Archive for October, 2009

Google's social search circle jerk

Posted by andreaitis on October 27, 2009

This March 25, 2008 file photo shows the sign ...

Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

Everything’s coming up search (again): context and filtering through real-time search, Twitter search, social search, Friendfeed, people-powered search, etc etc.

So when Google launched its Social Search project in G-Labs yesterday, I was pretty excited to check it out. I was all set for the test drive: in one tab, I clicked over and joined the experiment; in another tab, I opened search jedi master Danny Sullivan’s thorough review of Social Search.

One thing I love about the new service is how it makes use of the “social circle” term rather than “social graph,” a phrase more popular in 2007 and 2008 but which doesn’t really explain much to people. Social circle makes sense — these are people you are connected with. They’re in your “circle” of friends.

So far so good. I agree about use of the phrase Social Circle. I never really understood Social Graph, and now I no longer have to nod along in faux deep concentration while someone blathers on about the Social Graph. So thank you for that, Google.

But how does Google know what your social circle is, in order to produce the social search results? Three methods, the company told me, when I talked with Google about the service:

* Your Google Reader account

* Your Google Chat / Gmail Contacts

* Your Google Profile

Okay, I read this part thinking ‘check, check, and check.’ I’ve got all that. And then I did some testing. Lame. Hardly any social search results. After the first few searches, I realized my downfall: I have all that and more. Multiple email addresses, some from way before Gmail existed. My Gmail account never became my primary email address, and that is my social search downfall. According to fellow T/S’er Kashmir Hill, it may also bring me domain shame and detract from my cool-ness, but I can live with that. What I can’t live with is this Social Search limbo.

Do I need to change my email addresses at Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed and Flickr (to start)?

What if I merge my other email addresses into Gmail, will that solve my social search situation?

What about my email domain through Google Apps?

Is this yet again Google’s way of making me bow to its omnipotence on its march to world domination?

Am I just completely socially searchingly inept?

Head over to the Google lab and try social searching here. My self esteem and I look forward to your feedback.

Posted in technology | Tagged: Danny Sullivan, facebook, Friendfeed, google, google reader, search, Social Search, Twitter | 2 Comments »

NYT editor started reading 'mostly digital news' 3 weeks ago. Contemplating cellular phone next.

Posted by andreaitis on October 20, 2009

The headline caught my eye: Bill Keller trying to read the Times “mostly in digital forms”.

Aged news. That’s my first thought. I mean, The Daily Show’s Jason Jones took New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller d-o-w-n when TDS invaded the NYT newsroom.

“Trying.” That’s my second thought. He’s trying to read the New York Times in digital form? I mean, how hard can it be?

Poorly written headline. That’s my third thought. I must be misreading that headline. On to the story:

John Temple, former publisher of the defunct Rocky Mountain News, suggested in July that newspaper editors spend time exclusively reading news on the web, but Keller (and Times managing editor Jill Abramson) are the first I know who have tried it. I emailed Keller to see how the experiment is going, and he obliged with some observations on comprehensiveness, serendipity, and the “balky and drab” experience of reading the Times on a Kindle:

It’s been about three weeks of consuming my NYT (and competition) mostly in digital forms: desktop (the website proper), TimesReader (on a notebook), iPhone and Kindle. In truth, I cheat some on weekends. I love print, and while this experience is making me appreciate more the versatility and creativity of our web staff, nothing has yet made me love print less.

via Bill Keller trying to read the Times “mostly in digital forms” » Nieman Journalism Lab

Brain overload:

1. Yes, headline is correct. He’s trying to read news in digital form…

2. …for three weeks? THREE weeks???

3. Someone had to suggest he do this?!?!?

Love print all you want, Mr. Keller. I love it, too. Doesn’t mean I’m clinging to it on the cold hard streets outside the unemployment office which I can’t get into because there’s a long line ahead of other people who loved – and lost – print. What’s that expression about loving something so much you have to set it free, and if it comes back it’s meant to be?

It’s not coming back, Mr. Keller. Consider these three weeks your printervention.

Posted in Business | Tagged: Bill Keller, Daily Show, Jason Jones, Kindle, New York Times, Rocky Mountain News | 8 Comments »

Woman arrested for Facebook ‘poke’

Posted by andreaitis on October 10, 2009

Image by liako via Flickr

The Tennessean reporting on what might be a first: a woman arrested for virtually “poking” someone on Facebook, violating an order of protection.

According to the affidavit filed in Sumner County General Sessions Court, Shannon Jackson is accused of using the “poke” option on Facebook to contact a Hendersonville woman, thus violating the terms of the order of protection, which stipulates “no telephoning, contacting or otherwise communicating with the petitioner.”

Violating an order of protection is a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted, violators can be punished with up to 11 months, 29 days in jail and a possible fine of up to $2,500.

via Facebook ‘poke’ leads to woman’s arrest | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

The recipient of a Facebook “poke” receives a message saying “You’ve been poked by <insert Facebook user name>.” Maybe not the traditional definition of contact or communication, but it’s contact all the same. And it’s easy to see how a virtual poke can be just as threatening as a real-life poke.

Maybe the terms of an order of protection should be expanded to include no poking, sharing, emailing, friending, tweeting, IM’ing or DM’ing. And maybe we all need to train ourselves in online self-defense mechanisms like privacy settings and blocking capabilities, just as we train for real-world self defense techniques.

Caveat Emptor Poker, people.

Posted in crime, technology | Tagged: arrest, facebook, Facebook Poke, Hendersonville, poke, Restraining order, Tennessee | 5 Comments »

Washington Post crisis of credibility continues (but don't Twitter that)

Posted by andreaitis on October 5, 2009

“If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.”

That used to be the Washington Post’s ad campaign.

Ironic, huh?

Washington Post ombudsman Andrew Alexander wrote a piece yesterday in response to the Post’s anti-social media guidelines for reporters. The title, Do Ethics Guidelines Threaten Freewheeling Social Media?, suggests these rules are about ethics. They’re not.

It would have been fine if Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli said only this:

“What you do on social networks should be presumed to be publicly available to anyone, even if you have created a private account,” the guidelines warn. “If you don’t want something to be found online, don’t put it there.”

But he didn’t. That good, basic common sense was just part of the guidelines that Brauchli summarized in a staff memo:

“Reporters and editors should not express views that can be construed as political, nor should they take sides in public debates.

There are prohibitions against “writing, tweeting or posting anything — including photographs or video — that could be perceived as reflecting political, racial, sexist, religious or other bias or favoritism that could be used to tarnish our journalistic credibility.” The guidelines “apply to all Post journalists, without limitation to the subject matter of their assignments.”

I presume Brauchli is okay with this memo making the rounds. If not, he wouldn’t have written them in an email, right? Here, though, is the final kicker in Alexander’s column:

To Brauchli, the policies speak to neutrality, which he told me is “essential to maintaining our credibility.”

Neutrality is not the only thing essential to maintaining credibility. Transparency is also essential. Authenticity, an open dialogue and an open mind to how news happens in today’s world. And these policies contain more neuter than neutrality. Newsweek’s Dan Lyons is currently engaging in a conversation right here on True/Slant as journalism students dissect one of his columns. If Dan worked at the Washington Post, he’d be violating their “prohibitions.”

You’d think the Washington Post would have learned something from the off-the-record exclusive access for cashola lobbyist scandal.

I guess it’s true. If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.

Posted in technology | Tagged: Dan Lyons, journalism, Marcus Brauchli, ombudsman, social media, TrueSlant, Twitter, Washington Post | 1 Comment »

New from True/Slant: Live Topic Streams, Alerts and Popular Posts

Posted by andreaitis on October 2, 2009

It’s the True/Slant trifecta today as we launch three new features: Live Topic Streams, Alerts and Popular Posts. Lewis provided the overview; I’m following up with the inside view.

Live Topic Streams: See all T/S activity on a specific topic as it’s happening. Our dynamic news streams include new posts, active conversations, active contributors, called-out comments, recommended posts, popular posts and more. There are lots of ways to get to Live Topic Streams:

– Our Topics index page is now Live Stream central. Click on Topics in the global nav (the black bar above) and select your topic of interest.

– Related Live Streams are just below every contributor post. Scroll down Matthew Greenberg’s post (after reading and commenting, of course) to see the related streams.

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Archive for October, 2009

NYT editor started reading 'mostly digital news' 3 weeks ago. Contemplating cellular phone next.

Woman arrested for Facebook ‘poke’