Chris Saad – Paying Attention

Twitter Lists and Tags

// October 30th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Analysis, Technology

In my previous post (written 5 minutes ago) I talk about Twitter Lists in relation to shared namespaces (Hint: They are not in a shared namespace).

Another under-reported fact, however, is that lists are also Tags. They are a great way for Twitter to learn how Twitter users are perceived and grouped (As a side note, they are also great for people to see how other people perceive them – one of my favorite lists in which I am listed: @chadcat/unreasonably-talented haha).

One could easily see an algorithm that can determine accurate APML data about each user not just by looking at their Tweet history, but by also checking their Bios and the Tweet History/Bios of the people they are listed with. The list name itself, in fact, is a very concentrated form of topic/tag data.

Do lists double as Twitter’s user tagging feature?

Who will be the first to ship an automated user discovery directory based on analyzing the relationship between users who are on the same lists?

I hope MrTweet is already working on this!

Twitter Lists and Namespaces

// October 30th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Analysis, Dataportability, Technology

A very important fact that seems to be getting little to no coverage at the moment about Twitter Lists is the issue of namespaces.

Twitter’s number one asset is its control and allocation of namespaces. Those little things we call ‘Usernames’. @chrissaad is not just my Twitter Name, it is a short form addressable identity that concretely links to my Twitter inbox any time someone uses it in a Tweet.

Addressable, convenient namespaces that can be used in a sentence like this are so interesting and important that facebook went to great lengths to copy them. Nothing on the open web has yet come close to this simplicity and effectiveness. Which is not to say there won’t be an alternative soon.

The important fact with Twitter usernames, though, is that they are unique. There is a finite and shared ’space’ in which ‘names’ can be allocated.

The result is that early adopters end up with all the best names and squatters rush to lock up all the best phrases. Late comers to the system end up with names like chris2423.

Twitter Lists, however, are different. They include the list creator’s username. For example my JS-Kit list is “@ChrisSaad/jskit“.

As you can see, the list ‘JSKIT’ is attached to my username. This means means that each user has their own namespace.

This result: There can’t be a landrush for List names because the list naming convention sits on top of the username. It also means that no one can own a definitive list on a subject because each list is subjective.

This is an important design decision for Twitter. One that has both pros and cons for the community. Overall, however, I think the decision was a correct one. Lists can rise and fall organically (or at least based on the influence and popularity of their creators) without the pain and pressure (for Twitter) of maintaining yet another shared namespace.

Twitter’s username namespace, however, is just rife with and waiting for all sorts of headaches. I don’t envy their position and I can’t wait for an open alternative.

Stalqer – Viral Loops and Network Effects

// October 27th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Analysis, Dataportability, Technology

Today a company I am advising has launched in the press and will soon be available in the Apple App Store.

They are called Stalqer and, as Techcrunch writes, they are basically Foursquare on steroids.

I think that’s a pretty good description. The fact is, however, the most impressive thing about Stalqer is not what it does but how it does it. Rather than approaching acquisition and retention of users like any typical app , it uses data portability, viral loops and network effects to on-board and engage users on an ongoing basis.

Not enough app developers consider this when engineering their user experiences and the result is usually a big ‘Techcrunch’ launch and a big flame out as users flock for a 5 minute road test and never return.

Mick (CEO of Stalqer) and his team, however, have almost turned virality and network effects it into a science.

Here are some of the highlights of their product decisions.

1. Instead of building yet another registration and friending system, they simply import your Facebook Friends.
2. Instead of being content to be confined by Facebook’s data licensing limitations, they merge and mingle FB data with other data sources (in this case, your phone’s address book!) to access email addresses and phone numbers.
3. Instead of assuming that their app lives in a vacuum, they are using other data sources (Facebook, Phone Book and eventually others) to aggregate location data and make a best guess at friend locations even if they aren’t using the app.
4. Instead of being limited by their active user base, they encourage existing users to manipulate and optimize profiles of non-users – the effect being that even if you don’t use Stalqer, chances are one of your friends is doing the work of checking you in. Don’t like where they put you – then sign up and get back control!
5. Instead of letting the multitasking limitations of the iPhone limit their background tracking capabilities, they innovated their way out of the problem using amazing email tricks.

The list of innovations goes on and on.

The Stalqer team have done an amazing job of baking in the right workflows to ensure maximum adoption and engagement based on their primary use case (discovering people around you) without resorting to raw gaming tricks like points and badges.

I can’t wait to see how the app performs and what they do next!

As a side note, I too have been experimenting with non-obvious network effects in my day-job. More on that later…

You get what you deserve

// October 6th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Analysis, Me, Media, Personal, Technology, Work

Lately a number of my friends seem to be having great wins and making their mark on the industry in awesome ways.

When I first moved out to Silicon Valley (starting with a short trip in 2006) I already knew (by reputation) many of the names and personalities that made up the ecosystem. I read them on blogs, listened to them on podcasts and generally admired their work and learned from their ideas.

Once coming out here, I got to know many of them personally. Some let me down, others surprised me with their generosity and still others became wonderful friends.

I’d like to highlight just a couple of those today because they’ve been on my mind.

Jeremiah Owyang (and his new partners Deb Schultz & Charlene Li) has/have always struck me as one of the hardest working and smartest people in the valley.

Most recently I’ve had the pleasure to get to know Jeremiah on a personal level but had never actually worked with him 1:1 on anything serious before.

That changed last week when we sat down for a real ‘business meeting’. He blew my mind. That doesn’t happen often. His blog posts only show a fraction of the mans thinking. Not only does he think 5 steps ahead, he manages to find a way to package it on his blog in a way that even laymen can understand.

I am so happy for his collaboration at Altimeter. Jeremiah, Debs and Charlene are the nicest people and are all wicked smart.

Those that have been around me in the last 12 months have probably heard me talk about the need for an Altimeter group style firm and I’m glad that they are the ones to pull it off. They’ve done it with grace, style and stunning execution.

Can’t wait to see what they do next.

Stephanie Agresta is another of the people that I got to know as a friend once moving out here. For some reason and on some level we connected as kindred spirits who love to smile.

I’ve always felt like she had an undeserved level of faith and affection for me – but I accepted it gladly because it meant she wanted to hang out!

She too has recently made a move that not only befits her stature as a connector and thinker, but also rewards her kind spirit and positive attitude.

She gave me her new card at her birthday the other day – it says EVP of Social Media, Global – Porter Novelli (or something like that hah). EVP, Global, Porter Novelli. Are you serious!?

This is such wonderful news for our community because it means that someone who not only gets it, but loves it and is one of us, is in a position to help the brands we all know and love.

These are just two of my friends who have gotten what they deserve lately – in the best meaning of the phrase possible.

Congratulations peeps.

If I can help any of you reading this to achieve your goals, please let me know. This whole ecosystem, worldwide, is built on pay-it-forward. And I have a lot to pay forward.