14
Mar
26
Jan
It’s not really a problem for me, with my single-digit Twitter following, but anecdotal evidence shows that once a social networking community gets too big, the back-and-forth that created it evaporates. What I’m saying is, Ashton Kutcher is very lonely.
A Wired editorial defends the idea of online obscurity, that those smaller groups and their casual sense of community have something that should be admired and retained. Once a group gets too big, members fade into the background, not wanting to speak in front of such a large audience, and in the case of Twitter, the person being followed becomes larger than life. It’s an interesting idea—should we be more vigilant in protecting the small groups of which we’re a part? [Wired]
13
Jan
For a company that’s invaded our lives as much (and as well) as Google, the one thing they’ve never had to do is provide customer support—until now. And Nexus One owners are paying the price.
Selling an actual product to actual consumers is a very new game for Google, and if the myriad messageboard complaints and now a New York Times piece are any indication, the company is making the kind of toddler missteps you’d expect. Google sells the Nexus One exclusively, but haven’t set up a system of customer service that’s anywhere near adequate for a product as buzzed-about as the Nexus. There’s no way to contact Google by phone, and email responses are reported to take several days for a response. That’s a huge problem for Nexus One owners.
We like the Nexus One a lot—Jason even called it “the best Android phone” on the market—but if Google doesn’t get their shit together and start providing the kind of service smartphone owners have come to expect, it’ll prove a serious setback for not just Google but Android as a whole. We hope they work it out—they’re working to reduce that several-day delay in email response to a few hours, but it better happen fast if they don’t want people to lose confidence. [NYTimes]
31
Dec
“As we enter the 10s, the majority of top leaders at Microsoft are in their 40s and 50s.” That’s striking at a tech company, and Microsoft knows it—so they commissioned a study to help figure out what motivates these “millenials” (basically those aged 23-29) and how to attract and keep them.
It’s a pretty interesting read, not least because, you know, I’m 23; as odd as it is to see people like myself written about as if we’re a different species, the analysis is pretty much on the money. It’s also good to see that MS realizes they’ve got to look to the youth not just as people to train to take over the reins, but also people who may have a skill set and knowledge that the older generation doesn’t. [ZDNet]
