Does anyone believe these stats about web use that are about?
About 5.9 million Canadians spent an average of 83 minutes each on MySpace in March, said Bryan Segal of comScore Canada Inc., which measures Internet traffic. Remarkably, three other properties in the social networking category attracted even more Canadians. Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Live Spaces drew in 39 per cent of online Canadians, followed by Google's Blogger (29 per cent) and independently owned Facebook (28 per cent).I don't have a strong reaction to percentages of on-line Canadians but I have a hard time believing 5.9 million Canadians are on MySpace. Is it in a meaningful way? I mean aren't we now in a Canada with 1.3 blogs for every person? Wasn't that where the future was? But maybe it is so as we are told in 2005 an "estimated 16.8 million adult Canadians, or 68%, used the Internet for personal non-business reasons during the 12 months prior to the survey."
Maybe it is true. Maybe I am just Oldie Oldson, blogging away when the fun is happening elsewhere. The kid with the walkie-talkie when everyone is locked up the a Commodore 64. Maybe things are really upside down:
Chris (Zeke) Hand, the owner of Zeke's Gallery in Montreal, used to partake in after-work drinks several times a week when he worked in the music industry. He says the booze is better in the art world, but he's now choosing to do more of his networking and socializing online on sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. "They are an alternate means to connect with people without the possibility of being thrown in jail," he says.On-line with now fear of being thrown in jail? Has even Pr0n lost its illicit attraction? Oh dear - not quite.
Comments
David Janes - May 15, 2007 9:52 AM
It seems a not too reasonable #. I was out friday night with a 28 year old chick (best word to use, I'm afraid) they're _all_ into social networks, though facebook seems to be the winner over MySpace. And don't forget that, unlike a blog, they really don't have to put a lot of work into "content creation" -- the model seems to me mre IM + browsing.
Alan - May 15, 2007 10:03 AM
And scapbooking, too. It is a weird thing but, like you, I am an old fart. Are blogs to be like 8-tracks in pick-ups? Eventually cool in their disutility?
Zeke - May 15, 2007 10:13 AM
Howdy!
In the context of drinking after work and then having to get into your car and drive home, Linkedin and facebook are much safer. I don't think that your boss is likely to ask you to go out and watch smut. Although I could be wrong.
Alan - May 15, 2007 10:19 AM
Zeke! How ever did you find us talking about you?<p>I have never had a moment where I was asked to drink against my will, though I did have occassion to suggest a workplace was a wee bit too boozy. Was it (as I suspect) particular to the gallery scene? And I was in a circumstance watching a partner squirm when an associate decided talking about internet Pr0n was a wise career move.
David Janes - May 15, 2007 11:15 AM
<p>
I think the "middle ground" that blogs occupy is going to disappear, or at least seriously erode. That is, people doing semi-professional stuff, say like Warren Kinsella or Melanie Phillips, will use blogging software (whether what they do will be called 'blogging' and what they produced be called 'blogs' is another matter). The persons doing breezy knowledge capture and community building will probably be migrating to social networks, where there is both less formality and potentially greater knowledge of who is in your "network".
<p>
Current trends: twitter, which will probably be replaced by Facebook, since it's essentially a feature and not a product and needs all the other social network stuff it doesn't really have. "Tumble Logs", which are like blogs but "more breezy" (my phrase) -- quicker to post, more directed posting. Less formality.
Alan - May 15, 2007 11:26 AM
I set up a twitter account but no one talks to me. Is it the photo I chose?
David Janes - May 15, 2007 11:37 AM
You have to text it with all the interesting things you are doing (21212 I think). "I am typing on my blog". 140 characters max though. "What's all the fuss about twitter". "I'm in your base killing your doodz", and so forth.
Alan - May 15, 2007 11:39 AM
But that is a stupid concept. I hope no one has invested heavily in twits.
David Janes - May 15, 2007 11:48 AM
You'd be surprised how many people think their lives are interesting.
More notes:
- by doing "l:<place>" you can notify people where you are (i.e. "l:downtown", "l:toronto", "l:home", "l:work"); this is an incredibly powerful concept when married with social networks, as if you're a bored 20's type, you can quickly figure out who's around
- as I said it's a feature, not a product
- ummm ... something else, I forget.
Alan - May 15, 2007 11:50 AM
<i>You'd be surprised how many people think their lives are interesting.</i>
Gold.
Alan - May 15, 2007 12:40 PM
Is there a correlation between the stresses of modern life and the needs to express that which is not very interesting?
Zeke - May 16, 2007 12:57 PM
Howdy!
The power of IceRocket
http://tinyurl.com/2w95zq
And it isn't so much being forced to drink against your will. As the power of MADD and the new laws against drinking and driving, I know people who think if they have one drink and then drive that they could be sent to jail.