Little did I realize when I posted my thoughts about the real-time Web that it would gain the amount of attention it did let alone get Robert Scoble all fired up in defense of Friendfeed’s interpretation of it. In the sixteen hours since it first showed up on Friendfeed the post has gotten 26 Likes and 42 comments of which twenty-five are from Robert.
It would be easy to sum up Robert’s argument in the comments as being anyone who doesn’t get the importance of Friendfeed and its interpretation of the real-time web they are doing it wrong. Actually they aren’t doing it like him would be more apropos. Not to mention the fact that while he thought my points were interesting they were from his experience nothing but bunk.
This was the thing that stood out in all his comments and really if you follow his timeline (which by the way I do Robert so that’s one of your arguments shot to hell) this is a common position he takes. Robert assumes in his comments that the way that he uses Friendfeed is the way it should be used. The problem is that not everyone is like Robert or has the luxury to spend the amount of time that he does on the service.
One point he constantly reiterates is how you need to make lists or groups
Here’s why the post is wrong: First, you CAN make it clique like by following just specific people, but you’d have to turn off friend of a friend feature that brings content liked by your friends into your view. Second, I use lists to follow some people very closely and a wide range of people loosely. OK, sort of on point with the article so far. – Robert Scoble
Well just to clarify – I don’t turn off the Friend of a Friend feature as that is how I have found some really interesting people. Also Robert I have been using Friendfeed since almost day one – I think Louis can confirm this as he introduced me and through that time I have followed a wide variety of people
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But then you are of the opinion that unless you are following thousands of people things like Friendfeed, Twitter and Facebook aren’t being used right. This raises the question though that runs counter to his argument of mass following – how do you tell who’s adding value to the conversation with so much noise going on, and nonstop due to the real-time implementation.
Of course because I am questioning this whole real-time web thing Robert assumes that the problem lies in the people I’m following (emphasis in quote is mine)
But my recommendation to the author, if he was seeing too much noise, was to follow better people. If all you followed was me, you would see a wide range of authors (see my like feed for proof) a wide range of topics, mostly geeky, though, with very little noise (as long as you like geeky stuff). – Robert Scoble
As I said Robert I do follow you but in order to maintain any sanity I have you in a list of your own so that argument goes poof as well
I might also add that following you in any fashion has never produced anything more interesting than the 478 people I already follow. But then as you so kindly point out this is a problem I am creating myself because I am following too many people – this from the person who follows 24,190 people
That’s what makes me mad about this article: the author bitches about aproblem he created by following too many people and doesn’t want to listen to how to fix it. It’s very fixable. – Robert Scoble
I’m sorry that my post made you so mad Robert but in all honesty all you have proven in your comments is that anyone who doesn’t utilize Friendfeed in the same way you do or at least follow your various lists is basically stupid. Here’s the thing though – not everyone is Robert Scoble and not everyone involved with technology and the blogosphere has the luxury of time that you obviously do. By denigrating people’s thoughts about things like the real-time Web, Friendfeed and how it is used Robert is insulting everyone that is trying to find the best way for them to use the service.
And isn’t that the whole point of social media and its tools – finding the best way to make it work for the individual?
And isn’t questioning and improving one of social media’s basic ideas?
Even though Robert likes to set himself up as being the expert on how to use social media and its tools the reality he isn’t. He has found a way for it to work for him but that doesn’t mean that it is the same for the rest of us. I might question things like Friendfeed’s implementation of the real-time Web but from what I understand about social media and blogging that is my right.
However calling me stupid or suggesting that I don’t know what I am doing just because I don’t follow in the footsteps of the Great Scoble demeans the principals that social media is building itself around. Maybe the way that Friendfeed is utilizing the real-time Web is the hot ticket that will change everything – but then again maybe it isn’t.
Sometimes I think you assume too much Robert.
Steven, I am going to tell you THE right way to use FriendFeed. All other methods are invalid. (Yes, I'm kidding.)
One of the GOOD things about the new version of FriendFeed is that it allows you to move away from this whole idea of following people altogether, instead allowing you to follow topics (as well as current search technology allows, anyway).
People have a variety of interests, and they often share all of these interests via social media, but does this mean that you are necessarily interested in EVERYTHING that the people talk about? (If someone is interested in everything that I talk about, I would be seriously worried about that person.)
However, FriendFeed's saved filters technology allows you to find information on topics without having to follow the people who may or may not talk about the topic. This is one of my current saved filters, for example:
http://friendfeed.com/search?q=huella+OR+facial...
This allows me to easily, and quickly, find things related to my work. The search technology could probably be improved (some of my other work-related searches get a ton of false hits), but saved filters are often very beneficial and remove the need for me to read about idols, American, Canadian, or otherwise.
Another thing that I've done is to set up specialized groups that are constantly fed by feeds, but that's primarily to handle some personal needs of my own.
Regarding lists, I set a number of during the beta, but after the beta was done either FriendFeed changed its defaults or I changed something, and the my main feed doesn't default to the real-time updates that caused you to reach for your nausea pills. Between the default pause and the aforementioned saved filters, I find that I only have to use my lists in special circumstances.
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I have an uncanny ability to identify you as the author of a post just by reading the post title. Amazing.
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Actually John you are the first person so far that has made any sense regarding using FF. Everyone is talking about following or followers when it actually should be subjects, ideas etc.
That is something I will have to think on – thanks
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that's been mentioned before
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“And isn’t that the whole point of social media and its tools – finding the best way to make it work for the individual?”
I tried to make that point last night when challenged by Robert. He said I was a liar when I said I'd had valuable conversations on my blog or Twitter. The thing is? I have – because that's *how* I use those tools: to generate discusssion.
A hammer can be used to pound in nails, or break walnuts, or tenderize meats, or 30 other things. So can all these other social media tools be used to fit the individual's needs.
I'll admit I got a bit hot under the collar last night – I've been using online tools for decades now, and someone declaring that he or she knows the best and only way to use them irks me. I'm kind of egalitarian
I don't set out to accumulate a lot of followers or readers. I pick the people I choose to read and follow based on their contributions to the subject matters in which I am interested. I value original thoughts, and an off-beat, out of the box viewpoint. On twitter, I follow and engage with people who talk about the ebook industry, graphic design, politics, pop culture, and pets & animal rescue, as well as personal friends, with whom I might have some deeply shallow conversations.
It works for me. I'm also on a social blogging network, where I've established a nice level of readership (for my purposes) and have a great reading list.
It works for *me*. So my “Social Media ROI” is at a good level – for my purposes.
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