"Is Facebook Overrated?," from last week's Time Magazine, is a rare article on social networking that I enjoyed reading.
Anita Hamilton suggests that "Social networks are a lot like nightclubs, and Friendster was the place to be in 2004 and '05, before MySpace came along and stole its mojo. In short, Friendster got boring."
That's exactly what we've been saying for years as it pertains to sites like Friendster, err Myspace...oh wait, what's hip today? Oh yeah, Facebook.
Later Hamilton quotes venture capitalist Jim Timmins of Pagemill Partners who says ""How do you serve up ads in such a fashion that your young, hip audiences aren't turned off by it?" Despite considering myself a pundit that is constantly proselytizing that social networking isn't just for "young, hip audiences" I applaud when a publication as credible and mainstream as Time reminds everyone that Mypace and Facebook are. It highlights how Multiply is different. As I wrote in Ironing Out the Wrinkles, Multiply is for everyone.
There was one inconsistency. Hamilton starts out by providing everyday examples of social networking that include "[boring] a neighbor with pictures from your kid's birthday party" and then writes that the "genius of social-networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook lies in their ability to capture the essence of these informal exchanges." But really, how many "young, hip" people are sharing their kid's photos in virtual nightclubs?
Multiply is ideal...the most ideal... application for sharing things like kids photos and there's nothing hip about that. Thank goodness. A lack of hipness and mojo is why we can never lose our hipness and mojo and that's a pretty exciting thing to think about.
Why I downloaded it: One day when rounding up my library with some old school hip-hop - specifically looking for Licensed to Ill - I noticed an album from the Beastie Boys that I had never heard of. The review (next paragraph) piqued my interest.
Rhapsody's review: Playing The In Sound From Way Out! to unsuspecting Beasties haters has been a popular parlor game since its release in 1996. Now comes an excellent and similarly groovy sequel, and it's just as likely to wrong-foot those few friends you still have who continue to disparage the Boys' talents. As jazz funk albums go, this probably isn't going to excite or offend serious jazzheads too much, but for the less educated among us it's a fun diversion from the Beasties' normal canon, and you can never have enough Hammond organ in your life.
My take: Ever been dragged by Hersh and Matar to a slightly off the beaten path - say west of Gramercy Park in NYC- lounge? That's the vibe given off by this instrumental and non-stereotypical-Beastie Boys album. Kind of funky. Somewhat jazzy. A good compliment to a martini. It's the type of music that'll provide a good, hip backdrop but won't distract from conversation. Tunes to "mix up" in a cocktail party playlist.
With the Mets collapse occurring gradually over the course of month, I wasn't stunned by the way the season ended. More crushing would be losing a playoff series, or perhaps a situation such as Phillies fans would've endured had the Phillies been eliminated on the last day after their momentous comeback.
I did focus on avoiding media coverage and generally ignoring the situation, and I didn't get really upset until I accidentally noticed the front-cover of the Post on the train. My reaction was "oh gosh, poor Charlie." While my almost two year-old son, who can slur the word "Mezzz" and recognize "ball" when it's on t.v, is fortunately too young to comprehend what happened, I couldn't help but think of the future misery he's going to face being a Mets fan.
In the past I've used my personal blog for discussions about Multiply. My latest, Ironing out the Wrinkles, was posted on our staff blog. Please check it out. Thanks.
On August 30th, after the Mets got swept by the Phillies and had their division lead shrink from 6 games to 2, I posted The Mets make me sick. After that post the Mets went 9 and 2 including winning 5 of 6 from the Braves, the Phillies went back to playing at their level, and the Mets division lead went right back up to 6 1/2 games.
With the Phillies coming into Shea for 3 games, the Mets could've easily ended the season by winning two or three games. Not. They got swept AGAIN and have proceeded to lose 2 more games (5 straight) while the Phillies won two more (5 straight) and now their division lead is a paltry 1 1/2 games.
My wife, with more neutral objectivity, suggested that perhaps I need to post again. Given what happened after the Mets first sweep I remained calm after the last sweep but in retrospect, if my first "make me sick" post had some kind of karmic affect I am perhaps a couple days late with this. But here goes.
The Mets make me really sick. How could they not win a game against the fakester Phillies? Worse, to give up 21 runs in two games against the Nationals - the lowest scoring team in the league - is simply pathetic. Blowing 4 run leads two games in a row? I don't know if I can watch another game this year.
(Watching the AL East standings also doesn't help. So, fwiw, the Red Sox are making me sick too. )
(This blog entry was automatically generated by Multiply's Wish-list Cross-posting feature.)
Below are items recently added to my Amazon wish-list. If you are familiar with anything below and have any comments or alternate suggestions, please leave a reply.
Four days ago the Mets had a 6 game lead over the Phillies going into an important 4 game series against them. Going into the series, as a pessimist (synonymous with Mets fan), I'm just hoping the Mets win one out of the four and escape with a 4 game lead. Winning more than one would be gravy.
Monday night the Mets were blown out 9-2. Fine. Mets lead: 5 games.
Tuesday night Glavine pitched 7 shut-out innings and the Mets have a 2-0 lead. In the 8th they bring in Feliciano who gives up a home run to the first batter. A walk, throwing error on a steal, and an infield-roller that David Wright and Paul LoDuca watch stay fair it's 2-2. A nice Ryan Howard 2 run homer in the 10th wins the game. Mets lead: 4 games.
Wednesday, the Mets are down 3-2 in the 9th. They've got one out and runners on first and third. A fly-ball from tying the game. Just please no double-play. Shawn (weak-grounder-my-specialty) Green at the plate. Weak grounder to short. Maybe too weak to be a double-play? Rollins to Iguchi...Iguchi to...no throw...Mets tie it...nope...Marlon Anderson ran into Iguchi...interference called...batter out..double-play...game over. What just happened? Mets lead 3 games.
Today. Thankfully it was a day game so I didn't have to watch it. When I remembered there was a day game I checked and the Mets were already losing 8-5 in the 6th. Just to see how bad they'll lose I checked about an hour later. The Mets scored 5 runs in the 8th...now up 10-8! Mets bring in Billy Wagner - all star closer. How about giving up a homer? Burrell homers, thanks. 10-9. In the Phillies bottom of the 9th, 2 singles, three stolen bases, an intentional walk, and another single later..game over 11-10 Phillies. Mets division lead 2 games.
Earlier in the week in Marc's post Save = meaningless stat Sambu wrote "The save is one of the least effective stats at evaluating a players value to his team." and Marc wrote "[closers are] the most overrated position in baseball. The rest of the team has to do its job for 8 innings for the closer to even get in the game. Then he has to get three outs." I don't know. The whole dynamic of a game changes knowing you've got someone capable of getting a few outs or not. Just having a reliable closer provides this huge intimidation factor that absolutely affects the opponent's offense for more innings than just the closer's. "We have to score this inning because if we don't we'll see Rivera" adds pressure that both makes the setup man and other scrub relievers better. The converse is true too. When there's no confidence in the bullpen, the starters feel like they can't give up a run and the offense presses more in tight games.
I've digressed.
I'm not sure I'll be able to watch another Met game this season. Right now they make me sick.
Why I downloaded it: It was 170 days ago that I purchased Police tickets for tonight. Can't believe it's here. Anyway, figured I should dedicate this weekly rhap to The Police but since I've owned all their music for years (LP, cassettes, and CDs) there's no reason for me to download any of it. So I downloaded something related.
Rhapsody's review: [None]
My take: Reggatta Mondatta - A Reggae Tribute to the Police. This is the type of stuff Rhapsody is great for. I'd never buy something so obscure, at least not at the album level and probably not at the individual song level. But reggae covers of classic Police songs by the likes Ziggy Marley, Shinehead, and Steel Pulse are certainly fun diversions (as are most covers of great songs in alternate musical styles than the originals).
The Police's music, especially their early stuff, was very reggae influenced so many of the covers work well. Many don't though, and a few border on painful. Check it out if you're a Police fan, a reggae fan, or if you're looking for a couple songs to round out your next pool party's playlist and you want a little familiarity with some island flair.
About the Weekly Rhap: Anyone that follows my Multiply knows that I'm a huge proponent of Rhapsody (and other unlimited music subscription services). The model has changed the way I consume music as much as the DVR changed the way I watch tv. What I love most about it is that I can check out any new album or artist on a whim risk free, and by check out I don't mean a 30-second preview. I can put the whole album on my MP3 player and listen 20 times. Sometimes I get too busy and don't check out new stuff as often as I should, so I'm going to try to briefly review an album a week to ensure I don't miss anything. If you have any suggestions for albums I should listen to, let me know!
Why I downloaded it: Rhapsody promotes new releases on their home page. It was a no-brainer to check out this album from (most of) the group that created the best rock album of the late 80's - Appetite For Destruction.
Rhapsody's review: We know they're experienced -- between the five members and uber-producer Brendan O'Brien, Velvet Revolver have logged over a century in the biz. Thus, it's overcoming the STP meets GnR tag that is VR's greatest challenge, and they do a fine job with Libertad. Although each member gets his time to show off, the group sounds more comfortable binding together. Tightly composed, upbeat, carnal and suave with the huge riffs you'd expect, songs like "She Mine" and "Mary Mary" are fitting for a cruise down the Sunset Strip -- or at least for a quality session of air guitar.
My take: Guns N' Roses minus Axl Rose plus Scott Weiland (ex-lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots) times second album together equals Good Rock Album.
But not quite a great rock album. It's better than their debut Contraband and more of the songs have a GnR sound to them. It's just not revolutionary or exciting while sounding more like late 80's, early 90's rock than something released in 2007. That's not a horrible thing if you like late 80's rock or more specifically Guns N' Roses or Stone Temple Pilots, and it's worth a free download or stream if you do.
About the Weekly Rhap: Anyone that follows my Multiply knows that I'm a huge proponent of Rhapsody (and other unlimited music subscription services). The model has changed the way I consume music as much as the DVR changed the way I watch tv. What I love most about it is that I can check out any new album or artist on a whim risk free, and by check out I don't mean a 30-second preview. I can put the whole album on my MP3 player and listen 20 times. Sometimes I get too busy and don't check out new stuff as often as I should, so I'm going to try to briefly review an album a week to ensure I don't miss anything. If you have any suggestions for albums I should listen to, let me know!
Why I downloaded it: There was a 2 page story in the May issue of GQ that discussed how ridiculously popular this band is in the UK. Shortly after that I read a review of the album in Bass Player magazine's "BP Recommends" section. (Great example of the effect of repetitive coverage, with the secondary coverage prompting my checking out the album.)
Rhapsody's review: The Arctic Monkeys' 2006 debut was a massive hit in their native Britain and even broke the U.S. Top 40. The excitement of the new is gone for this follow-up, but the Arctic Monkeys prove they weren't a flash in the pan. Here, their guitar sound is streamlined, putting even more of a spotlight on Alex Turner's cheeky teenage narratives. The feel of the AMs sets them apart more than their sound does. They don't ape the Beatles, the Smiths or the Jam, but update their quintessentially English approach, showing that poor, provincial yobs can see right through their "betters."
My take: You ever try on a pair of shoes and they fit but aren't necessarily comfortable? But you figure after a while you'll wear them in. Music used to be like that. You'd shell out your allowance and buy a CD after hearing one or two songs on the radio, or you sacrifice beer money to buy the fifth album from a favorite group on the day it comes out. After listening for the first time you're like "eh." But because you just shelled out the bucks and you can't just go to the store and get a new CD you listen to it again and again and again. Eventually you know all the songs and lyrics and you think it's great!
For better or for worse, those days are gone with digital music and especially subscription music. If I download an album because I like a couple a songs and the rest of the album doesn't appeal I just delete the songs I don't care for. Or if I try something by someone I never heard of before and the first couple tracks don't appeal, I don't even bother with the rest. I just listen to something else.
After listening to Favourite Worst Nightmare for the first time, I listened to it a second time. And a third. And it's still getting heavy rotation. Like a rare pair of shoes, it was comfortable the first time I put it on and it became a favourite very quickly. Rhapsody classifies the genre as Indie Rock but if I had to describe it I'd say it's a cross between punk and pop rock, with a subtle 80's new wave influence. Heck maybe that's what Indie Rock is? I don't know. What I do know is that this album was enjoyable from the get go and if you like groups as diverse as The Clash, Green Day, No Doubt, Maroon 5, White Stripes, or Depeche Mode - or in other words - if you like music - you'll probably dig this album too.
About the Weekly Rhap: Anyone that follows my Multiply knows that I'm a huge proponent of Rhapsody (and other unlimited music subscription services). The model has changed the way I consume music as much as the DVR changed the way I watch tv. What I love most about it is that I can check out any new album or artist on a whim risk free, and by check out I don't mean a 30-second preview. I can put the whole album on my MP3 player and listen 20 times. Sometimes I get too busy and don't check out new stuff as often as I should, so I'm going to try to briefly review an album a week to ensure I don't miss anything. If you have any suggestions for albums I should listen to, let me know!
Why I downloaded it: Over a year ago Time Magazine briefly reviewed Lady Sovereign's debut album, Vertically Challenged, as one of 5 CDS You Should Not Miss. I downloaded it and it was a pretty good listen. More recently I read that she's currently opening for Gwen Stefani and that Jay-Z signed her for his label.
Rhapsody's review: One day, while taking a break from his busy schedule of (still) not(officially) dating Beyonce, Jay-Z looked at the Def Jam roster and realized what was missing was a pint-sized female rap prodigy. So faster than you can say "retired," Jay recruited the motor-mouthed, Cockney slang-slinging emcee Lady Sovereign. Public Warning, her rollicking Def Jam debut, is so good that it's easier to list what doesn't work: "Those Were the Days" is kind of boring. That's it. The moral of the story? As usual, Hova knows best.
My take: A unique combination of the female braggadocio of a Missy Eliot, the pitch of an MC Lyte, and the lyrics and ability to alter flow of an Eminem. With so much rap sounding the same and talking about the same things, it's great to hear something that's not only unique sounding, but very good. A must listen for any hip-hop fan.
About the Weekly Rhap: Anyone that follows my Multiply knows that I'm a huge proponent of Rhapsody (and other unlimited music subscription services). The model has changed the way I consume music as much as the DVR changed the way I watch tv. What I love most about it is that I can check out any new album or artist on a whim risk free, and by check out I don't mean a 30-second preview. I can put the whole album on my MP3 player and listen 20 times. Sometimes I get too busy and don't check out new stuff as often as I should, so I'm going to try to briefly review an album a week to ensure I don't miss anything. If you have any suggestions, let me know!
(This blog entry was automatically generated by Multiply's Wish-list Cross-posting feature.)
Below are items recently added to my Amazon wish-list. If you are familiar with anything below and have any comments or alternate suggestions, please leave a reply.
We're
soon going to officially announce a new feature we're testing out.
Below is an early draft the blog entry we'll be placing on our official staff blog. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
This is a real concern for users of most blogging and photosharing
solutions: If you post a blog or upload photos somewhere and nobody knows about them, are
you really "sharing"?
Multiply has been addressing this concern
for years; its unique messaging solution notifies your whole social
network -- direct and indirect contacts, alike -- whenever you post
something new.
Multiply has built its new Amazon Wish-List feature to address a similar
problem: If you add something to your Wish-List but nobody knows about
it, who will buy it for you? If you already have an Amazon Wish-List,
visit the setup page at http://multiply.com/setup/wish-list and enter the e-mail address you used to register with Amazon. And if you don't, this is the perfect time to start one!
After
that Multiply will check your wish-list once a day and automatically
create a blog entry listing any new items you've added.
More
importantly, just like all other posts on Multiply, a new message will
get sent out to everyone in your social network. When your friends and
family log in to Multiply, they'll see on their home page that you've
added something new to your wish-list. Some other social networking
services or "personal page" tools may let you import and present your
whole wish-list on a page, but only Multiply provides a genuine
notification tool.
With more people that you trust checking out your wish-list - your contacts and
their contacts - chances are somebody has some familiarity with the
items on it. Whenever somebody adds a comment, the wish-list thread is
bounced back to the top of the home page for everybody in your network.
(See the "5 replies (5 new)"
line in the previous image beneath Jeff's wish-list post.) Multiply is
unique in its tracking of replies for everything in your network (and
not just your stuff or your contacts) and combined with the larger,
trustworthy audience, conversations and discussions happen. Using
Multiply's wish-list feature won't guarantee somebody buys you a
present - especially if a 70" t.v. (Nice try, Jeff), but we increase
the chances and provide a great way for you to get some feedback and
advice.
For the last two and a half years Multiply has been outsourcing its photo-printing to a company called Club Photo. For the most part our customers were satisfied with the quality of the prints, and we were satisfied with the reliability and turn-key nature of our relationship.
Around 1AM on Wednesday morning Mary, a fellow Multiply employee, received an e-mail from our former business development liaison at Club Photo. It happened to be from an "@photoTLC.com" e-mail address. It began:
I am writing to let you know that PhotoTLC has decided to close their business today without notifying any customers in advance. I WISH I HAD MORE OF A HEADS UP BUT I WAS NOTIFIED THE SAME TIME YOU WERE. It has been a tough day and a huge shock to me as well as I had no idea this was going to happen. I wish I had more to say but words can’t express exactly how I feel at this time.
Actually, we weren't notified the same time. Excluding this e-mail from what sounded like a recently laid-off employee...we were actually never notified. Not even to this point, since it wasn’t clear from this e-mail precisely how Multiply would be affected.
Not one to immediately panic, I first wanted to confirm what relationship, if any, there was between photoTLC and Club Photo. It turns out photoTCL acquired Club Photo in December 2005.
I checked out the Club Photo web-site at http://www.clubphoto.com. It was working fine. I then logged into the affiliate tools Club Photo provides us to check the status of orders. It was fully functional and I was able to confirm orders shipping as of March 5th. Behind the scenes, our process for sending orders from Multiply to Club Photo was working fine too.
Puzzled, I tried to get information directly from the company. Unable to reach anybody at their business number I tried a cell-phone number I found in an old email. The person I called, a technical liaison we had with the company, was actually laid off a few months ago and was surprised with my questions and news. He offered to call some friends of his that still worked (or so he thought) at the company. He called me back about 15 minutes later.
Apparently, some time on March 6th, everybody at the company was let go. Everybody. All photoTCL staff (including subsidiaries like Club Photo) were told to pack their desks and be out in one hour. They were told not to login and send emails. Accounts were frozen. Locks to the doors were also changed. (This is 3rd or 4th hand gossip.)
Despite the above,as of right now, the Club Photo web-site is still taking orders for prints! Is that even legal if the company is shut-down? I guess they fired everybody who had access to update the web-site.
If Mary was out of the office on vacation, or mistakenly deleted an e-mail from an unexpected domain as spam, Multiply may still be taking orders and charges from users and submitting orders to Club Photo. Everything is still functioning fine despite this story which states that photoTLC "abruptly ceased operations."
At Multiply, we immediately removed our "order prints" links (while we look for and implement a better replacement). Of course, we're also giving prompt refunds to our customers who have recently submitted print orders that weren't processed yet. But what about people that have orders at clubphoto.com? If there's no staff left capable of turning off the web-site, is there anyone around to process refunds? What about people still making orders? Where does that money go?
I can't possibly think of how just turning things off as they have done, with no notice to partners and customers, was the best business decision. I would love for someone involved in that decision to explain why they couldn't give even just 24 hours notice, and why they didn't turn off their site (and affiliate partner interface).
(This blog entry was automatically generated by Multiply's Wish-list Cross-posting beta feature.)
Below are items recently added to my Amazon wish-list. If you are familiar with anything below and have any comments or alternate suggestions, please leave a reply.
Peter first posted 5 things about himself.Click here to read why.
Dozens followed suit. Click here if you don't believe me.
Since all the cool people are doing it, below are mine.
After you read this, don't be lame. Add yours too. (Be sure to include tag '5things')
1. For 4 weeks, I was a home-run hitter.
I played little league from about 8 to 14 years old. While I could
always put the bat on the ball I never had what one would consider
'pop'. One summer, when 12 or 13, I went
to a baseball day camp for 4 weeks. The mornings were instruction. Each
afternoon was a game. Chosen to bat lead-off, I hit a home-run, the first of my life, in the first at-bat of the
first game. A double in my next at-bat. I was moved to clean-up for the
next game...and I hit another home-run. While that torrid pace didn't
keep up, I did bang out a few more over the next few weeks to lead the
camp/league in home-runs. I never hit another home-run the rest of my life (little
league nor softball leagues).
2. I worked in the tallest building in Brooklyn, and the tallest building in Queens.
For a year I worked for Citibank in their Long Island City tower, and
for a few years I worked for Republic National Bank in the historic
Williamsburg Savings Bank building in downtown Brooklyn. For those not
familiar with the boroughs, unlike Manhattan and the Bronx, Brooklyn
nor Queens have any sort of skyline. Both these buildings are extremely
conspicuous (see images at bottom of this post).
3. I fractured my skull.
In the summer of 2001 I was working for SportsLine in their NY sales
office and was invited to play on their softball team in a Central Park
League. In my first (and last) at-bat of my first (and last) game I
roped a single. Trying to get to third on the next batter's single,
while sliding my face met with the jumping third-baseman's knee. Concussion and a fracture in my skull beneath my eye socket.
4. I am (or at least used to be) very good at foosball.
I have something like a 5000 and 2 record playing singles since I was 16 or so
with many those victories being of the 10 to 0, 10-1, 10-2 variety.
Since many people know this already, in the spirit of these being 5
things people don't know I will publicly expose an old secret practice
technique. Rather than positioning the defenders and goalie in a formation and
trying to hit shots around/through them, I'd move those guys out of the
way, and wedge a tennis ball in the goal. Aiming for the small
remaining opening helped hone my shooting accuracy and the rapid and unpredictable ricochet off a tennis ball, as
opposed to the dead-ball effect of hitting into a defender or goalie,
contributed to my ability to prevent opponents from
clearing my front-line or middies.
5. My top, front, right tooth is fake.
It's a cap and if you already knew that, maybe you didn't know that my
dad made it. If you knew that my dad made it, maybe you didn't know
that I needed a cap because my real tooth got cracked in half when hit
with a bat. If you knew that, maybe you don't know who hit me with a
bat.
(This blog entry was automatically generated by Multiply's Wish-list Cross-posting beta feature.)
Below are items recently added to my Amazon wish-list. If you are familiar with anything below and have any comments or alternate suggestions, please leave a reply.
