September 2008 Archives

Communities are hard to please. Changes at Digg, Facebook, and others are pretty much guaranteed to spark debate, but usually the launch of new services doesn't have the same impact.

Unless you're MySpace.

The BBC reports that MySpace Music, the new music service launched by the site a while back, is limited to artists represented by four major music labels. That leaves the indie artists, who - perhaps rightly - consider themselves one of the major draws to MySpace, out in the cold.

Is an exodus immenent? Probably not, but its interesting to watch none the less.

In the continuing rush to make the micro-blogging service Twitter and 'tweeting' (the act of sending a message via Twitter) vital and relevant, the service has made several attempts to jump headlong into the presidential election. The latest happened last week with the creation of a Twitter Election 2008 page that filters relevant tweets into a single feed.

But the real potential seemed to stem from Twitter's partnership with independent cable network Current TV (founded by Al Gore), and last Friday's "Hack The Debate" event. The plan was for users to post Twitter updates during the first presidential debate, and selected tweets would be flashed on screen over a live feed of the debate -- the intended result being a kind of power-to-the-people liveblogging free-for-all.

And while the logistics of feeding comments from web to TV seemed to go off without a hitch (see an excerpt below), the question still remains: did these 140-character commentaries add any valuable perspective to the debate, beyond say, the type of banter you might overhear sitting in a crowded bar? Valleywag quoted social media consultant Shel Israel's impression as: "just a bunch of young people making shallow comments." One more issue to consider before dubbing Hack the Debate a groundbreaking success: Shouldn't voters be giving their full attention to the debate itself rather than simultaneous, off-the-cuff commentary?

The other day a friend proclaimed that the laptop is the new desktop, and the smartphone is the new laptop.

Laptops, once the defining symbol of mobile computing, are now pretty much just a "computer" in most peoples' eyes. In the geek communities there's some buzz around ultra-mobile machines, but to me they're a solution to portable computing like the Segway is a solution to walking. It's too big for your pocket, and if you're going to carry around a bag anyway, there are plenty of lightweight options that don't require tiny screens, cramped keyboards, and compromises in performance and connectivity.

So what will happen when we all carry around mobile-broadband connected, high powered devices in our pocket? Media folks love to speculate on the advertising opportunities available to brands in the mobile space, but that doesn't feel like a totally viable option. Studies have shown American consumers view the phone as a very personal device, and any type of ad intrusion is unlikely to be welcomed with open arms. Nielsen reports that only 9% of people agree with the statement that advertising on their cellphones is acceptable, while 31% say it's acceptable if it lowers the bill (source).

I think the real game changer will be in how people interact with each other and in the ways they share and access information. And for brands, that means that 'being part of the conversation' will take on a whole new level of importance.

This neat little viral spot for Wario Land: Shake It takes the game's simple central conceit, shaking, and runs with it -- until the youtube platform page itself completely falls apart. It's an inspired idea, nicely produced, and above all, surprising...highly recommended you take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/experiencewii

via CrunchGear

And on a completely different (though no less inspired) note, the BBC TV comedy series The Wrong Door has its very own take on the pitfalls of the Wii era:

via Gizmodo

A former UCLA film student with a penchant for experimental film, and an iconic song about lighting...well, just watch:

//via Particles - the Atomic blog