How Finicky We Social Networkers Are

Remember Myspace and Tom? Tom was the guy everyone added on the once popular social networking site, which has become a virtual dust bowl, with a shadow of its former user base.

Recently, Digg was dismantled – literally, as parts of it were sold off to various bidders, from the media and private corporations.

Eight-year-old Digg also once was a giant among social networking sites, but as the lawyers dig through the company’s bits and pieces, it too will slowly vanish into the night.

Is it that Myspace and Digg really lost focus, and could not keep up with Facebook, Yahoo and newcomers like Google+?

Or, are attention spans to short online, and we’re only really interested in the next big thing?

Technology is a wonderful thing, but all too often what we once thought of as amazing eventually becomes horrible gone wrong, as newer things – that do the same thing – shine brighter.

Myspace and Digg did the same things most of the other social networks do – they bring complete strangers together, sharing ideas and stories about the world we live in through the multimedia universe of the worldwide web.

Each social network has its own identity in a way – how you share content and connect with people on each is different – but generally they all serve the same purpose and function.

We are driven to the latest greatest thing.

Why?

Perhaps, it’s because the vast majority of social networking users are younger generations, raised on a fast-paced high tech diet that teaches “new is good,” and “old is bad?”

When the new iPhone 4s came out with Siri, everyone just had to have it. Then Samsung came out with the Galaxy S III, and everyone just had to have that.

They are both smartphones with cool features, and boundless apps. But alas, only one thing can ever be the newest thing.

Just ask Einstein about time and space.

Though what usually spells the beginning of the end for a social network isn’t the sudden rush of its users to the latest newest social network. Nope, usually the final dagger is jabbed by the outgoing social network itself.

As Myspace’s users started to leave en mass to join Facebook, Myspace began introducing new features and even re-designed their layout. Their new features were buggy, their customer support was non-existent, and so they actually drove the few stragglers away to the other social networks.

Digg went through a similar set of disturbing changes – as people lost interest in the site, they made many changes, which fell far short of winning back users.

And now, Digg is being broken up, sold off in pieces like an old car is sold off for spare parts.

But the real reason social networks fail is because we lack the attention span to stay with them. Which makes you wonder – will the almighty Facebook be around in ten years?

Firefox is No Longer Foxy

Poor Microsoft, they never could get their web browser Internet Explorer just right. Years ago, at the dawn of the Internet, there were those using MS Internet Explorer, and those who knew better were using Netscape.

Earlier in the 2000’s, Firefox became the web browser for power users. Internet Explorer, while it could always do the job, just wasn’t a very sexy web browser. And we all know the power of sex in advertising.

I was using Firefox as my primary default web browser until a few days ago. Once I loved the browser – if you can in fact “love” a web browser. I enjoyed the numerous themes available to customize it, the plug-ins which made it faster, safer and more secure, and the way showed every web page I visited cleanly and quickly.

Then, over the past month or so, Firefox just wasn’t all that foxy a lady anymore.

First there was that horrible update a few weeks back, where Adobe’s Flash update prevented Firefox users from seeing videos.

Then I began to notice a lot of my plug-ins had stopped working. I was on the BETA channel, but not by choice – another beef I had with Firefox. Having an iPhone, I wanted to sync my web browsing bookmarks and history with my iPhone so I could easily visit the pages I frequent on my mobile device. Firefox can sync with the Firefox iPhone app – but only if the desktop version of Firefox is the BETA version.

Grrrrrrr!

I don’t like being on the BETA version of anything – why should I be a crash test dummy for someone else’s product or service? Besides, who wants to be a crash test dummy?

Being on the BETA test version of Firefox, I noticed there was a new update every week. We all like our apps and applications to be updated regularly. However weekly is a bit much!

As these weekly updates took place, every so often one or more of my plug-ins would stop working. It’s understandable that a plug-in may stop working when a new version of an app is released. However, its also normal for that plug-in to be updated, or the app to be revised to allow the plug-in to function again.

Not with Firefox on the BETA test channel – once an app stopped working, it was pretty much dead.

I also noticed themes which I downloaded directly from Firefox’s website eventually stopped working too, forcing me to always download new themes, or just revert back to the default look of the web browser.

Enough was enough – no longer was Firefox being a good little web browser. It had become the rotten spoiled teenager, and I wasn’t going to let it control my web viewing any longer.

So, I checked out Opera, Safari, even the most current version of MS Internet Explorer.

Sorry Microsoft, but Google’s Chrome won out this time.

I haven’t been using Chrome for long, but so far I am mightily impressed. The browser is far faster than Firefox, has many of the same plug-ins I was using in Firefox (only these ones actually work!) and it works seamlessly with my Google+ account.

I’m saddened by having to drop Firefox as my primary web browser. But the team at Firefox lost me with their constant updates, lack of continuity for plug-ins, and their seemingly lack of integrity in quality control.

I have a feeling the reason they update Firefox so often, is because they are fixing the bugs they should have caught BEFORE releasing the previous version to the public. Not all bugs will be caught, hence the use of BETA test groups. But when your software becomes more of a pain in the rump, than a joy to use it is time to move on.

Unboxing – Is That Even a Word?

We love our tech in this gadget-driven world, but a fad that’s occurring on many tech podcast is the infamous ‘unboxing.’

‘Unboxing’ – is when the host of some tech show or blog, walks you through the process of taking some cool new tech toy out of the box.

‘Unboxing’ is that even a word?

The term ‘unboxing’ is even listed on Wikipedia – so it must exist. Wiki says the act of videotaping the unpacking of tech toys and uploading these videos to the Internet has been around since 2006, and has been nicknamed “geek porn.”

That’s it. It’s an unboxing, not a full review. Occasionally you may learn some of the main specs on the tech, but typically the toy is removed from the layers of plastic bubble wrap, brown paper, and once shown, that’s all she wrote.

WTF?

What purpose does it serve to show us what a product looks like in the box?

I raised this question on Google+ once, and received numerous messages back explaining how it lets us live vicariously through the ‘unboxer’ – so that we can share in the experience.

Another person told me it allows us to experience the act of getting something which we may otherwise not have.

The experience of ripping open a box?

Really?

When I was a kid, sick in bed, I never had anyone ‘unbox’ my friend’s birthday presents so I could share in the experience of the birthday party I was missing because of my cold.

Have we really sunk so low in our society that we need to be entertained by people opening packaging material?

What’s next, virtual bubble wrap, so as the ‘unboxing’ occurs, we can immerse ourselves in the physical experiences as well?

Isn’t the stuff INSIDE THE BOX more important than the box itself?

When I first got my iPhone, I was impressed with the slick box it came in. But after I got past the box, and there, sitting on my desk was my brand new iPhone, I quickly lost interest in the box. My interest in the packaging lasted all of two-seconds – if that.

Most of these ‘unboxing’ podcasts last at least 10 minutes. Ten minutes reviewing the packaging material!

Really?

Maybe the tech isn’t so hot, if the best part, is the box it came in.

Handling the Unwanted Follower While Being Social

We’ve all been there – you get a message that someone you haven’t heard from in ages has just started following you on one or more of your social networks.

That’s great if you want to catch up and reconnect. That’s not so great if it’s someone like an ex you’d like to be just a distant memory.

Just to make matters worse, now this person has just sent you a message asking how are you, and if that rash ever went away.

What do you do?

Do you follow that person back, and respond to their message? Do you follow back, but ignore their message? Do you respond to their message, but NOT follow them back?

What’s the socially acceptable thing to do with real people from our past, now showing up on our virtual social networks?

Here are some suggestions and the various pro’s and con’s to each to help you handle unwanted followers on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and the other social networks.

1. Follow & Respond – Of course, the simplest solution is to just follow the person back, and respond to any emails or messages they send you.

Pro’s

• Time Heals All Wounds – Maybe they are reaching out to you on the social networks to re-kindle the fire, or simply just want to catch up. You’ll never know unless you talk to them.
• Discourages Hate Mail – If you don’t follow back and respond to any messages they send, they could send you nasty emails or messages back because they know they are being ignored.
• Could Be the Start of Something Good – You never know, maybe they could become a great friend, or more.

Con’s

• People Don’t Change – Sometimes people don’t change, and the person you never wanted to see again may now be all the more present online.
• Wrapped Up in Something You Don’t Want – If you follow and respond to someone just to be nice, it could back fire, and you could end up getting more involved in that person’s life – online and in the real world.
• Sends the Wrong Message – By following the person back, and responding to their email/message you could be sending the wrong message about reconnecting with them. They may interpret your politeness as a sign of interest.

2. Follow and Don’t Respond – You just follow the person back, but don’t respond to them in any other way.

Pro’s

• Getting the 411 -- You have the opportunity to check them out online, before responding to any messages. From what they post online, you might be able to figure out why they contacted you in the first place, and whether or not you want to reconnect.
• Miss Manners Would Be Proud -- You’re being polite by adding them back, and everyone should always be polite, please and thank you.
• Nip ‘em in the Bud – By following them but not responding to their message/email, you send a clear message about your intentions – that you’ll add them, but that’s about it.

Con’s

• All the News Isn’t Always Good – If you check them out, you may learn something about them that you don’t like, maybe they work at the same company, or are married to your boss, or high school crush?
• Nice Guys Finish Last – Being polite is great, but following them and not responding to their message/email could put you in an awkward situation. Sometimes, doing the right thing isn’t always the right thing to do.

3. Respond but Don’t Follow – You could just respond to their message/email and not follow them back.

Pro’s

• Knowledge Is Power -- You can control what they learn about you that they haven’t already learned about you from your online public profiles. And you can ask them how they are, and more importantly what they have been up too – which might give you an idea why they contacted you, or whether you should add them as a friend.
• Slow and Easy Wins the Race – Let’s you start off slowly reconnecting with this person, so you can have a series of messages/emails back and forth, so you can get a feel for whether or not this is someone you want back in your life, even if it’s just your online one.
• Ask Around – If you have mutual friends, you can send them a message/email asking about this person, to get more intel which you can use to decide how you want to handle them.

Con’s

• Flame War – Any contact with someone from the past could ignite old arguments, which can go on forever online.
• Stuff Online Stays Online – Once someone receives a message/email, you have no idea what that person does with it – they could forward it to someone else, or post it online for others to see. Things online never die.
• Will You Be My Friend – After any form of communications, they may just ask you in message/email if you will add them as a friend. Then you are stuck – do you respond with why you don’t, or do you cave in and just add them?

4. Ignorance is Bliss – Just ignore them. Period.

Pro’s

• Quick and Easy -- You’ll never have to deal with them again, as they’ll get the message right away that you aren’t interested in reconnecting.
• No Brain Pain -- Don’t have to rack your brain, trying to figure out what to say in a message/email.

Con’s

• Mutual Headaches – If you have mutual friends, they may ask those friends you have in common to contact you and ask you why you haven’t responded.
• By Other Means – They could become a stalker, trying to contact you by other means, say by on another social network, looking up your phone number, or worse – they could show up at your house!
• Could Have Been – And you really never know what could have been if you don’t even try. Maybe they won the lottery and want to take you out for a wild and crazy time? Then again, they may just want to know if the rash ever went away.

Socially Sun Savvy – Or Not

Unless you’ve been frozen in time for the past decade or longer, you are well aware of the dangerous affects the Sun can have on our bodies. Thanks to the miracles of modernization, the ozone layer has been letting through more of the Sun’s harmful Ultra-Violet A and B (UVA and UVB) rays, which can cause skin cancer, and ultimately death.

Long suspected of providing an artificial cancer risk into the mix, recently the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed it – tanning beds are bad news.

New research has prompted WHO to classify tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation as definite carcinogens – they have even categorized them among the top cancer risks to humans, along with smoking.

An article, published online in the medical journal Lancet Oncology, found the risk of skin cancer jumped by 75 per cent when people started using tanning beds before age 30.

Tanning beds give off mostly UVA rays, which may not be as harmful as UVB rays, actually penetrate deeper into the epidermis, meaning, the more you expose yourself to these rays of invisible light, the more likely you will get skin cancer.

I’ve always wondered what the fascination is with heading to a tanning salon, tossing on some funky high-tech looking protective goggles, and lying naked on a giant metallic bed – all in the name to stay golden brown during the winter, or anytime. I’ve met people that use tanning beds on a regular basis throughout the year.

Some go to these places before going away to a sunny vacation destination, to avoid burning once there. Though wouldn’t it make more sense – and be cheaper too – just to slop on some sun screen?

Just how vain do you have to be these days to risk your life?

Years ago, when I was a kid, I’d love soaking up some sun to get a tan. But we’re talking long before we knew the ill affects the sun has on our bodies, and our life spans.

Back then, it wasn’t uncommon for those wanting a quick tan to lather up in Vaseline to increase the affects of the sun’s cooking power. Some would come back looking like lobsters, all burned – but after the burn had gone, a golden tan was all one could see.

Do the same thing these days and you would probably be greeted with strange looks, as most people do whatever they can to prevent the sun’s harmful rays from beating down on them.

But for some reason, we don’t give those strange oddball glances to those telling us they go to tanning salons to get a tan. We assume that because they are everywhere, and allowed to legally sell their product – a tan – that they are safe.

Perhaps that should change.

Is Social Media Really the Real You?

Back in high school, while most were dating, I’d be smack dab in front of the computer, chatting and downloading.

This predates the Internet, back to the days of Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and dial-up modem connections.

This goes way back to the days when CompuServe and America Online were king, and only a handful of people actually knew what email was, let alone had it.

I’d chat with some dude named “The Terminator” about his BBS named “The Forbidden Zone,” or with another system operator (called Sysop in BBS slang) named “Mike Donovan” about his “V-BBS.” I remember having long debates in the chat forums with “Tiny Dancer,” “Mayor Hardin,” and someone that called himself “Thing.”

On these dial-up computer networks, everyone went by a handle, some even taking on the persona or character of their chosen name in the chats, by typing as if they really were The Terminator, or whoever else they chose to be.

As BBS computer networks were a basis for the Internet as we know it today, it got me thinking – just how real are the people we chat with online now?

Just as it was back in the era of the BBS, it’s not very hard to log onto any social network site, make up an assumed name, and post content under that assumed identity.

Twitter has tried to prevent people from assuming celebrity identities, by verifying such accounts – but even these verifications can be faked.

I get posts all the time from Albert Einstein on Google+ -- and although I’m honored that one of the greatest minds of the Twentieth Century shares his thoughts with me, Einstein died long before the two young men who created Google were even born.

I also get posts from Planet Earth on Google+ -- which is even more interesting, because I didn’t know the Earth could talk.

Clearly, someone on Google+ is posting under Einstein and the Earth’s identities, which brings us back to the original question, how real are we on our social networks?

We grow friends, fans and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest and the rest. But even if we are posting as ourselves, under our real names, are we really real?

Do we really share what is actually happening right now in our lives online? And if we do, do others really care?

Just how different are you online from the real life person you are, in the real world?

Do your posts reflect the real you?

How would I know that?

How would you know that my posts are really me?

This social networking thing is really confusing.

Social Networking and the Battle for Free WiFi

You know you must be an addict to social networking, when you’ll stop at nothing to find a free WiFi hotspot.

Driving around aimlessly, popping into coffee shops, donut shops, fast food stops, even trucker stops. 

“Do you have any free WiFi?”

“Nope.”

Surprisingly, as our data needs constantly increase on the go, publicly available free wireless networks to plug into in a big city isn’t always easy.

I checked out several coffee, tea and fast food joints the other day, and most didn’t offer free WiFi. 

And then, once I did find a handful that did, their WiFi was SLOW – probably because so many people were on it at the same time.

All of this just to send a tweet, check my Google+ or see what’s trending on the nets?

Must be an addiction!

Though these sorts of things don’t really take up a lot of bandwidth, so using my phone’s 3G connection isn’t a worry.

 

What does take up more bandwidth, is watching streaming video, or participating in a video chat using Skype, a Google Hangout, or any of the other video chat services.

As I always say, content is king, and the king of content is video.

More of us prefer video chatting with each other, as opposed to just chatting on the phone. Why say it when you can show it?

And as more of us move towards digital media for our entertainment needs, we’ll be streaming live videos to our mobile devices more often.

Why wait to get home to catch up on your favorite shows, when you can do it on the road?

Just don’t watch and drive at the same time!

Clearly, the need for higher speed bandwidth is there – good thing for the new 4G or LTE services being offered by most major carriers.

Problem though, although these carriers are offering faster mobile data speeds, they aren’t increasing their bandwidth limitations by much.

So although you can stream movies with fewer dropped frames, you’ll still hit that data limit. Worse, as you can download faster, you’ll probably download more, and go over your data plan’s limit, meaning you’ll pay more in over use charges.

As our world continues to become more mobile, we need better data plans. Or more free WiFi hotspots. Or we need to admit our addictions, and move on.

Now, where can I find a WiFi hotspot?