Disqus - Latest Comments for colinwalker

Re: Wow There Is A World Beyond Social Media

colinwalker — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 06:52:21 -0000

Amen to that brother!

Also, totally agree on the new theme, a real online newspaper type feel. Looks good.

Re: Colin Walker » Lessons learnt or common sense?

colinwalker — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:32:40 -0000

Kyle,

Thanks for the comment and, I must say, I've been reading some of your recent posts with great interest.

I'm not sure how often I'll be posting at the moment but it will be more a case of posting when I've really got something to say rather than due to a misguided need to make sure there's new content.

Re: Colin Walker » Lessons learnt or common sense?

colinwalker — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:44:26 -0000

I always said it was just a hiatus and had planned to see how things were after August.

Re: IE8 Not Ready For Prime Time Unless You Like Self-Abuse

colinwalker — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:52:50 -0000

Steven,

Don't forget about the whole IE in standards mode stuff.
You might like to add a meta tag to your template and try your site in IE7 compatability mode:

<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=7" />

See if that helps (you'll most likely have to click on the little button that appears at the end of the address bar to use the right rendering mode.

Re: louisgray.com: Relax, Bloggers: Nobody Is Keeping Score, and There's No Quota.

colinwalker — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:49:57 -0000

Nils,

Your navel gazing point is exactly where I was looking but the desire to expand beyond navel gazing can be self defeating at times. We have to achieve a balance with the things we, as individuals, discuss and the people we follow - just saying "I want to follow more people talking about different things" doesn't work as you end up with a stream full of stuff you don't care about. We have to manage the signal to noise ratio but it is very hard to actually find the right blend.

As the number of users increases the ratio grows ever in favour of 'noise' which is of course relative to our own interests but, also, the level of banality increases. If anyone is guilty of being protectionist about anything then it's about keeping healthy disussion rather than filling social networks with rubbish.

My previous experiement on Friendfeed with a new account showed that people are posting far wider reaching things than just the social web but not much of it is actually getting discussed - it is more of an aggregation thing than a medium for conversation but this will continue to change over time as people see the value.

The concept behind social media is great but we must avoid looking at it as some kind of Utopian system - current services are over-hyped and will come and go. Everyone has their own agenda and requirements so there will never be a 'one size fits all' paradise and the sooner we wake up to this the better rather than thinking everyone should use service X in a certain way just because others do.

Social networks haven't failed - maybe our initial perception is what is at fault.

Re: Hiatus?

colinwalker — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:37:57 -0000

Thanks everyone.

I'll definitely enjoy the time off. I think that we can put ourselves under too much pressure to churn out the posts and can lose the enjoyment sometimes so, who knows what tomorrow brings.

Re: Getting too social?

colinwalker — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:58:02 -0000

The difference with sites like Digg etc. is that they are specifically platforms for sharing and the implication is that you will sharing other peoples stuff. You would not be called a spammer if you submitted hundreds of links to other blogs etc. You are only considered a spammer if you fill them up with your own.

The point of aggregation, however, is that you are gathering all of YOUR stuff in to one place so that it can all be accessed together rather than jumping off to multiple sites. Even if you don't like or comment or even follow anyone else how can using a core function of FriendFeed be considered spamming?

Re: Getting too social?

colinwalker — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:54:19 -0000

Phil,

I completely agree that those that aren't active shouldn't be listed as recommended people to follow on FriendFeed and, yes, I over-simplified your post but it is a worrying trend that people consider there should be a right or wrong way to use these services.

Re: Getting too social?

colinwalker — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:09:31 -0000

But do you actually have to be 'active' anywhere? If FriendFeed is only being used as an aggregator why is there a need to be active? As you say, it is personal choice and some choose not to be active in certain locations.

Re: louisgray.com: Is There A Way Back From Free?

colinwalker — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:15:19 -0000

Follow up post now up:

http://colinwalker.me.uk/2008/07/19/guest-post-...

Re: louisgray.com: Is There A Way Back From Free?

colinwalker — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:41:48 -0000

By the same token as with developers, many users will rebel against the introduction of fees if there is a viable, free alternative. We then, however, enter a viscious cycle: how will THAT alternative support itself, and so on.

Re: louisgray.com: Is There A Way Back From Free?

colinwalker — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:40:25 -0000

Thanks for the comments folks.

Re: Is the world binary or digital?

colinwalker — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:55:25 -0000

Indeed, but we are often so polarised by opinion that this is the way it feels. There appears to be very little middle ground as issues become more and more emotive until we reach the point where it's 0 or 1 or abstaining from making a choice.

In response to one of your questions: there is definitely no "one solution" as every case must be taken on its merits - what works in one circumstance will cause additional friction in another.

Re: Is the world binary or digital?

colinwalker — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:57:15 -0000

The world is definitely analog but it is unfortunate that many feel that they should confirm to one position or the other rather than have their own opinion. We feel pressured by society to subscribe to the extreme opinions and herd behaviour also takes over. To be different is often to be ridiculed or abused and we often would rather go with the flow that put ourselves in this position.

Re: louisgray.com: To Blog, or Not to Blog - That is the Question

colinwalker — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:11:03 -0000

There are always times when we have a down turn - whether collectively or individualy. I've been there and at one point didn't blog for months. Burn out, or just other stuff happening? Sometimes this just don't seem as important. Blogging also goes in cycles: we get the same topics roll round the blogosphere and seeing the same things again and again reduces the enthusiasm.

Blogging certainly isn't dead but a lot of people are realising that the blogosphere isn't the Elysian Fields of our dreams. Our sphere of influence is actually very small (even for the biggest of names) and there is an inherent frustration over the message being restricted to a small audience regardless of the quality of work. The desire to constantly reach a wider audience is what drives the need to be perfect (I am as guilty as the next man) but you have a point about being "good enough". If we realise that no matter how brillaint any pieve of work it's influence is limited then th epressure is off to a degree. We are always our won worst critics and put more pressure on ourselves than anyone else can.

Now, if I can just finish this post I've been working on for 3 days....

Re: Dispensing with the trappings of technology.

colinwalker — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:54:21 -0000

Matthias, it's not even an issue of cloud computing or not - it's a case of simplifying things, cutting back and taking stock both from a core technology standpoint and how that technology is used. We have to achieve a balance in everything and set a good example so that those outside of the early adopter circle (as Julian says) can see a positive impact from whatever we are using.

Re: louisgray.com: Apple's Own iPhone Apps Create Concerns for Independent Developers

colinwalker — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:12:40 -0000

With all of the arguments over Microsoft having a monopoly and Apple being at a disadvantage, in the past ,I have always said that it is not strictly in Apple's interests to grow to an equitable position. Microsoft is a target due to its monopoly and the playing field has been artificially leveled to give the little guy a chance.

Now, if Apple were to achieve a significantly higher market share they would indeed face the same kind of scrutiny as Microsoft and IBM before them. Could you imagine Apple being forced to split their hard and software divisions into separate companies?

It was interesting when Apple dropped "Computers" from the company name, almost as if it wanted to indicate that they were more intent on becoming a consumer electronics company rather than a genuine competitor to Microsoft. It is probably this focus (rather than the enterprise) which will enable them to stay as they are but any serious moves into the corporate market will change the rules considerably.

Re: Loren Feldman, Verizon And Free Speech

colinwalker — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:07:43 -0000

Steve, got caught up writing my other comment so excuse me being presumptive in answer to mark's point ;)

Re: Loren Feldman, Verizon And Free Speech

colinwalker — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:01:21 -0000

Mark, I think that it has been framed in American terms due to the constitution and the right of free speech. Yes, this has global implications but for the best result we should stick to what we know and in this case that means the position in the US.

Steve, I think it was a good choice to delay the posting until it was framed correctly - we always see a little clearer with hindsight and, while there have been some thought provoking posts on the subject, an immediate, emotionally charged reaction is not always the best one.

Re: Escaping the echo chamber.

colinwalker — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:52:52 -0000

Matthias,

Yes things take time to develop but I'm not specifically talking about FriendFeed here - that was purely an example and it illustrates that people get hung up on the tools rather than what they can be used for.

Social media has been around for quite a while now with sites like Facebook and MySpace having some good traction - good enough that Vodafone are using Facebook as a pulling point in a national ad campaign in the UK. But herein lies the problem: people divide the concept up in to walled gardens (my Facebook community, my Twitter friends etc.) rather than embracing it as an entire online experience. Forget what service you are using and instead concentrate on the people, on the connections, on the potential.

The potential of social media is incredible and the range of discussions possible between the diverse people on the web should be almost infinite but our segregation in to distinct groups is holding us back, although it is unfortunately unavoidable.

As I have said before, though, just SAYING things will be different in 2 years does not make a difference, we need to be sowing the seeds now and giving a reason that social media should be adopted if we ever want to see it go truly mainstream.

Re: I wish FriendFeed or Google Reader would tell me who’s sharing my stories

colinwalker — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:18:47 -0000

I've done the same as Hutch, created a link which searches who:everyone for the post title - it's not pretty but it gives you an idea of what's going on.

Re: Escaping the echo chamber.

colinwalker — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:48:13 -0000

Thanks Britney - glad you agree.

So Mary, what project would that be?

Re: An Ultimate Guide to Social Media Simplification

colinwalker — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:19:49 -0000

There are no conclusions per se but the post is up: http://colinwalker.me.uk/2008/07/09/social-medi...

Re: Social media: casual user or addict?

colinwalker — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:15:59 -0000

Although there is some debate over the real value of subscriber count it is one of the few ways we have to identify our "worth" as it indicates those who are willing to make an investment in what we do. Rather than being dissapointing I think it is more frustrating when we apear to lose part of an audience that has taken a while to grow.

With time away from the blog it is expected that active subscriber numbers would drop and this example was more for illustration of the point rather than a specific rant about losing blog subscribers.

Re: An Ultimate Guide to Social Media Simplification

colinwalker — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:23:40 -0000

Thanks for the inclusion on the list, there's some pretty good resources there which I'll have to skim through. I'm currently looking at how our usage differs based on whether we are casual users or more involved (such as bloggers, early adopters, etc.) and the difficulties we face disconnecting.