Avatars-For-a-Cause, Now with Extra Lazy Added
In general, I am not a fan of monkeying with profile pics on social networks. Your avatar is the way people recognize you, especially as messages flash by in news streams or list columns. I try to change mine rarely, though have occasionally succumbed to temporary fits of slacktivism, adding rainbows to my photo to mark gay rights progress in the US Supreme Court, or being bullied to use a holiday avatar because it’s “fun” (spoiler: it’s not fun, it’s a pain but I did use a Christmas avatar once or twice to shut up my friends).
In general, my attitude is “don’t mess with my avatar,” an attitude I also extend to lunch and naps. That said, many people like to do it to show solidarity for causes, and I won’t judge them (much). It was interesting to note that one of the smaller pains in the temporary-avatar process has been removed, as Facebook now allows you to set temporary avatars that revert to the original after a predetermined time, so you don’t have to remember to change it back. Armchair activism has now evolved into La-Z-Boy activism, and I approve.
Facebook Mention
Facebook has been rolling out a new livestreaming app called Facebook Mention. My friend Amy Vernon got early access (she is far more important than I am) and posted about her initial experience here. Here is what is NOT important:
- Celebrities, Internet Famous, and verified accounts got access before you did. Deal with it, you loser/nobody. The hype fodder goes to the hypers.
- The features aren’t fully fleshed out or functioning. Here is where you get to insult the Celebrities, Internet Famous, and verified accounts by referring to them as “beta users.” HA! GUINEA PIGS, ENJOY YOUR INFERIOR NOT-READY PRODUCT! Amy details a few of the features in her article, and I am sure most will be addressed
Here is what IS important:
- Owning livestreaming is one piece of owning your life on the Internet. If Facebook can get this right, imagine the time we will spend on their platform consuming media, holding events, and having discussions. We have already seen the hunger for a good “live chat” app, as people have run headlong to try Blab in apparent dissatisfaction with Google Hangouts. If it works- and more importantly, if they get people to use it- Facebook may have a win here.
Techmeme is Ten
Techmeme chief Gabe Rivera posted about the anniversary – on LinkedIn, natch – and I am reminded at how durable such a simple curation site can be if it simply does its job without being fancy, while still adapting to new times, new sources and new topics. As per Rivera’s article, Techmeme does not rely on clickbait- not that there’s anything wrong with that, but more info/fewer distractions is quite alright as well.
Conference Season Can Be Silly
I’m just wondering who thought it was a great idea to schedule Content Marketing World (a conference I would like to attend some day) and Inbound (which I have attended multiple times but regrettably missed this year) during the same week. I’m sure this isn’t the only case of two events targeting (at least to some extent) similar audiences occurring simultaneously, but maybe these folks should talk before next year. They could each double their take from freelance consultants and professional conference attendees.
I Still Get My News From Twitter
“Twitter is Dead” all you want, but when I am looking for information on what is happening now (as I write this, I was trying to figure out when the rain-delayed US Open Men’s final would start), that’s where I go. Not Facebook, not Google, not even the broadcast. Best search function wins.