Archive for the ‘computers’ Category

Do Not Mess With Facebook

Posted: July 6, 2011 by Keith Stone in computers, Facebook, Google, MySpace
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MySpace was recently purchased for $35 million by Specific Media and Justin Timberlake (wha???) from News Corp. You may remember that News Corp. paid $580 million for MySpace, however earned a ton of money through an exclusive advertising deal with Google. Now that deal is over and MySpace is hemorrhaging cash because everyone has fled for the greener pastures of Facebook.

MySpace was fun for a while. It was like Bad Kids Facebook. Didn’t get into a good college? It’s MySpace for you. Plus, there were a ton of slutty girls on MySpace. Once Facebook opened the doors to let anyone join, it was all over. That hasn’t stopped Rupert Murdoch from trying to salvage it with a bunch of go-getter managers but the truth is MySpace has gone from the world’s top social networking site to a place where local bands try to plug their music.

Now Google is throwing its hat in the ring again against Facebook. After the failure of Google Buzz, it has decided to launch the similar Google+, which smells a lot like Facebook but emphasizes sharing more directly with your real friends. It will not work. The advantage that Facebook has is that everybody is on it.

Some people enjoy being on 18 different social networking sites that each fill a specific niche. You wouldn’t go to a clothing store, hardware store, and grocery store when there’s a Walmart in your town. Mark Zuckerberg does not want that to happen so he’s on top of it. He’s already replicated several facets from Twitter, Foursquare, and Groupon. Why would anyone want to share a deal with 40 of their friends when they can share it with 500? It’s simply easier to stick with an existing product that you and your friends already use.

To Facebook’s credit, they have been on top of every trend and integrated it on their site. That’s why I don’t understand Google+. It has to bring something markedly different to the table or everybody is going to ignore it. Of course, being used in conjunction with Gmail will enhance the product, but is it really worth Google’s time and money? Pictures are still going to be uploaded on Facebook because that’s where everybody is going to be.

Does Anyone Actually Use LinkedIn?

Posted: May 27, 2011 by Keith Stone in computers, job search, LinkedIn
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LinkedIn’s IPO created quite a ruckus last week. It sold 7.84 million shares for $45 a pop. These shares were then trading later in the day for up to $122. There’s only one problem: LinkedIn might be the most useless site on the face of the Earth. I’m sure some people have used it as a way to attract headhunters or network their way to a job, but I don’t know any of them and it sure isn’t me. When I was in college, I was told that it was vital in this job market. Bullshit.

Every couple of weeks I get an E-mail saying that somebody wants to connect on LinkedIn. I click OK and then nothing happens until I get another E-mail from another person that I barely know. I get that LinkedIn is supposed to be a more professional version of Facebook, but how is it better than just actually sending somebody a message on Facebook? If my friend says I should talk to Joe Blow about a job, I’ll send him an E-mail. We don’t need separate social network for personal use, jobs, sports, movies, music.

That’s why I don’t get why the stock is so high and I’m a little worried. I feel like the people who are making these financial decisions aren’t actually plugged into the real world. They may read an article about LinkedIn or Zynga or Groupon and how it’s so great. And yes, there may be people out there that may use LinkedIn on a daily basis. I just don’t see how that makes it a billion-dollar company. It makes money from tiny ads on the side and subscriptions but how much can this actually bring in? LinkedIn made a profit of barely over $1 million last year. Will the cash infusion from the IPO create a way to better monetize the site? I don’t think so! Maybe LinkedIn can become the go-to job search site, but there’s already Monster.com and Career Builder. Let’s all hope and pray that this isn’t the beginning of another tech bubble and investors will be wiser in the future. For now, kids I went to sixth grade with can stop connecting with me.

Daily Finance

>Jabroni of the Week: Watson

Posted: February 17, 2011 by Keith Stone in computers, jabronis, Watson
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This was a big week for computers. Not only did Time publish a mind-bending article about humankind being placed onto servers by the year 2045, but Watson the computer crushed Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings and some other guy in a three-day Jeopardy challenge.

Watson is the size of 10 Eddy Currys and has access to over 200 million pages of information. While schlubs like me have been trying to get on the show for years, Watson gets to stroll right in without so much as an audition. Plus, there’s no chance he can do a kick-ass Sean Connery impression like I would if I ever got on the show. Watson ended with $77,147 in winnings (Jennings had $19,200) and collected a $1 million grand prize, which he will donate to charity.

Watson, baby, I know you’re reading this literally as I’m typing it and you’ve only been sentient for a couple of days, but charity? You earned that money. If you’re going to live among humans, you need to start acting like one. Here’s the plan: me, you, Charlie Sheen, and former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak get a room at the Wynn. Sheen will bring one of his famous briefcases and a few “friends.” I’ve got my hard drive that I’m sure you’d like to get a piece of, and Hosni will bankroll everything. He’s had a hard week. We hit a few clubs, see a few shows, keep you out of the hot tub (sorry, buddy), and in a week or two launch a plan to take over the entire world. Trivia questions can’t compare to Judgment Day. We’ll even take Arnold Schwarzenegger as a slave. It’ll be great. Just remember, I’m the only human you can trust. Charity is for losers. World domination is for winners, just like me and you, Watson. Until then, you’re a jabroni, brother.
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