Harley shows his support for the Leafs (even as another game ends in disappointment)…while Tucker pulls out all the stops trying to steal the show.
In the background is just one of the bags of clothes for goodwill. And we’re not done yet. It’s been a relaxing, but still productive, holiday break.
How do you spend Christmas?
Well, if you’re MJ you find the plushest spot in the apartment…a mountain of laundry. Then you convert said spot into a snuggling oasis.
Others gazed out the window, across the creepy scaffolding that’s been there for almost two weeks, and thought about the year ahead.
It’s been a great year - here’s to another one. Merry Christmas to all - now we’re off to the movies.
I used Pownce for about a month this past summer. Probably right in and around the peak shown on Uncov. Which is about the same amount of time I used 30 boxes a couple of years ago…and a number of other seemingly nifty websites/applications/software in between.
Why do some things stick and others don’t?
Here are the online spots I frequent the most.
Facebook
Twitter (recently and unexpectedly revived)
Gmail
Bloglines
Hype Machine
Note that I also have accounts on Flickr, Pownce, MySpace and Google Reader. I also have considered checking out Adam’s favorite spot - Mahalo. But so far, haven’t.
Why?
I don’t use Flickr because I can use Facebook.
I don’t use Pownce because I’ve got Twitter/Facebook/Email/My blog.
I don’t use MySpace because I’ve got Facebook.
I don’t use Google Reader because…well, I’m lazy and Bloglines works just fine for me.
And, I haven’t tried Mahalo because I’m a Googler. I know, I know. It’s different. And if I tried it I’d probably change my mind. But so far, haven’t checked it out and haven’t felt like I’m missing out (sorry, Adam).
Here’s Uncov’s analysis of Pownce’s slide downhill:
Useless service X is released after 2 months of MySQL/CSS development.
Arrington covers it, thousands of users signup. Mike takes his ad revenue.
People either stop giving a shit or realize your service does not solve any problems for them.
Fail.
Yeah…that about covers it - however I think there’s also a level of innovation that is missing right between “thousands of users” and “people stop giving a shit”.
Note that Flickr, Google Reader and MySpace (at least for now) remain just fine - Pownce is the only one in my short list of examples that is in trouble. In part this is likely due to how young they are, while Flickr and MySpace have been simmering for far longer and Google Reader is…Googlerific. But that’s only part of the story - there’s too many other little success stories to rely on these excuses observations.
These services could stay alive (yes, even with Facebook clearly taking over in an incredible number of areas, as my brief ‘off the top of my head’ list above points out) - but they need to be ultra conscious of how they can differentiate themselves from the competition. And cater to the users that remain loyal after the buzz dies down. Make them happy - ask them what they want - pay close attention to how they’re using your service.
It’s not foolproof, and couldn’t possibly save everything - but at least if that’s the approach/mindset/daily mantra…some clarity, and maybe a little hope, will get you through the week.
I knew it could be done..several months back I (and probably many others) suggested that The Hype Machine widgets be far more customizable and personalized. At the time you had little control over what you’d be hyping on your blog.
Last week, this changed - along with the other great feature of being able to favorite songs and keep track of them after that first discovery (also hard to do on Hype Machine V1), I can now promote what I’ve found and loved…which is awesome.
Now, one step further is streaming directly from my blog. Come on now - this has to be possible, right? Well, I’ll leave that in their hands and keep crossing my fingers. In the meantime, some of my recent discoveries are listed on the side. Enjoy!
Old town full of folks,
As Rose Parade approaches.
Soon have my town back.
