Jack of All Blogs » Web 2.0

Web2.0 is a word? LOLWUT!

waldorf — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:43:57 +0000

The English language continues to progress and evolve, but sadly in a not too great way. After the addition of the term Web.2.0 we really have to wonder what will happen to the language once mastered by the great Shakespeare. Maybe I’m just an old and boring sod, but can someone please explain me what numbers do in words? Since when are digits dictionary worthy?

What will next be added to the English dictionary? Will we see a new landrush for words in the dictionary just like we saw for the Facebook username? Will we see people starting cyberwars to have their nickname recognized as an official word? Can you imagine aplusk become a real word?
Or will the new fashion be abbreviated, short term, text speak words? Punk’d?

In the latter case I will gladly make the best web app ever my homepage.

Social Media Messes

Andrew G.R. — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:20:55 +0000

Social media departments are popping up at companies across the globe, spreading faster than the Swine Flu ever could.

Many large businesses have already, at the very least, dipped their toes into the social media stream. Some run because the water is too cold and choppy. Others think the water is a mirage and refute its existence. But for those who have bought the hype (and it’s probably fair to say that it’s no longer hype, despite a lack of empirical ROI data), there have been many different strategies incorporated.

Over the past few weeks I have come across MANY examples of large companies – some mammoth in size – completely dropping the ball on their social media endeavors.

I understand that it’s not always easy for big and stuffy organizations to bust out of their brick and mortar shells, but just because they are attempting to reach a younger demographic, is no excuse for poorly implemented ideas and haphazard marketing strategies.

Share your examples of businesses who, in your opinion, are doing a poor (bordering on embarrassing) job with their social media entities.

We’ll get you started with this crappy mess. The Quiznos, 2 Girls, 1 Sandwich video. I mean, this is not Uncle Mike’s blog – this is Quiznos – a company that generates millions of dollars in sales. Not to mention, their franchises are owned by everyday, hard-working people. People who likely did not sign off on this horrendous social media foray. It’s one thing to try to cash in on new media, but that is not an excuse to throw social responsibility to the wind.

By the way, the Quiznos up the block just closed. Good.

Geotagging Is Overblown, No?

Andrew G.R. — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:50:00 +0000

I’m not really sure why you want to read my words or why on earth you’d care to follow me on Twitter. But you do; so thank you! There’s something I’m sure most people don’t care about, and that’s where I am. Whether I’m physically located in front of my computer, on a plane to Burkina Faso, or eating mom’s killer meatloaf, 99.9% of the time, it doesn’t matter.

Proponents of geotagging will tell you how it’s neat because you can find out when a buddy is nearby and meet up for drinks. I might not be a social butterfly, but if someone I actually want to meet is in the area, I’ll know about it.

The functionality is not totally pointless. I see where it could be kinda cool to plot an image on a map a la Google Maps, but the phenomenon might be overblown.

Not to get all Big Brother is watching on you, but as G-tagging becomes more transparent (built into all new camera models, cell phones, and so on) it will become important for people to understand what is being tracked and where the data is reported.

Yahoo’s new geo-location platform Fire Eagle, that gives developers the ability to include positional data in their applications sans headache, is now open to the public. That means users will be able to syndicate their positional data to hundreds – if not thousands of partner services in the near future.

If I’m wrong down the road, I’ll admit it. Now it’s your turn. Tell us why you’re so hot on geotagging.

P.S. This blog post was written from 40° 46′ N, 73° 54′ W.

New Website. No Content. Go Away!

Andrew G.R. — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:49:57 +0000

I’m tired of Websites that rely on user-generated content, yet make the foolish decision to launch before they stock up.

You know the kind I’m talking about. They’re the ones that promise to show you what other people earn; what their house is worth; how clean restaurants are; how they feel about their boss, etc. You show up at the front door expecting to find a wealth of information waiting with open arms. Instead, you input your search criteria and are met with zip, zilch and their good friend zero.

That’s why this blog entry should serve as a reminder to anyone who is planning to launch a new Website. Cool your jets until you have the goods.

It’s not OK to launch thinking that you will grow content along the way. You only have one chance to impress your visitor. Blow that and you’ll likely never win them back. And why should they ever return? Far too many of these Websites are eventually abandonded by their owners, leaving limited data behind. With so much to do and see on the Web, you only have one chance. No content, no visitors.

I’m a busy guy. I don’t have time to waste on your incomplete repository of information. At the very least consider hanging a shingle for your front door alerting visitors that there’s a good chance that you will not find what you are looking for. Sure, they’ll probably still bail – but at least they won’t be as angry.

Are We Asking Too Many Questions?

Andrew G.R. — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:32:58 +0000

One of my few academic memories from junior high school is “Question Day.” This was a 45-minute period where our science teacher would permit the class to ask about anything. It was cool that we were able to go beyond since science, with his rationale being it all comes back to it anyway.

Back then, without the Internet, it was a great idea. Our question-asking options were limited. You simply couldn’t turn to mom or dad, an older sibling or the library for the “important” stuff. There’s nothing like knowledge imparted by strangers.

If information truly is power, we must all be superhuman at this point. The Q&A market is completely saturated.

Yahoo! Answers covers the bases, ChaCha helps you out on the go, and SocialThumbs makes sure we never have to make an independent decision again.

Is it possible that we are asking way too many questions and being barraged with too many answers. Always the analytical type, I’ve recently found myself bogged down with too much information. Decisions that were once made after a few minutes of thought now become a great big opus. I can barely move an inch without consulting with other people.

What has happened to me?

I need to Shut-up the strangers and put myself back on the road to self-reliance. Decisions about jobs and houses and kids and health – freom people who know nothing about me – mean nothing.

Do you feel the same way?

Jeez, another question! Make it stop!