Entries from February 2007 ↓
February 15th, 2007 — Web Culture
I’m not going to lie. I’m cheap. I’ve grown up with the Internet and been conditioned that I can get basically anything I want for free on it. Music, movies, applications… anything. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at all of the places online that have converted me - turning me into a customer.
1. Dell
My computer was getting pretty rustic and I needed a new one, so I did a little search online. I was looking at OptiPlex computers, and noticed something a little funny. Dell was selling a 3.8 GHz computer for $800 below resale value. For some reason, they were not including the price of the processor into the computer. So I bought it, they honored the mistake price, and I got a pretty sweet deal. It looks like a below-market price was enough motivation to shell out $1000+ on computer hardware.
2. Apple
I have owned 3 iPods in my life. I bought my first one in first year (and may have starved myself and used food money towards it - but I trust you to keep that between us, ha ha). Two years later, I got bored and bought myself a new one. This year, I bought one of the new shuffles for when I go to the gym. iPods are a big part of my life, and I certainly consider these products well spent. I certainly have spent more on the iPods than I have on any music on them.
3. Godaddy
I am addicted to buying domain names. I get ideas for websites all the time, and the first thing I do - before I put any thought into the website - is buy the domain. I’ve owned at least 10… and never re-sold any of them. Godaddy has successfully converted me. In the past I even explored their other services, such as web hosting… but those didn’t last long. Their web hosting sucks.
4. Amazon.ca and Chapters.indigo.ca
I love buying books, and I used to be a huge fan of Amazon.com. Then one day I realized that returning stuff was a big hassle, and Chapters additional $1 is well worth the comfort knowing that if I have to return a product, all I have to do is go to the store. In terms of internet marketplaces, these are really the only places I go.
5. eBay
When I was 12 I was a big loser and played Magic The Gathering. Ha ha before you make fun of me, playing the game earned me a free trip to Berlin. Yup. All expenses paid. Anyway, the only thing I have ever bought on eBay was Magic Cards. I’m terrified that someone is going to rip me off, and I’ve heard horror stories of trying to claim that “buyers protection” thing. So I don’t use it.
6. Online Payments
From time to time I use the Internet to pay for things I do in “real life”. For example, next week I am going to Northern Voice and I paid my registration fees online. If I bought airline tickets, I would do it this way too. I also pay my bills online, but almost everyone does that now.
7. Couch Surfing
Couch Surfing is a community website where you find people around the world and sleep on their couches. This summer I am going traveling around the world and I plan on using this service. Because I am inevitably going to save hundreds of dollars, I thought I would support the project and pay the suggested $25 donation.
What about you? What services do you regularly give money to?
February 14th, 2007 — MySpace, Web Culture
MySpace is the 6th most popular website in the world. It is the largest social network, and has millions and millions of users. It was just reported that its most recent advertising revenues exceeded 25 million dollars! Despite all those impressive statistics, I’ve never really been a fan on the site. However, if the site made these five little improvements, I would be converted. Forever.
1. Allow users import their gmail and hotmail contact lists, automatically adding friends that are already members and future members if they ever sign up… but never send out annoying “invitation” messages to them.
Apparently this service already exists, but I have been trying for the last few months to get it to work and I cannot. It really bothers me. I’ve tried Firefox, Internet Explorer, my hotmail account, my gmail account… I tried taking the special characters out of my passwords. I emailed MySpace several times and got no response. Nothing. It doesn’t work, and therefore does not exist.
Why is this such an important feature? Because MySpace is cliquey, and I feel like a big loser with my 23 friends. If I could import my address book I would have substantially more. Ha ha, if you are reading this and feel like upping my friend count, feel free to add me.
2. Create a new service I call “bridging”.
There are way too many social networks to keep track of. MySpace, FaceBook, blah blah blah. If MySpace wants to dominate the world even more, it should become the MeeBo of social networks. Let me “brdige” my MySpace and FaceBook. Make it really easy to harvest add my friends and feel more popular. Better yet, let me interact with my FaceBook friends through MySpace. Hey MySpace – check this out. FaceBook Developers are now letting you do some fancy API stuff.
3. Censorship
The primary reason MySpace really bothers me is that way too many of the profiles are tacky. Egregiously tacky. I’m a big fan of simple, consistent, elegant layouts (which is why I use FaceBook). I understand that the whole point of MySpace is to let people have their own space, but please – everyone has the right to be free from cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. Sometimes, when I am bombarded by people’s tacky profiles, I feel that my rights are infringed upon. Ha ha, I’m being a little facetious, but please give me the option of having a standard template that I can apply to everyone’s profiles so I do not have to be reminded of the Internet in 1994.
4. Mute
When I’m creeping for new friends, I like to open multiple profiles… but then I get this horrible churning sound as many songs are conglomerated into one terrible mess. And my computer gets slow and makes all sorts of whirling sounds. Give me the option to have all of those little sound players be muted by default. This should apply to videos as well.
5. Friend Finder
Sometimes, I just want new friends… but I’m just too lazy to find them. I think a revolutionary service MySpace could provide would be some sort of friend finding service. I type in my personality characteristics, what I like to do, where I live, the kind of person I would like to meet… and it links me up with the people I am looking for. It could even give me a computability measure. Hey Jeremy, Person X is 92% compatible! When new members join, it automatically searches for compatible people and sends them (and me) a little note. “You have a potential friend!” Fantastic! Sign me up!
February 13th, 2007 — Blog Better, Web Culture, Social Net Worth
February 12th, 2007 — Wikipedia
There is talk around the blogosphere that Wikipedia is running out of money. Honestly, if this were to happen, it would require some terribly stupid decisions.
Alexa.com ranks Wikipedia the 11th most popular website on the Internet. Understandably, there are going to be some pretty hefty bandwidth costs associated with that popularity.
Jim Wales (the founder of Wikipedia) is opposed to commercializing Wikipedia… but honestly, there is a difference between commercialization and a sustainable business model. Advertisements would not take away from the service. Concerns range from advertiser influence to the fantasy that Wikipedia would undergo some sort of metamorphosis into an evil, money hungry corporation. Advertisers already have the ability to edit pages, so delivering targeted advertising would not open any new doors. And to prevent the evil corpratization, put some clever language into the organization’s constituation… something along the lines of non profit.
If people are not paying for something, they can keep their mouths shut about advertising. Ideally, yes, Wikipedia should be a utopia of information without advertising - but the bandwidth costs and salaries of employees have to come from somewhere. Why not corporations?
Advertising on the site could even be used as a selling point to encourage donations. Whether it be a “if we raise X million dollars the ads will be removed for another 6 months) or some sort of membership where ads disappear if you donate, there are viable options. Regardless of the ultimate long term decision, just throw up some Google AdSense, make a few million dollars, and keep Wikipedia alive. It’s a fantastic resource and I honestly wouldn’t mind looking a few ads in exchange for keeping it alive.
February 11th, 2007 — Social Net Worth
Neither the Oxford English Dictionary nor Wikipedia has a definition for social net worth. Here is my attempt to create a working definition. If you are a word smith, please feel free to improve it and leave your ideas in the comments.
Net worth can be defined as “a measure calculated by subtracting total liabilities from total assets. For an individual, total assets are recorded at current market value. For a company, net worth uses assets as recorded on the balance sheet at historical cost minus any depreciation.”
Social net worth is the total value of an individual’s non material and non fiscal assets. This includes skill sets, personality characteristics, social networks, quality of friendships, and most other attributes that cannot be quantified.
For example: when I say I am going to improve your social net worth, I mean that I am going to highlight ways that you can improve your life – whether it be strategies to create a good first impression, or how to prioritize your friendships. This blog will deliver suggestions that will make a positive impact on your life that are not measured in dollars.
February 10th, 2007 — evil/smart ploy
Walmart recently released its new video download service, but has made it available only on Microsoft’s Internet Exploror. News has erupted on the internet about this atrocity, and everyone is talking about it. Funny.
Most bloggers choose not to use Internet Explorer… and I can not think of a better way of getting bloggers to blog about something than making them angry about it. Clever move on Walmart’s part! Now everyone knows they can download movies there. I have no doubt a compatible version will be released as soon as the buzz dies down.
February 9th, 2007 — un/popular culture
Sir Richard Branson offers $25 million to the person or group who finds a solution and ends global warming.
My question is, how the hell do you contact him? Send him an email? In order to reach this guy, you have to know someone and be “important”… and from what I’ve seen of “important” people, they have more important things to do than find solutions to global warming.
Well, unless you’re Al Gore.
February 9th, 2007 — Update
Muaha haahahah haahah… Sorry.
As per requests from visitors, I have split my chaos blog into its three separate parts.
Part A: Choose My Adventure now resides at www.jpony.com. Here is where you get to send me on all sorts of crazy travels around the world. When I leave in August, JPONY will become my primary blog. Celebration.
Part B: I spend a considerable amount of time on the Internet. I heart the internet, among other things. Here (www.jeremydavid.com) is where I dish out commentary on what I find relevant in the world.
Part C: I have to be passionate about global issue, and for me that is Climate Change and Sustainability. My newest endeavor, www.slowme.com, is dedicated to just that. And while the page isn’t officially launching until March 1, I am working hard trying to build partnerships and getting people involved… so check it out!
February 9th, 2007 — un/popular culture
I love Anna Nicole Smith, and she will live forever – immortalized by the press. News of her death was shocking to me. My roommates and I were watching Entertainment Tonight a few days ago and she looked terrible. I do not mean in a People’s Worst Dressed kind of way, but rather, an I feel really bad for you and I hope you get help sort of way. She looked drugged up and depressed and that is how she is going to be remembered – shrouded in controversy over her dead husband, dead son, and mystery-father baby. This makes me sad.
I will always remember her for her role in The Naked Gun 33 1/3 (my favorite slapstick comedy), and I sincerely hope people forget the “gold digger slash Trimspa spokesperson” image created by the media and remember that she was a person with issues that she never had the opportunity to resolve.
Good bye Anna Nicole. I am one person who will always keep you “good” book.
