Facebook 0, Phuser 1

Last week I came across Dennis Howlett’s video about open/closed networks and Facebook. On a side note I found it posted up on Facebook by Scoble and had a devil of a time finding Dennis’ original post. It seems that once something goes off the bottom of your Facebook feed it is gone for good!

To quote Dennis, he was asking: “What is the situation on the open/closed nature of Facebook? I’m thinking about this from the business perspective. Business will not really want to be participating in these totally open networks.”…”There doesn’t seem to be a very good way of being able to do all of the things you would want to do with Facebook but within a controlled environment. So maybe the situation is that Facebook is a great metaphor for what can be done but maybe it’s not the thing for the future. I just wonder what other people think about this.”

This got me very excited as allowing a controlled environment where you can keep groups of people separate is one of the key benefits of Phuser! It has also been incredibly complex to code which is probably why you don’t see it on many websites.

I got in touch with Dennis and had a long chat with him the other evening. After giving it a bit of a test he was happy to write it up in his ZDNet blog.

It is great for us that the discussions are looking at how businesses could use social networking and social software and thinking about what business value. We designed this control into Phuser as we think many groups of people will value being able to make their team discussions and planning private but still use the same website for multiple teams and projects.

The last bastion of messaging

or how Twitter ruined SMS

The first thing I would like to make clear is that I know I can just unsubscribe from Twitter. But that is not the point.

The point is that SMS (that’s text messaging to us Brits) is endangered. For me SMS has always been a very personal thing. It is truly great, when I get a message I know it is something important or interesting from someone I know. Something I will value.

The other day I was cycling into work listening to music on my phone converged device. I have an O2 Orbit and with the handsfree kit it works splendidly as an MP3 player. This also means I can take calls on the move and know when I receive SMS. For those concerned about my safety as I listen to music while I cycle, my journey is six miles on a disused railway track. So as I was cycling to work I heard an SMS arrive. Thinking is was something to do with a colleague or family I stopped, dug out my phone and read my important message:

“Scobleizer: Well, I’m tired of talking about iPhone. Hopefully something more interesting will come up soon.”

Thank God I stopped! What would I have done if I hadn’t know that right then? I felt fulfilled by technology and proud my ability to keep my finger on the pulse of Scoble’s every thought. Wow.

So this is the future? Every messaging medium turns into a continuous stream of micro comments. Facebook is doing it, Twitter, Pownce. What, I ask you, is the value? Answers in the comments please.

This got me to thinking about what Kathy Sierra was saying about Getting Things Done and my previous blog entry about when email was great.

I am so conditioned now to react to all of these distractions that in my work day I don’t realise they are even happening. At least when I was cycling I was moving along making progress and when I stopped to read Scoble’s Twit I realised I had stopped, dug around for my phone, unlocked the keypad, read the message, got no pleasure, reversed the last three step and got moving again. This is what is happening all the time in work places around the globe and it must have an effect on people, the amount of hours they work and the economy. Perhaps food for another blog entry.

I suppose I have the small consolation that I didn’t get three points on my license because of Twitter, like Mike Butcher. Poor sod.