July 2011
1 post
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Tumblr and Lady Gaga the next threat to Facebook?
Everyone is debating if Google+ can compete with Facebook, even going as far as to outline how Google can beat Facebook. But all the focus on Google+ has overshadowed a possibly more important event in the battle against Facebook - Lady Gaga joins Tumblr. Is this similar to when Telia Toquila was requited to MySpace?
DeWolfe and Anderson went out and strategically recruited up-and-coming bands...
June 2011
1 post
1 tag
“Ah, but today’s Internet companies have real revenue! and profits! Sure, that...”
– On Bubbles … And Why it Will All be Fine
March 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Old Media Is Being Unbundled, Just Like Telecom... →
According to Om Malik, Disney looks to be heading in exactly the right direction with its purchase of Playdom, Tapulous and Rocket Pack.
2 tags
Disney Buys HTML5 Gamers Rocketpack, Enhances Web... →
Bring on the HTML5 games!
February 2011
2 posts
Are game books the future of interactive drama?
I’m sure hoping “Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch” is a sign of the future. It certainly is hitting the sweetspot with the iPad and mobile devices.
If this combination of gaming and storytelling takes off, you can expect to see the genre of game books open up in a big way on smartphones and tablets.
I just installed the app. More to come.
Social ads not the silver bullet →
Levchin quickly stressed that Facebook’s business shouldn’t be confused with demand generation or demand discovery — a.k.a. search, Google’s specialty. The PayPal co-founder says that he’s read that social graph signals have not been particularly effective in optimizing search-related advertising. Benchmark Capital’s Gurley agreed, arguing that social signals might deliver untargeted ads at...
January 2011
2 posts
1 tag
The visuals are key to interactive drama
Playing “Catch a Killer” I quickly saw how important visuals, namely character visuals will be to interactive drama. The game devotes most of the interface to searching for clues and other mini games rather than to the characters. I’m introduced to one character with little more than a 150 x 150 head shot. I kept thinking, if they’re going to be that small why not just...
1 tag
“Simplicity, communication, and hard decisions get get projects done. Improving...”
– Justin Gibbs aka Me
December 2010
5 posts
1 tag
1 tag
“I think the assumption that tech platforms can stop growing but remain great...”
– Fred Wilson
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“About about 30 million players per day play the most popular social game,...”
– 6 Reasons Why Social Games Are the Next Advertising Frontier
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“Yes, social networks of 2010 have much better usability, have better developed...”
– Social Networking: The Past
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WebGL powers 3D virtual world on the Web →
I’m a big fan of WebGL and even bigger fan of virtual worlds.
November 2010
15 posts
Cracking the Mainstream: Why Social Gaming Is More... →
Social gaming is here to stay, and it’s here to stay for two fundamental reasons: 1.) The format of social games is a perfect match to the daily pattern and rhythm of how people use the social web, and 2.) Social games are the only form of interactive entertainment that are natively woven into and distributed via social networks — the Internet’s new gateway.
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“I could see what the Polaroid camera should be. It was just as real to me as if...”
– Edwin Land
“If you want to design the game, you should get in the studio. You...”
– Danny Bilson, EVP of core games for publisher THQ
“China’s on an economic treadmill to hell.”
– James Chanos, CEO of Manhattan-based Kynikos Associates
It's rough in a hits driven business
It’s great working in the entertainment business, but Activision Blizzard’s recent shuttling of Bizarre Creations studio reminds you it’s also a hits driven business.
The largest game publisher in the world is setting a pretty clear precedent by letting go the studio’s 200-man team — there is still no room for error in the video game industry, even if a development studio has...
I'm a big fan of software with limitations
For the last year I’ve been telling friends that if anyone wanted to compete against Facebook they should start by limiting the number of friends you could have. It’s an artificial limitation but it clearly communicate that the service is for your close connections and not to become a rolodex. Reading the Robert Scoble’s post on Path put an interesting label on this type of...
Facebook killing off email?
Hearing that Facebook is going to kill off email with their new messaging platform makes me realize just how much hype has been piled on this company. Zuckerberg looks to have his finger on the pulse of the world.
He said that in talking to current high schoolers (who make him feel “really old”) they don’t use email. “It’s too formal,” Zuckerberg noted.
- Zuckerberg: Our System Is Not An Email...
Is new photo sharing site Path part of a trend?
Facebook seems to be engulfing everything and with it, becoming everything to everyone. And we know what people say about that.
I find it interesting to see the trend away from the all encompassing social graph, to watch is splinter.
He showed us pictures of his adorable children on his iPhone, and we saw them for the first time, because he hadn’t put them on Twitter or Facebook. Why not?...
1 tag
“Likewise, the gaming industry is now entering a phase where just making a fun...”
Facebook Gets 24% Of All Display Ad Impressions,... →
Same problem we faced at GeoCities - it’s all “questionable content” and people don’t tend to click.
“There’s a stampede going on. Publishers of virtual worlds are moving on to...”
– Hip Venture abandons virtual world to pivot into social games
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Do we really need another social browser?
RockMelt popped on the scene with a new social browser. The first question is why would I need another browser? Visiting the beta site I was prompted to enter my Facebook Connect to be given early access, however I’m not the biggest user of Facebook. In fact when I think of my friends who I would consider heavy Facebook users, many of them are still using IE and have trouble syncing their...
IT'S OFFICIAL: America Is Now A Banana Republic →
Obama failed when he picked his financial team
But as far as I am concerned, those are secondary political issues. To me, his presidency began its fatal downward spiral once he allowed Robert Rubin to determine his initial financial appointments. By passing over more pragmatic candidates not tied to banks and Wall Street, the president missed his opportunity to rise to greatness.
- The Tragedy of the Obama Administration
“Why the distinction between engineering and creativity? Can’t engineers be...”
– Fred Wilson
October 2010
10 posts
Will location be the death of Facebook's...
Facebook Places made a big splash but hasn’t seemed to have moved the needle much - at least anecdotally. Foursqurare on the other hand is coming on strong, might it be the thorn in Facebook’s side that leads to its eventual unraveling?
Now considering that 1) with 165 million Facebook users in the U.S. alone there is bound to be some backlash by young adults against parental...
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Video game investors seek to fund games via film... →
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Everything could use some more story
Research on Sesame Street versus Blue’s Clues found that narrative is “sticky.” Stories retain attention better.
We DO need to lick the “story problem” in online games.
- Raph Koster’s Small Worlds talk from GDC 2003
Fundamental attribution error
Humans always overestimate character and underestimate circumstances - Fundamental Attribution Error.
One way to combat it is to ask yourself how you would act in the same situation? Of course that would imply that you were totally aware of the situation.
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The future of social games is mobile
The acquisition reflects the growing interest in social gaming companies and underscores how mobile is the future of social gaming, much like it’s the future for all web services.
- The Future of Social Games is Mobile
Mobile is the future of everything. Of course I’ve seen more than one mobile TV company fail. Is it really the future of everything or is mobile just caught up in hype?
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“In many ways, Facebook is the industry’s first “TV of gaming” – the site allows...”
Will Wright to launch an interactive story tv show
This should be interesting, but it looks to be more collaborative fiction than interactive story like the old Choose Your Own Adventure books.
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Social games taking over for soap operas →
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Who ever heard of an adventure comedy?
Who ever heard of the “adventure comedy” film? I thought movie makers were treading into dangerous waters with comedy horror films like the ill-fated ‘Vampire in Brooklyn” but watching “Shanghai Surprise” thanks to the glories of Netflix streaming my opinion for Hollywood and risk or stupidity has grown by leaps and bounds.
2 tags
“Socializing on the Internet is to what socializing what reality TV is to reality”
– Aaron Sorkin
September 2010
3 posts
“In hindsight, the problem with Digg clones is that they’re just like forums....”
– Propeller Goes the Way of the Dodo
“Next might be a slow and unannounced pullback from non-core businesses. It may...”
– FINALLY: Microsoft Just Stopped Pretending It’s A Growth Company
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“But Digg, based in San Francisco, still struggles against the same force that...”
– Can Digg Find Its Way in the Crowd?
“But today at the Austin Game Developer Conference, the company told VentureBeat...”
– Will Google’s Lively Turn Into A Virtual Arcade? (GOOG)
August 2008
12 posts
“There’s nothing to do in Lively if you’re not talking to someone”
– Virtual worlds | If you build it… | Economist.com
“It’s getting worse,” Rick Sharga, RealtyTrac’s executive vice...”
– Bloomberg.com: Worldwide
“Only twice since 1965, despite half a dozen recessions, have Americans spent...”
– Consumerism: Are We Nearing The End Of Credit Card Consumerism?
“All in all, Twitter’s been preaching to the same choir for over two years. If...”
– Why Twitter Has Failed: The Power of Time and Mainstream | SheGeeks
“Despite many attempts to measure “engagement” or “ROI” there still is no...”
– The Many Challenges of the Social Media Industry
“In the West, which extends from California to Colorado, 54 percent said their...”
– Survey: Homeowners are in denial about declining housing values - Baltimore Business Journal:
“He has led GM into a situation where his choices are to cut costs or to file for...”
– With a $15.5 billion loss, can GM or its CEO survive? - BloggingStocks
2008 US Movie Box Office →
A great way to see box office returns in a visual format.