Does Facebook invent features anymore, or just buy / steal other people's?
gregsantos
· 2 months ago
Back in tha 80's, we called that "Bitin'"
cybergerac
· 2 months ago
I think that the @ symbol could become a new standard for the web!
hillary hartley
· 2 months ago
it already is. twitter didn't invent it, their users did. it's a convention borrowed from how people have long addressed each other in long comment threads on blogs and bulletin boards.
Michal Zimmermann
· 2 months ago
It's actually derived from latin "ad" :-)
cybergerac
· 2 months ago
:O I didn't know it! so, if the people want it, why not accept that? :) but actually don't works too :(
Giannii
· 2 months ago
I agree, it's catching on and could possibly become a standard.
Σχολή Χορού
· 2 months ago
try login to your computer using username@localhost instead of username
DanielEssex
· 2 months ago
Its been used across the web for many many years - they call them email addresses
baylink
· 2 months ago
Well, *this* isn't going to end well.
FB walls are *already* too cluttered. I sure hope this doesn't make it worse, as I suspect it will...
Fred
· 2 months ago
Remember when Facebook was Facebook? Yeah, back in the day. The new design is still horrible, and now it's pretending to be Twitter even more. Seriously, Facebook has an identity crisis.
Christopher Cox
· 2 months ago
You know, I've been waiting for this to happen. Since Facebook's acquisition of FriendFeed, I've been looking for a reason to ditch Twitter. For me, at least, it's become nothing but an aggregation of uninteresting, annoying messages from friends. Coupled with all of the outages, attacks, etc. it just hasn't been a pleasant experience for me lately. =/
btrandolph
· 2 months ago
wow, just the opposite here. with the latest updates to twitter client tweetdeck, I can comment on friends posts, filter to see just the friends I want, and not be pilloried for my infrequent fb updates...
Name
· 2 months ago
Um I think that's why you have the option to unfollow the boring uninteresting people...just saying
Christopher Cox
· 2 months ago
It's not quite that easy when the annoying tweets come from your close friends, haha.
Anyways, I think it all boils down to a question of demographics. Depending on your conditions, like where you live, some people are accustomed to using different sites. Up until ~2 months ago, the majority of my friends were still using MySpace for pete's sake. Most of my activity is on Facebook, so that's where I spend the majority of my social networking.
DanielEssex
· 2 months ago
Crikey, people still use that old banger MySpace? I haven't used that badboy for around 4 years now
Ef Rodriguez
· 2 months ago
As much as I loathe Facebook, I have to admit this is really, really smart.
beetbe
· 2 months ago
Facebook still sucks. It steals many things from twitter :|
mybrutegame
· 2 months ago
boo facebook. boo
Kyle Webs
· 2 months ago
Why? Twitter is for chatting, Facebook doesn't need 100 updates a day?
Once again, they don't listen to their users. They obviously don't give a shit about them. When will they think about fixing their chat?
Julie Brosterman
· 2 months ago
I am enjoying fb much more these days than twitter.Too much "junk" - get 1000 followers in an hr - make $ while you sleep. Twitter needs to clean up the noise or they will lose people who are interested in having a conversation and just becoming a marketing tool for morons.
ticketyboo72
· 2 months ago
Instead of FB stealing, I mean, inventing new features, maybe they should concentrate on fixing some of the problems like clutter, or why they're never available when a tech / TOS issue arises.
Josh
· 2 months ago
Try as they might, Facebook just isn't Twitter.
Tom
· 2 months ago
WOAH! I didn't see that one coming!
Facebook are probably now hated by twitter users, and are going to stop using FaceBook, which doesn't think of their own features, it either buys the company they want the feature from, or they just steal it!
darkprincerox
· 2 months ago
twitter vs facebook , who will win? users ? :)
iMeme
· 2 months ago
I hope Twitter. I don't like when somebody steals ideas from other, original sources. Facebook should be Facebook, Twitter- Twitter. There is no need for one of these to do the job of the other. Instead of implementing tons of features, Facebook should first of all fix the problem with slow loading times during peak times, cause it's really annoying. Or isn't it? Be social!
Sasha H. Muradali
· 2 months ago
I seriously think Facebook is utterly bitter Jack, Biz etc., didn't sell to them so their form of revenge aka another way to make money -- purchase FriendFeed and use the technology/people to take down Twitter.
The thing is, FB will never be Twitter.
And I agree w/ iMeme...in this case, I hope it's Twitter.
It's about time FB understands that it is NOT Twitter and should spend more time concentrating on improving what they are already good at, than trying to be a jack of all trades but master of none.
Oh well, only time will tell ...
M. Avila
· 2 months ago
Correct - the users win!
I use Facebook for some reasons and Twitter for others, and am happy to see increased functionality on both sites.
animalbrad
· 2 months ago
Twitter and Facebook. It's way easier to access update and check twitter, but that's for everyone. If one were to say that they are going to stay with one or the other i'd ask why they can only use one. Facebook is about connecting friends and family. Twitter, however is about making new friends. I'll continue using both anyway.
DanielEssex
· 2 months ago
Couldn't agree more - I use facebook and twitter for different things and think they both do well in their respective areas
I'll ignore the blatant plug and suggest that Knoyce gets an about page or something on the front page. There doesn't seem to be any information on the front page explaining what it is and how it works. Since I haven't heard of it and don't know anyone using it I think I might just give it a miss until the site actually tells me what it does
Adam
· 2 months ago
I hope Facebook wins. Twitter's got the real-time social news piece, but ultimately it's a novelty service. I have trouble reading tweets because they're like a strange code of special characters like @, #, and short urls which are never informative. Facebook transforms each status update into a legible & context-specific unit by using image thumbnails, website titles & descriptions, and threaded comments. Just as Facebook's photo tagging has been a huge success, I'm extremely excited about Facebook's upcoming use of tagged status updates especially because they're not going to be showing the @ sign! Less visual clutter makes it easier to read, period.
WisTex
· 2 months ago
I use both, and Twitter updates my Facebook status. So both I would think.
Ben
· 2 months ago
Could have been a bit more creative, although they don't want to go the same way as the old Myspace. Is copying twitter gonna score them any points. tbh, I think not.
shotbeak
· 2 months ago
Facebook is acting like a kid trying to fit in with the cool crowd. No doubt it will work, but Facebook is losing the essence as to why people joined it in the first place: solid, secure online environment for you and your friends. "Connecting you to the people that matter most", now, it's "Giving people the power to share and make the world more open and connected."
Sadpanda
btrandolph
· 2 months ago
"solid, secure online environment"? funny!
shotbeak
· 2 months ago
I meant as in a "private place for you and your friends", not the the "open" site it is becoming.
Batman
· 2 months ago
In its neverending quest to become more like Twitter....
Joshua Hatfield
· 2 months ago
Twitter is micro-blogging & communicating / Facebook is social networking.
Stop with the comparing. They are nothing alike. Twitter would have very little applicable use if there were no third party applications.
Don't get the wrong idea, Twitter created a paradigm shift, but they didn't invent anything. The took an idea and compacted it. It's command line email in a nutshell.
Batman
· 2 months ago
I didn't say they were alike, I'm simply making an observation that you haven't yet fully refuted..... Or, am I to understand that I'm not communicating when I use Facebook, and my network on Twitter isn't social? So, I reject that statement totally, which produced your other logic flaws. I will agree that Twitter is a gobal chatroom, and they do that very well.
NielDLR
· 2 months ago
No, no, no! Please, no wall posts. GOSH. I like the idea of linking in status updates (pages/fans/people), but don't spam us.
Spam
· 2 months ago
Facebook is going to piss off a lot of people (like you, NielDLR, I'm guessing) if they don't offer a privacy settling that prevents people from tagging them in status messages.
btrandolph
· 2 months ago
I expect it will be similar to the privacy settings for pictures and videos where a user is tagged
Christopher Cox
· 2 months ago
I sure hope so. I probably wouldn't mind, but some people might not want their entire name being sent out to the entire world if the post is made public.
Christian
· 2 months ago
and soon RT... one of Twitter's most valuable functions.
LeRoy
· 2 months ago
Even though twitter hasn't implemented RT yet.
btrandolph
· 2 months ago
maybe I'll see something on fb worth retweeting!
Whatever
· 2 months ago
More like RS - ReStatusing...Seriously, if any of the Facebook staff is reading this reply, please die or something, freaking morons.
Adam
· 2 months ago
Lame & immature.
Name
· 2 months ago
I've noticed users do this, including myself, already. It's great the FB is paying attention.
Ryan Biddulph
· 2 months ago
Ben,
I don't see this as a positive for FB. As mentioned in the comments the FB feed is already fairly disorganized and the @mentions are just going to add to the clutter.
@ replies work fine on twitter because of a clean feed and 140 char limit.
I barely use FB anyway but this will be another reason not to.
RB
Steve B ✔
· 2 months ago
"I barely use FB anyway but this will be another reason not to."
That's what I'm saying. +1
Darlene Fiske
· 2 months ago
this is getting a little too "in my business" for me. why would I want to tell my other friends who I possibly didn't invite that I'm having coffee with such and such friend? Not interested.
Robert Coats
· 2 months ago
Well Twitter did not invent the @username... bloggers and commenters have been doing this since well before twitter. I would have to say it is a common practice and almost a standard when it comes to social media these days... glad to see FB catching up.
T
· 2 months ago
"In short, it’s not easy to have a public conversation." Seriously? Wall-to-wall, anyone?
Boozemonkey
· 2 months ago
F*@&ING Facebook. Die already
Jason Rukus
· 2 months ago
I am interested to see how this rivalry plays out. I'd say Facebook would win over social forcing Twitter to more of a search engines functionality but with FB's purchase of FriendFeed they could dominate realtime search as well.
dmadams2
· 2 months ago
loving the homogenation... the more i am able to act like a robot, the less emotional i will be... ho humm.
pdenya
· 2 months ago
I think you can already see a previous log of any type of notification on facebook so the @replies page should be immediately available.
drewolanoff
· 2 months ago
want.
Randall Klopping
· 2 months ago
I just wish facebook would stop adding new stuff until the get existing problems fixed. It just keeps getting more and more dysfunctional!
scottwyden
· 2 months ago
I think it's a good idea keeping the @ style system throughout social websites. It makes it a easier
girlnextdoor
· 2 months ago
yay..! the games is ON...! Facebook vs Twitter
Elizabeth
· 2 months ago
So how do you @ a page that doesn't have a vanity plate (page with less than 1000 followers?) Seems like they'll have to do away with that sooner rather than later...
Kimberly
· 2 months ago
Elizabeth - If you are talking about Fan Page Vanity URL's there is no longer a 1000 fan minimum to claim a vanity url. The minimum is now only 25 fans! - Kimberly
Ediciuz Virtuoso
· 2 months ago
Damn it! Where have I been? I've gotta go register my names while they're miraculously still available!
Spam
· 2 months ago
If I understand this correctly, you won't be using the custom URL of the user/page/group; instead, a drop-down list will appear once you start, much like what happens when you start typing into the "Search" box in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
DanielEssex
· 2 months ago
@Elizabeth: Spam is correct, it's done via a drop-down list that appears when you use the @ symbol (as helpfully detailed in the article above these very comments)
micah
· 2 months ago
as soon as it goes live, Im starting #facebookfriendfriday. Take that twitter! :)
miketempleton
· 2 months ago
I didn't think Twitter could effectively live inside Facebook, but their team is doing a great job at proving how it can AND will fit in.
The key thing here is that they aren't just replicating replies, but taking them a step further. Twitter messages look silly on Facebook when they are filled with @reply names, so Facebook has decided to replace them with nice looking real names. Also, allowing users to incorporate Facebook Groups and Facebook Pages (great for businesses!) is another big win.
I'm excited to see where this all goes. And like Ben Parr, I wonder how long it will be before you can click a link and find a list of everywhere you've been referenced on Facebook.
Christopher Cox
· 2 months ago
This. Seeing so many @replies on Twitter is very unattractive. Tweets like "At the mall with @chreescawks!" just look ridiculous, and the problem gets worse when people mention multiple people. Having real names to work with might actually result in me recognizing who they are immediately.
However, this also brings with it a few privacy concerns. Some people display their full name on Facebook. If the post is made public, will the entire person's name be broadcast to the world?
cybergerac
· 2 months ago
it doesn't seem to work, now :( why???
Spam
· 2 months ago
"We’re rolling this feature out over the course of the next few weeks, so you may not see the new feature just yet."
Lolly
· 2 months ago
This is lame.
DH
· 2 months ago
Nobody really sees the '@whoever' when it posts. They see the person's name. Using the @ is only when typing out the message, then selecting the name. So aside from using '@' character I really don't see this being a big deal. Does twitter own the @ symbol?
lessin
· 2 months ago
what is interesting is the example posted Kathy not only @s another person, but a company -- that is going to be very powerful --
facebook is going to dominate the brand front this way -- wonder if you will have to be a 'fan' of a brand to @ it (presumably as you will need to be a friend of a person?)
that would be a very very powerful dyanmic for brands which FB could get in the middle of -- i am going to have to fan all sorts of brands in order to have normal conversations...
even if i won't need to be a 'fan' to @ a brand/page the stats and suggestion systems you can pull out of that will be off the charts
Name
· 2 months ago
"In short, it’s not easy to have a public conversation." I have to disagree with that statement. Commenting on someone's status on FB creates an easy-to-read thread. On Twitter you see all sorts of one-sided conversations (e.g. "@you I agree!"). Agree with what? Now I have to check out @you and see if I can match up the statements. Sure, I can use 3rd party applications to track Twitter conversations, but that's definitely not "easier" than Facebook. Or am I totally missing something?
Yasmin Varley
· 2 months ago
Well it could have it has it's plus sides.. There really aren't standards for these sorta things, so it can get confusing because one site does something while another has it completely different, even if it's for a pretty similar feature. Having something so similar with using the "@" symbol may be to Facebook's advantage because those using Twitter would appreciate the familiarity, even if they complain about the lack of originality. And vice versa!
But still... pffshh copy cats!
MeredithTreinen
· 2 months ago
Facebook has continued to prove that you don't have to be the first...you just have to be better. This should be interesting...
caramandart
· 2 months ago
This is a great feature to help communities engage more effectively, I love it. And using the @ symbol is good, to create a standard and not reinvent the wheel.
Connor
· 2 months ago
Just copy-cats!!
Madison Kinnard
· 2 months ago
I am SUPER happy about this! :D
Ediciuz Virtuoso
· 2 months ago
This would totally awesome if you can include FB pages and events....
Jim Mitchem
· 2 months ago
But this doesn't matter if you can't friend people openly instead of having to grovel for people to 'accept' you, right? that's the FB flaw.
Morgan Siem
· 2 months ago
This is an important step for Facebook and certainly brings FB more up to speed with Twitter. The inability to tag a mention of someone on FB has always seemed like a gaping hole to me ever since I became a Twitter user. I was never in the habit of posting updates on FB because there was no way to ensure that the relevant people saw the update. Now FB updates become more like Twitter updates but without the character limit. Using an @mention is like tapping the person or business that you're mentioning on the shoulder. It also means that other people reading your update know who you're talking about..."Katie? Katie who? Which Katie?"
I imagine this will be good for the business pages, too. Now when you post your update, you can tag the restaurant you're going to. I bet it will encourage more businesses to make pages.
What's next?
I hope it's the ability to put a hyperlink/anchor text into tweets instead of the URLs. They're shorter and they'll make the tweets look so much more streamlined.
Trudy
· 2 months ago
I don't like this. I don't want to be tagged in status updates. I like that you can choose to reply to an update...the tagging is a little overboard.
gwoodard
· 2 months ago
Wow that's original. I guess imitation is the best form of flattery.
Name
· 2 months ago
So what will happen in Facebook if your status and Twitter are linked and you @ someone on Twitter?
suryaden
· 2 months ago
its a new way, something will getting better...
dakwegmo
· 2 months ago
Wouldn't it have made more sense just to enable tagging on status updates?
Yujin
· 2 months ago
I always wanted this, although I do think it would make things very complicated. Either way, saw it coming! Just keep getting better!
jeffreylcohen
· 2 months ago
How will this affect @mentions that flow through from Twitter? I would expect that short term, these would just show as unlinked text. It would be great if Facebook allows users to link their Twitter names with their Facebook profiles, so these @mentions can resolve if they are posted from outside of Facebook and function as if they were chosen from the drop down.
Huck
· 2 months ago
How about they just take the time and energy to fix the stupid chat program!!!
Jobs
· 2 months ago
Great that #fb is adopting twitter tools without any price tag :-)
Steve B ✔
· 2 months ago
Price tag?
Jobs
· 2 months ago
Great that #fb is adopting twitter tools without any price tag :-)
RHantson
· 2 months ago
All I can think of here is the gawd awful nit wits who decide to foward every prayer request, friendship quote, cute and cuddly kitty, to 20 of thier friends and having my stupid wall filled with 40 or 50 of them at a pop in seconds...
Yeah... sounds like a hoot-en-nanny great idear there Bucky! Let me know how that works out fer ya!
Jesse
· 2 months ago
very cool!!
andrewmueller
· 2 months ago
Seems that it doesn't work exactly like twitter. In twitter you can @mention anyone from your article it seems you can only @mention friends?
Doubledown Tandino
· 2 months ago
bye bye Twitter!! haha. I guess all that's left is for Facebook to allow a follower & following option, rather than a mutual friend only.
giacomo
· 2 months ago
It doesn't work, at least on firefox/ubuntu
Steve B ✔
· 2 months ago
I guess the next step is to learn how to delete my Facebook account :P
Very interesting - looks like this is already causing a ruckus. Some people don't want to be tagged and will probably leave Facebook. But others have been asking for this feature. Time will tell.
DShan
· 2 months ago
"The @ symbol now works just like Twitter, and not just for users, but for groups and fan pages as well."
That's not true. Twitter functions no matter who you @; to the benefit of users looking for new follows, and the detriment of users who mention someone but spell the handle wrong. FB's predictive text is a nice feature for that little hiccup.
FB only allows you to mention your friends. That's a significant difference, albeit one I think will change quickly. It's in FB's interest to allow friend finding. Their current "suggest friends" feature is like an upsell. Mentions are an endorsement.
Jeff Anderson
· 2 months ago
I don't mind if they do this, but what I'd like to see, is perhaps Facebook have a "Twitter username" field. So if I send out a tweet and it gets copied to Facebook, it should look up the @twittername and replace it on the fly. Thoughts?
Allan Delmare
· 2 months ago
Now, how long untill this actually works for me? Not working yet...
Johan Swarts
· 2 months ago
rofl
people, please. this isn't even worth mentioning as a feature. 'not exactly the pinnacle of information technology, is it?
KMxRetro
· 2 months ago
But its BREAKING!!! IT HAS TO BE KNOWN NOW! (Apparently.)
Allan Delmare
· 2 months ago
So far I see the following:
1) Block mentions in privacy settings 2) Mention people that aren't friends (and option to block this from happening) 3) Event mentions 4) FB, Stop stealing Ideas 5) Why stop there? Come on, at least let us use #hashtags too... 6) Facebook Search Status Updates 7) Buy Twitter, it will be easier in the end
teaneedz
· 2 months ago
The @ was alive and and well long before the blogging world ... but I'll still take a tweeted @ over a walled @.
iTbay
· 2 months ago
Google + Twitter vs Facebook(friend feed) .... I guess those from Harvard use the internet a lot 2 to get their grads.
Chris
· 2 months ago
i know one things for certain. Myspace is gone.
Σχολή Χορού
· 2 months ago
Excellent and long waited addition. Luckily, there is no such thing as copyright in the area of social media.
velofille
· 2 months ago
Since when did twitter create/invent the @username ? get with the program you newbies! thats why its called the 'at' symbol, and has been used for @username or @person for YEARS before twitter came on the scene! If anything twitter ripped the best part of facebook, the status updates, and left the rest!
DJ Boston
· 2 months ago
Facebook, the new Twitter.
Mpopz
· 2 months ago
I was just thinking about this idea last night! I totally love this.
Miles Langley
· 2 months ago
I like this! The function isn't working for me (in London) yet unfortunately. I guess the '@' is now considered the industry standard for identifying individuals. I like it.
Melissa
· 2 months ago
I'd prefer to tag someone in a Comments thread.
dez
· 2 months ago
1) I love it 2) Hopefully there will be a privacy option so that you can't be included in a @reply from friends (even though I'll gladly be mentioned). 3) Future Looking Question: Is this starting the Facebook evolution towards not having only people you know on your friend's list? and if so, would they eliminate the 5k friends rule.
Meg
· 2 months ago
aggg no no no no :( Why would facebook take a twitter idea? Twitter is just a site of countless status messages. Pointless just pointless. The @ thing is not needed what so ever
Lisandro Mierez
· 2 months ago
Need Twitter apps vs Facebook
DossyDomo
· 2 months ago
Oh wow, looks like Facebook is trying to catch up with MySpace!
just as twitter seems to be getting rid of @mentions according to various tweets, lol.
Adelaide DJ
· 2 months ago
the @ reply is definitely a really awesome feature, so is the concept of the RT because then you can see who is helping you and who is not and then you can help them out in return twitter(at)locspoc
kreuelt
· 2 months ago
...doesn't work yet
secretsushi
· 2 months ago
Is this even working at the moment? I tried to no avail.
V
· 2 months ago
How long until Twitter sues FB? Too bad they didn't register their trademarks. And too bad we're not in a parallel universe where that would actually happen.
Derek Bolden
· 2 months ago
I think the real winners here will ultimately be the 3rd party apps like Tweetdeck and Seesmic that use all of these Social Network APIs and blend them into one tool that fits all. I find myself using Tweetdeck and Seesmic Desktop more and the Facebook, and Twitter websites less. The fact that now Tweetdeck incorporates Myspace into it's app might bring them back from their downward spiral because now I can use all of them main Social Networks at once. That's going to be where the innovation comes from.
aznfuzz
· 2 months ago
i dont think id really like the fb version. fb is soo PUBLIC. pple on ur friends list doesnt all necessarily b close friends of urs. ppl on twitter follow others for different reasons but i still think its less PUBLIC-feeling... there r many things u cant put on fb... i use both n i update fb but i think the stat is seems better wif twitter.
norm
· 2 months ago
At it's heart, twitter's nothing more than face book status with a few extra features. Add those extras to facebook, and you have no need for twitter.
Chris
· 2 months ago
Wow, that will be irritating for those who use Twitter to update their FB status but have different usernames on the two sites.
Donagh Mc Sweeney
· 2 months ago
Does Twitter not have any sort of patent on it's features?
Dustin
· 2 months ago
We have Facebook applications that post tweets to our status, but now we need one that allows us to map an @ name to a Facebook friend so it gets translated when posted.
Lcbigpants
· 2 months ago
I use the @ in Facebook when I'm replying to someone who's commented on my status. Already there!
Shakti Shukla
· 2 months ago
A dropdown menu of hundreds of friends and other connections that many people have will not be convenient or easily navigable, which is the point of dropdowns.
I go to Twitter for public convos, FB for more private ones. That is how I want it; I prefer that people do not tag me and my business with them for their FB world to see.
Tom O., please include a setting where we can prevent others from tagging us. Thanks and good luck.
WisTex
· 2 months ago
What is interesting though, Twitter did not invent the @username either. Twitter's users did, and Twitter implemented it as an official feature since its users were doing it anyway. :)
I don;t see it as a rivarly so much as Frenemies! @reply in Facebook--like the recent FriendFeed incorporation--appears to be another indication that one-trick service ponies like Twitter are, indeed, merely features masquerading as standalone applications. The aggregating services, like FB, are where IMs, Tweets, blogs, eMail, Vid and image posting services will ultimately end up, all running on standardized, cloud-based infrastructure imho. That's all good.
Name
· 2 months ago
I think this is pathetic
none ya
· 2 months ago
okay well i tryed to do the @ symbol thing and it didnt work so what do i do now???
Clement
· 2 months ago
The beauty of @ symbols in Twitter is that you can reference another user. Unless that user blocks themselves, you're able to view that user's timeline and basic information. FB, with the way everyone is locking down their privacy settings, means you'll be able to see a name for people that you have not friended, and that's about it. Value, at least initially, I think is negligible. But that's just my opinion.
බින්කු கனிஷ்க NArada
· 2 months ago
Facebook should be Facebook, not tweetbook. Let Twitter be their own way. Facebook wants to be only one popular social network. What rude!
ALEX03089@GMAIL.COM
· 2 months ago
YOU SHOULD ADD TRENDING TOPICS TO FACEBOOK!
Lovereg
· 1 month ago
How about in Facebook for Iphone? I cant tag anyone in my status
kinderis
· 1 month ago
Well I use Twitter and Facebook and I am very satisfied with it. I think that every website has its own advantages and disadvantages. Well I have to admit that I always use @ on Twitter and it is very comfortable for me :) Heh it is really interesting to see "the fight" between Twitter and Facebook. We see who will win. Thanks a lot for the great article and I will be waiting for other great information from you!
All Comments
FB walls are *already* too cluttered. I sure hope this doesn't make it worse, as I suspect it will...
Anyways, I think it all boils down to a question of demographics. Depending on your conditions, like where you live, some people are accustomed to using different sites. Up until ~2 months ago, the majority of my friends were still using MySpace for pete's sake. Most of my activity is on Facebook, so that's where I spend the majority of my social networking.
Once again, they don't listen to their users. They obviously don't give a shit about them. When will they think about fixing their chat?
Facebook are probably now hated by twitter users, and are going to stop using FaceBook, which doesn't think of their own features, it either buys the company they want the feature from, or they just steal it!
The thing is, FB will never be Twitter.
And I agree w/ iMeme...in this case, I hope it's Twitter.
It's about time FB understands that it is NOT Twitter and should spend more time concentrating on improving what they are already good at, than trying to be a jack of all trades but master of none.
Oh well, only time will tell ...
I use Facebook for some reasons and Twitter for others, and am happy to see increased functionality on both sites.
Sadpanda
Stop with the comparing. They are nothing alike. Twitter would have very little applicable use if there were no third party applications.
Don't get the wrong idea, Twitter created a paradigm shift, but they didn't invent anything. The took an idea and compacted it. It's command line email in a nutshell.
I don't see this as a positive for FB. As mentioned in the comments the FB feed is already fairly disorganized and the @mentions are just going to add to the clutter.
@ replies work fine on twitter because of a clean feed and 140 char limit.
I barely use FB anyway but this will be another reason not to.
RB
That's what I'm saying. +1
Spam is correct, it's done via a drop-down list that appears when you use the @ symbol (as helpfully detailed in the article above these very comments)
The key thing here is that they aren't just replicating replies, but taking them a step further. Twitter messages look silly on Facebook when they are filled with @reply names, so Facebook has decided to replace them with nice looking real names. Also, allowing users to incorporate Facebook Groups and Facebook Pages (great for businesses!) is another big win.
I'm excited to see where this all goes. And like Ben Parr, I wonder how long it will be before you can click a link and find a list of everywhere you've been referenced on Facebook.
However, this also brings with it a few privacy concerns. Some people display their full name on Facebook. If the post is made public, will the entire person's name be broadcast to the world?
facebook is going to dominate the brand front this way -- wonder if you will have to be a 'fan' of a brand to @ it (presumably as you will need to be a friend of a person?)
that would be a very very powerful dyanmic for brands which FB could get in the middle of -- i am going to have to fan all sorts of brands in order to have normal conversations...
even if i won't need to be a 'fan' to @ a brand/page the stats and suggestion systems you can pull out of that will be off the charts
But still... pffshh copy cats!
I imagine this will be good for the business pages, too. Now when you post your update, you can tag the restaurant you're going to. I bet it will encourage more businesses to make pages.
What's next?
I hope it's the ability to put a hyperlink/anchor text into tweets instead of the URLs. They're shorter and they'll make the tweets look so much more streamlined.
Yeah... sounds like a hoot-en-nanny great idear there Bucky! Let me know how that works out fer ya!
http://socialmediastations.blogspot.com Best news i heard all day ...facebook connect
facebook connect
That's not true. Twitter functions no matter who you @; to the benefit of users looking for new follows, and the detriment of users who mention someone but spell the handle wrong. FB's predictive text is a nice feature for that little hiccup.
FB only allows you to mention your friends. That's a significant difference, albeit one I think will change quickly. It's in FB's interest to allow friend finding. Their current "suggest friends" feature is like an upsell. Mentions are an endorsement.
people, please. this isn't even worth mentioning as a feature. 'not exactly the pinnacle of information technology, is it?
1) Block mentions in privacy settings
2) Mention people that aren't friends (and option to block this from happening)
3) Event mentions
4) FB, Stop stealing Ideas
5) Why stop there? Come on, at least let us use #hashtags too...
6) Facebook Search Status Updates
7) Buy Twitter, it will be easier in the end
2) Hopefully there will be a privacy option so that you can't be included in a @reply from friends (even though I'll gladly be mentioned).
3) Future Looking Question: Is this starting the Facebook evolution towards not having only people you know on your friend's list? and if so, would they eliminate the 5k friends rule.
Why would facebook take a twitter idea? Twitter is just a site of countless status messages. Pointless just pointless. The @ thing is not needed what so ever
RT
www.privacy-resources.tk
I go to Twitter for public convos, FB for more private ones. That is how I want it; I prefer that people do not tag me and my business with them for their FB world to see.
Tom O., please include a setting where we can prevent others from tagging us. Thanks and good luck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n_EitPb7BU&feat...
Sincerely,
Daniel Materson from software development company