What is Digg?60 Comments
- sparrow88, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Anyone else getting tired of the word 'zeitgeist' ?
It's like the new 'get your ... on'. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I don't think it's a fad. It's mimicking real life. Perhaps eventually the internet and social sites will be like cities and other real life groups. People sticking up for the favorite site, the same way people from Georgia shout "ATL!", and geeks yell "Linux w00t". I think eventually there will be major Christian networking sites, major minority sites (blackplanet?), and so on. As long as we seperate ourselves in real life, we'll do it on the internet.
- spxiii, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Let's not rely on Apple advertisements so much as a source of grammatical correctness. Touché is simply a "hit" in fencing, so in discussion it similarly means nothing more than "good point", usually implying that your opponent got the better of you, whether in response to something you said or simply in a manner that took you off guard.
Apple is not the epitome of wholesome multi-grain goodness in all aspects of the universe. - noGoodNamesLeft, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@jesusphreak; doesn't mean it's not overused.
I also noted the article featured use of the phrase "best-of-breed". Eugh. Corporate-cliche hell. I wish these people would raise their game and go the extra mile to bring something new to the table by thinking outside the box. - ahhell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Wrong. Myspace (or similar sites) are dangerous for morons. Anyone that posts personal info on a public site like that should be smacked.
- MatttK, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Facebook is good for keeping up with old friends from high school and I suspect it'll be good for keeping up with old friends from university after I graduate.
- bscott86, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5"When pressed by industry observers, executives at MySpace and Facebook declined to say whether they are profitable."
Not making *cough* any money yet...
If they were cashflow positive, I doubt Facebook would have needed to raise another 25 million in capital just the other month. They would have gotten a bank loan with these record-low interest rates.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/04/18/facebook-takes-25-million/ - adml_shake, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6MySpace: A place for emos
Facebook: A place for everyone else. - BigHeadOne, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Don't kid yourself, it was cool to hate myspace a year and a half ago.
- jsd8cc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Am I the only one that doesn't have an account on any of these sites?
Don't get me started on Myspace...that monstrosity is an aesthetic abortion. Oh, and by the way, bloggers, I don't care to read about every banal minutiae of your day.
(Here come the thumbs down. But I'm not bitter. Heh.)
</cynicism> - Burns, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5soon it will become cool to hate just like mtv, it will stay around for a while but most people will move on to bigger and better things
- grayBot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The internet has been about "social networking" since its inception.
think about it: From AOL chatrooms, old prodigy message boards, to AIM, to Blogs and Digg, its all about communication with real people. Myspace and Facebook are just another incarnation.
Currently there is no business model for these except for advertising, and I doubt there ever will be.
If someone were to build a "social network" site that was actually useful and took advertising into account from the ground up then that would be something. - sean808080, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3it'll be interesting to see how the wee little ones that are peppering myspace grow up as web users. what will they expect and take for granted as part of the web experience of the future.
- walugi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Fad, unless they keep them until they're 30.
[insert obligatory emo joke here] - lexa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2""Thinking outside the box" is a cliché too. ;)"
sadly you didn't spot the other three cliches he purposfully included in his last sentence.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) - decomp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I would agree that it is moronic to publish personal information about yourself online.
- whux, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3It's a fad. And myspace scares me almost as much as the average AOL chatroom does.
- ryanmetcalf, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I'd definitely have to say they are just fads, just look at the condition xanga is in now. I used to get subscription emails that had like 20+ posts a day, and now IF I get a subscription e-mail its 1 or 2 posts and always the same 2 people. Web 2.0 is full of fads.
- jesusphreak, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5"Zeitgeist" simpy means "spirit of the age" or the basic trends in our society. Its a rather fitting term.
- b7j0c, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i would put my money on something like secondlife eventually killing these web-based networks.
- RedZeppelin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Is there a social networking site designed for adults? I find the concept interesting but I want to be able to meet someone other than mopey teens writing bad poetry and peddling crappy music.
/geezer
/Get off my lawn - grasshoppa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Geocities was a template webhost, which is much the same vien as myspace. The only difference would be the social aspect, and even that's just a slight improvement over geocities. Web ring, anybody?
I hope to god it's a fad. It's already been proven to me that a majority of people on the internet are idiots ( see: myspace ), but I'd like to believe that these idiots can learn. - Fafhrd68, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1While the Spam is growing the ability to serve ones business also grows. I run a small production company and have utilized Myspace and Facebook to get the talent I need for shows and other productions.
I have also used MySpace as a way to scout bands that I might want work with and get their sound out through the productions I work with. It has been a pretty good proving ground for bands. I can listen to a few of the songs, contact them and if i like them subscribe and get the latest updates and tour info.
While MySpace has come into the arena of spammers, it has be easy for me to stay away from them. First, if I don't know you you don't get added. I do not need 12,000 friend on my list. The 250+ I have I know or have worked with in some manner.
Do I think it is the wave of the future for business? No. Do I think at some point a business will recognize a social web design as a way to keep their product or service up to par? Yes. - camiller, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Fads, predicting
"The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty - a fad." - The president of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford's lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Co., 1903.
"The cinema is little more than a fad. It’s canned drama. What audiences really want to see is flesh and blood on the stage." - Charlie Chaplin, actor, producer, director, and studio founder, 1916.
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year." - The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957. - Twinked, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@noGoodNamesLeft
> I also noted the article featured use of the phrase "best-of-breed". Eugh. Corporate-cliche hell. I wish these people would raise their game and go the extra mile to bring something new to the table by thinking outside the box.
Wish I could have given more diggs then the one! That's classic sarcasm =) - JuliusErving, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2You forgot to add one other demographic to myspace: underage girls who like to post half naked pictures of themselves for everyone to see.
- danpsmith, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If you seriously don't understand that he used all of those cliches on purpose, then maybe you should learn the art of sarcasm. I know it's kind of harder to sense online, but god damn that was obvious.
- areric, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Theres a site called LinkedIn for professionals.. but it kinda sucks
- Specks, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1As long as people use them, it's a future portal. When they stop using them or the site starts dying out, then it becomes a fad. When it's no longer talked about, it becomes passe.
- DTJunkie07, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3I like myspace for the music and the exposure that it gives to new or lesser know bands.
- BUrAph, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I have a facebook page and I disagree. When I graduate I won't be checking it/updating it regularly. However, it would be nice for my page to turn to an "alum page" where I can let people know where I am, what I'm doing, who I'm working for, and give them a way of contacting me. It would be great for networking and meeting people in a field I want to go into, and at the same time, let the people I met throughout college keep a tab on me.
- fragileabsolute, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I don't think that's the way it'll turn out at all. It's about hobbies and interests now. Family, history, and any other inscribed quantifiers don't matter when you don't have a body. It's all in the voice (or text).
- mistercharlie, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1linkedin is actually pretty cool. if used properly, you can expand your business relationships.
orkut would be another option for the older-than-high-school crowd.
http://orkut.com - shibbyjames, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I read about this website simialr to all these called KissTheToad.co.uk however it seems to be "Thinking outside the box" as you put it in the sense they are using a pretty cool theme and not bombarding you with adverts all the time.
The theme i was talking about is related to the fairy tale kiss the toad and get your prince etc im not sure if it's live now but i read about it a few weeks ago someone on about it and the development etc .... Anyway i like the route this site is going down less adverts more people ! :) - noGoodNamesLeft, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Does it matter if there's a constantly-replenishing supply of coming-of-age brain-dead 12-year-olds to replace every 21-year-old who leaves the service?
Of course, the problem is that the next generation of 12+ kids don't necessarily want the same things that their older siblings do, and teen-fashions tend to be very fickle that way. But that's not quite the same problem... - GorillaX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0yes. http:www.Tagworld.com, http://www.GorillaeXchange.com, LinkedIn
- corsa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0There is also one geared more towards adults, but also positioned as a "clean" social network that's more family-oriented, called MyGoodFriends. Kind of like a MySpace that your mom would use.
http://www.mygoodfriends.com/ - GorillaX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I came across this other site called Tagworld.com and also gorillaexchange.com.
They too seem to be building a massive user base by offering a different angle to those of the
facebooks and myspaces. I wonder which direction all these
entities will go with such engagement and rich user bases. - RegisteredUser, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Social networking isn't a fad. It's just really hyped and booming right now. But over time, the hype will fade and only the core users will be left. Everyone else will move on to the next big thing. That should allow developers to add more features and give them the opportunity to turn social networking into a useful tool.
I think Yahoo made a smart move by aquiring Upcoming.org because I think that's where social networking is heading; group based planning, organizing, networking, and data sharing. - joevill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It's a fad! How many of you had Geocities, Tripod, Angelfire webpages and surfed other people's sits and signing guestbooks? No one does that anymore! My guestbook is currently being invaded by SPAM bots!
- thbt, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3"Thinking outside the box" is a cliché too. ;)
- thinkcomp, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1What's odd about facebook and MySpace is that they're a continuation of previous "fads," such as sixdegrees and Friendster. All of these sites are somehow related...
See http://digg.com/technology/Harvard,_Plagiarism,_and..._Facebook_ - JuliusErving, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Compare facebook to myspace. It's so much more stable and i would bet a good deal that it will eventually outlast myspace. Facebook has now added high schools and even corporate networks, so it's not excluding people anymore. And honestly, myspace really seems like one big advertisement, aka spam. The music section is a bit different, though. That seems legit.
- smackjack, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I have found a crapload of long lost friends on MySpace and otherwise wouldnt be able to keep in touch. and MySpace is constantly adding new things. So once the whole emo thing dies out and all the fags leave, it'll be a lot better.
- sahilfiger, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0what people seem to forget, and not see, is that social networks are just as important for the online communication experience as instant messengers were for the mid to late 90's! I find that it adds a factor of more informalness to your social networks, excuse the repetition. i find facebook to be a really great way to communicate with those friends of mine i don't find it exhillirating to chat with online.
- tannewt, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Social Networks: a Fad?
By Scott Shawcroft for Online Communities class.
Over last few years many sites have been created to increase social networking. These online communities all have similar features and business models. They all feature profiles, messaging systems and associations (friends). Observation of these commonalities poses the question of survival. Like the dot com boom and corresponding bust in the 1990s, will the social networking/online communities outlast the lifespan of a fad? Or will they, like so many other websites, quickly die as they become less popular? Will social networking sites survive due to their absorption into everyday life or will they become unnecessary as internet users become more adept at using other solutions/programs? The answer to these questions can be found by studying the variations in social networking sites, the forms of online communities and the business model.
Common to many arguments, the first step is defining the terms and establishing the assumptions which the argument is founded upon. First and foremost we'll establish the definition of a social networking site to mean a site which aims to aid person-to-person networking in real space. Also note that the term real space, in contrast to virtual space, refers to real life. We also must establish what defines an online community. Online communities are taken from here out to mean a collection of people conscience of one another's actions who participate in repeated interaction with one another. This is similar to the idea of a third place in which a group of people establish routine rituals and interactions. In other words, going to a certain place will result in the interaction between one and a friend.
These two ideas of social interactions which occur online vary drastically in two major respects. The first of these differences is the history. The history of online communities is as long as the history of the internet itself. The first people to network over the internet were university and government researchers who communicated via email. This was quickly followed by the establishment of online communities through BBSs, MUDs and so forth. Contrastingly, the history of social networking sites is rather limited. The first social networking sites were sites such as Friendster and MySpace. MySpace by far has reached the widest audience. It was started in 2003 and in 2 years expanded its membership to 77 million users according to Wikipedia. In July 2005 it was bought for just over half a billion dollars. Clearly the business model is working. These two varying histories paint a picture similar to the tortoise and the hare. Will the explosive popularity of social networking sites last similar to online communities or will it fall flat similar to the dot coms in the 1990s?
Contrasting the business model of social networks to that of online communities is risky business. (No pun intended.) This is simply due to the fact that online communities in the purest form have no business model. (The purest form being a group of people gathered around a cause not dependent on a business model.) Examples being the open source community and the creative community. Other online communities depend upon resources provided by for-profit companies will not be considered due to the complex nature of the community and its dependence. Thus, simply put, online communities live only on an idea. There are no other preconditions for an online community. This is where a distinction must be made between online communities and social networking sites. Due to the dependence of social networking sites on a business model, they are more vulnerable to collapse. This vulnerability means that activities based around this model are in turn unstable. With any sign of weakness of any social networking sites people will migrate to more traditional means of communication/networking not dependent on inherently unstable business models.
It is a combination of this long-term uncertainty and lack of true community which will ultimately prove social networking sites a fad instead of a necessity. Social networking sites lack any common idea. They simply aid repeated interaction in real life. They do not facilitate repeated interaction online because the site itself has no focus. This lack of repeated interaction leads to a lack of obligation to community because a community does not exist. This lack of commitment allows users to easily migrate away from the site once conditions become less than ideal. An example of a situation like this would be where a site with hundreds of thousands or millions of users who store contact information was shutdown. This would lead to the loss of critical user data. A loss like this would quickly build a distrust for all social networking sites. This distrust would lead to users reverting to other personal forms of communication, such as email.
Uncertainty in business driven sites which collect personal information further magnifies the instability issue. The business model based on target advertising and aggregated marketing data prompts businesses to collect critical information. When the site which contains this critical information begins to fall users will not hesitate in leaving. Their personal data is better hosted by themselves. The most secure hosting is your own. How many people on Facebook have read their privacy policy? It contains this line, %u201CWe may use information about you that we collect from other sources, including but not limited to newspapers and Internet sources such as blogs, instant messaging services and other users of Facebook, to supplement your profile.%u201D This quote refers to the user profile provided to %u201Cthird parties to facilitate our business.%u201D With this possible leak of sensitive information whats to stop an adult from moving towards self-run sites available for as little as $10 USD a month?
Online communities do not suffer from the same fate as social networks for two reasons. The first is that the repeated interaction builds a community with obligation. This obligation will keep community members coming back through difficult times. Second, online communities last as long as the user base because they are formed through a variety of mediums. This instance is where online communities based around a business model product becomes blurry. For instance the collapse of a game company would lead to the servers, both game and web, being taken down. This would spell disaster for a group of people solely dependent on the site (think social networking site) but for a multi-medium community it just involves evolving into a different virtual space than provided by the now defunct company. As long as the idea still exists, the community will, regardless of the site.
In some ways social networking sites are assisting the user's transition to other mediums. An example of this is Geocities in the late 1990s and MySpace now. Both sites provided a customizable webpage. Geocities provided a webpage for the web's first generation and MySpace for the second generation. Both sites taught many of the users how to make a unique webpage. This involves learning the language of webpage design, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Having this skill will allow users to make their own sites independent of Geocities or MySpace. It has happened with the first wave of users, now the bloggers with their own websites, and it will happen with the MySpace generation. The only way to build the needed reliability for establishing a more mature web presence will be through a personally funded site. These sites will be easy for users because, thanks to personal customization sites, users will have experience with HTML and web design.
A counter to this argument would be that the incoming flow of users would offset the number leaving. However, competition between sites will cause the flow of incoming users to ebb and flow along with the fads and styles of the current incoming generation. Numerous examples of this occur. One is the migration towards MySpace over other sites such as Friendster and Xanga because of the customization options. Another is the migration from MySpace towards Facebook and Pure Volume over legitimacy/privacy concerns.
As social networking sites continue to pop-up users will join more and more. Further blurring the idea of having everything in one spot. Having everything in three spots has tough competition in a more traditional multi-medium web presence involving email, instant messaging, forums, chat rooms and mailing lists. The varying approach providing more secure approach. The deciding factor between life and death of social networking sites will be the community aspect. If social networking sites can become a community with a focus, the site will have a much better chance of lasting. Then however the community may exist with or without the site itself. In the specific case of MySpace a very large majority of the users do not form the original community of bands. This core community will be unable to sustain the site once the larger non-band user body disappears. This collapse of revenue will take MySpace to its knees. This could possibly lead to the mass exodus away from social networking as described above. Whether this fateful prediction comes true will only be evident with time. However, all of the above points must be considered when social networking (sometimes confused with online communities) is being considered as a business model. Can the community support the site after the fad followers have left? The dot com bust of the 1990s demonstrated that many can fall. Will Facebook fall with other social networking sites? MySpace? Xanga? LinkedIn? And all 39 others listed on Wikipedia? Only time will tell. Tread lightly. - chrisgiddings, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I think all of these sites is a bit of a fad in itself. I mean stuff like this has popped up and down over the course of the internet and each one will have its share of the light. The community sites will continue to be built and torn down. It's like a TV show, people get addicted for a while and when the stories start to get repetitive and less 'fresh' they bail on it for something more entertaining for the moment.
- mozomo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2mySapce Rapidly turning in to spam, marketing tool for porn and casino websites there are more then 50,000 profiles which are constantly spamming every newly registered user, Friendster somehow has maintained a grt quality and then there are super Hi Elite Business Networking clubs like openbc.com, Linkedin.com and Ecademy.com which ar simply amazing!
- apoc2050, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Its not a fad....its just "the place to be"
-end sarcasm
MJM - Flankk, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2MySpace is more of a community where users are webbed together and can interact. It's unfair to compare it to GeoCities, which is a simple web host. It's not a "fad" as much as it is just popular. Every site eventually loses popularity and for MySpace, sadly I don't see that being anytime soon.
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