Best Evil Robot
Here is a cool link that was sent to me about the Best Evil Robot. Its pretty cool, check it out and make sure to Digg It!
Another post coming today!
Twitter Needs Support for Tagging
Hello readers!
After doing some thinking about my Twitter posts and the reactions to them, I believe I have come up with an idea that will improve the quality of twitter and cut out several of my rules for proper Twitter Etiquette.
What is my idea? Tagging. I believe it would be very beneficial to tag Twitter posts. By requiring users to tag their twitter posts, it would allow for an easy search of Twitter posts on a related topic. If you are looking to find somebody's post about an event, you can just search by their used tags. Not only would this allow for a powerful search feature, but tagging could used to follow specific topics.
Like I talked about in my first Twitter Etiquette post, not all users want to follow your posts about specific events or topics. By allowing people to tag their posts (ex: sxsw), other users could choose not to receive notification of tweets when users post with a specific tag. This would eliminate the need for multiple accounts. If somebody wanted to promote one of their projects, you can choose to see or not see the post by filtering messages based upon the post tag.
The concept of tagging would give great power to all types of Twitter users. Tagging opens up a whole new world of possibilities and uses for Twitter. Allowing users to have a greater degree of customization over their use and experience is the key to adoption beyond the new media and geek crowds. If anybody from Twitter happens to read this post, give much consideration to this idea as it would be a huge benefit to your service.
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
Twitter Etiquette Part 2!
Greetings Readers!
I have been surprised by the reaction I have received in last post about Twitter Etiquette. I expected to get flamed, but not quite like I did. I have decided to write a second post in response to the reaction I have received from the first post. I also have some new rules that were brought to my attention after the original post. Before I introduce the additions to my list of rule for proper Twitter etiquette, I shall respond to some of the comments I received over the last story.
Before I respond to specific issues, my "rules" are not something enforceable and are not intended to be. They are for the benefit of the Twitter users and in hopes of keeping the Twitter service stable. Twitter doesn't need any help to crash, excessive usage doesn't do them any favors. That said, it seems that many people do not understand what Twitter is.
Twitter is a micro-blogging service, NOT a chat room or instant messenger. If you want to have large discussions, use an IRC chat, not massive @ usage. People who don't care about your @ conversation don't want their feed spammed with your conversation because you are too inconsiderate to move to an actual chat room.
I have had a number of people suggest that I stop following people that I had these issues with. I don't like doing that because occasionally these people Twitter something I find valuable. In the months that I have used Twitter, I have followed probably 50 different people. I stopped following four of the top users that I was following and it cut the tweets I receive by probably 75%. While I won't name names, but it is people like them that flood everybody's Twitter feeds which ruin the experience for their fellow users. I don't like to stop following people, but if you have an unhealthy obsession with Twitter that creates a less enjoyable user experience for me, I will stop following you. The purpose of my list is so that people don't create a less enjoyable experience for others.
The final point I want to address that I have received some feedback on is my thought of multiple accounts. While nobody seems to disagree with my idea of moving automated posts to a second account, many people don't seem to understand my idea of having different accounts for different purposes. The purpose of having multiple accounts is that followers may care about some things you post, but not everything. By having an account for multiple things, you can have happy followers that care about that particular topic but don't want to be inundated with messages that you post about other topics. I will give you an example. Say somebody hosts a large number of podcasts or blogs about several different topics. If I enjoy some podcasts or blogs but don't care about others, I don't want updates about the stuff I don't care about. Having to sort through the posts I don't care about to get to those that I do is both inconvenient and frustrating from a user experience standpoint. Having choices is always better than being forced to take everying.
Now that my response to reader comments is over, I want to introduce a couple of new rules for proper Twitter etiquette.
- Messages should not be split up over multiple Twitter posts. There is a reason you only have 140 characters to post in. Like I mentioned earlier, Twitter is a micro-blogging service. If what you have to post about takes more than one post, it should be posted in a blog.
- Twitter is not a chat room. If you are having large conversations that involve multiple users, move it into an actual chat room. There is a reason that IRC has been used for many years and is still very popular. It is far better for a conversation than filling up peoples feed with @ messages about whatever you are discussing.
- Posting the exact same message multiple times should be avoided at all costs. If you are unsure that a message went through, check your feed before you post the same thing over again. Nobody likes to be flooded with identical posts, especially if its something they don't care about.
I have no plans to write a third blog post on this topic unless I see it necessary as I have other topics I would like to write about. If I feel the need to respond to a comment, I will do so in the comments section. Before you post a comment, keep in mind that my list is to improve the user experience of the twitter users, not attack your personal usage habits.
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
Twitter Etiquette
With the explosion in popularity that Twitter has received, especially with the massive usage at SXSW, it has become very clear that some facets of twitter are beginning to annoy people. For the benefit of all twitter users, I have made a list of rules for Twitter usage.
- Conversations that require more more than two @ replies should be moved over to a direct message. People not involved in the conversation don't want to be spammed with conversation that should either take place at the water cooler or in private. I don't care if you are trying to decide on a place for lunch with your twitter friend. If it doesn't involve a large number of your twitter followers, don't fill our twitter feed with your discussions.
- If you are going to Twitter events, do it on an alternate account. For the sake of the sanity of those not at the event such as SXSW, we don't need to be made jealous by your twittering of every person you run into or panel you listen to. Use a second account that your followers can follow if they want to know every detail about your event experience.
- You should not twitter more than once every 15 min unless it is in reply to another twitter user. Certainly there are situations that make for an exception to this rule, but generally speaking, especially those people that are alerted via text message, get annoyed with constant twitters from a single person. It can also be very costly to those that get message via text message. I have stopped following several people for excessive twitter usage. You should never twitter more than 30 times in a day unless you want to lose followers.
- Do not follow massive amounts of random Twitter users for no reason. I have had many random people follow me that only a handful of people follow, yet they follow thousands of people. You cannot keep up with all of those people and are generally seen as a spammer hoping people will follow them so they can promote their projects. As a personal rule, there is no way I will follow you if you follow more than a thousand people than follow you.
- Automated Twitter messages should be done on a second account. I have noticed this problem primarily with Twitter users that use their account to announce things like when they are broadcasting on sites like Justin.tv. If you are going to enable such an automated Twitter messaging feature, use a second account for it so that if you have a bad connection and are constantly coming on and off, people don't get spammed with messages they don't want. Much like having a second account for Twittering about events, the same goes for automated Twitter messages.
- Don't post the same thing to multiple services. If you are going to have accounts for all the different services like Utterz and Pownce, post unique messages to each service. Don't post the same thing to all of the services. Nobody wants to receive the same message multiple times because they follow you on multiple services. Decide what you want to post to what service and stick with it. Don't post a single message to multiple services.
- If you have many projects that you want to plug updates on Twitter, make dedicated accounts for each project. I admit to breaking this rule, but if you have a project that you post every change you make, or have multiple projects that have regular changes, they should have their own, dedicated accounts. It is always a good idea to keep business and personal things separate. Not only will this keep from annoying your current followers, but it will also allow people interested in your projects to stay up to date without getting messages about every aspect of your life.
If you want to keep your followers happy and grow in Twitter popularity, I highly recommend following these rules. These are the rules that I have come up with that seem to address the worst problems I find on Twitter. If you have more to add to the list or have an issue with my rules, please post your opinion in the comments. While I choose twitter, many of these rules apply for the other services such as Pownce or Utterz.
There are now even more Twitter Etiquette rules! Check out Twitter Etiquette Part 2!
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
Is Terrestrial Radio Dead?
Yesterday, I received a twitter message from Leo Laporte with the simple question, "Is radio dead?" While I wouldn't exactly call terrestrial radio dead as millions of people still listen to it, I do believe that it is dying a slow death.
With the increasing number of people flocking to satellite radio or the internet for music, fewer and fewer people are able to say that they continue to listen to traditional radio stations. While many people still see traditional radio as an adequate way to listen to music, news, talk radio and more, it is quickly becoming a means of last resort to listen to audio broadcasts.
Terrestrial radio suffers from two major problems, commercials and content. The single biggest complaint I have had about terrestrial radio for years has been the commercials. With many stations, its not uncommon to hear 15 min of commercials in an hour, often in sizable chunks. While many people aren't as bothered by them on television and typically use the time for a bathroom break, make a sandwich, or place a phone call, such a format is not ideal for the listener on radio where most people are trapped in their car when listening to the radio with nothing to do but listen to the commercial or change the station. This is much of the reason for the popularity of satellite radio. For a monthly fee, you don't have to worry about commercials and you can drive coast to coast while still listening to your favorite station. While I have yet to make the transition to satellite radio, the large blocks of commercials is the primary reason that when I am commuting, I listen primarily to CDs or podcasts on my Zune.
The other problem is content. With traditional radio stations targeting a broad audience, it is often hard to find a station that plays more music that you like than what you don't. With many stations playing music genres that span decades, it is often hard to find a station that plays more artists and songs that you like, than those that you don't. It is this which I believe has fueled the rise of internet radio, mp3 players and podcasts.
With internet radio, mp3 players and podcasts, music, talk radio, news and more has become about what the individual listener wants, rather than the shotgun blast of traditional radio which stations hope will please as many listeners as possible at a single time. With internet radio services such as Pandora and Shoutcast, it has become very easy for listeners to still be provided the content that they love, but still find new music based upon their likes and dislikes. For those on the go that still want access to the music they love, mp3 players are continually increasing in popularity. With custom playlists and easy ways to purchase music, mp3 players have become the gadget of choice for those wanting their favorite tunes no matter where they are. For those that prefer talk radio, podcasts have become the way they stay up to date with news and listen to the topics they love. While not all podcasts are talking, podcasts allow people to search for specific content based on the topics they enjoy, such as technology, space, news, entertainment and much more.
Clearly, until radio finds a new advertising model and a better way to become more listener centric, it will continue to bleed listeners to other mediums. While radio won't die tomorrow, I hold little hope that it will be around in 10 or 15 years.
Loading ...Blogroll
Buy me a Pizza!
Archives
- March 2010 (7)
- February 2010 (2)
- January 2010 (7)
- December 2009 (3)
- November 2009 (5)
- October 2009 (4)
- September 2009 (7)
- August 2009 (5)
- July 2009 (4)
- June 2009 (17)
- May 2009 (8)
- April 2009 (3)
- March 2009 (3)
- February 2009 (1)
- January 2009 (6)
- December 2008 (10)
- November 2008 (11)
- October 2008 (7)
- September 2008 (13)
- August 2008 (2)
- July 2008 (6)
- June 2008 (13)
- May 2008 (6)
- April 2008 (1)
- March 2008 (8)
- January 2008 (1)
- December 2007 (1)
- October 2007 (2)
- August 2007 (1)
- September 2006 (1)
- July 2006 (4)
- June 2006 (1)
Categories
- Advertising (4)
- Apple (10)
- blogging (23)
- Blu-ray (7)
- computers (3)
- Consumer Electronics (14)
- Desktop (2)
- DVD (3)
- E-mail (1)
- Education (1)
- format wars (1)
- gadgets (4)
- Gaming (21)
- Global Geek News (8)
- Google (1)
- HD-DVD (1)
- high-def (2)
- Hulu (1)
- Internet (34)
- Invites (1)
- Kindle (2)
- Linux (1)
- Microsoft (24)
- MIX 2010 (6)
- mobile OS (3)
- Net Neutrality (1)
- New Media (5)
- Nintendo (4)
- Old Media (2)
- online video (4)
- PDC 2009 (2)
- Personal Branding (5)
- piracy (3)
- Podcasting (5)
- Portable Media (8)
- Productivity (2)
- Red Hat (1)
- retail (7)
- Reviews (1)
- search (3)
- security (4)
- social networking (7)
- Software Development (1)
- Sony (7)
- storage (1)
- Tech Tips (2)
- TechCrunch50 (6)
- The Cloud (2)
- Twitter (15)
- Ubuntu (1)
- Uncategorized (21)
- User Experience (3)
- Viral Videos (1)
- Windows (4)
Seven Suggestions for Becoming a Constructive Commenter
While this isn't the first time I have run into this issue, my recent posts about Twitter Etiquette has helped me realize the importance of constructive commenting.
Comments like "First!", "Bite me", "You suck", as well as other mindless garbage should not be posted in a blog or social news websites comments. These comments have nothing to do with the posting and are not only rude, but do nothing to further the conversation. If you are going to waste your time on the internet do something other than waste peoples space and bandwidth.
I'm not saying you have to agree with everything somebody posts, but if you have an opposing view, state it and the thought process behind it. Saying something like "You are wrong" does nothing to further the conversation. Offer constructive criticism! The internet is about the free sharing of ideas, not the flaming of other people simply because you do not understand or believe in what they say. Here are a few tips for leaving constructive comments.
Following these guidelines will help you become a valued commenter on any blog or social news outlet. Remember, on the internet knowledge is valued and trolls are despised. Most importantly, respect the opinions of others if you want others to respect yours.
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray