A situation where someone so hated (and with fair reason) is exposed to the public on the Internet. He isn’t someone who cheated on his wife, did a crap job of managing England or a much disliked media mogul. He did things that people truly despise.

Frankie Boyle has already got stuck in:

@OfficialGlitter Hi Gary. Would you say it’s you or the captain of the Concordia that’s fucked more people in international waters?

Andy Carvin insists that the introduction on his Google Plus profile – “I tweet revolutions” – is a joke, but nevertheless that’s what he’s famous for. Armed with TweetDeck – the power Twitter user’s app of choice – and a thoroughly curated group of reliable, enthusiastic and well-informed Twitter users, the social media strategist for US public service radio broadcaster NPR has become known for his mastery of aggregated and verified real-time news through Twitter. And that’s no mean feat on a platform still dismissed by many as a gimmick that trivialises information into uselessly short sound bites.

via Andy Carvin: the man who tweets revolutions | Media | The Guardian.

Whenever I mention to someone that I’ve started to follow breaking news on Twitter as well as the rolling news channels, I recommend they at least follow this chap if they want to do the same.

The article above focusses on the Arab Spring, but I’ve followed him for the London Riots and the Japan Earthquake also.

I won’t go into a big review, but If you want that, then check out Shawn Blanc’s review.

What I will say though are the bits that appear to have converted me. As an overview, it’s the fact I can achieve most of what I did in Twitter for iPhone all from the main timeline (ie. I don’t need to go from screen to screen to find what I’m after). Most of it can be achieved from gestures. Namely…

• View the tweet’s conversation by swiping left to right on the tweet.
• Viewing the responses to a tweet by swiping right to left (I don’t believe this function actually exists in Twitter for iPhone, but it’s something I’ve been after for some time. Quite often someone would ask a question and I’d like to see the responses.)
• Viewing the link contained within a link by double tapping the link.
• Viewing the user’s profile by tapping their profile picture.
• Retweeting by triple tapping (this needs to be configured)

Here’s hoping they do an iPad app now.

It just so happens the Giants won the World Series in the US. The Giants are based in San Francisco, where most tech bloggers seem to be based. They happen to be the people I follow on Twitter.

As a result of the victory, it looks like some riots have broken out in San Francisco. With nothing better to do – and because I’m a bit of a breaking news junkie – I’ve been watching them develop on the internet. I’ve used the following means:

• twitter.com – the people I follow have had plenty of information regarding it.
• google.com – using the ‘updates’ search for “riot”, I’ve seen a steady stream of tweets and photos from the scenes as and when they’re taken.
• http://somafm.com/sfscanner.pls – This one has been most interesting of all. It’s the police communication stream. You can really get an idea of how things are unfolding and seem to be gradually getting worst. Just recently they regrouped as things were getting bad. They also discussed closing all bars: “Yeah, we can do that if ya want”. This stream has fed much of the discussion on Twitter it seems.

So given the choice of this and sleep, I’d have chosen sleep. But considering I was stuck at my PC, this wasn’t half bad really.

Oh, and as someone tweeted, only in San Francisco would you find people checking in to a riot on Four Square…

One of the things I like about the Internet is it empowers anyone that can afford to go online (which in the western world is quiet a few people – likely the majority) to have a voice. I’m not talking about the sort of voice required to make big differences (although that too is kind of neat), but ones that can make subtle differences. The ones that can cause companies to change the way they act, and treat their customer’s with respect.

I find that a large number of companies try (and unfortunately probably succeed) in getting more money out of their customers by not doing what’s best for their customers, but instead manipulate them. This could be:

• companies making it hard to cancel an account
• applications that install junk (such as toolbars)
• “unlimited” bandwidth false-promises
• newspapers that print outright lies (I’m looking at you Daily Star)

I like blogs (and Twitter and Facebook and  Amazon reviews and forums etc) because in theory it allows customers to hold companies to account.

An example I posted regarding such tactics on this blog was the slack way Somerset Car Sales display (or rather don’t display) their prices. I could easily be wrong, but in that post (How Not to Sale a Car to Me) I speculated:

Why would you want to encourage disappointment? I hope at the very least its a logistical reason (ie. To many prices to maintain) rather some kind of sales trick (ie. Before the customer realises it costs just a little too much, let them fall in love with it).

Considering I believe that the net should be used to pressure companies to treat customers correctly, it’s kind of pleasing that it seems a daily occurence now that someone views that post. That’s a good hit rate by this miniscule blog’s standards. In an ideal world the reader that day would go to Brian Plowright’s rather than Somerset Car Sales as a result. In an even more ideal world (ie. a highly unlikely world) it would help force Somerset Car Sales to change the way they handle their pricing, and give the customers exactly what they want, rather than try to manipulate them.

What is Flipboard? It turns your Facebook and Twitter account into something that looks like a magazine. It also lets you build a custom magazine, either by choosing from Flipboard’s pre-built curated “boards” or by importing Twitter lists. This is a very powerful and engaging way to read Twitter. You can also turn a single person’s Twitter account, or a single brand’s Twitter account, into a Flipboard. For instance, you can follow Techcrunch on Twitter with it and it will turn Techcrunch into a beautiful magazine-like interface that’s easier to read than any other reader.

via First look at “revolutionary” social news iPad app: Flipboard — Scobleizer.

From what little I’ve seen of Flipboard, and the number of rave reviews it’s getting on Twitter by people I follow, it’s certainly increased my desire to get an {en:iPad}.

It’s surprising what a difference it can make to view the same data through different clients. For example, viewing Twitter and Facebook content through {en:Boxee} on the living room TV is very different to viewing the same posts on the desktop PC using {en:Brizzly} or twitter.com. Boxee displays only the links posted that contains video, and then displays that video in full screen (on the big screen). When sat on the sofa this is a vastly improved experience compared to sitting at a desk, no matter how big the monitor is. I’m used to watching video on the sofa, and working at the desk.

Flipboard appears to take Tweets and Facebook statuses and rather than optimise them for the living room, it optimizes them as if each link contained within a post were a magazine article.

It goes to show there is more to Twitter than just “what I had for breakfast”. I wonder what other variations can be applied to Twitter and Facebook beyond the standard ‘stream’ view?

I remember searching a couple years ago for Glastonbury on Twitter during the Weds and Thurs. There were probably 5-10 tweets an hour at most.

Performing a search now and there are many a second:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=glastonbury&hl=en&prmd=nm&source=lnms&tbs=mbl:1&ei=V9AhTOynMJCRjAfw6ImoAQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&ved=0CBcQ_AU&prmdo=1

And Twitter and it’s like have certainly had an impact on Glastonbury too.

Gone are the days where the Q Daily could stick a rumour regarding the outside world in their daily newspaper and you couldn’t confirm or deny it without ringing someone on the outside (that’s assuming you could get a signal). A few years back the outside world was cut off world. Now-a-days Twitter, {en:Facebook} and access to the mobile web in general means that even if you’re not keeping up with the outside world with your phone, your mate probably is. There’s no escaping the news now (I can’t decide on whether this is a good thing or not..).

I remember thinking last year that when Jackson died, in previous years that news would have been considered yet another rumour that goes around the festival. However, a quick look at the mobile phone now and it’s confirmed.

Friends Activity

One of my favorite features is that it lists the videos that your friends and the people you follow have posted on {en:Facebook}, {en: Twitter} and {en: Google Buzz}.

This results in a nice mix of music (Facebook), geek (Twitter) and fun stuff (both).

Usually when people post videos I rarely watch them. The viewing expierence on both my iPhone and desktop PC isn’t the best. I’m simply not used to watching and enjoying video on them.

However, on the big screen tv whilst sat on the sofa, it all makes sense and is a good way to kill 20 minutes.

Google Reader

It made wonder what other services would make a good source for video. Most of the content I read is via {en:Google Reader}. However, as with Facebook and Twitter I can’t sit there and watch the content the various sites post. So I figured wouldn’t it be neat if Boxee pulled in my Google Reader feed (this could be all items or particular categories) and display the videos that feature in that feed.

Boxee Fail

Then the penny dropped. I remembered that the second best feature of Boxee is the way it manages RSS feeds. Using a web based GUI accessible via your favorite browser, you can easily add podcasts that can then be viewed via Boxee.

All I had to do was insert a feed I’ve shared via Google Reader and I should have the functionality I want. However, when I attempted to do that it failed stating it could not detect a feed.

Bummer.

If I find the time I might have a crack at creating a Boxee app that does it. If I do create such an app, or find a different solution I’ll post it on this blog.

My general rule of thumb where social networks are concerned are, if it’s something I think my friends/family might be interested in, I stick it on Facebook (as that’s where that social graph is), but I tend to post more geekier things on Twitter or this blog. The key difference though, is I stick stuff on Twitter and this blog, not because I want people to read them, but simply because I want to write them.

The problem with Twitter though, is that you have a 140 character limit. For me that’s not usually enough.

The problem with this blog though, is that I like the posts to be reasonably thought out and formatted – complete with links etc. As a result they take that bit longer and as a result don’t always get written.

In steps Google Buzz. Now when I have that thought that exceeds 140 characters, rather than use the blog (or never get around to writing it) I’m now finding I write it on Buzz (see my Buzz page here). No need to care about formatting there!

I’ve probably written more to Buzz in the first couple days than I did in the first few months of using Twitter.

And I was just getting use to the idea of nuggets go on Twitter, longer pieces go on this blog….

1. The iPod
2. Google Reader & Friendfeed

The difference is, I now want to rate and share everything.

With the iPod I find that when I’m listening to a track my brain now naturally comes up with a rating (which I then apply via the iPod). This extends beyond the iPod though and happens when I’m listening to the radio. Of course, my brain soon clocks on to the fact that I can’t rate it and moves on.

Google Reader and Friendfeed has caused my brain to naturally want to share things. In Google Reader, I find that if I enjoy an article, I click the Share button and it then appears on my Friendfeed stream. It doesn’t really matter if anyone actually reads it or not. The cost to share is so minimal (one click) that there’s no reason for me not to do it. To an extent its my way of showing my appreciation for the work.

As with the ratings, the need to share items also goes beyond Google Reader.

I read a good letter sent into Teletext and I want to (but cant) share it. Or – and this is kind of the point of this post – I’m watching something good on TV and I want to share that.

It happened the other night. I was watching a Neil Young performance and thought “Jesus this is amazing! Must share so other people know about it and can enjoy it.”. Of course, the option wasn’t there (apart from a few choice text messages). But I really hope that’s where we’re heading in the future.

In an ideal world, the following would have been possible when watching that Neil Young performance:

I’m watching the Neil Young performance and think “Jesus this is amazing!”. I hit the share button on the remote and the following occurs…

It first of all prompts me to ask which group of friends I’d like to notify. I have a group setup for those who I consider to have a similar taste for music as me. I choose it.

My brother is watching the TV and a little icon appears in the corner of his screen. Its to highlight the fact someone in his social graph (haven’t heard that term in a little while – it was all the rage a year ago) has shared something. He presses the ‘view shared items’ button on his remote (or something to that affect) and it points out I’ve shared the Neil Young show.

With this being the future and all, we’re watching video on demand rather than Sky. So he can either tune in from the start right there and then, or perhaps flag it as one to watch/stream later – maybe after he’s finished what he’s watching.

A friend, Mark, is visiting family in Cardiff. His mobile chirps and he checks it. A tweet has just come through on Google Talk stating that one of his friends has shared a tv show. He clicks the link which offers him the chance to flag it up for viewing later. He’s not a big Neil Young fan so he passes on it.

A few days later, Dan (another friend) is browsing his Google Reader feeds and notices I’ve shared this show. He clicks the link and starts viewing. He likes what he hears and in turn shares it by clicking his Google Reader share button. As he’s a Friendfeed user this shows up in his Friendfeed stream. And from there? All sorts of folks pay attention, share and discuss it. I see it on my Friendfeed and join the discussion.

I don’t think my brain will be happy until I can share everything I enjoy. The infrastructure is starting to take shape in the form of Google Reader, Friendfeed, Twitter, BBC iPlayer etc, we just need everyone to tap into it.

I’ll save the ‘rating’ part for another day.