Edge Theory: Talking my6sense Tech With Chris Saad

As word of my joining my6sense as vice president of marketing broke late last night, Chris Saad (@chrissaad) put on his journalism hat, and the two of us recorded a quick Edge Theory Conversation to explain the opportunity ahead, and what this means for all the other roles I have been carrying.

Chris' insight into the opportunity for my6sense's ability to prioritize and personalize content from all streams on the Web is especially important for me, given his background as a geek and his dedication to data portability, open standards, and his day job, working for Echo, where they aggregate reactions of all types. With Echo becoming the back-end conversation repository for major media sites, it's of course possible those discussion areas are ripe for personalization and prioritization...

This and all other EdgeTheory conversations can be found on the dedicated ET Conversations site.

Listen to the full recording below:

Edge Theory Conversations: Google Me Rumored to Challenge Facebook

With Digg's Kevin Rose tweeting out a rumor that Google is planning a social networking alternative to Facebook called "Google Me", the rumor mill around Mountain View is in full force.

Sunday night, Chris Saad  and I connected to discuss whether the Web needs a stronger alternative to Facebook, and if Google can be as strong in social as they are in more data-driven markets. Clearly, author of The Facebook Effect, David Kirkpatrick, says that they cannot, and the service's 500 million or so users are voting with their time and their clicks. As for us, we are rooting for more competition and we trust Google's approach to the Open Web as much as any other source. So listen to the podcast, about 20 minutes in length, to see if you think we are on target.

Related Posts:

louisgray.com: Google Me This, Google Me That. Can Google Me Trump Facebook, Or Will It Fall Flat?

SF Weekly: Is Google About to Launch a Facebook Killer? Kevin Rose Says So.

Also noted:

The Official Microsoft Blog: Microsoft By the Numbers

louisgray.com: Author: Zuckerberg has "Total Control" Over Facebook

Chris Saad calling 'BS' on Facebook's data portability

This and all other EdgeTheory conversations can be found on the dedicated ET Conversations site.

Listen to the full recording below:

Edge Theory Conversations: Android & EVO vs. iPhone

On Friday, the HTC EVO, powered by Google's Android operating system, finally went on sale. As you know, I have been using the device, courtesy of Google I/O for the last few weeks. First I started using it exclusively, and later, I reported on my experience.

Tonight, Chris Saad (@chrissaad) and I talked about how the mobile landscape is changing with the rise of Android and the near-term arrival of iPhone OS 4 and a new iPhone device from Apple at the Worldwide Developers' Conference this week. Chris, seeing many mixed reviews of the EVO in particular, especially when it came to battery life, has not yet made the plunge, but I promised that if he did, he wouldn't regret it. In fact, I am having a hard time seeing myself return to the iPhone platform - barring something amazing. This probably violates my Apple fanboy contract, but that's what's happening.

This and all other EdgeTheory conversations can be found on the dedicated ET Conversations site.

Listen to the full recording below:

Edge Theory Conversations: Location's Impact & Cheating

With the world of location based services, including Foursquare and Gowalla, getting a lot of discussion of late, especially as news comes that Facebook will soon check in with its own offering, Louis Gray and Chris Saad discuss the purpose today's services serve, and how we both leverage Foursquare - the current app of choice.

Are these services here to stay, and should they be used to show all of one's comings and goings, or just major points of interest? Chris argues Foursquare should be used in a social way, while Louis is enjoying checking in from the mundane places in life. Meanwhile, we debate the true nature of "cheating", and whether it is acceptable or not.

Much of this discussion stems my recent post: Are You Filtering Checkins to Enhance Your Image?

Referenced in addition to Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook are Twitter, Stalqer and The Cadmus. Chris is an advisor to Stalqer.

This and all other EdgeTheory conversations can be found on the dedicated ET Conversations site.

Listen to the full recording below:

EdgeTheory Conversations: HP Plucks Palm, Shelves Slate

Wednesday's announcement that HP will purchase Palm, and its accompanying WebOS, for $1.2 billion, has a lot of people wondering just what the slow-moving Silicon Valley giant has planned, and where Palm's OS will fit in their world, currently dominated with Microsoft software. Can HP turn Palm into a market winner more than just a technology showcase? Chris Saad and I discussed that tonight in another EdgeTheory conversation, where we also hear about Chris' lost opportunity to pick up an HP Slate, meaning he just might need to get an Apple iPad.

Also - we discuss Apple's opportunity against Android and Chrome OS from Google, and if open software should possibly run on closed hardware - especially in light of Apple CEO Steve Jobs' recent comments on Flash.

This and all other EdgeTheory conversations can be found on the dedicated ET Conversations site.

Listen in below:

EdgeTheory: Is iPad Mania Fully Justified?

EdgeTheory Conversation 7 is about the big news of the last week – Apple’s latest digital device, the iPad. While millions of words and thousands of articles have already been written about the iPad, there’s always more to find, especially as the product spends more time in the hands of early adopters. This week, Chris Saad and I talk about whether the closed nature of the iPad (when contrasted with open standard solutions) is something we should be avoiding, and where the iPad fits in a world of laptops and the iPhone.

Are users getting screwed by needing to buy multiple versions of applications with the iPad’s debut? And should it be a mobile device, or a fully functional computer? We talk about this and much more in another EdgeTheory Conversation.

This and all other EdgeTheory conversations can be found on the dedicated ET Conversations site.

Listen in below:

EdgeTheory: Is Our Social Activity Sanitized, Inauthentic?

In the social Web, we talk a lot about being transparent and open. But many of us are limiting what we say online to a specific topic. We’re sharing links and associating with people who share our viewpoints, and possibly avoiding hot-buttons like politics, in favor of talking about technology and tools. Is this the right thing to do, or have we gone too far in terms of being willing to share who we really are?

After a rare political post for him this week, titled "I am pro life", Chris Saad noticed a hesitancy for people to share his content. I said this was because the topic was out of line for what people expected from him, and each of us plays a specific role in each of the networks where we participate. This fell in line with my post Saturday on disaggregation and focusing content for each network. We would absolutely appreciate your thoughts and feedback.

This and all other EdgeTheory conversations can be found on the dedicated ET Conversations site.

Listen in below:

EdgeTheory: Twitter’s Firehose, Emerging Business Model

As mentioned on Monday, Twitter introduced firehose access to their API for seven new partners. This evening, Chris Saad, Mashable's Ben Parr and I discussed the announcement of Twitter’s new API partnerships and implications for the company's revenue, developer and user communities.

Is this approach competitive or cooperative with the community, and how is their model likely to change over time?

Original Post Here: ET Conversations

Listen in below:

EdgeTheory: Google Buzz: Content Creation or Collection?

Google Buzz, only a week old, is gaining a lot of visibility, and is seen as Google’s most direct attack against social upstarts Facebook and Twitter. Some really like it. Others are up in arms about perceived privacy violations. Today, Chris Saad and I talked about whether Buzz’s clear mimicry of FriendFeed and other existing sites missed a new opportunity to innovate – and become a true social network aggregation tool, including aggregation of gestures.

Did Google make a mistake, and not really invent anything new with Buzz, making it immediately an also-ran? You'll find Chris and I don't always agree.

Original Post Here: ET Conversations

Listen in below:

EdgeTheory: The Battle for Real-Time Reporting, Curation

The issue of real-time news reporting and curation is becoming increasingly visible and important as news breaks on blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social media properties. Tonight, Chris Saad and I talked about how the mainstream media can adapt to involve content curation in addition to their content creation, and how it still makes sense to have some investigative reporting in addition to real-time reactions.

The discussion weaved from curation tools like Cascaad and my6sense to the recent news of Teens In Tech Networks CEO Daniel Brusilovsky leaving TechCrunch, and how the news was interpreted.

Original Post Here: ET Conversations

Listen in below:


Disclosures: my6sense is a client of Paladin Advisors Group, where I am Managing Editor of New Media. In addition, I am an advisor to Teens In Tech Networks.

EdgeTheory: Apple’s Closed Approach in an Open World

In advance of all the fun and fury that will be sent Apple's way this week, as many are expecting new hardware from Cupertino on Wednesday, EdgeTheory conversationalist Chris Saad and I talked about how Apple can be so successful with its closed, proprietary, approach when we tend to promote and hope for openness from companies we do business with on the Web. In addition to discussing Apple, we talk about Microsoft not getting enough credit for its own innovation, and trip ourselves up on what exactly came first... USB or FireWire.

Listen in below:


Archive:
January 21st: EdgeTheory Conversations: Twitter's New Suggestions

EdgeTheory Conversations: Twitter's New Suggestions

From: EdgeTheory Conversations with Chris Saad (@chrissaad) and myself, discussing Twitter's incremental changes to the controversial Suggested User List and launch of Suggestions.

Referenced include:
@joshelman, @danielbru, @gregarious, @jesse, @anildash, @rsarver, @scobleizer and @twitter.

Listen in below. Total talk time is about 20 minutes.