Technically Speaking

Even with one arm tied behind my back, I was able to still enter in my MySpace developer platform thoughts last night.

Weird how timing is everything, since I didn’t have the big announcement at all. It’s covered of course better on TechCrunch, but hey, wasn’t my post a bit more interesting?

Technically Speaking, MySpace is huge, don’t let the recent surge of other social networks blind you to the reality - MySpace has the numbers still by a large margin. The surge you read about for Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, etc - is basically what I term “fluff n’ stuff“.

I happened to attend the MySpace Developers launch party back in February at their new San Francisco office. Nice party. Nice dreams.

Overture

People in the ad business were drooling at the possible access to over 60 million users, or whatever number they want us to believe this month, they have on their social network. I’m not here to argue numbers on who has more users in the social net world. We know that even though Facebook was just reported to be surging upwards, MySpace still is the biggest player on the block.

Reality hit quickly when MySpace launched to the world their open developer platform a few months later. Apps didn’t take off as everyone thought. There was no viral way to promote your application. Basically developers were writing MySpace off as a place to only toy with. Every application developer I chatted with said they were waiting.

Reality Check - Your app sucks!

Here is the reality. Most developers need to think closer to the box than so far outside of it that the only people that enjoy their app is the developer team and 5 of their nerd buddies.

That is what I see more times than not. People are out there developing apps just because “they can”. Instead of thinking what would work and what would interest a diverse audience, they end up thinking - “what is the coolest piece of code I could write that would make this float here and there… etc.. etc.. “.

What ends up happening is the app might totally rock, but no one gets it. See above 5 nerd buddies and the coding team. You are not going to be able to utilize any ad network to make you money on an application that no one “gets” or knows what it’s suppose to do.

Think Musician

You have a choice, be the musician that is winning the local awards as the best singer, best songwriter, best local top dog - or be the musician that figures out the business. You can’t play the business of music if you stick too close to your guns. The same thought process should go into the app writing business.

Before you start writing that next great MySpace (bigger audience) or Facebook application, look around you. What is hitting, and why? Is it something that is cross cultural accepted? Is it something enjoyable to visit? Is it basically ripping off the long time favorite “Hot or Not” with a new name and twist?

After you figure that out, you need to answer the next question. If I rip off someone else’s idea that worked once, will it work again? This part is another of the lessons you learn as a musician. Just because you wrote “Livin’ On A Prayer” part II, it doesn’t give you a license to a #1 hit.

The Point

The point is really quite simple. MySpace does work, and now is more viral with built in inviting turned on. It can be some place to really make some serious money. The first thing you need to do is look around to see what is working.

I can tell you what works. I received a free t-shirt at that party above. It says “MySpace - Makes work FUN! (thumbs up)“. Things that are familiar and fun are what works on either social network. I have yet to see a totally confusing, but really well coded app, make it.

How do I know this? Well of course I view statistics everyday. Up until recently, our publishers who had MySpace apps had very little traction. It was like MySpace was a cursed place and their developer platform was a joke.

Technically Speaking, the joke really is the number of talented developers that are not thinking through what they are writing for social networks; Keep It Simple Stupid and FUN! Maybe I should start a conference called “KISS and FUN!“?

Sprint is announcing that it will be even easier to get on your MySpace page. No typing, but a single click will get you there. Also, since MySpace is a property of FOX, you will be able to reach other FOX pages.

Instead of typing the entire address, cell phone users will be able to connect to News Corp’s service by clicking a link, the companies said in a joint statement.

The deal will also include links to News Corp’s other Internet properties, including FOXSports.com and IGN.

Technically Speaking, it’s all News Corp to me. exercise bikes

Well, well, well… a new day and another new twist to the social networking ballgame. With the latest announcement that MySpace (as well as Six Apart) signing up as an Open Social partner — it’s game on! Looks like the days of the MySpace “big but irrelevant” is taking a well needed turn. *** As well as - Bebo - announced as a partner.

Now grant it, MySpace is in dire need of a code clean up, but this partnership makes the company a real player again, and not just a huge pile of turds waiting to be swept away. This is almost like the day Dr. Frankenstein unleashed the beast. Ok, not quite that dramatic!

Technically Speaking, updates are pouring in via many places, twitter being one of them. ** Interesting - GOOG was on a downturn today at the market close, but I foresee it going upwards in the morning!

More - VentureBeat
More - Mashable

MySpace, the internet darlings of the past, which was recently superseded by the internet darlings of today (Facebook) now has a confirmed that their co-founder Tom is about to celebrate his 37th birthday soon (November 8th). Newsweek and TechCrunch both reported this.

Personally speaking, only a few people know my real age. I don’t believe it’s an overwhelming big deal unless he was going to use his age fraudulently to make monetary gains. I don’t think it reflects good or bad on the company MySpace, as they have their own issues to resolve that are bigger than the age of the co-founder. Tom could easily pass for 32 or whatever he wants to say his age is.

Technically Speaking, early happy birthday to ya Tom!

MySpace, the leader of social network is doing something groundbreaking, if it was still last year, 2006. Quite interesting that they finally realized that with 70 million or whatever number the user base is reported this week, that they decided the targeting idea was great. I’m not complaining at all, in fact I think it’s great that they have caught up to 2007.

What I find funny about all of this is the fact the data has been out there forever. I wonder sometimes what compels people to finally realize that ads should be targeted. I think I might have spoken on this subject, uhm, in 2006. I’m glad to see that social networks have realized that it was time that I didn’t want to see a floating dinosaur. ceiling fans

Now as far as another advertisement for that over advertised (can there be such a thing?) dating network, I truly want to know where these women exist. You have seen the ads, because if they would actually use the data that is in my profile, you would see “in a relationship”. If I wanted to see dating ads don’t you think that I would have put “single/wanting to get a piece”?

Technically Speaking, that last comment was crude, but it’s kind of sad to report on something I talked about in 2006 just seeming like the “in thing” of 2007. Also covered in a round up here. I guess that should have been my first clue before I decided to write something.

* In the right hand corner after you hit start - you will see “1/21″ - click the right arrow to get to Episode 21!

Episode 21 notes:

Warner-Imeem settle

Warner Music Group has dropped its lawsuit against Imeem, the music sharing site, and in an interesting turn of events, has instead decided to offer up its entire music and video catalog in a revenue-sharing agreement.

VentureBeat coverage

Warner Music Group is offering its entire music and video catalog for free streaming on imeem, a Web site focused on letting users share music playlists.

thefind - clean shopping site - $15 million

TheFind is a comparison shopping search engine that is unusually clean — it doesn’t ask merchants to pay for their products to show up in results. TheFind’s traffic is growing.

This purity is one reason it has just won $15 million in fresh backing from big-name investors Bain Capital, Redpoint Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

UPS embraces technology

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Worldport, the United Parcel Service hub at the airport here, gives new meaning to the phrase “hub of activity.” On a peak night, workers have less than four hours to process more than a million packages from at least 100 planes and probably 160 trucks.

MySpace

All this attention on Facebook must be getting under MySpace’s skin.

Despite posting good growth, the company is being treated as a carton of milk left in the open overnight. While Facebook is a rocket whose upward trajectory cannot be denied, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of MySpace’s death are highly exaggerated. To counter the perceptions, MySpace is going to launch a PR offensive tomorrow, touting its recent growth.

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Sprint killing over 1000 accounts - now it seems it’s a big deal in the mainstream media. This leads me to believe the real reason that top C level executives are leaving old media. They are tired of the pace that it seems to move. Tired of the way old media has not embraced new media. Yes I already talked about Sprint last Friday.

I don’t blame them one bit. That is why I set up Planet Social Media Services. I’m not out to kill traditional places, I’m just here to offer the new companies the option of getting there via the social media outlets that are available. Using the tried and tested methods that rocketed Lending Club to where it is today; only like 50 days after launch on May 24th.

You can’t argue with the data that was reported both by TechCrunch and Mashable. Most interesting is watching from the inside how traditional media sources are also picking up on the buzz that is being created.

Places like the Boston Globe as well as the San Francisco Business Times and Kiplinger.

This all leads us back to where it all started. Well not where it started obviously as there were many that tried to get traction before, but MySpace is now recognized as the leader.

Why? Well fresh out of Europe is this look at how they have taken over the world. Not quite, but they have millions of registered users. I say registered, not active. The activity is high, as I can tell when it goes bonkers, but what is the actual activity going on?

A bit dangerous to talk about, but I’m glad that VentureBeat covered the porn connection of Stickam. I’m sure by the morning there will be some denials as well as clear distinction being made. The facts remain, I know VB does fact checking. Not only will they fact check, but they will double and triple fact check if need be. One site that I trust, will rather run a story late or not at all if the facts are not all checked - is VentureBeat.

Statistics. You have to love them, hate them, or just ignore them and continue doing what you do best. Allen is correct, stats are a freakin’ joke. He makes a valid point about “time spent on a site” as something that could be easily challenged and gamed.

Once again it’s to my main point that I have said many times now. Why are some sites considered the leader, and other stats ignored because the leader(s) say to ignore them?

I am agreeing totally, there needs to be a new stat master and I for one would love to see Allen be the one to erase the slate and come up with something. His background in the industry more than qualifies him to be the new slate eraser and creator all in one stroke.

Technically Speaking, I should have been working some more, but it’s been a long productive day and tomorrow awaits!

* In the right hand corner after you hit start - you will see “1/11″ - click the right arrow to get to Episode 11!

Episode 11 notes:

Mugglenet

Emerson Spartz, the 20-year-old creator of the popular Harry Potter fan site Mugglenet (mugglenet.com), experienced a similar run-of-the-mill adolescence. “I wasn’t an entrepreneur when I started,” says Spartz, who now tallies more than 1 million hits per day at Mugglenet. “I became one after I realized the Web site’s potential.”

Although worried that his image as a businessman could tarnish his Potterhead status, Spartz tells BusinessWeek he pulls in “a six-figure income.” To angry fans who accuse him of financially exploiting their Potter passions, he simply cites server costs: Once a minor fiscal drain, they now run $125,000 annually. “If I can meet Harry Potter fans’ needs and make money at the same time, why shouldn’t I?” he asks.

Business and web 2.0

We’re now at the busy crossroads where globalization meets Web 2.0. This presents both a challenge to the old ways of doing business and an opportunity to gain tremendous leverage via the right goods and services. To thrive in this era, companies will have to figure out how to engage young people from all over the world when they conceive of products and services. Businesses need their help in turning concepts into finished products and, especially, in marketing them. Another angle: Companies can follow the trail of blogs and social networking sites to find and recruit young employees all over the world.

Better get used to it. Flying blind is the unavoidable consequence of coming to terms with today’s most important demographic group: the tens of millions of digital elite who are in the vanguard of a fast-emerging global youth culture. Because of smartphones, blogs, instant messaging, Flickr, MySpace, Skype, YouTube, digg, and de.lic.ious, young people scattered all over are instantly aware of what’s happening to others like them everywhere else. This highly influential group, many of whom are also well-heeled, is sharing ideas and information across borders and driving demand for consumer electronics, entertainment, autos, food, and fashion. Think of it as a virtual melting pot. As the population of the young and Web-savvy grows into the hundreds of millions, the pot is going to boil.

Plaxo re-launch

Plaxo, the contacts updating service, was popular briefly a few years ago but then started irritating people — it would constantly ping you with update requests from friends and solicitations to join Plaxo.

In short, it got a reputation of being “evil,” and then turned quiet, and we wondered if we’d ever hear from it again.

But tomorrow, the company launches with a promising new release. It’s a complete overhaul, and extremely ambitious. In some ways, it looks like it wants to target Facebook.

GigaOm spin on Plaxo

Now you can sync your Google Calendar and Address Book with your corporate calendar and address book Exchange/Outlook, Apple Apps, LinkedIn, and any other web service or software you prefer to use. (I say almost because there are still some platforms that are not supported, and the beta release isn’t quite bug free.) The Mountain View, Calif.-based start-up has just executed a reboot as a web-based service, and is now focusing on syncing. The company is also making all the information available via its mobile page: m.plaxo.com.

Google-Grand Central

Big rumor of the day: Google is buying GrandCentral. We checked with GrandCentral and they declined to comment. If it indeed does happen, it would be delicious irony: Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet were with DialPad, which got sold to Yahoo. So this would even the score. GrandCentral has raised about $4 million from Minor Ventures and has been looking to raise more cash. Google dollars might be an easier option.

Via - TechCrunch post - Google-GrandCentral

Spotplex

The web offers more than a few sites with variations on the Digg theme, but Spotplex, which has designed a potentially more democratic ranking system, is different.

Instead of the submit-and-vote system used by Digg and its clones, Spotplex ranks articles based on the number of impressions they get. Bloggers insert a line of code into their blogs, and Spotplex works in the background, tallying each time someone lands on an article’s page.

Mashable spin on Spotplex

The good thing about this service is that it’s rather hands off for bloggers; no need to go back to the site to re-distribute content or bookmark it. Of course the downfall of this model is that only items submitted by bloggers can be searched. In order for it to become an ideally useful tool for both bloggers and readers alike,

Google Reader down

Michael Arrington

MySpace vs Facebook

Over the last six months, i’ve noticed an increasing number of press articles about how high school teens are leaving MySpace for Facebook. That’s only partially true. There is indeed a change taking place, but it’s not a shift so much as a fragmentation. Until recently, American teenagers were flocking to MySpace. The picture is now being blurred. Some teens are flocking to MySpace. And some teens are flocking to Facebook. Which go where gets kinda sticky, because it seems to primarily have to do with socio-economic class.

More on Yahoo management shuffle

SAN FRANCISCO — Yahoo Inc. said Sunday that its chief domestic sales officer had resigned and that the company would merge its search and display advertising departments in the U.S. as the Internet powerhouse fights to catch up with online search leader Google Inc.

Yahoo said it hoped the latest shake-up would streamline the way it sold advertising to customers who increasingly want to buy ads across a variety of formats, including being linked to search terms, popping up as a graphical display and being shown as video.

The reshuffling comes after a major executive overhaul announced last week, with co-founder Jerry Yang replacing Terry Semel as chief executive. In the latest organizational change, Yahoo said Wenda Millard, chief sales officer in the U.S., was leaving the company effective immediately.

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Click forward and if you need any help using the SplashCast above, please ask! It’s a great application, you just have to think “like watching TV in one channel; click forward to the next episode” - Of course if I can’t help - I know “Mr SplashCast” Marshall Kirkpatrick will be more than willing to help you understand the concept.

Link Blog is updated.

I tried to add the links at the end of Episode 2, but for some reason it wouldn’t save, so here they are below:

back to the future - Jerry Yang at the hem - but will profit make a comeback?

facebook and myspace

virtual tradshows - Unisfair new startup offering virtual events

google to buy apple

one of the first publicly- traded companies dedicated to uniting social networking and online commerce into social commerce (sCommerce).

search for video

iPhone will be able to play YouTube Video

Danl young people use cellphones to make payments without owning a credit card, according to the WSJ

Yahoo acquires Rivals.com - college and HS sports online network

Read - Lending Club blog
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I’m also located on social networks such as - Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ojeez, Vertagio, and the new Mashable one.

Technically Speaking, what do you think so far? Do you already understand how SplashCast works? If not, please ask!