Email and instant messaging were invented over 30 years ago when computers and networking technology were in their infancy. Email and IM both mirrored traditional communication channels: snail mail and face-to-face conversations. In many circumstances, this paradigm breaks down. Google Wave assumes today’s technologies (Wikis, cloud data, stronger search algorithms etc.) as the basis for a communication platform.

It is important to note that Google Wave is not designed to be just another Google product but rather it is an entirely new protocol. Anyone could setup their own wave server if they choose to. On that note, it is also important to note that the wave protocol is still under development and is a long way from becoming an email replacement (if it ever does).

The main screen

After signing into Google Wave, you are greeted by three-column interface similar to Microsoft Outlook 2003/2007. Anyone who’s used an email client shouldn’t have too much difficultly figuring this out. I’d say the UI is a bit more intuitive than Gmail’s. The real conceptual difference people need to get used to is the idea that conversations are hosted in one location. Gone are the days of sending emails out to multiple people which usually ends up in a mess of reply chains. Once a wave is started, people can be added as participants who can make changes to any part of the ongoing discussion. In a way, this style of communicating is reminiscent of a discussion forum, however it is much richer thanks to “gadgets.” Gadgets are mini-applications for polls or maps you can put right in the conversation. Ultimately, wave works much better than email for groups of people. The fewer participants a wave has however, the less obvious wave’s benefits are. Also, the built-in chat function behaves in the same way a full wave does. It’s not enough like chat nor is it differentiated enough from a regular wave to really make much sense.

At this point, wave is really just a toy. Many of the features (such as contact management) are still very basic. Also, if wave wants to stand any chance of being adopted, it needs to have some backward compatibility with email.

Aditional Reading:
Google Wave and the Dawn of Passive Aggressive Communication
WSJ: The end of the Email Era

Stalker screenshot

Being tech savvy means I’m usually the one my friends and family come to when they can’t figure something technology-related out. It looks as if maybe one day, the rate of innovation might leave even me in the dust. Scary.

Enter Common Craft. Common Craft is a company that specializes in explanations. They’ve produced plenty of videos that make sense of products or services that aren’t quite so obvious. Two of my favorites are Twitter in Plain English and Google Docs in Plain English.

Other topics include blogs, phishing scams, online video sharing and many more.

Koyono Slimmy Wallet

I’ve had mine for several months now and I love it. It really is a sleek looking wallet. Koyono also has some of the coolest accessories in their collection as well. Be sure to check them out.

Upon further thought, my understanding of how most other people view Facebook, is very ironic. As I’ve previously pointed out, Facebook is a social networking tool. This is where most of misunderstanding is happening on the part of all the Facebook haters. Talking with people about the Facebook changes and taking into consideration previously known statistics, I realized something that should have been much more evident to me sooner. Given the number of photos hosted by Facebook, Facebook is one of the top (if not the top) photo-sharing site on the web. People seem to be viewing Facebook as a photo repository; people primarily view others’ photos (a relatively uninvolved activity). The second most used function seems to be events. Facebook events are a good way to organize things on a limited scale. Again, this is activity requires minimal interaction with others. With these as the primary activities people engage in on Facebook, the backlash against Facebook’s changes are better understood.

Most of the major changes were implemented by Facebook to enhance the social activity of the site. When the News Feed debuted, it provided a simple way to see what your friends were up to. Facebook users however were quick to label it “creepy.” The irony here lies in the fact that people appear uncomfortable with the fact that their activity is viewable by others so easily. Such anxiety completely defeats the purpose of using Facebook as a social tool. The most recent change puts the home page’s focus on status updates, much like Twitter. Facebook actually attempted to buy Twitter at one point, but couldn’t reach a deal; the latest change reflects Facebook’s response to a Twitter-like service. The latest Facebook update orients users around status updates in a conversational fashion. This sort of dialogue is clearly much more social that users merely lurking on the site. People dislike this change because it takes the focus off of what they cared about before: photos and events. This isn’t gone, however. The highlights section on the right side shows is meant specifically for photo albums and events to be shown. It could work better than it does, so there is a legitimate point where the new Facebook haters aren’t entirely wrong.

Ultimately, what Facebook’s mission, and what people actually use Facebook for aren’t quite the same. Overall, the concept of the social web is still very new and I think that fact plays a large role in understanding people’s stances on how Facebook has evolved. Hopefully as people begin to better understand what how they want social media to work for them (learning to use privacy features, moderating self-disclosure, choosing not to participate at all, etc.), there will be less hating on change. The web is the antithesis of static; hating on change just because of change represents a high degree of laziness. It will be interesting to see how Facebook (and other social networking services) continues to evolve as mobile web access becomes more ubiquitous. What’re your thoughts on the new Facebook?

Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

Facebook provides the means to do exactly what it describes. Furthermore, all the information displayed on Facebook is completely voluntary. You even have complete control over who gets to see what information by tweaking the privacy settings. Beyond this, however, the concept of social media isn’t fully understood by everyone it seems. To that, Common Craft has put together a nice video that helps explain it:

Main Page

What do you think of the new Facebook?