Social Graph, aggregators - new kids on the block

Last year the blogosphere started to record rumblings from people on the social web - complaining about walled gardens - services that don’t (easily) allow bulk outward migration of contacts, Facebook, the difficulty of maintaining contact across the various networks, the lack of control over who sees what etc…

In other words, basically users who have outgrown the system and we now are taking the first steps towards a new generation of applications/approaches/consortia that will hopefully address all of the concerns/complaints and make it easier for us all.

IMO, key kids on the block right now are Plaxo - pulse and Mylifebrand but the list of options is large and probably growing weekly as every wannabe is rushing to the table (see here)

Back to the key players- both have noteworthy enhancements and the ability to consolidate feeds, networks etc… but not everyone (Google , Yahoo Inbox 2.0) have gone to Beta as yet.

What is emerging is a need users have in keeping control over their information (both Push and Pull) and with it the ability to better manage different aspects of their (digital) lives - be it an inner circle of family and friends, colleagues/acquaintances, networking contacts etc…. and is perhaps related back to the Beacon kerfuffle.

I think at the end of the day, web portals will have the winning hand - if they can set up their structures to allow users to have the flexibility and control they seek in their feeds and in/outbound information access - and ultimately create customized landing pages for each of the persona/lifestyles its users wish to create. But I’m not a programmer and the politics of this is simply too “intense” with the billions at the table.

However there is another side to this as well as it has significant ramifications on Behavior Targeting - and other aspects of the Social Media.

- this is just a quick post

till then - sit back and enjoy the show.

Update: Yahoo! Announces Support for OpenID; Users Able to Access Multiple Internet Sites with Their Yahoo! ID

“Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading global Internet company, today announced its support for the OpenID 2.0 digital identity framework for all 248 million active registered Yahoo! users worldwide…..Yahoo!’s initial  OpenID service, which will be available in public beta on January 30, enables a seamless and transparent web experience by allowing users to use their custom OpenID identifier on me.yahoo.com or  to simply type in “www.yahoo.com” or “www.flickr.com” on any site that  supports OpenID 2.0. Alternatively, web sites that accept OpenID 2.0 will be able to add a simple “Sign-in with Your Yahoo! ID” button to their login pages that will make it even easier for their users. Yahoo! is working with several partners, including Plaxo and JanRain, to make it possible for users to access these sites with their Yahoo! ID from the first day of the public beta….”

Wikia Search http://alpha.search.wikia.com/

I have written about alternatives to the Google search engine in the past
and while Google does a great job of innovating - they are the giant of search engines (approximately 57% share) and its good to have options.

New Wikia Search engine lauched Jan 7,2008  http://alpha.search.wikia.com/

From Business Week

“What separates Wikia Search from many other Web-search tools, including Google’s, is that it will incorporate human input with methods based on computer programs. A potentially more important distinction is that Wikia will publish the code undergirding the search tool. Opening the source code fits with the growing movement in the field of technology, including within Google, toward open software.

Soliciting User Input

Wales hopes other search companies will follow Wikia’s lead, becoming more transparent in their methods and integrating more user input. “It’s a political statement as much as anything else,” says Wales. “I think that we should be concerned about secret…proprietary software, a small amount of companies controlling a huge amount of flow,” he adds. Wales says Wikia’s goal is to “produce something of decent quality that will impact and push other players in the industry toward more openness.”…

100 dollars a barrel

A year ago crude cost $60 per barrel

production output was comparable

US reserves were higher than they were in 2002-2003-2004

international unrest - not as ’speculative’

the weather was cooler than in past - but not severe as evidenced by New York City - average monthly temperatures

December 2006: 42.4F; January 2007: 36.5F; December 2007: 37.3F; Jan1-4, 2008: 26.5F

today we pay $100 per barrel - and are being told that it will only go higher in the spring/summer.

Call me stupid - but the numbers don’t seem to add up. I don’t understand why these conditions merit a $40/barrel premium.

This is an opportunity for Gas Retailers to step to the plate and develop proactive energy manangement programs with their customers as outlined in an earlier post.

Additional Information

The Economist - Oil keeps getting more expensive—but not because it is running out - January 3, 2008

Peak Oil - Wikipedia

Peak oil is the point in time at which the maximum global petroleum production rate is reached, after which the rate of production enters its terminal decline. If global consumption is not mitigated before the peak, the availability of conventional oil will drop and prices will rise, perhaps dramatically.

SEE ALSO:

If I were President #4 - Retail Gasoline