ianb1
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Historically, the phone number was created as an abstraction of a user's identity that was parsable by the mechanical switches and switchboard operators that connected call circuits.
We now live in a world where that form of identification is holding us back. This is compounded by Apple's desire to keep iMessage proprietary -- creating a stew of ambiguity.
If users are forced to accept abstractions, they're far more likely to choose a messaging platform which A) Identifies them by real name; and B) Works on any device, even non-Apple ones.
Jeff Pulver and I ran PulverRadio, which streamed a simple FM-style signal over IP in two different business cycles over roughly 7 years. The station, which had live DJs and shows, was focused on rock -- progressive, indie, modern, alternative, and metal. We learned a lot but ultimately decided to pull out before attempting a real business model.We were constantly confined by the RIAA via SoundExchange. If you play by the rules, ultimately you are screwed -- because the RIAA is, on a long enough line, also screwed. The RIAA has neither accountability to its audience (music lovers) nor to the content producers (bands) and services the exclusive constituency of Big Music, so as we attempted to navigate their fiscally unjustifiable gauntlet, they continually adjusted their pricing in order to thwart our progress. But PandoDaily readers already understand that story...During our run we enabled a web-based upload and profiling function (~2004) where bands could upload their tracks, gives us the right to stream them royalty-free, and allow PulverRadio fans to listen to their tracks via a flash player on a band profile page, vote on them, etc. PulverRadio opted to exclusively play tracks from indie bands and labels who had authorized us to play them royalty-free. We stopped writing cheques to SoundExchange (here's a BIG middle finger to you, RIAA).
This led to the station's height of popularity, because it created a Google-like virtuous cycle: Bands and labels promoted PulverRadio, PulverRadio in turn helped people discover great new music that wasn't (yet) getting played on commercial radio. With good programming direction, we became tastemakers. People listen to radio for discovery at least as much as familiarity -- a fact lost on most modern FM program directors.
This is why there *might* be some hope in the MySpace business plan. It is also the juice that drove MySpace to popularity and sustains its engagement today. But to put it in perspective, PulverRadio never had more than 4 employees -- MySpace has 700. And our burn over all those years was less than 1/50th of what MySpace intends to spend over the next year.
Hey, I thought boo.com solved this problem like 12 years ago?Oh right. Different Swedes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boo.com
Facebook doesn't have a traffic or engagement problem. It has a monetization problem. How does Tumblr help with that at all?
What the author of this article fails to understand is that the machinations of building technology companies are actually pretty bloody boring when viewed from outside the bubble. Sorkin is not ignorant to the facts of the Facebook story, but as a primary plot driver what is more compelling: innovation? or iteration? Sorkin sells entertainment, not historical record. He is not writing for the Silicon Valley audience in this or in previous enterprises. He knows, as do his corporate overlords, that the geeks will flock to see the film anyway. He's writing for the flyover states and the 99% who think that JSON is the guy who murders people in a hockey mask. What they want is the tyrant bent on success at any cost.I think we should expect that the Steve Jobs character will be indistinguishable in behaviour from the Zuckerberg character, save a few scenes where he makes a doughy Engineer cry.
@bmann I still believe that any practicable email solution must live within the IMAP/SMTP paradigm. There is plenty of opportunity for server smarts here but none of those are particularly described in the imaginings above. ROOMS are simply smart folders.
So the future of email is ... filters? I have been filtering my email into "folders" using "rules" (sorry, no cute nomenclature) and subscribing to them via "IMAP" since 1998. The future of email is already way behind us... we all just need to learn how to use it properly. GoMail could be built in a weekend. Or, you can build it yourself using Gmail in about an hour.