SuperBowl Tweet Tracking

Got a very cool link (thanks to my coworker for this) to a NY Times time line of the Twitter messages during the Super Bowl.  This is a great example of how aggregating social content can have a useful application.  Of course, you can apply something similar to track activity on a number of things (products, movies, music, etc.).

Site of the week - Blip.fm

Maybe it is because I am a former party/club DJ.  Perhaps it is my frustration with the suggested songs that Last.fm and Pandora give me.  Plus, I haven't updated the playlists on my iPod for so long that I hardly use the damn thing anymore.

Whatever the reason, my newest addiction is Blip.fm.

So what is so great about this site? Well, here goes.....

1. Of course, there is the access to any song under the sun.
2. The "Twitter like" interface (which includes mirco-blogging) is minimalistic and easy to use.
3. Speaking of Twitter, you can link your Blip account to your Twitter account so that every time you add a song a "Twit" is posted.
4. The social aspect of the site is fairly intuitive which opens up the door to discovering new tracks.

It might take you some time to really "get" the benefits of Blip since on day one you won't have a network of friends to share music with.  But trust me, a week later you will wonder how you lived without it.

10 Best Intranets

Jakob Nielsen has created his "10 Best Intranets of 2009" list along with a good analysis of the trends he is seeing in the space.  This extract of a much larger 473 page report gives some interesting highlights that anyone looking to roll out an enterprise intranet solution should read.

According to the article, empowering collaboration and providing social networking tools for the corporate user base seem to be gaining momentum.  While there are many in the industry who feel that enabling a workforce with FaceBook-like functionality is counter productive I would argue the opposite.  If used properly, social tools can provide the foundation for knowledge share and become a tremendous asset for productivity.  Also, by looking the other way when it comes to this trend companies are ignoring that fact that if they don't provide a secure, managed platform the user community will eventually create their own.

Another interesting call out from Mr. Nielsen's report is the apperant consolidation of technology being used with SharePoint becoming more and more dominant in the space.  In fact, the article points out "fully half the winning intranets used SharePoint".

Apple CEO calms health speculation

As you may know, there has been a lot of speculation recently around Steve Jobs' health.  In fact, Mr. Jobs condition has has been an ongoing discussion point in the media and online ever since his 2004 surgery for pancreatic cancer.  Over the past year the obvious weight loss has brought the topic to a boil and a few weeks ago it was announced that the co-founder would not deliver the keynote address at this weeks MacWorld conference.  Mr. Jobs has presented at the conference since returning to the company in 1997.

During this same period of time the chatter regarding the potential life threatening condition of the Apple CEO has had some very real effects on the company including a suffering stock price.   Many attribute the visionary successes that Apple has experienced with products like the iPod and iPhone to Mr. Jobs himself.

Well, today Steve Jobs posted an open letter to ease peoples concerns which cites a "hormone imbalance" as the root cause for the weight loss.  He goes on to say that he has mapped a road to recovery with his doctors.

Good to hear that things are looking up for the charismatic Jobs.  We need his genius around to continue to develop and inspire.

FireFox sustains 20% worldwide

Just read an interesting article from NetApplications that puts FireFox at above 20% and Internet Explorer slightly below 70%.  Not a surprise with FireFox 3 being lightning fast and all the great plug-ins the browser offers.  For the details click here.

My web favorites of 2008

Well, it is January 2009 and so I thought I would share some of my personal favorites from the web for 2008.  Here goes:

1. Twitter - While I actually started using Twitter in early 2007 I really didn't "get it" until this past summer.  It has now officially taken over as my online "crack" which I need to check in on at least 5 times daily.  Still very much for the techy crowd but I predict that changes in 2009.
2. Mint - This online personal finance tool is perfect keeping tabs on your money, tracking a budget and seeing all your investments in one place.
3. Google Reader - This handy tool is perfect for consolidating multiple content sources into a single, easy to manage feed.
4. FaceBook - Not much needs to be said here.
5. Hulu - This video streaming site offers high-resolution TV shows and movies.  Their library includes FOX, NBC, Comedy Central, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and many more.

While there are plenty of others that deserve honorable mention these five are constants that I have added to my regular online routine.  Be sure to leave a comment and let me know whats on your list.

Facebook jumps the shark

At first Facebook was truly an amazing experience in connecting with the people from my past as well as keeping up with those who I would still consider friends today.  Being a busy guy with two kids and a corporate job it is tough to do the socializing I once did.  Of course, checking the latest status posts and family pictures via FaceBook a few times a week (okay, few times a day) is no replacement for real human contact but it is better than nothing.

So it is with great sadness that today is the day I proclaim that Facebook has jumped the shark. If your not familiar with the term "jump the shark" look no further than UrbanDictionary.com which defines it as "a term to describe a moment when something that was once great has reached a point where it will now decline in quality and popularity." Of course, the term originates from the classic TV show Happy Days which despite it legions of fans hung around a little longer than it's shelf life and eventually became a bit of a joke (see video below).

Anyway, back to the point.  As if it were not bad enough that that my FB experience has become a mix of

• certain folks who give the details of every moment of their lives (do you really need to announce that your going the bed????)
• others who feel that they need to post witty/insightful/wise/funny updates which probably took a good portion of their day to refine prior to posting
• scanned pictures from 15+ years ago to allow others to share in high school nostalgia

But today was the day I casually checked my email account to find a FB friend request from a friend of my mother!  My mom! Her friend is 78 years old!

Don't get me wrong.  I am not prejudice to the elderly.  This particular woman is a close family friend and extremely cool regardless of her age.  But I can't help feeling like a line has been crossed.  Social media and for that matter the internet are a part of my generation and more specifically my own existence.  I make my living as a technical director for an online retailer.  I spent my early 20's riding the dot com wave.  How is it that someone born before World War II is sending me friend requests????

I guess I need to remember that this website began as a way for Harvard coeds to get to know each other and has expanded into every corner of society.  I know how pissed the college crowd was when FB lost it's cred and went "mainstream" by opening up to others.  I guess I am going through a similar experience.  Am I going to stop visiting the site on a regular basis?  Of course not.  But as one of the earlier adopters of social media it is starting to feel like Facebook and others in it's genre are getting a little less "special".

Oh well, you can't fight progress.