The Long Blonde Tail

Twitter+Facebook+Jaiku+Pownce = Social Network Fatigue

BlueNote has added you as a Friend on Facebook!

You are Socrates' newest friend! (on Twitter)

If you're someone connected in the, well, connected world online, then undoubtedly you've seen more than a few of these email alerts. What they are, for those who have not yet delved, are hopeful "friend" invites into the worlds of various social networks.

In the beginning, it's actually quite exciting. It's fun. And it's social value.

But, now, after MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Jaiku have emerged - as if we needed it - Pownce (another Twitter competitor) surfaces, from the hand of Digg founder Kevin Rose. Another space online in which we need to add more friends and friend more friends? Accept invites and scour the network to find friends? Maybe. And then again, maybe not.

Just yesterday, says TechCrunch's Michael Arrington (on Twitter):

maybe it's me, but I can't take all the pownce invites coming in. no...more...social...networks...

That's a more serious statement than it appears, coming from Mr. Arrington - someone, who by virtue of his role, must understand, connect and be connected in virtually every social space online.

Many, including Slashdot, ZDNet, and a slew of others have been contemplating social network fatigue recently. How much is too much? And what happens once social network fatigue really does set in?

Danah Boyd's theory, "users aren't going to tire of their friends but they will tire of problematic social spaces that make hanging out with friends difficult." The question I tend to ponder, however, is one first posed by Read/WriteWeb's Richard MacManus: "Could social networks prove to be anti-social?" ;-)

Originally guest-blogged at The Daily Galaxy.

No Such Thing As Web 2.0: Marc Andreessen

Netscape and Ning co-founder Marc Andreessen has recently joined the blogosphere. (Welcome, Marc!) In only his sixth post, he hits it hard against '2.0':

Before the "Web 2.0 space", you had the "dot com space", the "intranet space", the "B2B space", the "B2C space", the "security space", the "mobile space" (still going strong!)... and before that, the "pen computing" space, the "CD-ROM multimedia space", the "artificial intelligence" space, the "mini-supercomputer space", and going way back, the "personal computer space". And many others.

But there is no such thing as a "space".

There is such a thing as a market -- that's a group of people who will directly or indirectly pay money for something.

There is such a thing as a product -- that's an offering of a new kind of good or service that is brought to a market.

There is such a thing as a company -- that's an organized business entity that brings a product to a market.

But there is no such thing as a "space".

And, as far as startups are concerned, there is no such thing as Web 2.0.

He goes on to say:

It frankly doesn't really matter which trends, or design patterns, you incorporate into your product.

If the product is compelling to the market, it will succeed.

If the product is not compelling to the market, it will fail.

It's not much more complicated than that.

No, it's not.

Via Crunchnotes.

TechCrunch's New CEO: Not Mike Arrington

Some very big news was announced last night: Om Malik broke it, Mike confirmed it, and the blogosphere is eating it up: Heather Harde, SVP of Mergers + Acquisitions for Fox Interactive Media, is soon to be TechCrunch's new CEO.

This is a brilliant move. Mike has a passion for entreprenurism, breaking great stories, and covering the marketplace (arguably of which Web 2.0 is only one player). He has also been forthright in his strategy with TechCrunch: growth by acquisition. But he can't do it all. Hence, have someone with the corporate background and experience take this part over, and run the business. And yes, it is very much a business in its current state.

Just two nights ago, during an informal meeting with a couple of my favorite NYC geeks, I found myself defending TechCrunch, and Mike. In a nutshell, I said "you don't have to like [Mike]. But you should have great respect for what he has done. He's built an empire in under two years' time."

Dave Winer, of course, says it best:

What started as a labor of love by my friend Mike Arrington, a man with a hidden gift for quickly grokking the value in a myriad of web projects, and a deep genuine passion for entrepreneurship, had become first a juggernaut, then a nascent empire, and now shows signs of becoming a for-real empire that harkens back to the heyday of Pat McGovern and Bill Ziff.

Hats off to Mike, and continued success with the growth of the TechCrunch Network.

On Being (Tech)Crunched, Part Deux

Yesterday's mention (Thanks, Mike!) officially counts as the second time [Waxxi has] been TechCrunched. Even if on somewhat a smaller scale, what to say about it? Don't let anyone fool you -- it's a whole lot of fun. :)

Here's a geographical representation of some of the people who've signed up to participate in Waxxi's interactive podcast with Jimmy Wales, on April 5th:

• Perth, Australia
• Reykjavik, Iceland (!)
• London, UK
• Dublin, Ireland
• Taipei, Taiwan
• Wellington, New Zealand

Canada: Montreal, Toronto

China: Beijing, Ningbo

India: Mangalore, Nepal

US: New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Seattle, WA; West Hollywood, CA; Ellington, CT; Artlington, VA; Menomonie, WI; Vista, CA; Belchertown, MA; West Lafayette, IN; Wilmington, DE; Stonemountain, FL; El Segundo, CA; Reston, VA; Potomac, MD; Greenwich, CT; University Heights, OH

If you'd like to register, go here (but we're rapidly running out of space, so hurry!) And, thanks to everyone who signed up to be a part of the conversation. Talk to you soon.

[Originally posted on Waxxi's blog, Socially Speaking.]

I Am Supergirl

Saw a post by Mr. Arrington over at TechCrunch recently which made me chuckle. Among many other 2.0ers, Mike took the quiz "Which Superhero Are You?" -- obviously meant to appeal to geeks of all types. To his surprise, he learned that he was indeed Green Lantern, versus say Batman or Spider Man. And, that he's 45% Wonder Woman to boot. Ouch.

So I took the quiz and closed my eyes, after answering the last question and pressing "Done." To my surprise:

You are Supergirl

Supergirl 85% Green Lantern 80% Iron Man 75% Wonder Woman 70% Superman 70% Catwoman 60% The Flash 60% Robin 57% Spider-Man 55% Hulk 40% Batman 30%

Lean, muscular and feminine.  Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Wow. Good thing I've gotten back into the gym routine again. :) And, I was sure I had more Wonder Woman than Green Lantern in me. 

Seriously, it's fun. Give it a go.

Tagged: Tell Me Five Things

My friend Mario Sundar, a prolific blogger and incredibly insightful (and nice) person, tagged me with this meme: Five Things You Didn't Know About Me.

So, here goes:

1. I am an equestrian. Or at least, I was an equestrian. I started riding horses at the age of 9, and continued throughout my college years. At the age of 12 my Dad bought me my first horse, and I tended to him every day. It is both a labor of love, and a passion. Horseback riding is a sport, it is therapeutic, intimate, competitive, and spiritual. Since the onset of my career, I've ridden far too little, which is something I intend to change.

2. As one of six children (the eldest of the four sisters, and second eldest sibling), I'm a sister of a Vietnamese-born brother. On April 6, 1975, Jay (born Phan Van Hung) came to us at just three months of age, after my parents decided to help a child of the War who would otherwise be left parent-less, or without life. I wrote a song for him (music and lyrics) when I was 13, and would play it often on my acoustic guitar.

3. I've been hugged by Oprah, chatted up by Jason Mraz, waved at by John Elway - in the day - and kissed by Dan Ackroyd, Buddy Guy and B.B. King - on seperate occasions, of course. Each is a really great story, best told over a drink or two. :)

4. While earning my BSBA, I double-minored in Geology (because of my love for nature) and Political Science (because of my intense curiosity towards human nature, and how it has shaped our country, and our world).

5. My life goal is to help change the world. Both in my work and as a human being.

There. I've done it. Knowing that they are likely not to even consider doing this, I will still follow the rules and tag five others, whose answers I (and many) would love to read:

Mike A.
Seth
Doc
Jeff Barr
Brad Feld

Update: Here are Jeff's.