Blippy Makes Credit Social

How far can social networking go, how about into your wallet? Blippy makes credit card transactions social. I was reading a recent article about Blippy and I was floored by this next level of social networking.

The website asks, “What are your friends buying?” Register for an account, enter your credit card info (which is not kept on record) and share with the world what you are buying. Your Blippy account is updated with what you just bought. Other Blippy users can comment on your purchase. You can tell Blippy what types of transactions you don’t want to go public. It also has a connection with Facebook and Twitter.

As a by-stander, I think this website is cool. Now I can see what other people are buying and if I see something nice, I might buy the same thing. All I can say is that a recent poll stated 70% of lawyers are using social networking in case proceedings. Use this service at your own risk.

Do you think Blippy is too much information?
http://www.blippy.com

Classifications of Facebookers

CNN recently did a classifications of the most annoying  Facebookers. Can you relate to any of these listed here? Do you have any to add?

1. The Let-Me-Tell-You-Every-Detail-of-My-Day Bore.  – tell me more?
2. The Self-Promoter. – every link to your blog (I am guilty of this one)
3. The Friend-Padder. – 1000 friends?
4. The Town Crier. – I can’t take who just died.
5. The TMIer. – too much info
6. The Bad Grammarian – I can’t spell
7. The Sympathy-Baiter. – too much bad news
8. The Lurker. – not much participation but they know alot about you
9. The Crank. – complainers
10. The Paparazzo. – constantly tagging posting photos
11. The Obscurist. – not clear updates
12. The Chronic Inviter. – constantly sending out group invites

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/20/annoying.facebook.updaters/index.html

Big Events Shut Down The Net

The net is still in diapers. Every time a big event happens, the Internet seems to experience lag and major websites just simply shut down. When Michael Jackson’s funeral was held during a weekday in the middle of the afternoon, the world watched the event mostly at work online. This event alone seemed to cause everything online to hick-up.

Think about these facts:

• Amazon just turned 15
• Twitter is a new communication form started in 2006
• iTunes launched in 2001 and now represents half of music industry sales

Can we just admit to ourselves that the Internet is just still just learning to walk? Web 3.0 is approaching, but the fact is it is never too late to get on the web bandwagon and embrace the technology.

R.I.P. Geocities

Geocities was closed today by Yahoo. I used Geocities to create my first webpage to get my first Internet job back in 1996. Yes, the page was rudimentary and featured a flaming guitar, but it was a building block for later success. I actually think my website address had so many tildes “~” that it was impossible to remember.

Geocities was a true pioneer that now has been surpassed with more powerful user-centric based website creation tools. Rest in peace Geocities.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/10/geocities-closing.html

VMA Tweet Tracker

During the 2009 Video Music Awards, I noticed a MTV correspondent using a web tool that highlights the popular Tweets called Tweet Tracker. Throughout the VMAs, the host would switch to the Tweet Tracker, very much like a meteorologist, and review the hottest topics on Twitter. Kayne West’s outburst on Taylor Swift ranked high on the hot topic list.

In future, I truly can see a forecaster on the evening news whose sole purpose is to give the 5 day outlook on web content. The technology will most likely not be Twitter, but as the net grows a collective consciousness, the need for an expert to give analysis of trends will be of high regard.

Below is a link to the MTV Tweet Tracker. The tracker is no longer active for the show since it ran in September, however the tracker is still functioning and tracking Twitter.
http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2009/twitter.jhtml

Oh No! Your Parents Just Joined Facebook?

The other day I heard a few talk show hosts insinuating that Facebook has “Jumped The Shark“. I then saw on Doug Craver’s TechBytes and on a few Twitter feeds the website My Parents Joined Facebook referenced. The website insinuates that youth can no longer post everything happening in their lives on Facebook because now their parents will find out about it.

For example, a college student kept asking her father for money to pay for rising book fees. However after dad joined Facebook, became friends with their kid and started reading about her excessive partying, the money was cut off. Then the student “Unfriended” their dad so he couldn’t read her updates any longer. The reality is this trend is rising everyday and this new website, My Parents Joined Facebook says, “this is your chance to get back at them for taking away your public privacy.” The idea is to share the embarrassing messages parents are writing on your Facebook wall in order to fight back.

The reality is everyone should realize that whatever you write as your status, on your wall, or any picture you upload is permanent record online. Even if you delete your account or remove the information later, a search engine, the site hosting the material or another user will be retaining your information. Be careful out there in Internet land!

http://myparentsjoinedfacebook.com/