coComments related to Scobleizer

"2 years later... go see the d

2009-07-02T05:16:47.212+02:00

"2 years later... go see the doctorrrrr" From a usage perspective the above is ALL correct.. From a business perspective (and Steve IS a business man) this is crap. We now all know that YouTube is bleeding .5 billon anually and that even Facebook is loosing millions every month. The fundament of Web 2.0 is an open, free environment that relies on advertising. Trouble is that the last years have shown that the market value of social networks IS perishable (as everything is), meaning that investors need to invest continuously in creating and marketing new online brands to keep the longtail going. The cost of this investment cannot (to date) be earned back. It may seem that big brands such as YouTube and Facebook are the winners with millons egaged users, but in fact they are in the 'autumn' of their life cycle... In the end: the bigger the brand, the bigger the stakes and the bigger the growth expectations. But also, the broader the audience, the lesser the the social context, the lesser the user is known, the lesser advertisers are willing to spend per dialogue,...

"2 years later... go see the d

2009-06-08T19:42:08.211+02:00

thanks for this nice article

2009-03-28T02:36:35.234+01:00

thanks for this nice article

thank u ,,,,,,,,,

2009-03-19T21:31:26.238+01:00

thank u ,,,,,,,,,

"When I worked at Microsoft I

2009-01-27T23:35:30.461+01:00

"When I worked at Microsoft I heard this over and over and over again from various engineers and program managers who STILL haven’t competed effectively with WordPress, Flickr, Skype, YouTube, or any of the other things over the years I’ve heard this “we can build that in a few weeks” kind of arrogant attitude attached to." Even us engineers understand that sometimes the fact that you can build something doesn't mean you should. Which of those are making money?

My bad, that comment was on an

2009-01-14T20:15:16.068+01:00

My bad, that comment was on another entry... Today I was browsing my cousin's wife's profile on Facebook and I saw a post by her father on her wall (he's obviously also "hardly young"). Translated directly from Dutch, this is what he wrote: "I am trying out Facebook because 'Scobleizer" basically says you are an idiot if you aren't on it" Thought you might enjoy!

You right a ton of stuff, Robe

2009-01-01T16:55:01.675+01:00

You right a ton of stuff, Robert. This one was dead on. But it's bigger than MSFT and social networking. I think it pervades big companies as they deal with disruptive technologies. More on that thought at: http://tinyurl.com/3bvupt ~Jim

I don't like being in the mino

2008-09-23T00:19:51.324+02:00

I don't like being in the minority, but as a concerned citizen I cannot fathom the prices being passed around for facebook. If there is no business model now (business model = making money), theres not going to be one in the future. Skype proved that, build it and they will come, but they might not pay. Facebook is not a fad for many reasons - mostly the network effect as you have said. Valuations of a business HAVE to be on future earnings potential. Problem is, by releasing the "platform" facebook have essentially conceded they don't know how to make money. When will people learn - when you aren't making money, as cool as it is, its a HOBBY.

Good comments, Robert. I beli

2008-08-21T03:59:15.340+02:00

Good comments, Robert. I believe that most people over 25 have trouble relating to the Social computing generation. You, other 40-somethings like you, are an anomaly - there's no arguing that. However, not understanding this space will be a huge handicap in business - and those who understand that will be better poised to compete. I don't think you're being quite fair to Ballmer, however... especially since you seem to agree with him on most points. Ballmer's claim that social networking sites aren't technically complex is true - we all know this. I'm not sure why you complain about this. IMO, he was underscoring that you cannot "buy" community... again, something I think you agree with. In addition, you mock him for not hyping the value of Facebook... but what do you expect him to do? Talk up Facebook until any investment is completely inviable? You need to think about this from a business standpoint as well as a Social computing standpoint. Ballmer will incur ire no matter what he says on the topic - if he says that Microsoft is investing they'll say that you can't "buy" community... if he doesn't talk about investment they'll say that Microsoft isn't focusing here. In addition, he needs to walk a fine line not putting business at risk... something most in the social computing world understand as little as those in the business computing world understand about social networking. If you want to hold some people to task on Web 2.0 and Social Networking - focus on Ray Ozzie and Scott Guthrie. Getting the platforms, technology, and strategy in place for this is their job. Gotta give SteveB credit for hiring them. -Dan

The concept of Social networki

2008-06-16T11:18:03.372+02:00

The concept of Social networking is not a fad, but social network instances are. Why? usenet -> bbs -> email -> compuserv/prodigy forums -> geocities -> friendster -> myspace -> facebook/linkedin -> mash/ning/??? Because history, technological evolution and the inherent fickleness of trendsetters tells me why. Balmer isn't totally out of his gourd, he may just be unintentionally right.

You've put in words many thoug

2008-05-09T03:34:01.390+02:00

You've put in words many thoughts I had (and more) when reading about this. I could never have said it better. Good points!

Robert, I agree with many of t

2008-04-25T11:05:26.397+02:00

Robert, I agree with many of the points you make about Microsoft, and the way many people at the company think. However, I don't think you can ignore the fact that, to many people, $15B seems a laughably high valuation for Facebook as it stands right now. Don't believe me? Ask some of your VC friends. Ask them if *they* would invest in Facebook at that kind of price. I guarantee you that none would. So, why do you want Microsoft to value Facebook at $15B? Now clearly, Microsoft doesn't need the same kind of returns that a VC needs, but the question over valuation remains. You deride some Microsoft people's the use of the term "business value"... I'm not sure why. From the way I read what you've written, you actually mean that you saw business value in areas that Microsoft did not. So, in concrete terms, what do you think the value is, to , of taking a 5% equity stake in Facebook? In other words, what $ price should Microsoft value Facebook at?

Robert, you and I and David Me

2008-03-24T11:38:44.746+01:00

Robert, you and I and David Meerman Scott know that it doesn't matter if some old geezers "don't care about Twitter or Facebook". What matters is these tool communities are becoming mainstream at an alarming and astonishing rate: the critical mass you predicted in Naked Conversations has arrived. It's irrelevant if many business are still stupid about blogs, podcasts, live event streaming, VoIP, Twitter, YouTube. What matters is customers are enjoying these, and they're largely supplanting the MSM and corporate PR "messaging". Ballmer is dismissive, to explain away the fact that Microsoft has not responded adequately to the social media trend that began in 1992 and is gaining that critical mass that is making it totally mainstream. Microsoft hates missing a mainstream technology. Ballmer is sour grapesing it, and poo-pooing specific services. Popularity of services waxes and wanes, but is that a reason to not jump in with a version like almost everyone else is? Microsoft is backing Yippykaya. Does Ballmer consider that socnet a silly "fad"? What happened to Microsoft Spaces blogging thingamajig? Microsoft is caught with it’s pants down, asleep at the switch. That’s all. And Ballmer is putting a positive spin on it.

"This is what happens when Mic

2008-02-14T11:59:08.703+01:00

"This is what happens when Microsoft executives don’t get outside of their ivory towers very often. Steve, you really need to go to any tech industry conference and hang out in the hallways." I'd add to that ... whatever happened to good old research .. and listening. Even a small dipstick immersion or deep dive into the social networking space and its communities would reveal that while morphing all the while, they are here to stay! "The desk is a dangerous place to view the world" - John LeCarre

Facebook represents a new para

2008-01-05T16:25:05.086+01:00

Facebook represents a new paradigm in advertising, albeit a small one. This is the only reason Microsoft is even having this conversation. What they are afraid of is the advertising monster which shall be named Gphone. GPS + Social Network Tie in + Keyword Search all wrapped up in a brushed aluminum package less than the size of a pack of Marlboro Lights is scaring the bejeezus out of Mr. Balmer. Think about what pulled the internet out of the first slump. It was Google and this word auction crazy business. Now take that power, ease of use, care of customer, and then think about how much money gets spent in the car, compared to how much gets spent on your computer. In less you are 1 in 10,000 or more, the answer is much more money gets spent in the car. When you enable advertising to the other 95 percent of all countries GNP, now we are talking paradigms. Now think about Office. What is your corporation going to do? Give Microsoft 5million dollars a year to use it's phones and office suite? Or take the free advertising supported one that works much better from Google? Google will get the complaints nailed out, Microsoft better hurry or it's going to be ugly.

Robert, just yesterday, you s

2007-12-24T05:48:11.456+01:00

Robert, just yesterday, you said the death of blogging has been heralded, and today you say you don't think blogging is a fad? If people are leaving it to do the next thing ("tweeting"), then that _is_ a fad, by definition. pk.

I'm the least "early adopter"

2007-12-11T19:11:17.826+01:00

I'm the least "early adopter" person you'll meet, but jumped right into blogging at age 45 and just drank the Twitter Kool-Aid last month at 46. Ballmer is missing the boat, big-time. I know it must pain you as a former Softie. :(

There's an alternative viewpoi

2007-11-29T08:34:24.196+01:00

There's an alternative viewpoint...that Mr. Ballmer's comments are simply catering to his installed base. Microsoft is beloved of CIO's because it's "safe" tech. After having Oracle abruptly shove poorly implemented webtech down their throats, it is immensely comforting to have Microsoft represent the "old guard". There's a comfort in knowing that MS will *eventually* promote a tech, not when it's new and hot-but when it's old, mature and safe. My company is involved yellow pages - every time you open a yellow book you likely see our work. We work with hundreds of companies and dozens of publishers (Verizon, SBC, RH Donelley, etc.). From anecdotal evidence, to the vast majority of these people, Myspace is what their kids are on. That's not intended as a slam, by the way, just my experience. When Ballmer calls Facebook a fad people like me breathe a sigh of relief. It's irrelevant if Facebook actually IS a fad, but it means that I won't come in to work tomorrow and find that the next version of Office is Google Spreadsheets writ large. I won't have to drag my entire company through a decade of technology in a day, and replace 3/4 of my staff. I suspect the same feeling holds true for our vendors, and our clients. I see Mr. Ballmer's statement as an affirmation of stability. In the personal computing space, he may be way off base, but for business computing his is the type of idiocy that will help my career.

Robert, You nailed it buddy. T

2007-10-28T01:10:28.758+02:00

Robert, You nailed it buddy. They are clueless. It was nice to hear your perspective on how micosoft thinks. I actually blogged about this midday and just day that this topic is on techmeme at th top ;) I was just dumbfounded at hearing him say it was a fad... lmao. http://facereviews.com/2007/10/02/microsofts-ba... See you this weekend at graphing social. Should be good times. Rodney Rumford

I think Microsoft should get/s

2007-10-03T03:55:09.962+02:00

I think Microsoft should get/stay out of the social network biz. not every company can or should be in every business. Others can make big money on this, but that doens't mean that Microsoft should get into it any more than Panasonic, Kraft, or Honda. To the above person that said podcasting is a "fad", you are very wrong. Podcasting is here to stay. But I do doubt the survivability of companies that are completely based on podcasting. For example, I don't expect PodTech to be around at this time next year, two years at the latest.

"I never even joined Friendste

2007-10-03T03:17:46.482+02:00

"I never even joined Friendster. Enough said about that. It was lame compared to Facebook." Robert, I agree with the stuff you're saying but you've got such an arrogant attitude saying that just because you haven't tried something it's lame. If you grew up using these online services, you'll know technology comes around. That's like a filesharing noob saying that Napster is lame compared to Bittorrent. How could one even fathom the idea of Bittorrent at the time? Likewise, when Altavista was king, no one could envision what Google would bring to the table. Sometimes big ideas just arrive and stick around. Maybe Facebook is one of those big ideas, maybe not. Regardless, these ideas evolve and it's simply naive to dismiss predecessors as 'lame'. Interestingly, with all this social networking craze, email is still the no-frills dependable foundation for the rest world.

Rex: I never even joined Frien

2007-10-03T02:28:56.199+02:00

Rex: I never even joined Friendster. Enough said about that. It was lame compared to Facebook. But, we'll see. Someone will look stupid in a few years. Maybe it might be me.

Do you remember that story in

2007-10-03T02:13:40.487+02:00

Do you remember that story in the New York Times a few years ago about how people were giving out their usernames rather than their phone numbers in bars? Do you remember what site those usernames were from? That's right, Friendster. That's the business card of four years ago. It's really not all that different than Facebook's business card of today. Or, for that matter, MetaFilter's business card -- a low user id -- eight years ago. "If these things have utility (they do) then it doesn't matter if they are getting hyped up or not." No, what matters is if they are getting *used* or not. If Facebook is only a business card box, then I'll be using it once a month. Again, I don't know if Facebook is different than the history that brought us MeFi --> Friendster --> MySpace. If you force me to bet, I'd bet it is different. But then if you told me I had to bet $500 million, well....

bah! .. Facebook is for me si

2007-10-03T01:58:24.775+02:00

bah! .. Facebook is for me simple: "Confirm or Ignore"... i get friends requests, that's all i do.. Using it is entirely different story and "attraction economy" inside facebook imho is over-rated much like Second Life.. Great concept, little execution.

They said rock & roll was a fa

2007-10-03T01:43:09.063+02:00

They said rock & roll was a fad. I still love it. My kids still buy it. So - what if it is a fad? All that matters is how long it stays around. I am a Sr. VP of a very old Internet company. I just attended a social marketing conference a few days ago (which was at the University of Washington in Seattle); I guess we should have invited Steve so he could see where this is all going. Anyways, I keep my FaceBook account up to date as do most of my collegues and wife's collegues, many who are over 42 and professionals (myself included). It just so happens we get social networking - Ballmer does not. Maybe he just does not want any "friends". Or maybe he does and realizes how much of a stir he will create by this post. As they say, "crafty like a fox". I have already used his comments in my own blog so maybe he does get it :)

Robert, I think you missed Ba

2007-10-03T00:38:10.741+02:00

Robert, I think you missed Ballmer's point on the faddish potential of Facebook. I think he meant that Facebook itself could be a fad -- not that social networks are. (Or at least that's what I hope he meant.) And I think this is a very serious concern. I don't even have to raise the spectre of MySpace and Friendster to make this point -- I can just point to all of my friends who joined Facebook in the last 6 months and now say "There's nothing to do here." I'm not saying who's right or who's wrong -- I don't know what will happen with Facebook. All I know is that this isn't a simple bet, and I'd be worried that Facebook could be a fad too. (I admit, your general historical points about Microsoft seem accurate.)

If Microsoft could churn out a

2007-10-03T00:22:28.866+02:00

If Microsoft could churn out a serious WordPress competitor in 2 weeks time and they haven't already done it then they're fools. And I’m not talking about a wanna be version of WordPress, I'm talking the whole Enchilada with all of the out of the box stuff that’s baked into WordPress. I seriously doubt that they could accomplish this in all honesty, they’d be totally buried in “let’s integrate with SharePoint… and Word… and whatever else we can come up with”. When was the last time Microsoft got anything of that magnitude done in 2 weeks?

Sorry Robert, But I'm 42 and d

2007-10-03T00:06:46.991+02:00

Sorry Robert, But I'm 42 and don't really care about Face book or my space, and they are a faddish sort of thing, kids are fickle and their tastes change sometimes overnight. Twitter is the same thing, I really don't care to know what where or what someone is doing from moment to moment, some of these things are creative and may have some legs over time, but I'm not in the school of get on board just because everybody seems to be doing it. Microsofts problem is that they wait to long to get in to some of these markets and then they contemplate overpaying for something like face book. I hope they don't do it

Robert, good post. (and, BTW,

2007-10-02T23:51:05.116+02:00

Robert, good post. (and, BTW, proof that there's still some legs to blogging.) It's shocking that Ballmer would primarily evaluate a property on the basis of the code and how many developer hours it would take to replicate it. You're probably right that it's a negotiating ploy. As you said: the value of Facebook is that my friends are on it. (Oh, yeah... and it's a platform and there's an advertising model coming.) But for now... it's the friends thing. Here''s the nugget of truth in what Ballmer said: everyone is vulnerable to a breakthrough that offers something radically more useful to the customer--also vlulnerable to internal rot and decay.) Office, too, may be a "fad."

Look what a huge success "Squi

2007-10-02T22:33:54.228+02:00

Look what a huge success "Squirting" has been. Don't we see people squirting music from their Zunes everywhere ;-) That's Microsoft's idea of social networking. On the other hand, MySpace is the best way for a band to get exposure and spread their music. Almost every band has a MySpace music page. There's very little high tech about it - the community is what makes a difference.

"If we’re trying to find a goo

2007-10-02T22:20:10.087+02:00

"If we’re trying to find a good recent fad — can we say it’s podcasting?" This is nonsense. Podcasting allows me to listen to my favorite NPR shows and "Eyes of the World" (Grateful Dead) and "Friday Night Fish Fry" (blues) as I work during the day. How is this a "fad" or not useful? Yes, we have local radio, but how can I select the exact content I want, when I want it? BTW: did the Zune ever get Podcasting? Not meant to be a "smarmy" question-- just curious.

I wonder by what rate podcasti

2007-10-02T22:06:05.946+02:00

I wonder by what rate podcasting has really been increasing. There's now 100mm+ iPods using iTunes software, which allows quick/easy access to grab a podcast onto your iPod. Someone (TC or R/WW) should write a piece. I'd look at the Comscore/Alexa of the top podcast websites as well; along with launch date of podcasts being available via iTunes easily. How many podcasters exist now? How many listeners? I'll be first to admit I'm not into podcasting, so I could be speaking from my own silo. But I'd bet that podcasting listenership hasn't increased all that much, if any, in the past year.

Steve: PodCasting has continue

2007-10-02T22:05:55.946+02:00

Steve: PodCasting has continued to expand in numbers of listeners. The PodCasting Expo, last week, was bigger than ever. If that's what happens "post fad" I want more of it!

If we're trying to find a good

2007-10-02T22:05:30.946+02:00

If we're trying to find a good recent fad -- can we say it's podcasting? [Would love to see a post by you defending podcasting]

Microsoft's ideology is: We pr

2007-10-02T22:05:23.446+02:00

Microsoft's ideology is: We provide a service, You provide a service, Then we go our seperate ways. No input, beyond a techsupport@, no sharing or building. It's been over three-decades since Gates penned "An open letter to hobbyists" and still Microsoft is completely uncomfortable with the idea of community. That's what this all comes down to: Communities are scary and there members could have better ideas then us (notice, though, how Facebook solved this problem instead of suing). BTW, as for not leaving services: Twitter's been going down nearly ever hour lately and none of us are going anywhere!

Wonder when Ballmer's goanna g

2007-10-02T22:04:59.946+02:00

Wonder when Ballmer's goanna go off the top. Wonder how Microsoft's goanna be when I and Patrick are your age... And, btw, I analysed Digg and found that your blog is the most dugg wordpress.com blog. I tweeted it, and did it @scobleizer. And, very probably, you missed it. Too much volume, Scoble, too much volume :) I said it before, and I'm saying it again: Just waiting for December to come so I can analyse your blog, Linkblog and Twitter together...

Yes Robert, it's not about the

2007-10-02T22:04:51.946+02:00

Yes Robert, it's not about the technology. And it's also not about what you want users to do with it. Twitter addicts tolerate more bugs and downtime than anyone cares to admit, but the loyalty is ferocious. Why? Because you migrated there, during the Mean Kids fiasco, and we followed you. Now we're hooked on the community. The messages are personal trivia, cool links, or technical remarks, but aside from the content, the community seems like a summer camp, in the style of "Goodnight Johnboy" intimacy. Making the technical product is irrelevant. Showing a human face and voice, entering into the rushing river of brevities, and riding it to the bitter end, that's what counts in Twitter. It's the vision, the idea, and the implementation of tools that meet unfulfilled needs. It's not "who's smartest?" Rather, it's "who's more in touch with people?"

Sharepoint 2007 is proof posit

2007-10-02T22:04:43.946+02:00

Sharepoint 2007 is proof positive that Microsoft doesn't get the community thing, even from a business community perspective. It's basic nature is directly contrary to the type of framework that supports a community. Ultimately I have to say this is a great post. Nice one once again.

Robert, Spot on. Damn, it's fr

2007-10-02T22:04:15.946+02:00

Robert, Spot on. Damn, it's frustrating being a MSFT shareholder, seeing them 4th in advertising, and trying to buy or re-build things again and again and not succeeding. Let's take one simple example - calendar sharing. It's "Built In" to Office 2007/Outlook 2007. But damned if I can figure out how to actually find the calendar it's sharing on Live/hotmail/something, and worse, tell someone how to subscribe to my free/busy data, even from another OUTLOOK! Meanwhile, Google Calendar just works like that. Arrrgh. Yes, I know microsoft has some SN features in Live and Spaces, but, as you said, my network is elsewhere.

You hit the nail on the head w

2007-10-02T22:04:05.946+02:00

You hit the nail on the head with that one! And it's not just Web 2.0: before it there was the Internet itself (Bill Gates had to rewrite his book on that one), the browser, and many other products that Microsoft ultimately acquired after a while, because they didn't jump on the bandwagon early enough. We live in interesting times, indeed. If you look at just the last 2-3 weeks and what news came out of Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo - there is an interesting synchronicity going on here: Office, Social Networking, Search, Office, Social Networking, Search, ... - is it just me, or is there a pattern here? And it all revolves around platforms for advertising dollars :) http://www.xmlaficionado.com/2007/10/google-mic...

Any way to see all trafic?...

2009-10-05T10:32:48.718+02:00

Any way to see all trafic?... isn't there something you may add to your code... how can you be shure... couldn't you tack the number the button was pushed?

It's my prayer that bloggers a

2009-06-18T01:13:48.004+02:00

It's my prayer that bloggers are not in the number game Just for the sake of being famous, well known and getting fame What else do we have but advanced computer technology to really blame For getting all bloggers everywhere all rather worked up with the numbering flame (C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng Tue. 16th Oct. 2007 http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com

Cool, i just finally broke dow

2009-06-04T05:20:02.630+02:00

Cool, i just finally broke down and set up Google reader, i was using a mac-based system, but the ubiquity of google is equity for everybody... i kind of sound like a sales rep, yikes! Anyway, it is a nice service, i just wish it looked nicer instead of the baby blue nightmare scheme. -Americo http://ThunkDifferent.com

Ain't there no love in the 'ho

2009-05-21T09:26:17.256+02:00

Ain't there no love in the 'hood for poor old Coding Horror? Et tu, Scoble! I have 32,379 subscribers by this metric, which means I am now officially more important than the front page of the New York Times! TAKE THAT GRAY LADY!

I find three different entries

2009-03-23T13:52:49.414+01:00

I find three different entries and two different numbers for my blog. Add them? take the biggest? Confusing. See screenshot: http://flickr.com/photos/bunny/1576284018/

Hey Robert - I commented over

2009-03-09T17:59:04.040+01:00

Hey Robert - I commented over at TC but thought it couldn't hurt to mention it here as well. My blog 'Dumb Little Man' has a Google Reader subscriber count just north of 53K. Jay

Hi5 Codes -- You're being very

2009-02-23T22:05:18.666+01:00

Hi5 Codes -- You're being very short-sighted. If used properly, a good RSS feed will bring MORE visitors to your site. For example, I follow about 250 feeds and keep up with them every day. There is NO WAY I'd visit all 250 sites each day, but I happily click-through when I find a good item (such as the one we're on right now). If your site found its way into my feedreader, I'd see ALL of your new content every day. Otherwise, I might visit your site once every x days, when I happen to think of it.

I couldn't get the Google read

2008-12-31T18:09:45.950+01:00

I couldn't get the Google reader values for Sciencebase but Feedburner reported about 2600 overall last time I looked, and Odiogo stats just in show I've got 1000+ podcast subscribers on top of that ;-) db

Interesting exercise, thanks f

2008-11-07T00:24:28.842+01:00

Interesting exercise, thanks for the tips... I got 260 via Google Reader... 1,111 via Feedburner... but I am now just confused by Danny Sullivan's post (mentioned above: http://tinyurl.com/2lcdcl), so I think I'll just forget about subscriber #s and go get some work done.

We've now posted on the Reader

2008-10-25T02:15:20.054+02:00

We've now posted on the Reader blog with more details about this: http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2007/10/subscr... The post mentions that the counts were slightly off until this morning, so keep that in mind when looking at lists that may be using older numbers. Mihai Parparita Google Reader Engineer