Despite the fact that technologies are formed as much socially as by engineering, folks — who have a better idea!!! — can’t wait to build a technically more perfect Facebook and/or Twitter. More often than not they are confusing the socially constructed use with the engineering improvements that might or might not be needed or desired.
One group that gets it is Craig’s List. They admit that their techologies aren’t so great. They are old. But they are loved by the folks who are in the Craig’s List culture. Challenges come and go but the dedication of CL’s community is yet to be topped. CL is true to their focus, their community, at the expense, more often than not, of engineering or portability etc.
Fred‘s post “Twitter, Imagined Identity and Flux” goes out to answer Michael Arlington and Dave Winer and others who really think they know how all this should work. Worth a read.
In other Twitter news, I’ve been convinced by my tweeple to put Twitterific to the side for a bit and try Twhirl. First downside, Twhirl doesn’t update my IM status which is where all of this seemed to come from in the first place. But it is very nice as an interface and does other cross posting fairly well.
I also ventured for a bit into Alertthingy, but it was so alerting that it was alarming. I need more serious friend boundaries to drink from that firehose! We all need that Dunbar-defined social grooming, but this ape would have been groomed til he was completely bald! Which takes us back to Fred’s post.
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