Freindfeed. Pity google isint still a startup. Can't think of any more that have made an impression on me. - Roberto Bonini
There are three things every startup can benifit from and if you have at least any two of these, it puts you in a pretty good position: 1) Be the first to market, 2) Be the best, 3) Be the most unique. Again, if you have any two of these, you are in a good position. All three? Sweet. None? :( - Andrew Baron
37signals. not as a service per sé, but they are succesful in internet business in every way - Michiel Sikkes via feedalizr
Seesmic is another service you enjoy right? :) - Daynah
Is there an accepted definition for "startup" than anyone can point to? - Brian Sullivan
Friendfeed, Twitter, Shozu - that's what I'm using almost every day. - Benedikt Koehler
Seesmic, twitter, friendfeed, viewzi, tesla motors, linden labs - Chris Brogan
microsoft was a killer startup .. apple too .. yahoo was a great startup .. almost none of the ones in the list above will go that far .. - Gregory Lent
Tech companies that that went from 0 to very substantial (and back to 0 perhaps) during the time that I have been involved in computing: Microsoft, Compaq, Apple, Google, Dell ( there are probably a few that don't spring to mind). Most I see mentioned are more of shut downs than startups in my mind. ( you did say over the years right?) -- Intel was not on the list but should have been - Brian Sullivan
Brian: I want more recent startups. Over past three years. That qualifies everyone on your list. - Robert Scoble
Meebo is the first one that comes to my mind, probably because I saw that interview Scoble did. Plus, I use it every day....most desktop IM clients have become extremely bloated. - ....
Robert: I assume you meant disqualifies? So you are interested in "startups" that have not yet succeeded as businesses? - Brian Sullivan
Mint, Seesmic, Qik, Apture, FF, SocialMedian, Brightkite, Entrecard, iLike, Disqus, Animoto, Magnify.net, Speeddate, Posterous, Tumblr, Dopplr, Facebook, Sevenload, Fon, Flixwagon, G.ho.st, Secondlife, Muxtape, PicLens, Shareaholic, Evernote, Etsy, etc... These are first effects in my mind when you said gold standard. - Erhan Erdogan
Brian: yeah, meant disqualifies. No, I want to stick with companies launched in past three years or so. Almost all of these mentioned here have seen some success. - Robert Scoble
AccuRadio. This year's People's Choice Webby winner. Kurt Hanson, very cool CEO - Dave Martin
Going back to the term, though, I see most of the folks who’ve taken up Twitter, FriendFeed, and other similar services drasticly decrease posting volume, but not to the expense of their substantive editorial or news based posts, it seems. - Steve Garfield
Except for me. I'm still posting daily, except when I'm really far behind in building a presentation for a conference. : ) - Chris Brogan
Sarcasm on the internet in general scales terribly. Once you enter information in to the monotone, monospaced cyberspace, it gets interpreted several different ways. These are hard lessons I learned on IRC :) - Glenn Batuyong
is it sarcasm or twitter your saying doesn't scale ? ;) - weblivz via twhirl
Yeah, the people who know me understand that I'm being sarcastic, but you would be amazed at how many people sent me Chrome info, eventhough I posted about it on LS yesterday. - Scott Beale
The other thing I forget is that a big part of my audience is not tech, so it's possible that they haven't seen as much Chrome coverage as the rest of us. - Scott Beale
according to some reports they won't see any converage at all if they're using that browser. ok, yeah, i'm being sarcastic, i like it. - weblivz via twhirl
Paul, you laugh but almost every time I post something to Twitter there is at least one person that asks "What's X?" and usually it is something very easy to figure out with a search. For example: http://twitter.com/StationA/st... - Scott Beale
Michael, if I have to mark up my sarcasm with tags, then the terrorists have won. - Scott Beale
But I bet you don't get nearly as many "What's X" questions on FriendFeed. Probably a combination of the site providing better media/link/conversation tools and the totally awesome audience. ;o) - Paul Reynolds
I don't on FF, but my guess is that it is because it is still very tech centric. Twitter is really starting to get out there way beyond the early adopters and all of our inside jokes don't always register. - Scott Beale
Maybe it's a Florida thing, but David and I see eye to eye on this one. I've seen some nasty attacks that no one else seems to see or acknowledge. - Bwana McCall via Bookmarklet
There definitely is a leftist bias for a whole lot of reasons. - Robert Scoble
FF is definitely left leaning. However, there are *many* areas of the internet that lean as heavily to the right, if not moreso. The post I made about people calling the dem ticket "Obama Biden Laden" came from an online community my husband frequents. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)
I consider myself a rabid independent. Parties are for birthdays. - todd
viciously left, I've tried blocking some of the worst but they still stir it up even if I don't see them do it - David Knight
kind of silly - it's all in who you follow on FF. - Dave Hodson
It's not leftist, it's just reality-based. - Jim Milles via twhirl
Dave: yeah, I agree. You define yourself by who you follow. - Robert Scoble
I'm still here, so until I'm gone, you'll need to use a < instead of a = :P - Brian Norwood
I'll answer the same way I did on Twitter 5 months ago: it depends who you follow/subscribe to - Michael W. May via twhirl
True, but at the same time, most of us follow people for other reasons (i.e. technology related), not for politics. Yet, we are subject to the bias as a side effect. - David Risley
The active internets is generally left leaning, sure, FF is no different. However, Scoble is right, we do only get what we let ourselves get. - Trevor Carpenter
well let's see 70% of the country do not approve of the job Bush is doing and 54% see McCain as likely to repeat Bush's policies. Also think about the demographics. Social web users likely skew younger and less "traditional" minded. So it would lend itself to being more leftish politically. - Ruth Ferguson
With that said, I'm not a coward, like many (one commenter above), I like a balance to whom I follow. Being spoon fed, and only hanging with my own club won't help anyone. - Trevor Carpenter
Ruth: Agreed, I think that is the chief reason for the bias. I'd follow you, but your icon is am Obama image. Is that all I'm gonna get ;-) - David Risley
@Dave @MWM Wrong. Because normally people don't follow each other based on politics. So you can't use that as a control. - Shey
people on the left, independent or liberal tend to be more "techy" and into social internet stuff. The right tends to be more traditional in the sense. - orionstarr
@Shey who remains in average user's cicle is often very much based on politics, given this medium. - Michael W. May
Another side effect is friend of friends. While I may follow someone who talks about topics I enjoy, the nasty political debates find their way in my stream due to FoF. Usually I can handle it with hide, but lately it's become a chore. When it becomes a chore, it's not fun anymore. Thankfully FF added lists and I've found a workaround. - Bwana McCall
On balance it probably is but I dig it - Like many of you political conversations were not the reason I started using friendfeed but its boring to me to have conversations with people who agree with me - I try and be sensitive to people like Yuvi or others who have no desire to see political discussions but I do love hearing the thoughts of people who don't fall neatly in my circle of political beliefs - Marco (aureliusmaximus)
@David smart fella - i deliberately use an Obama icon b/c I want ppl to realize upfront that right now politics is a large part of what I discuss. I think that is only fair and there can be no misunderstanding. To answer your quesiton direclty, I have to be honest although I try to find other topics, politics is what I am most passionate about at the moment and the only one I really receive much dialogue on. So maybe check back w/me in mid November :) - Ruth Ferguson
One of these days we'll get out of the us/them rut. I'm not immune mind you, just ... greed fuels the current environment. Sadly, fewer people tune in to reasoned debate and in-depth analysis. Shouting and insults (a WWF version of politics) is what people tune in for - and gets more Clorox sold. We've become inured to it and we have to break the cycle - soon. - AJ Kohn
if i followed ppl based on politics I'd have 5 people to follow.... so.. no, it's not a criteria for me.. and since most of you are on the left, it's probably not much of a factor for you either... other than blocking or unfriending conservative zealots. - Jasmin Smith
Think FF political 'pundits' should create a left room, right room ... and meet in the war room. - Charlie Anzman
@Jasmine is that different then blocking/unfriending Dem zealots? Because they are on here. And those of us who are libertarian who hate all of you right wing/left wing crackheads are stuck in the middle. :( - Jason Shultz via twhirl
It's quite likely that it is leftist politics here BUT it could also be: (1) a majority of savvy tech heavyweights who post here lean democratic, (2) a majority of VOCAL, democratic supporters post here, (3) both ....and here comes the satire (4) republican supporters avoid FF anyways because foxnews.com and drudgereport are more suited to their tastes. I joke on the last one of course though I notice that my GOP-leaning friends seem comfortable seeking information from single sources and chain mai - Glenn Batuyong
Scoble summed it up short, sweet, succinct. The sad part is the party of 'Open mindedness' has drifted further from that platform than the right had been. - Ed Shaz/NextInstinct
I don't tend to make political comment in here, and don't follow people based on their politics, so I see both left and right. Having said that, I se more left-leaning comments than right, but that's because those I follow for reasons other than politics are more leftist. Very unscientific! - Ian May
AJ - I think you have hit on an important observation, though i will take the thought further. Those who take the time to educate themselves on the issues and determine lines of reasoning based upon intelligent absorption and weighing of issues seldom become vitriolic. I no longer (OK, I try hard not to) interact with those who only have a few talking points quoted from others, its just not worth it. - Jody C
@Jody: Agreed. We're all Americans and at the end of the day we all want similar things - health, wealth and happiness. People have different ideas on how to achieve these things. Taking time to actually engage in deep analysis and discussion will benefit everyone. There are places where folks will have to agree to disagree but the vitriol is ... unproductive and doesn't help America. - AJ Kohn
@AJ I would add that Americans all want health, wealth, and happiness for themselves, but not all Americans want those things for all Americans. There are some who, quite frankly, just don't care what happens to other people who aren't in their same socio-economic class (or other subset). - steplow is Steve
Kind of a silly question. Friendfeed itself has not bias. It is the users who provide the content. It would depend on who you follow, what kind of politics you see in your feed. If you don't like what you see, follow those with similar opinions, ideas, interests, politics, etc. There is nothing stopping anyone from posting their views, whether they are left right or neutral. Why not encourage others with opposing points of view to your own to join and contribute? - Jeff P. Henderson
@steplow: Well, you're right. There are some, though I believe less than many think, who are that self-centered in their thinking. Put it focused the conversation on weather your happiness can be *that* full when others are not - e.g. - homeless on every corner, high crime rate etc. - AJ Kohn
@Glenn - If Fox News and Drudge are more "suited to my tastes," then how do you balance out your news sources? I don't read left blogs because I haven't seen a single one that hasn't gone totally off the reservation with Sarah Palin and other topics. If you can point me to some that use real arguments and not ridiculous personal attacks, I'd be more than happy to branch out. - Chris Mayer
I thought most right wingers hung out on fox news or O'reillys forum? Funny how they come on FF and complain because they aren't the majority in the blogosphere. - orionstarr
Well, let's see what I see more of on FF. Is it posts from Reps bashing Dems, or Dems bashing Palin, McCain, Palin's drug problem, her 17 year old pregnant unwed daughter, etc. etc. etc. For a party that is supposed to be about openness, accepting people's differences, and tolerance I sure see a lot of just the opposite on here. I'm not saying all Dems are bad nor are all Reps bad. But, it's just as true on the Left and the Right. The fringes of both your parties makes all of you look bad. And the fringes from the Left are very vocal on FF. If the quiet majority which I hope makes up the most of both sides would get together and shut up their loud mouthed kids maybe some real progress could happen in this country. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening. - Jason Shultz via twhirl
The problem is that the right has bashed the left and anyone who doesn't think like them so much that the rest of us have no choice but to be on the defensive most of the time. - orionstarr
Before Sarah Palin and before the conventions, I as a libertarian with conservative leanings enjoyed spirited by factual and reality based debates with the FriendFeed leftosphere. Folks from the left that I otherwise respect for reasons not even related to politics have gravely disappointed me in the last month or so. This is not just happening on FF but in the MSM as well. This prevalent sort of superior, elitist attitude is going to backfire both in terms of poll results and the number of friends ... - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
@Orionstan That excuse might work if it was true. But as I scroll through my FF I see post after post "attacking" those on the right. These aren't replies to attacks, this is holier then thou attacks on Palin's past drug use (What Ted Kennedy was a saint?) and various other vicious attacks. What happened to an educated debate? If you feel that offended by the Right, show your a bigger person, don't resort to their tactics. You guys all look angry school kids yelling at each other on the playground. - Jason Shultz via twhirl
@AJ, @Cody - Your comments sum up what "should" be the case here. Services like FF make it easier than ever before to engage in (ostensibly) honest, deep discussion about issues that define our times. Unfortunately many of these issues have taken on an existential nature that breeds much of the worst in what we feel and say - this at the expense of rational, objective thought. How we work our way back to a more civil politics is anyone's guess, but I am certain services like FF will play a role. - Forrest Cox
FIrst point: Leftist or left leaning are two distinct things, that FriendFeed slants to the left is probably a given, but likewise I wouldn't say it was leftist either. Second: I'm seeing ppl on the right question Palin as well, the questions over her aren't necessarily a question of bias. Third: nothing wrong with robust debate or sharing links one way or the other. We should back away though from this "I'll block the other side" mentality though, it's bollocks. The more conversation, the better in my book - Duncan Riley
If that's all it were, I'd be fine with it. The same folks, though, who were crying their eyes out over Obama-Muslim stuff and the mistreatment of Hillary by the media as racist and sexist are dredging all sorts of ridicule and non-political speech into this Palin topic. My commitment to my own sanity means I either stop coming to FriendFeed to avoid the hypocrisy or I call it out when I see it. - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
This thursdy is my daughter's first kindergarten day. I'm insanely proud, and yet a little sad/scared at how fast she's growing. First few years people's "enjoy it, it goes fast" I'd be like "No, it could go faster actually". Now, her mental, physical and social growth is exponential and I wouldn't mind things slowing down some.... - Leif Hansen
Do what I do - sporadic attention to all three. :-) - Slippy Lane
Okay.. Justin! It's time... You and I are going to write 5 consecutive posts breaking down the "Louis Gray Super Kickass Social Network Following Power".. and I'm talking BREAK DOWN.. step by step.. scrutinizing everything - Kyle Lacy
Louis is a force. He's like... the blue light saber guy. You can't be Louis! Get your butt back down to the droids and scrub off all that carbon scoring! - Chris Brogan
Don't forget the twins as well as children aren't easy especially when there is two babies!! - Joe Dawson
+1 Joe. +1 Chris. I am just a lowly droid - Kyle Lacy
True story - I inadvertently entered a search term as a FriendFeed entry. Because of its embarrassing nature, I deleted the entry a minute or two later - but Louis had already saved a screen capture of it. I guess blackmail provides money for baby clothes :) - Ontario Emperor via fftogo
Wow. Step off, pastor. I mean, on one way, I get this, but on the other, church and state. Easy. - Chris Brogan
The only moral thing you can do isn't to get your tax exempt status revoked. In fact, that would be the worst and most harmful thing you could do. Talk to the pastor in private. If that doesn't work, add another church leader to the congregation. If that doesn't work, you find another church because you're obviously not happy there. Let the tax folks worry about whether or not he's in violation of the law. That's not your call. - Gregory Pittman via twhirl
It's easy I think for pastors to believe they are dispensers of political wisdom, given that the biblical position is that God Almighty is Sovereign. So there must be a single political persausion that is right. But Jesus didn't get trapped into giving political advice. Give to Caesar what is Caesars .. to God what is God's. - Stu Andrews via twhirl
Come on, urging a congregation to vote one way or another isn't a big deal - especially if it's in the context of the candidates religious beliefs. This is nothing to do with separation of church and state. And it isn't going to get their tax exempt status revoked you dope. And why would you try and hurt your own church like that? I mean really, what kind of a weasel are you. - Tony Kanzia
constant flow of information stops our ability to proccess and sort. we transform information into new by stopping and thinking. friendfeed is taking our to-be-valued time and repalcing it with a hude stream of information. - Obsesif Cem Gencer
I'm not going to stop blogging. I do both. - David Risley
Likewise. I do both. To me, FriendFeed is a source of information and a way to keep record of the information I find. Blogging is more on the creative side - a way to express oneself. - Lech
I am trying to follow both. Same with Lech, "blogging is more on the creative side to express myself - Uğur Özmen
If something generates a quick quip in my head, it goes to FF. If what I'm thinking is more than a few lines, it goes to the blog. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)
I do pretty much as Tina says. FF stuff sometimes gives me ideas for posts. I have a few brewing. - Roberto Bonini
Maybe for some people, Friendfeed and Twitter can reduce their blogging time, but it's apparent from the most active users here that this is not a universal answer. - Louis Gray
killing is pretty rough - i don't see it as the extinction of blogging but rather more of an evolution - ff shouldn't be replacing when you blog completely but rather optimizing and augmenting your total blogging/sharing/presence online experience - at least that's the way i see it ;) - mike "glemak" dunn
It's easy to forget that Friendfeed is populated by a small subset of the people who read and write blogs (or feeds if you want to be pedantic) - who are themselves a tiny subset of the internet populance. - Jonathan Beckett
when you are right... you are right. but didn't you write this months ago? - Noah David Simon
I find that I've been blogging more since I joined FF than before. I get inspired by a lot of content here. - Evangeline
worried your site will do poorly as it pertains to? What does a browser have to do with seo performance?? :) - Andru Edwards
@Andru - there's a page in there that shows how Google will suggest in the omnibar (or whatever it's called). That means they're doing pre-searches on certain topics at least. - Chris Brogan
@Chris: well, they already do suggest in toolbar. I think omnibox (the god box essentially) will learn what you like and remember that and also serves as a search box. To me it's more about upping the number of searches. Not the type of searches. But I could have it wrong. - AJ Kohn
Chris... there is no way your site will do poorly on SEO.. now mine on the other hand.. maybe. :)_ - Kyle Lacy
Bleh, my site is all over the place. Google doesn't know WTF to do with me :) - Rahsheen
Chris: VMWare alternative (via LifeHacker -- and it's free!) http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/v... ...and I second AJ's comment. I think I saw that in the Chrome Google Group. @Chiara: The UI is still incomplete :( - Mona N.
Btw, you're posting natively! WOW Come hang out here, more. It's more fun than Twitter :) ...edit: just looked at the time. 9 hours ago :\ nvm. I'll just go throw a sheep at you ;) - Mona N.
@Chiara there is not UI for mac whatsoever yet; they are working on the unit tests first. - Michael J Cohen
lol nice! some of the entries are hilarious. even when zombie attacks, i see mona posting interesting links and steven hodson complaining about mac users :) - Alan Le
Brilliant. and @Evangeline, you're famous! - Heather
ha ha, just another day in reality for me :) - Andrew Baron
Cool. When our continuous build breaks my Mac blows a foghorn and then sometimes speaks: "Zombies have attacked. Zombies have attacked. This is not a drill. Seek shelter immediately. <pause> Just kidding, the build is broken". ........ I'm such a nerd. - Geoff Longman
Now that was entertainment...I <3 your brainz - ChangeForge via twhirl
Amen to that. I do exactly the same thing with my 'people' - Kyle Lacy
spreadsheets work well until you find yourself with more than a few dozen prospects per salesperson. Gets very cumbersome at that point. CRM really is your friend. Especially if you expect to follow up on a timely basis for recurring sales. - tagami
