- The Case Against Drop-down Identities | Smarterware
"None of the above: let me explain" is a simple, clear idea, that deserves to be a standard component of registration forms.
Tag: socialnetworking
Bookmarks for November 9, 2010
- Kicker Studio: Everything I’ve Ever Learned About Giving Design Critiques I Learned from Tim Gunn
You could apply these set of rules to any form of critique/review not just design, and you'd probably come out doing pretty well.
- The Times’ Paywall and Newsletter Economics « Clay Shirky
Lots in here, but here's the key thing: "This re-engineering suggests that paywalls don’t and can’t rescue current organizational forms. They offer instead yet another transformed alternative to it."
- danah boyd | apophenia » Risk Reduction Strategies on Facebook
Not blogging this as an anti-Facebook thing, just as some interesting information about non-standard ways people use social networking software in a privacy intensive manner.
- EaaS (ECONOMY as a SERVICE) – Global Guerrillas
It's one way of looking at MMOs (and related industries), I guess. I'm aware that Warcrack has a GPD higher than some countries, and that there was a point (I haven't checked, it may still be true) where the virtual currency in Eve online was worth more that the currency of Iceland, where the game is based, but they're both entirely virtual, and I'm not 100% convinced that we're going to get the ability to rapid deploy and re-use these things in a full physical-world context (that a full EaaS would need) any time in the next five years.
Bookmarks for July 22, 2010
- Why it's never too late to be a lesbian | Life and style | The Guardian
Fascinating article on the fluidity of sexuality – the idea that people, particularly women, can, in fact, switch from hetero- to homo-sexuality in different phases of their life – that it's possible to be sincerely heterosexual, and then later, sincerely homosexual without ever being bisexual, and without devaluing one's previous sexuality.
- America's Joyous Future
I laughed like a drain.
- Bookshelf Porn
I love my iPad – I'm carrying so many books around with me these days, and it is very liberating. But I also love my bookshelves. One day, I hope to have space for my books, but I accept that this may be a fools dream, and I may have to resign myself to an iPad-based future. In the meantime, I shall stare at this with envy.
- danah boyd | apophenia » MySpace and Facebook: How Racist Language Frames Social Media (and Why You Should Care)
I've been following boyd's research for a few years now, and have been particularly interested in her data regarding class/race/gender divides in social media use, and I really hope the rallying cry that she's putting out here has some effect, because I would really like to see people stop arguing over the scope the problem, and start talking about what can be done about it. "On the internet, no-one knows you're a dog" is both a triumph *and* a tragedy, and we need to start addressing that.
Bookmarks for December 10, 2009
- All the flim that's fit to flam.
This guys work has been doing the blog rounds today. That's because it's ace. When his store re-stocks, I will buy a thing from him.
- What deux yeux have teux deux teuxday?
SLight annoying french spelling aside – if their iphone app is half as nice as their web app, and if they expose an api at some point soon, then I think Things may have been supplanted as my favourite to-do list manager. This is bloody lovely.
- Facebook's New Privacy Changes: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly | Electronic Frontier Foundation (via JWZ)
Essentially: whenever any of your friends posts an app, the developer of that app get all the data about *you* that they have access to. Facebook have completely fucked your privacy in the bin. I will be deleting my account at the end of the month, if they don't change it. (The only reason I'm not deleting it *today* is that I don't want to fuck people's social planning in the bin.) For refernce, after a bit of digging about in the privacy settings, despite the fact that I have my privacy locked down, under the new settings, here's what my friends were authorised to share about me, regardless of my profile settings: Personal info (activities, interests, etc.), Status udates,Online presence,Website,Family and relationship,Education and work,My videos,My links,My Notes,My photos,Photos and videos of me,About me,My birthday,My hometown. These setting were buried, and required extra password validaton to alter – they had gone out their way to make it hard. I'm done with them.
Bookmarks for June 12, 2009
- Gizmodo – Gang Uses Stolen Credit Cards to Buy Own Music on iTunes, Collects Royalties, Still Not Famous – Itunes scam
I saw this linked, and assumed it was an Onion headline, but it's not. This is a real thing. Fucking hell. I don't know whether to be impressed or saddened.
- Facebook usernames and the battle over your digital identity | FactoryCity
People occasionally ask me why I'm quite militant about only every using my real name on-line, owning several domain names of my name, and generally doing my best to get my name, or a basic variant on it as a username whenever possible, and it's this: I do not want Facebook, or any similar service to be the primary marker of my identity when people look me up on line. I wish to have control over my on-line identity and how people encounter it, not give it up to a third party, and the best way to do that is to be open and clear about who I am everywhere. So I have slightly mixed feelings about this facebook URLs business – on the one hand, I'm going to have to try and get my name on there, but on the other, I'd really rather not improve the chances of my profile there beating out something that I actually control as the marker of my digital identity.
- » Buy album | Tough Love
One of London's very finest unsigned bands have just released this first mini album full of absolutely superb tribal pop that is a perfect soundtrack to summer. It'll cost you all of a fiver, and at that price, you cannot afford not to own it.
- Stop Motion Video made from Post-It Notes
Exactly was it says on the tin. Except better than you're thinking it is. Seriously, it's ace, go look.
Bookmarks for June 11, 2009
- The New Negroponte Switch « Magical Nihilism
I had the same text as part of my course back in 1995 (I think everyone did), and am quite taken with some Matt's ideas here, in particular, the term "Thingfrastructure".
- Welcome to Poken
I'm not sold on the cutsey look, or the metaphors they've chosen, but still: this is the future of business cards right here. I look forward to being able to get a grown-up variant on this.
- Infovore » Dangerous Mistakes In The Company Of Friends
This is the best insight into the nature of gaming I have seen in ages. Whether you're a PC gamer, tabletop gamer or LARPer, I cannot recommend reading this highly enough. If you run RPGs, and are not devoting a significant chunk of your time to ensuring that a variation on this is the experience your players get, then you are doing it wrong.
Bookmarks for May 1, 2009
- BuddyPress.org – A WordPress MU Based Social Network Platform
It's money where your mouth is time, children. Dreamwidth aside: if you don't like what LJ is doing, take your friends, and a copy of BuddyPress, buy yourselves some server space, install this, and fuck off away from LJ.
- REMIX now ccFree (Lessig Blog)
Lawrenece Lessig is required reading, and this one's free. Get to it.
Bookmarks for April 8, 2009
- scribbles and lies – Signpost Says: "Welcome to the 21st Century"
Here's an interesting read: the currency of Iceland is basically worthless. The artificial currency of a computer game created in Iceland, however, still has value. In fact, it has more value then the "real" currency.
- A Whole Lotta Nothing: This is how Social Media really works
I propose holding anyone that describes themselves as an "e-marketer" (or anything remotely similar) down and beating them with sticks until they agree to tell all future prospective clients this simple truth from th above article: "instead of getting your company on twitter, paying marketers to mention you are on twitter, and paying people to blog about your company, forget all that and just make awesome stuff that gets people excited about your products"
- 20×200 : Get Excited And Make Things
You! Yes, you! Visit this link, and buy a copy of Matt Jones' "Get Excited And Make Things" poster. Then hang it some place where you will see it often. It will be morally uplifting for you, and the proceeds from the sale will benefit Creative Commons, which is a tremendously excellent thing to do.
Bookmarks for March 3, 2009
- apophenia: when research is de-contextualized
Some interesting comments about recent portrayals of social media in the press and parliament. Particularly interested in the commentary re: Dunbar's number, the Economist article I linked to the other day.
- Skittles.com: Package the rainbow. Taste the Rainbow.
i *know* I saw an agency take *exactly* this approach to their site about 18 months ago – just having a nav overlay that simply linked through to relevant social-media contact. I just can't remember who. Bet you it's not the people who built the skittles site, though. Sincerest form of flattery, I guess.
Bookmarks for February 27, 2009
- The Convention on Modern Liberty
Shit, the London event is sold out. Still, I suppose that might be taken as a good sign. Maybe.
- The size of social networks | Primates on Facebook | The Economist
Starts of with some talk of Dunbar's number as it applies to social networks, then gets into the much tighter sphere of the number of people we actually interact with.
- Translating "The Economist" Behind China's Great Firewall
Really interesting look at how a group of volunteers in China translate each issue of The Economist.