DISQUS

Riaz Kanani · 1 year ago

Your first point (No user profiles) is an interesting one - it seems an obvious thing not to have. The question though is what is Friendfeed's strategy. Right now it looks like they want to pull user data in from the wider web and manage that data. If this is their longer term strategy then it would make sense to pull profile data in from a third party - I regularly click someone's linked in profile if they have one. Their valuable IP then becomes their ability to manage, prioritise and manipular user information coming into the platform as well as being a searchable database for all that information.

On the other hand it is relatively easy to implement this and if they used a standardised format maybe they could push this information out to other the third party providers. Also - and this is possibly more important from a commercial perspective - they are able to profile their users better for targeted advertising.

Jan Horna · 1 year ago

Totally agree with Riaz. There is a big question whether FF wants to handle the data OR to collect the information. To me it looks like they want to be a processor unit without a harddrive right now.

FF should pull the profile data from LinkedIn or Facebook. The best way would be if any profile-featured social network/service would offer microformats. Then FF could easily reuse the profile data.

Scobleizer · 1 year ago

Agreed with all of it. Except #6 should be #1. If we had more power in pulling good stuff out of the database that'd make FriendFeed rock a lot more than having direct messaging capabilities. Regarding direct messaging I really hope they just make it possible to show people your email address. Email is already a GREAT way to direct message. No need to come up with yet another stupid messaging silo that doesn't hook up to anything else and doesn't have features that email has had for decades like CC or out of office messages.

Riaz Kanani · 1 year ago

Actually they should somehow import email.. probably as a separate area (I wish they would move twitter into a separate area as well - I already hide a lot of twitter as a reult).

Roger Kondrat · 1 year ago

Scoble I hear you but you are assuming the communications will be a silo are you not? and you are assuming the implementation won't be an advance over Twitter no? Twitter is an excellent story on what is needed and not needed and could easily help someone like FF determine exactly how to build a tool that would be useful, effective and scalable. Who knows maybe FF would make it open enough that it would sit between email and twitter on the silo scale.. No? Your thoughts please.

Louis Gray · 1 year ago

Using the power of FriendFeed's database would be a big win for its users. However, I assume you are a power user who uses the site a bit differently than others who have a few dozen friends and visit infrequently. To them, they may not need to delve into the data the same way that you and I want to, so I didn't give it a #1 position.

Regarding messaging, I too would like all notes in one place, but there are few social networks that don't allow messaging between users, and FriendFeed, as it grows, should not be the exception. I mean... these guys invented GMail, right? I'm sure they know how to do this the best way possible.

elroy · 1 year ago

Along with #6 and #10, people use the "Share Something" button for multiple purposes.
It is used for status updates, polling followers, general conversations, and also to share links/pics/etc.
I don't care for the Twitter-like status updates. If I wanted status updates, I would unhide Twitter entries. I do like links, conversations and polls by certain people. I enjoyed reading (on FFTogo) the "live FriendFeeding" of Obama's acceptance speech last night.
If FriendFeed used its database to separate different types of FF Share Something entries, then the Hide feature would be much more powerful in separating what some consider noise from useful content.

Roger Kondrat · 1 year ago

EVeryone is asleep Louis, including you... I have been partying so I will be wise and keep my dialogue to a minimum. This is easy since I largely agree with everything. Thank you for verbalising much of what we have discussed (sometimes passionately) what we don't like and do like about FF. Cheers

Louis Gray · 1 year ago

Roger, appreciate the note. I wish I was sleeping, but Sarah is plenty
awake and I am trying to give her mother some needed rest. Not
everyone will agree with my comments, but it's what I've been thinking
about.

Sent via my iPhone 3G

Roger Kondrat · 1 year ago

I am quite certain there won't be total agreement as you know, like me some
of your points have been battled about on FF already and I am confident we
could both guess who will agree or disagree with you at this point.

Wouldn't you say? :)

*UPDATE: This was written when I woke up and long before I came the the site apologies if it seems a bit out of sync with the general discussion. :)

Joe Dawson · 1 year ago

Great post Louis and valid points hopefully all these will all be addressed in the not too distant future. Definitely need some form of User Profile/About Me even if we do have these on the majority of sites that we frequent!

Zee. · 1 year ago

All great points, however if they could just bring on Point number 1 (mini profiles) and also import of friends from other services (mainly twitter really)...I'd be pretty satisfied.

I do definitely like the idea of PM's too though actually & duplicates are most definitely something that should be taken care of.

maverickny · 1 year ago

Good article, Louis. I agree with much of what you have said here.

#6 is actually part of the gap between the haves and have nots as you call them though. As more and more people hide items without likes or comments, so the quieter ones not on the A-list will get less traction. If the majority start hiding on that basis then the feed would become insular and less diverse. I tried it myself for a while but too much tech or silly stuff and not enough science or meaty stuff so that approach didn't work for me.

I'd like to see a more diverse and rotating list too. My own follow list is also more diverse and cosmopolitan as with yours. Variety is the spice of life!

Shey · 1 year ago

Great suggestions Louis,

I would also add:

The Ability to Hide Specific RSS Feeds
Search All Entries by URL

Louis Gray · 1 year ago

Shey, you are absolutely right. I've mentioned the issue with hiding specific RSS feeds, and it slipped my mind this round.

jeffisageek · 1 year ago

Good post....and all things I would love to see. I think friendfeed is awesome as it is but with some of the things you listed it would just put it off the charts! :) I would say of all the things you listed probably direct messages would be the lowest priority.

Corvida Raven · 1 year ago

Great issues addressed Louis.

Daniel J. Pritchett · 1 year ago

Louis, what's the scoop on this latest incarnation of the digital divide? Are the FF admins suffering from tunnel vision or is blogging not as inclusive as it could be?

(comment cross-posted to Social|Median)

Louis Gray · 1 year ago

Daniel, what "incarnation of the digital divide" do you mean? Are you referring to the defaults, or the ability to make people non-favorites? I would not say the FriendFeed admins have tunnel vision at all. They pay attention, and the small team has made a great product. But there will always be people who are more visible and those who aren't. There are good ways to highlight more obscure people and blogs, which I try to do _a lot_ here. So far, it looks like FriendFeed has some more work to do, but I believe they'll get there.

Daniel J. Pritchett · 1 year ago

I meant the defaults, as in "what's with all these white guys"? Minorities can have successful blogs, right?

Louis Gray · 1 year ago

Daniel, my understanding is that the vast majority of people never see the defaults, so in theory, this is a moot issue. And yes, there are a lot of great non-white bloggers. I'm subscribed to many of them. But even if there are, if FriendFeed is showing the 24 most-subscribed to users, that reflects the community's selections on positions 1-24, and nothing else. I could easily give you a top 10 or top 20 if we started making lists based on skin color, but I think I'll skip that one.

Daniel J. Pritchett · 1 year ago

Excellent decision, Louis! I suppose I'll let this one die.

Svetlana Gladkova · 1 year ago

Great post and I agree with all of the points here with #7 being my main concern about the new version since I see it as offering opportunities to various abusers of the service.

It is particularly funny that the FriendFeed room for beta discussions quickly turned into a room to share all the wishes we still have for FriendFeed :) But I believe all our suggestions have given place in the roadmap to the new SUP announced - this is really a groundbreaking effort but I believe it will only be appreciated by a tiny portion of users while the majority will insist on their smaller dreams (like the ones in your post) coming true.

Rishabh Mishra (possible248) · 1 year ago

For #10, can the community really be capable of policing itself?

I can see the current community being able to do so, but what happens when FriendFeed hits the mainstream? There could either be too few people that care enough about copyright to police the content for copyright violations, and/or a way too big flow of copyrighted content.