Why Can’t Facebook Build A Good Mobile App?
I’m genuinely confused.
Mark Zuckerberg dropped a billion dollars on Instagram, and has a small army of top development talent at his disposal. Why the hell can’t Facebook put out a good mobile application on any platform? Their apps are clunky and painfully slow.
I thought that maybe their database wasn’t playing well with mobile, but then I downloaded the Fast Facebook Beta, and it’s quick, does what I want it to, and it even looks nice. Zuckerberg should buy up Team2Soft.
Fast Facebook Beta
What really gets me is that Facebook has had years to build these apps and they still suck.
Can anyone explain why? I can’t.
Facebook Password Protection Law Fails: It’s Good
Yesterday’s amendment to a larger FCC reform bill that would make it illegal for employers to ask for employee’s social media passwords failed to garner the votes it needed.
This is a good thing.
Don’t get me wrong, my montra remains the same: “Don’t give your passwords to anyone.” By anyone I include boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, children, or employers. That being said, I don’t see this as the kind of issue that must be transformed into law as there is nothing inherently dangerous about giving away a Facebook password, and there are other ways of getting at the information in one’s Facebook profile beyond demanding access.
Personally I won’t work with obviously unethical people. I rather like the idea of telling a potential employer to piss off because they demand something that they have no business asking for. I see the fact that an employer can ask for my passwords as a layer of protection for me. It’s a simple red flag system, as I will loathe working for or with people like that.
It’s fine if they ask me for my password, and it’s my right to tell them that I don’t work with unethical people.
The Other Side of the Argument
Now some of you are already thinking, “David, you don’t have a family to think about.” And you’re damn right. I don’t. At that point, you’re putting a value on your privacy. It’s your choice. We place a value on our privacy every time we signup for an online service like Google or Facebook. What’s wrong with doing the same for employment? With regards to your potential employer, ask yourself:
- How badly do you want that job?
- Do you honestly believe that the (largely imagined) job security you seek is really going to come from the jerk who demands your passwords?
- Are you ok with working for a micromanager? Because that’s who asks for your passwords.
What To Do If You Turn Over Your Password
- Tell the potential employer that your password will change by the end of the day. This is a personal security issue, and you can’t knowingly have a compromised password in the wild for more than a day.
- If you reuse passwords (which you shouldn’t), you need to change the password on all accounts that use that compromised password. Do it as soon as you get home.
(PC Mag)
Obama & Social Media
Obama joined Foursquare this week! OMG, this is like totally news!
I can’t bring myself to care about the President’s presence in social media. It’s nothing personal, but he isn’t really on Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook, some low level staffer is on Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook as Obama.
If I thought the President’s accounts were really him, I might follow him, but it’s just PR.
Can we stop treating this stuff like it’s news?
My (D)evolving Relationship with Social Networks
Do you still use your social networks the way you did a year ago?
While chatting with my old friend Eliza on Gchat I realized just how lazy I’ve become about my social networking (not blogging).
I find myself unwilling to do anything on a social network that requires more effort than writing about 120 characters, pasting a link, or clicking some version of a like button. If it takes more effort than that the odds are that I’m not doing it.
I rarely post photos.
I won’t:
- Play games
- Like companies
- Spam my friends to get free garbage
- Use Facebook chat
- Reply to “25 things you didn’t know about me”
I’m at a point where I do quick glances at my feeds for less than a minute. If nothing jumps out, I’m gone.
Maybe I’m a bit jaded. Maybe I’d just rather spend my Internet time reading or writing. I’m not sure. All I know is that my social media usage has been changing.
Am I alone in this, or has the social network lost its luster?
Google+ Review: It is what it is
A number of people have asked me to review Google+, and even more have asked me in casual conversation what I think about it.
I’ve been at a loss for anything really deep or unique to say about the service other than I prefer it to Facebook (at the moment).
Facebook is three separate things: a company, a website and a cultural phenomenon.
The Company
Facebook the company is abusive.
They twist around your privacy settings when they release new features. At this point they should default their new and intrusive features to “off” when they see a user who has everything set to “private.”
Facebook is a data black-hole. They suck down data, they never share, and it’s damn near impossible to get anything meaningful out.
The Website
Facebook the website is clunky and kind of boring. I use it to keep up with some friends. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it.
The Cultural Phenomenon
Facebook hit a cultural nerve. It was the right service at the right time, and it boomed as a result.
Facebook’s strength is that it has managed to cross the generational gaps (emphasis on plural). Facebook’s weakness as I have suggested before is that it has managed to cross the generational gaps. For Facebook to succeed with future generations it must stay cool. It’s unbelievably rare for cultural phenomenon to remain cool once parents and grandparents like it.
But enough about Facebook.
Google+
Google+ is the social media flavor of the month, and it’s well-earned. Google managed to make a social network that doesn’t suck. It’s a little half-baked, but anyone who follows Google closely knows that they will iterate the hell out of it fast and furiously.
The ability to organize my connections into separate circles and control what those circles can see is neat. It’s one of those features that users will do all manner of interesting things with.
There are plenty of things it doesn’t do like import videos directly from my YouTube account (as it does with Picasa), or limit my stream based on selected circles, but I’m sure they will add those in the near future.
Best Practices
Just use it, and figure out how it fits into your social media life for yourself.
C.C. Chapman put it nicely (Shared by my friend Lynette Young):
The Bottom-line
I like Google+.
At the moment Google+ is less noisy than Facebook, more organized that Twitter, and less stodgy that LinkedIn.
I have no idea what Google+ will be when it grows up.
I’m not sure how I will use Google+ a month from now.
I have absolutely no clue how Google+ fits into your life.
But I can invite you if still need access. Google+ is worth joining.
Use a Profile Photo, You Aren’t Your Political Beliefs
Everyone knows someone like this…
- All conversations lead to his / her politics
- They hold an unyielding belief that the fate of all existence depends the next election
- Their social media streams endless party-line anti-liberal or anti-conservative garbage
- And their profile pic has become a political banner like this one…
Jackamo – Cross between a jackass and a moron (Urban Dictionary). It’s my new favorite word.
If this sounds like you, you have become your political beliefs, and this crap is annoying the people who care about you. The only people who like it are fellow joyless partisans who have helped you create an echo chamber of thoughtless, one-sided dribble.
This isn’t the person you actually are.
- Turn off the cable news
- Spend politics-free time with loved ones
- Get a hobby
- And use a real photo of yourself with either loved ones, or performing said hobby
Facebook Email
I’m not sure when Facebook activated the service (because I don’t like to message via Facebook), but they are now officially offering @facebook.com email addresses.
You can activate this service from the messages page of your Facebook account if you’d like to have another email account to check.
