Showing posts with label Math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Math. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

A Social Graph Can't Last 10 Years

Image representing Bijan Sabet as depicted in ...
Image by Spark Capital via CrunchBase
I am saying this before I have read the blog post. I am responding to the title of the blog post. Now let me go read.

Bijan Sabet: Can a social graph last more than 10 years?
Because the graph we have today is much more interesting and useful than previous graphs. We are connected in new ways that touch us deeply. And they have their own characteristics.
Hunter Walk: Trying to be the one true social graph is like trying to hold water in your fist
Facebook needed to buy Instagram because it was creating a mobile-first photo-centric social network. Snapchat is interesting to Facebook because it's creating a mobile-first ephemeral content social network. Twitter was threatening enough to Facebook because of an asymmetric follow graph that Facebook added the equivalent 'subscribe' option. And so it goes... I don't believe Facebook's position as the 'one graph to rule them all' is established. They'll continue to be successful and useful for quite a long time - and they may even be the largest single graph - but it's not going to be the only one of consequence. .... There will be another Instagram, another Snapchat. Facebook can't buy or fast-follow all of the innovations. Can they?
These guys are talking about particular products like Facebook, Twitter, and so on. That is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the real social graph, the one technology tries to emulate. Solitude is when you want to be left alone. What is your social graph then? A good service would know that. When you are with someone you really want to be with, you do not want to be bothered by anyone else. What is your social graph then? The most engaged people in your life - that list changes over time. What I am saying is none of the mentioned services have been able to grab that real social graph.
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Tuesday, April 05, 2011

A Social Graph For When Everyone Is Connected

Lady GaGa visit Sweden at Sommarkrysset, Gröna...Image via WikipediaBill Gates thinks the world population will stabilize around nine billion people. Let's say he is right. Already two out of six billion people are connected to the internet. Say the penetration goes above 90% by the time world population hits seven billion people. Would that have implications for the social graph? You bet.

The Color Social Graph Might Work Better For Books, Movies, Music

There is an old saying that everyone is connected to everyone else through six degrees of separation. Every random person out there knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows you. That magic number - six - might be lesser if the group size were smaller.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Real Time Social Graph, Transient Social Graphs

Charlie O'DonnellImage by Laughing Squid via FlickrWhen you say social graph, you talk of friends, as in people you have known, people who were you friends yesterday, are today, will be tomorrow. That is a long tail. And there are many services that have done a good job of curating those social graphs. Facebook, of course, is the grand daddy of them all.

But I see a major void in the real time social graph.

I use several services to plan what events I wish to go to. And that is another space that could use much better services. I use PlanCast, but PlanCast is not populated enough with events. Users find it too hard to create events, and not enough events get created. And not enough event organizers are using it yet. I also use Charlie O'Donnell's events newsletter.

Facebook Will End Up The Social Graph Operating System

Image representing Facebook as depicted in Cru...Image via CrunchBaseFacebook, far in the future, will likely recede into the background. Facebook will have its Google days. That is but inevitable.

Facebook did not create the social graph. It merely tried to map what already existed out there. But then a social graph where everyone is a friend is not the best possible map.

There are many social graphs. That is our reality. There will be many maps. Facebook is like a broad map of the world. And it can hope to become better and better, but sometimes you don't want a map of the world, you just want a map of the NYC subway system. Or maybe most of the time you just want that.