Indiana Jones & the big box of nothing

Indiana Jones & the big box of nothing published on 9 Comments on Indiana Jones & the big box of nothing

Here is the scenario –
You find a map that tantalizingly promises a treasure of untold wealth.
You follow the clues, battle through the obstacles and finally reach your goal!

Only to find that the prize is of no worth!
DAMN!

I find the story of Friendster both funny and educational.
It was first to market in the now popular social media space, but squandered the opportunity by not being a reliable service and not engaging it’s users enough to keep them. Read more about this here

Friendster let it’s position slip and MySpace took over.

Ahhh, MySpace.  Remember that site?

Social Miscommunication

Social Miscommunication published on 6 Comments on Social Miscommunication

If I had to pick one factor that was responsible for most conflicts — I would choose miscommunication.
Why? Because miscommunication can create other factors that may lead to conflict.

It happens when one side doesn’t communicate enough information to us, or we misinterpret the real meaning of their words.
This is a becoming a common problem now-a-days because social networking relys so heavily on type-based communication which is ‘asynchronous communication’, meaning that people do not communicate in real time.
Type-based communication does not allow for an immediate feedback response, so our minds have to interpret what the other person is saying based upon their typed words alone.

The delay in response, as well as other factors such as spelling and incorrect use of grammar or punctuation, can greatly increase the chances of miscommunication.
Not to mention that tools such as twitter, plurk & facebook require users to be succinct in what they type. This can suck out any intended meaning or remove other context that will clarify what is meant.

I have been victim to both misinterpreting what was typed & the context in which it was intended, as well as having others read a totally different meaning into what I had posted.
I am sure I am not alone in this.

Like this one time, I thought that @aplusk actually wanted me to follow him because he understood what twitter was all about……..

Modern mating calls

Modern mating calls published on 4 Comments on Modern mating calls

Media influences our language, often bringing popularity to words or phrases which then become a part of the “normal” spoken language.
Social networks & online media is no different.

Many words that use today may come from social media or the internet.
Think about it
– Have you recently said you would ‘tweet’ something?
– ‘LOL‘ed at a joke
– told someone you were facebooking
– asked if you can ‘haz‘ something? (cringe)

These terms sneak in so gradually that it feels natural.
This is not a bad thing. It is certainly not a ‘FAIL‘.

The language needs to keep evolving, as it has done since it was created, in order to stay relevant and reflect what we experience in everyday life.

So, the scenario above is not that hard to imagine.
If you know someone who has tried using “cool” terms like this to pick up, please leave a comment below and dob them in. They deserve to be PWNED.

The terms of separation

The terms of separation published on 3 Comments on The terms of separation

Significant change happens to us all.
Sometimes we see it coming, and other times in pounces on you, like an overactive 4yr old from a trampoline.

We often prepare for things as best we can, by writing wills or deciding who gets custody of the plasma TV & Playstation.
But in this modern age, there are now other things that we need to be aware of when life changes tap us on the shoulder and says “OK, your turn!”

If you died tomorrow, what happens to your facebook or twitter account? (Don’t worry about the Myspace account. No one wants that).

Which of your kids inherits your WOW account, or is allowed to access the media server?

Who gets the iPhone and the passwords to your iTunes account (and free reign of the app store)?

Start thinking people! These things will not take care of themselves!