind the project.
3)Your “one-of-a-kind” idea most likely already exists or is being worked on (this simply validates your napkin’s business model, so it’s not a terrible thing).
4)If someone does decide to steal it, however unlikely, this should not affect your passion for the project and should fuel your desire to outperform all ‘imitators’.   Karmically speaking, they are at a huge disadvantage, so remember that you have the upper-hand when it comes to those individuals.

Embrace the ‘Social Web’

Spreading your idea will be harder than you think.  You’ll quickly realize that your $1M-idea falls on deaf ears.  You will want to utilize as many online services and resources as possible.

• Utilize LinkedIn’s Groups; posting entries to individuals with similar interests.

• ParterUp allows you to post business ideas in hopes of meeting business partners.

• Twitter is Twitter (I’m a fan, can you tell?)

• Craigslist is not a bad place to post ads in search of talent.  Odds are you’ll be receiving countless automated emails from various web firms based in India.  But there is the chance that it falls into the right hands.

Speaking of Craigslist…blogger Adam Breindel posted an interesting article speaking about, oddly enough, one of my Craigslist ads.  He speaks about the benefits of being open, and how so few entrepreneurs actually act this way.  He advises these entrepreneurs to come out from behind their NDAs and to operate outside of a vacuum filled with secrecy.  Here is a bit from the article:

[The post] is absolute genius, and it’s so rare. Plus it shows the guts that most entrepreneurs fancy themselves to have, but lack when tested…I work with a lot of entrepreneurs and most of them think that they’re the first ones to think up some genius idea, and the best way to be successful is to either keep it stealthy and secret, or to sign reams of NDAs and non-competes with you before disclosing (cue music) their subtle and delicate brilliance.

Remain Transparent

Throughout your “napkin-passing” journey, it is critical to remain truthful and transparent.  I recommend you:

• Keep a Blog.   This adds depth to one’s character, and allows others to “read between the lines”

• Microblog.  Did I already mention I like Twitter?  A useful tool to jib-jab and pass out those “napkins”

• Post Comments.  Don’t just read blogs, but participate.  You never know who is listening.

• Have Atleast Four Points of Contact.  Strive for having four different points of contact/reference.  Between the numerous social networks and services, this should not be too difficult.

• Respond Truthfully.  Emails, blog posts, comments, etc. should be truthful and from the heart.

And don’t forget…next time you have the opportunity to share your idea…DO IT!

One of, if not the biggest concern facing today’s social web relates to the login process.  The amount of social networks and services one can sign up for on the web today is quite staggering (just take a look at Friendfeed’s offering of services, they have about sixty).  And as any social media enthusiast knows, it is all too common to lose track of one’s account information, opening up a username/email/password combination challenge.  Well, lucky for us, we have some people trying to remedy this dilemma.  Some pretty smart ones at that.

Individuals from Facebook, Google, MySpace, and Plaxo, among others, gathered together Tuesday to work out the issue of a universal login.  At the heart of this movement is the OpenID Foundation, an open source model dedicated to eliminate the need for multiple usernames across different websites.  It’s a matter of simplifying the user experience, and it’s nice to see companies put their differences aside in order to work towards the common good.

The issue of a universal login is a HUGE deal to say the least.  A universal login allows a user to bring their unique social graph and data around with them while surfing the net, referred to as data portability.  Web brands are already scrambling to get their piece of the data portability pie.  For example, Google recently rolled out their new Friend Connect Social Bar, and Facebook Connect is slowly being integrated onto more and more sites across the web.   It begs the question: “Do these web services even need OpenID?”

Google's Friend Connect Social Bar

The ongoing universal login deliberation is a very loaded topic, one that I’ll be sure to follow.  It is still rather experimental and a bit too early to accurately speculate at this stage.  But I will say this: Depending upon the decisions made at meetings like the one held on Tuesday, the future of web interaction and data portability likely lies in the hands of these great technical engineers.  Let’s hope that the decisions made bring forth the greater good (neutral/3^rd party) instead of the greatest one (the bigger social network).

It is no secret that the shift from traditional media (newspapers, television, radio) to the online social scene (blogs, tweets, social networks) is upon us.  It is also no secret that the employers and employees of traditional media have been late to adopt the new media wave.  I personally cannot relate to these individuals, but I can sympathize with their plight.  I mean, really, who wants to hear that some “kid” in their basement is getting more attention than a news journalist who graduated with a degree in journalism and has over 15 years experience in the business?  That is certainly a hard pill to swallow.  Of course, as all of us know…it rarely is just some “kid” in a basement; instead it’s typically a 20-something year-old in an affordable apartment building who has been blogging passionately and truthfully about a particular subject for quite some time.  This is what large, traditional media corporations fail to understand.

The Silicon Alley Insider recently featured a post about Jeff Jarvis and his claim that “journalists are in fact responsible for the death of print.”  A very strong claim from Jarvis that was met with some understanding criticism amongst some traditional journalists.  Jarvis makes bold but accurate statements urging journalists to take responsibility for the fate of journalism.  Instead of merely gloating over the demise of print, he speaks at conferences, sits down with newspaper companies, and empowers the journalism community to innovate and make change.  Jarvis clearly understands that the future of news media is changing rapidly, and in an industry of slow-movers, he exemplifies someone who actually “gets it”.

Of course, the new wave of social media affects more than just newspapers and its journalists; it extends to, and challenges the television and radio platforms as well.  Gary Vaynerchuk posted a brilliant video (see below) reacting to radio superstar Howard Stern’s thoughts on social media.  Gary Vaynerchuk is another prime example of someone who simply “gets it”.  He has successfully utilized the power of social media to build a very strong personal brand, and encourages us all to do the same.  (FYI: I have yet to see a Gary Vaynerchuk video that I didn’t like and that wasn’t 100% honest and inspiring)

“Old school” traditional media professionals feel that social media has devalued the overall quality of news.  They want to believe that they are the only people qualified to deliver news and information to the masses.  What they fail to understand is that “kid” in his basement spends more time talking, writing, and reading about a specific blog topic more so than most “professional” journalists.  That “kid” did not develop a loyal following of readers by accident.

The barriers of entry are low, maybe even non-existent when it comes to social media.  Despite this fact, readers are more discerning than ever, and expect a lot more than they ever have before.  The new wave of social media has finally brought transparency to the world of information.  The large corporations who refuse to acknowledge this fact are in for a rude awakening.