'Hidden Facebook' has much more 'users'

Even though you might not have a Facebook account, mind you that Zuckerberg’s team knows who you are! The idea behind it is as simple as it is terrifying. When a new Facebook user signs up, he is requested to automatically let Facebook find friends. He can upload his address book which is then scanned for known Facebook users. But next to them, also people in his adress book without a Facebook account are saved in the Facebook archives. Also, names that are searched for, even if they don’t have an account are saved and analysed. That way the system can create your personal web of friends just as if you were on Facebook. The advertising possibilities are ample.

One might feel assaulted by this, but Facebook puts the responsibility for breaking people’s privacy with its users. It says this quite clearly in its terms of use. The thing is; who reads those?'

Satnav meets SNS

A while ago, Garmin brought out its new nüvi 1690. The satnav has lane assistance which always keeps you on the right track, photo navigation, ecoRoute fuel saving routes and park position recalls.

But what is really cool is that the device has a built-in mobile phone connection, allowing it to connect to a whole range of communication services like those of the TomTom LIVE range. Because of this technology, Garmin provides Instant Traffic information, Speed Camera alerts, Google Local Search and Telephone Directory, weather forecasts and Ciao! Friend Finder (Garmin’s Social Networking application which also features on the nuviphone range).

According to Garmin, Ciao! is a patentpending social network application that can link multiple networks onto one application. Caught in traffic and already late for an appointment? Put it on Twitter. Cruising around in your vacation? Immediately post your photo's on Facebook feeds via your satnav device.

On its site, Garmin says: "Imagine you’re out and about and you’re hungry. You really don’t want to eat alone. With one click in Ciao!, you can see the location of your friends who are near your location! Then you can use your phone to call, text or email them with the location of a restaurant and see if they would like to join you."

Sources: Gadgeteer, Garmin

Slim Facebook

Felt relieved too when Facebook introduced that ‘Ignore all’ button in the ‘Request section’? Not interested in 5 different kinds of ‘birthday reminders’ which fundamentally all do the same thing? ‘Geintse kádookes’ (Ghent gifts) are the last thing in the world that can spark your attention? Believe me, you are not alone out there! Recently I hear a lot of people complaining about the futile applications and connect-services distracting people from what they use Facebook for: as a supplement to other interactive communication media like e-mail and their cell phone.
Nevertheless – what is actually rather interesting – these curmudgeons, although complaining about Facebook, keep using it. Maybe an indication that Zuckerberg’s project is here to stay? As a matter of fact, these people should not even have to abandon Facebook anyway!

Recently Facebook Lite was developed. Introduced this summer in the United States and India, the stripped Facebook version is now also available in Belgium. When entering lite.facebook.com the site is introduced as a “faster, simpler way to keep in touch with your friends” and that’s just what it is. In that way it much resembles Twitter with the emphasis on short notifications about what users are doing or have done recently – a trend which has grown stronger and stronger with every new Facebook update.

Sources: T-zine, Facebook Lite

Social network sites market is saturated

InSites, a Belgian internet consulting agency found that about 70% of Belgian surfers are on social network sites (which is in line with the global average of 72%).
What is remarkable is that most surfers have membership to two or more online communities. Most of those communities are for personal use. Only 16% of the Belgian sufers is member of a professional network like LinkedIn.
Most users visit their profile twice a day. Professional profiles like LinkedIn are only visited 9 times a month on average.
InSites claims that new SNS'es will find it more and more difficult to penetrate the market and find their own niche. Most surfers are happy with today's situation and do not want to change their community site or add one to their 'portfolio'. Steven Van Belleghem, managing partner of InSites: "There is a certain stability in the SNS market".

Source: T-zine

Made ya look!

I got this from a book by Chip and Dan Heath, called 'Made To Stick. Why Some Ideas Die And Others Survive'. The authors explain that American flight attendants are required to make safety announcements before passenger planes take off. Everyone who's flown a plane knows the score: "sudden change in cabin pressure", "emergency exits in the front and back and over-wing".
Flight safety announcements are a tough message to bring, especially in such an environment. No one cares about what's communicated. The passengers don't and the flight attendant doesn't. Hearing a Republican explain why health insurance is not a good thing is fascinating by comparison.
A flight attendant named Karen Wood facing the challenge of giving the announcement said the following on a flight from Dallas to San Diego:

"If I could have your attention for a few moments, we sure would love to point out these safety features. If you haven't been in an automobile since 1965, the proper way to fasten you seat belt is to slide the flat end into the buckle. To unfasten, lift up on the buckle and it will release.
And as the song goes, there might be fifty ways to leave your lover, but there are only six ways to leave this aircraft: two forward exit doors, two over-wing removable window exits, and two after exit doors. The location of each exit is clearly marked with signs overhead, as well as red an white disco lights along the floor of the aisle.
Made ya look!"

When Karen wrapped up her announcement, scattered applause broke out. And if a well-designed message can make people applaud for a safety announcement, there's hope for all of us.

Source: 'Made To Stick. Why Some Ideas Die And Others Survive', Chip and Dan Heath

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