Author Archives: vanelsas
The one thing that Google Nexus One has over the iPhone
Lots of posts up this morning about the launch of the Google Nexus One. While I fully understand that most of them focus on a (technological) comparison between the Nexus One and the iPhone (the king of the smart handhelds), … Continue reading
Posted in Android Mobile OS, Apple, Google, Nexus One
Tagged Apple, freedom, Google, iPhone, Nexus One, open, walled garden
23 Comments
5 predictions for 2010
Since everyone seems to be doing them I thought I’d give a shot at some predictions for 2010. No, I don’t carry a magic ball. And since I am primarily interested in the usage of technology, instead of the technology … Continue reading
An open letter to Eric Schmidt
Dear Mr Schmidt, You are the CEO of one of the most innovative, successful and remarkable companies in the world. I deeply admire what Google has achieved in the past years. You’ve created the best search experience in the world, … Continue reading
The power of OpenID
[disclaimer: this post is related to my work as CEO of Glubble] Yesterday was a big day for Glubble, a private social network for (extended) families including small children. We introduced the ability to register and log in to Glubble … Continue reading
Posted in Chris Messina, Family, Glubble for Families, OpenID
Tagged Chris Messina, families, Glubble, OpenID
1 Comment
The human factor in social media (revisited)
Last year I wrote 3 (rather long) thought experiments I pretentiously called ‘The human factor in Social media’. You can find part 1, part 2, and part 3 here. I was reading them back recently and thought about what came … Continue reading
Posted in Human factor, interaction, social media, social networks, web 2.0
Tagged human behavior, interaction, social media, social networks, user value, web 2.0
4 Comments
I do not recommend that you read this
Recommendations are a powerful feature on the social web. They represent real value, just look at the king of recommendations Amazon.com making huge revenues with it. And while I do look at them at times, I am always a bit … Continue reading
Posted in friends, social interaction, web 2.0
Tagged friends, recommendations, social, web 2.0
1 Comment
To be free we need to break free of web 2.0 thinking
You’re meeting someone at a party for the first time. He introduces himself to you. “Hi. I’m Tim Eastwood. I’m 29 years old, live in San Francisco. I’m married to Laura, have 3 children Joe, James, and Jenny.” During the … Continue reading
Posted in business model, Facebook, privacy
Tagged business models, Facebook, identity, privacy, web 2.0
15 Comments
Why Google will win: entrapment in the iPhone is a failing long-term strategy
Entrapment can be an effective strategy when you are building up a business. Marketers tend to call that customer lock-in. From the perspective of the business this sounds like a great thing to do. Hook the customer to your business … Continue reading
Posted in Android Mobile OS, Apple, human behavior, iPhone
Tagged Android, Apple, entrapment, freedom, human behavior, iPhone
16 Comments
Google Wave is a plumbing project for the web
So, Google Wave makes people unproductive? Says Robert Scoble in a good post where he writes down his first impressions with the new service. Robert says: It is noisy, but the noise often happens way down in a wave deep … Continue reading
Posted in freedom, Google Wave, interaction, noise, real-time web, social media
Tagged freedom, Google, Google Wave, interaction, noise, real-time web, social media
5 Comments
Two falses do not make a right
If a woman is raped, do you feel it’s her fault because she was dressed sexy and flirting a bit? If a tourist gets mugged on the streets of New York, would you agree that it’s his own fault because … Continue reading
Posted in on-line advertisement, privacy, sharing, social networks, SocialAds
Tagged online advertisement, privacy, sharing, social networks
2 Comments
A User-Centric Web needs brand agnostic service providers
A User-Centric web is by design a brand agnostic web when it comes to identity. There is only one brand, and that is you. The current web causes different types of problems that can be lead to possibly 2 design … Continue reading
Posted in advertisement trap, business model, freedom, OpenID, user centric web
Tagged advertisement trap, business model, freedom, OpenID, user centric web
7 Comments
Building a People-Centric web is a fight for a lost cause
A number of posts drew my attention this week. First, 2 respectable media outlets explain us that the Facebook exodus has started. While I am not a big fan of Facebook (its their business model I don’t like), both the … Continue reading
The difference between a good and a great entrepreneur
Michael Arrington provides good insight into a current dilemma for Twitter. Should Twitter turn revenues on or keep them off? The dilemma being that a revenue-less but growing company will lead to speculative valuation and therefore possibly a high acquisition … Continue reading
Growth and traffic are no guarantee for a profitable online business
37Signals has a great post up, entitled “The bar for success in our industry is too low”. The author, Jason, takes several examples where respectable media (NY Times, GigaOM) take a story of a web company showing growth, traffic, and … Continue reading
Posted in business model, social media, web 2.0
Tagged business model, growth, social media, traffic, user value
Leave a comment
About leveraging the Facebook platform successfully for your business
Yesterday I read a post by Jesse Stay entitled “Hey businesses, you’re using Facebook wrong”. Let me start off by saying I have a lot of respect for the author. I think Jesse is right about the power that Facebook … Continue reading
Posted in business model, Facebook, user centric web, web 2.0
Tagged business, Facebook, revenues, user centric web, web 2.0 business model
3 Comments
On Facebook, status updates, retweets, and the universal law of signal versus noise
Maybe we should consider to rename this ‘social media’ era into the ego broadcasting era. That thought struck my mind when reading a WSJ post entitled ‘How Facebook ruins friendships’. The author discusses her fatigue with friends that send her … Continue reading
Posted in Facebook, signal versus noise, status updates
Tagged Facebook, retweet, Robert Scoble, status updates
11 Comments
How friend recommendations can make or break trust
Friend recommendations are becoming increasingly important in commercial transactions. They come in different forms using different technologies. The thought behind them is simple. When someone you know endorses (‘likes” is the buzz word nowadays) some advertisement/product/service/brand you will be more … Continue reading
Posted in advertisement, social media, SocialAds
Tagged advertisement, friend recommendations, social media, SocialAds
3 Comments
The lock-in of Facebook takes away our freedom
Facebook is quickly becoming the biggest platform in the world. I have a serious problem with that. I don’t mind Facebook becoming a successful and profitable platform. I do mind that their current scale lets them dictate what the web … Continue reading
Posted in Facebook, freedom, Friendfeed, Google, walled garden
Tagged Facebook, freedom, Friendfeed, Google, social networks, walled garden
14 Comments
My 2 cts on Facebook buying Friendfeed
So Facebook buys Friendfeed? It’s all over the bloghosphere. Here’s the announcement. Initial consent seems to be that it was inevitable, and that the Friendfeed crowd is now worried about the continuity of the service. My thoughts? I think this … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
2 Comments
@vanelsas 