OpenSocial

Jason mentioned this a little earlier, but I’m going to expand on it a little. OpenSocial is a huge innovation to the world of social networking. It provides a whole new capability that is going to be universal across most social networks. Here is the video of its introduction on YouTube:

OpenSocial provides a common set of API’s, so that once an application is developed, it can simply be placed on all the social networks. In this way, a company can develop a complex application just one time instead of developing a different version for thirty different networks. It also makes development really simple—applications can be developed solely using html and JavaScript. This opens up the playing field of who can make an application.

There are a lot of possibilities for this technology. Like I said, these apps can be applied to any social network (if the network wants), so some of these applications will connect the people across the networks. Instead of having millions of people connected in a network, now there can be billions across all the networks. An example of this power is the possibility for the spread of information. Say a controversial, but not very noticed blog post comes up that reveals some crime/injustice/scandal that may have gone under the radar. It could be posted on a gadget (application) like Didja Hear and people can share it instantly with the rest of the networking world.

There are a lot of downsides and controversial sides, though. A big trend these days is to be in your own network community, even if it means it’s the community of college students across the world—Facebook users had a fit when it was opened up to high school students and then later the world. But they still have their own smaller networks of people that they can see. There is even a platform now called Ning where you can create your own little social network of friends with similar professions, hobbies or weird interests. But with OpenSocial, most of the social networks are going to have the same applications and capabilities. Where's the variety in that? How are networks going to be "special" anymore?

But probably the biggest question of all is, “how this is going to help Google?” Surely they have some little scheme behind this. Google can’t just be innocently throwing out this new technology to help the world be more social. There is something else. Right now, applications can only be developed by going through the Orkut(Google’s social network) Sandbox and registering yourself, your business and your purpose. Whatever it is, it’s a little scary thinking that they might have a little control in all of the social networking sites.

The Daily Show writers on the writer's strike

The Daily Show writers look at the writer's strike from an interesting perspective, showing yet again how a failure to acknowledge new media and digital content as an important part of the future of media corporations is going to continue to hurt the media conglomerates. Support the writer's strike!

Mike Wesch is at it Again

Here is another thoughtful, well composed video from Mike Wesch. This bit focuses on how humans store and recall information, particularly on the Net.

I have to agree, everything really is miscellaneous.

Google is Open for Business

Interesting little article about Google (in the wake of googlezon) and an apparent attempt to bring forward open source social networking. Myspace and Facebook clearly are seeking a proprietary approach to social networking. Could it be that the mother of all corporate owners (to a point) are TRULY pushing for open source?

Probably not.

Drop In Hockey Online

*Guide to the Swedish Drag*

Video games have evolved to great lengths over the past decade. They use to be a 2D side scroller where you'd just follow a story. If you had a friend over you might be able to play up to 2 people at once. Things have changed though and as video games changed and sports gaming entered the market... video games in whole was pushed to the next level. For my presentation I used NHL 08 published by EA Sports for my example to show how gaming has become a convergent in digital media.

For starters I talked bout the basics for the game. Modes, features, etc... but the important factors came in the online gaming. Just like a Tuesday night at the rink you can join in a open hockey game where up to 12 players could go in, take any of the 6 positions on a team and play a game of hockey. If you have a microphone you can literally talk with you own team, directing them where you will be and where to go or what to do. There are leagues within the online play where a group a up to 28 teams could play a season then play for a championship in a playoff series. The manager would make a post on a forum, spread the word around the net, and develop a schedule. When the league is set to start he or she will pass out the e-mails to those who would be playing one another for that week and the two players would then talk by e-mail or messenger to set up a time and maybe talk with one another. The game goes beyond online gaming as well. The example above featuring the Swedish Drag is just one of many moves many players try to imitate in the game itself. Usually when a player makes a crazy goal or wants to teach others how to do these moves they will record their performance somehow and upload the movie on YouTube. The creator will put emphasis on the controller to show how to perform the move then the watcher will try to copy or improve on the move itself.


Basically with the game, internet, online videos, and personal communication the game turns into a convergence of collective intelligence.

Anime Fan Culture and Anime Music Videos

The rise of anime fandom in the United States was a movement fueled by the arrival of large file sharing and peer-to-peer networks over the Internet. It allowed fans of anime in the US to connect with Japanese fans, receive the raw episodes of popular anime, and use the power of collective intelligence online to subtitle the raw anime and re-release it over the peer-to-peer networks for other fans to download and watch. When the anime creators found out about this, instead of suing the fans and stopping the distribution of anime online, they realized the potential that this new market had opened up and began working to license the shows that were popular with fans for DVD distribution in the US. As a sign of their dedication to anime, and not just to the ability to download shows for free, the fans made it an unwritten rule that the fan-subbed versions would stop circulating as soon as the licensed versions were distributed, and this is a rule of anime fan culture that persists to this day.

However, as anime fandom has grown larger and as more companies are realizing the potential of this market, the fans have been losing control over which titles get licensed and distributed and which do not. The anime market, which used to be full of new and original shows that the fans enjoyed, has become a mass market where each licensed title is decided upon by the distributors and the companies who own them. A niche market that used to rely on the desires of its fans has been swallowed up by the corporate ideology that says that businesses should decide what their consumers want, and not the other way around. As a result, anime fans are finding it harder to support the industry that they once helped create, and are beginning to return to the P2P networks for the latest and rarest fan-subbed anime.

One element of anime fan culture that bridges the gap between the online fan communities and the corporate DVD market is that of anime music videos. As the technology for video editing gets better, fans who create their own music videos always want the highest quality video sources possible, which can only come from DVDs. So fans who want to make unique and high-quality music videos will buy the DVDs to rip and use that footage to create unique expressions of their love of anime to be shared with the online community. From political statements, to personal character portraits, to re-imaginings of characters and stories, to comedy and action and tragedy and drama, anime music video creators represent a wide spectrum of talent that works as a wonderful expression of both the humble beginnings of anime fandom in the US, and the corporate culture that empowers them to make wonderful works of digital art.

Webkinz!

Webkinz is a new designer fad for the kids. It cleverly combines children's love of stuffed animals with the idea of Pokemon's "Gotta catch 'em all!" and the online social component of MySpace. In retail stores all across the United States, Webkinz are small stuffed animals of various species, such as the dog pictured above. Much like Beanie Babies before them, they are cute and collectable. However, the Webkinz experience only starts with the purchase of an actual Webkin. Once bought, the animal comes to life online at Webkinz.com. Here, Webkinz owners must take care of their virtual pets while completing online activities to earn "KinzCash" which they can then spend on decorations for their pets' online rooms. The site also provides opportunities for users to interact with other users in chat rooms.

Webkinz is a sort of convergence of media and non-media - with a more traditional offering of stuffed animals leading to a 'net-based social network of sorts. Webkinz attracts kids in several different ways - especially its interactivity (the pets come alive online), opportunity for self-expression (users create their own rooms for their pets), and social experience (chat rooms). This attraction, much like that of online gaming and the internet in general, has been met with resistance from parents. Parents have criticized Webkinz based mainly on three concerns: Addiction, Online safety, and "Wasting Time." The Webkinz creators have done an excellent job of anticipating these concerns and have attempted to alleviate them through educational activities, parental restrictions on chatting, and an entire section of the website for parents.

Webkinz is a fascinating new media product and one which is particularly interesting to me as a future game developer. The Webkinz team has created a very popular phenomenon and managed to capture the fickle child consumer market - the question is: how long will this newest fad last?