LinkedIn makes a ton of money off of your resume there even when you don't log in for weeks, months. Because your resume is data. Facebook has a larger user base, a more engaged user base. It is constantly collecting data. But it is not monetizing it like LinkedIn is monetizing it.
Facebook's monetization so far has been like if Google had run banner ads like Yahoo back in 2002. That would have been such a dud.
The top mobile app on all smartphone and tablet platforms - Facebook - struggles with mobile. That's pathetic. The top site to collect data on human behavior struggles with monetization. That's pathetic.
I don't know but I am guessing there are a few different players in what I call the specific check in space, but I only know one: FoodSpotting. And if there are others, FoodSpotting sure has the best seat in the house. Checking into a book, or movie or music is not actually checking in. It is not location specific. The Like button by any other name.
Much of the special going out involves eating and drinking for many people. And each such check in place, by definition, is a business. Caching. As opposed to when someone checks into Central Park - and people do - that is hard to monetize. Street vendors: don't count on them.
Social is central to Facebook. A different kind of social is central to Twitter. But if Google Wave is going to be a mere appendage to the larger Google offerings, social is going to be peripheral. But Google is not trying to enmesh Google Wave to the rest of its offerings. If anything I get the impression Google is working hard to release the pigeon. Fly, pigeon, fly.
Google Wave wants to be fundamental to the web experience like Google Search has been fundamental to the web experience. The word wave is going to become like the word tweet, like the word stream. I like the water metaphors. Water is my favorite substance. Water best represents the inherent formlessness of a nimble mind.
So is a stand alone Google Wave capable of challenging Facebook and Twitter? I am not worried about the stand alone part. Google could not have kept Android in-house like Microsoft has kept Windows in-house. Google Wave is a creature of the wild west. It can not be kept in-house. But releasing the pigeon is also the best possible business decision for Google the company. A vibrant Google Wave will expand the Google space. A vibrant Android is going to vastly expand the Google space. A larger cloud, a more happening cloud just gives more and more room to Google ads. And that is where the money is for Google. Giving away is great business practice. Giving away is tens of billions in new dollars.
So does Google Wave stand to challenge Facebook and Twitter, the two services that seemed to have stolen the buzz from Google these past few years? The short answer is Google Wave is the next big thing.
Just like Twitter stole the buzz from Facebook, Google Wave is going to steal the buzz from Twitter. Twitter will still be around like Facebook is still around and growing, but the sexy glow is going to shift over to Google Wave.
The question again pops up: so, what's the next big thing after Wave? The next big thing after Wave might no longer be in that 2D space occupied by Google, Facebook, Twitter and Wave. (Google's Newest Venture: Google Ventures) Wave attempts something that is very close to face to face communication. Maybe the next, next big thing is face time itself. Maybe the next, next, next big thing is not in the technological realm, but in the human realm.
Or maybe I am a little premature in my declaration. If the next thing after the stream was the wave, maybe the next thing after the wave will be the tsunami. (Of Waves And Tsunamis) Tsunami might be a technological development. We might realize when a million or 10 million - or a hundred million Chinese - create waves, we end up with a tsunami, and that tsunami can not be intelligently handled by the current wave technology, it needs a whole new set of tools and massive, new capabilities. The sum is not the whole of the parts. The sum is a whole new reality. A cell is made up of atoms, but a cell is a new level of reality.
Twitter has been more interesting to me than Facebook for months now. I was up at 1500 friends at Facebook and Facebook went ahead and deleted my account. I created a new one. I have less than 600 friends now with about 70 friend requests I have not approved.
My number one urge at Facebook was I wanted to say hello to people I had not met, but wanted to say hello to. I wanted to meet new people. But I kept hitting glass walls and ceilings.
At Twitter meeting new people is all the rage. That is why I like Twitter so much.
You create a wave by inviting people, so you start out by limiting yourself to people you already know. But person A knows person B knows person C knows person D, but person A does not know C and D. So a wave can be created with a group of people who don't all know each other. And ultimately a wave can be published like a blog post. At that point anyone can participate, not necessarily in the same wave, but there are comments sections, you can link to a wave, you can quote from it.
Twitter was an answer to a major gripe I had with Facebook. Why can't I meet new people? Wave might be an answer to my other Facebook gripe. Why can't I deepen my relationship with my existing friends? A wave lets you deepen your understanding of people around you. Conversations and collaborations like never before become possible.
Of course the wave is social. So if the wave is social and if it is the next big thing after Facebook and Twitter, does it stand to challenge Facebook and Twitter?
I am not predicting the death of Facebook, I am not predicting the death of Twitter. But the two have just been told they are but niche products. Ultimately all products are but niche products.
Sturdier build, richer experience, is that where we are headed with donut? I have been scouring for details, not many are forthcoming.
We don't seem to know when either. But the anticipation level is very high.
For me it is not just about the mobile phones, although Android seems to really want to open up the territory, for me it is even more about the Netbook space. I am eager to see how Android will reshape the Netbook space.
In The News
Sony Ericsson baking Donut Android phonesReg Hardware several Android phones based on the GoogleOS’ Donut edition ..... little’s yet known about the Donut update’s features. ..... Donut will feature greater multimedia support .... strong contenders in the entertainment category.
Android 2.0 “Donut”Android Phone Fans - Phandroid.com not only are these rumors, but they were Russian rumors translated into English and then went through my rough deciphering capabilities after a spin through the Google Translate machine ..... This would be hilarious if true considering the current version (1.5) has gained incredible popularity with the Cupcake name. ..... The radical difference, which is why everything is silent, that the new machines are built on the Android OS 2.0 code-named Donut. ..... “Acer” is mentioned as launching a Donut based Android Phone. Google Groups: Android Platform
Samsung Prepping Two Smartphones Running Android 2.0Brighthand The Spica ..... 3-inch QVGA touchscreens, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, 3 MPx cameras, and microSD card slots ...... The release of the next version of Google's OS isn't going to happen for about 6 months ...... support for additional screen resolutions: WVGA and QVGA ....... Only HVGA displays are supported by Android 1.5, while both of Samsung's upcoming models will reportedly have QVGA ones. T-Mobile Delays Android 1.5 Update, Android 2.0 SpottedInformationWeeka first look at Android 2.0 will make you want to skip 1.5 altogether. ...... Android is trading cupcakes for donuts. ...... an HTC-customized version of Android, and its very slick.
T-Mobile USA: G1 Cupcake Update Delayed 1 WeekAndroid Phone Fans - Phandroid.com Updates on Acer, Sony Ericsson, and Panasonic HandsetsAndroidGuys “We are seriously considering developing an Android-based handset and entering overseas mobile phone markets in fiscal 2010.” ..... The term ‘near’ future is subjective so don’t go thinking 2.0 is right around the corner just yet. ..... With 9 out of 10 upcoming handset running Windows Mobile, the smartest phone they’ll release in 2009 will be Android. Motorola Morrison Android handset T-Mobile-boundT3 a Motorola Android phone, the Motorola Morrison. .... the scheduled launch date is down as the start of November ..... the version most phone makers have been gearing their handsets to using. ....... Motorola has promised Android phones before the year is out and has been reported as seeing Android as its last shot at sticking with the big boys. ....... the Morrison looks to be phone equivalent of its supermarket namesake, solid and dependable and possibly a little cheaper than the competition. But we'll reserve judgement until we see the full details, a bigger picture and ideally, get hands-on with it. HTC Hero's Android Build Caught on VideoSoftpedia Android Cupcake, Donut, Eclair and Beyond…Android Phone Fans - Phandroid.com
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