Posts Tagged: social networking

Facebook — 7 Comments
19
Mar 08

Preview: Facebook Instant Messaging

Word is that Facebook is planning to launch instant messaging really soon. Well, thanks to someone who captured the video below, that has been confirmed. Facebook is going to launch instant messaging soon which is really powerful.

Google did a really great job of integrating GMail and Google Talk, which I think helped the two take off much faster as the services complimented each other, email and IM. Now most of us have more Facebook friends than GMail contacts, which means there is going to be a whole lot more chatting on Facebook.

I have been thinking about Facebook’s instant messaging move and here are some of my thoughts:

  • Support on Facebook Mobile
    If Facebook creates a mobile application or enables it on mobile devices, we will definitely see it compete with a lot of the mobile instant messaging platforms. In our case particularly MXit. Facebook has the numbers to be considered a big threat!
  • Jabber / API Support
    If Facebook allows developers to tap into the instant messaging service via Jabber or API, we are going to see Facebook applications taken to a whole new level. Marketers will also slowly start trying to move their messages across this platform, but it will be really great and bold if Facebook open up the instant messaging platform. It will also allow for integration between other platforms such Google Talk and even Mxit.

Mobile — 4 Comments
27
Feb 08

Mobile – It’s Always Been The Next Big Thing

The latest research shows that mobile social network growth is going to increase quite radically over the next few years. Great, now I have facts and figures to back what I’ve been thinking and saying all along. This is just common sense when you live in a country that has 300%, if not more, cellphone users than internet users.

When companies like Naspers (see MXit), MTN (see NokNok) and Vodacom (see Liv.tv, The Grid and Meep) start investing heavily in mobile applications, then you know they’ve done the maths and it’s going to be big. They’ve gotten in a bit late, in some cases, but never the less they’ve invested in the social mobile space.

US Teen Online Social Network Users

Facebook allows users to access a lot of it’s functionality and features through their mobile and iPhone versions. Which makes it a worthy competitor in the mobile social networking space. However, our own local services such as MXit and Liv.tv are some what more niche than Facebook, giving them the upper hand when it comes to providing certain services and content.

The services that get it right first will benefit from the peak, if they provide a service that adds value to the user. The novelty of social networking has worn off, it’s all about satisfying the user’s needs. However the biggest problem that lies ahead is the portability of user’s data and their social graphs between the different social networks.

So in conclusion to my rambling, mobile is the next big thing. There is a lot of time and effort being put into different mobile social networks, as almost every new web service has a mobile component. It’s going to be interesting to see who comes out on top over the next few years.

Social Media / Web Applications — 3 Comments
18
Feb 08

SDSN – The Adoption Issue

Simple Distributed Social Networking (SDSN) is an initiative started by Charl van Niekerk, Neville Newey and Stii Pretorius. Their aim with the project is simple, as put by Charl:

We believe that the current implementations of distributed social networking are much too complex. This was the main inspiration for this project, hence the name.

Personally I think it’s great that they have started this initiative, even if they are re-inventing the wheel slightly. They have started working on an issue which I feel will become much bigger as the internet evolves. However, I do feel there are many issues with using domains as an identity mechanism.

It’s Way Too Geeky To Adopt

Let us take a look at this from the average user of any social network. Before we can use domains as a solution for identity, we need to ask ourselves the following questions:

  • How many of these users own their own domain name?
  • How many of these users even know what a domain name is?

Sure, we can use 3rd party domains (eg. tylerreed.jaiku.com) but what about the users who are on Facebook or any other social network that doesn’t provide users with a domain? Simple. SDSN can provide users with their own sub domain.

Great, so I just answered what seems to be my own questions about this initiative. Not really, we still having the fundamental issue of adoption. How long will a service like this take to penetrate the average user? The user is going to have to be educated, again. There are still millions of internet users who use social networks, but don’t understand what this is all about. They don’t really care yet.

Facebook / Marketing — 2 Comments
24
Nov 07

Twitter & Facebook – Influencing The Consumer

I decided to do a little experiment and test just how Social Media tools can really influence a consumers decision to purchase. I could have used my blog to prove this point, but I needed almost instantaneous responses from people who form part of my online network. I decided the best place would be Twitter, as it acts like an instant messaging platform.

The Question:
On Twitter: (I am) looking for decent wireless internet.. MTN 3G, Vodacom 3G or iBurst? Anyone got some advice for me?

This question was broadcast to the 68 followers on Twitter, as well as the 500+ friends I have on Facebook due to the fact that Twitter is integrated with my Facebook account.

The Result:
Twitter Responses: 4

Nic Haralambous: I use vodacom usb modem on contract. works like a charm almost everywhere. Even in Grahamstown.

more about Nic

Eve Dmochowska: I am also using vodacom USB modem. Fab.

more about Eve

Uno de Waal: MTN drops the whole time. go with vodacom. very stable and a great interface (mtn’s one sucks).

more about Uno

Simone Puterman: I was using iBurst and then the company switched me to vodacom 3G 3months ago. Initially the 3G drove me nuts but it seems to have improved – not sure if it is weather or just in the Illovo area. My experience of 3G in Grahamstown sucked, though. it depends where in the town.

more about Simone

The 4 people that did respond to my question are highly respected people within the South African blogging arena, they do have lot of influence. They’re opinion will without certainty influence my decision when it comes to subscribing to a reliable 3G service provider.

Facebook Responses: 2

Rushil
Rushil on Facebook

Adrian
Adrian on Facebook

The Conclusion:
Vodacom received 4 positive and 1 negative comments. iBurst received 1 mention and 1 positive comment. MTN received 1 negative comment. While the answers were directed at me, in full public view, they are also visible to the followers and friends of people who responded to me on Twitter and Facebook. The influence hasn’t stopped at me, it could quite possibly be influencing a spectator (or many more) to our conversation.

Facebook / Technology — 3 Comments
5
Nov 07

OpenSocial vs. Facebook Platform – In South Africa

Since the announcement of OpenSocial there has been a lot of talk about the demise of Facebook. I personally believe that it is not close to the end for Facebook or it’s platform. OpenSocial is merely just a competitor, which helps even the playing field a little. There is no reason why the two cannot compete and both be used by developers. I am all for OpenSocial and the Facebook Platform.

If we take a look at the current state of internet usage in South Africa. Facebook is sitting in top spot at number 1 while MySpace and Hi5 are at positions 10 and 36 respectively.

3 Reasons Why OpenSocial Isn’t A Facebook Killer In South Africa

  • Facebook Platform Is Mobile
    Just over a week ago, Facebook announced that the mobile platform went live. This means that developers can enable mobile applications for Facebook. So far, OpenSocial doesn’t allow that. Another hiccup is that not all of the social networks adopting OpenSocial are accessible via mobile yet. The other social networks need to get their mobile sites up to scratch.
  • Centralised Mass vs. Decentralised Minority
    Facebook has more South African users than MySpace and Hi5 combined, so the reach of OpenSocial vs. Facebook Platform is South Africa is in favour of Facebook. Roughly 2.4% of Facebook’s traffic comes from South Africa where as MySpace and Hi5 are receive below 0.5% of their traffic from South Africa. So the huge figures that all the other networks boast combined don’t really affect us locally.
  • Social vs. Open
    Just because OpenSocial is more open doesn’t mean it will start making Facebook look less attractive, I believe it’s the social network that is that most social that will prevail. It’s clear that locally Facebook is more social than any of the others. Users have built up their Facebook profiles and friend lists, they have become accustomed to Facebook. There is no reason for them to move to another platform just yet, in fact at all.

So for the time being, if you want to create an application for a social network that appeals to South Africans then Facebook is the place. If you want to appeal to a global audience then you should consider using both OpenSocial and Facebook together to achieve maximum results. I am fan of OpenSocial but I seriously don’t think it is such a huge threat to Facebook.

Update: Blake Commagere, who has built quite a few successful Facebook applications, shares his thoughts on OpenSocial.

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