Entries Tagged 'Web 2.0' ↓

I know I’ve previously written about Pownce, but after further analysis I don’t think it’s working out to be the utility that its founders envisioned it to be. Pownce is a social networking site for sharing messages, links, files and events. After using it for four weeks now, I believe that Pownce is very unfocused. It combines the features of del.icio.us, digg, facebook and box.net into a very clunky interface. The overall UI is not geared toward the mainstream crowd that would actually add some value to Pownce. Perhaps that’s why they’ve increased file sizes… “it’s not working so let’s make it a pirate site!” I am constantly sharing links, pictures and music with friends of mine but in my social circle I am the only one that’s tech saavy and that would be more inclined to use something like Pownce. My friends use the Internet primarily for Facebook, Email, News (typical college students). I’ve convinced a bunch of my friends to join Pownce but the initial interest died out because Pownce’s user interface doesn’t cater to mainstream users - even when sharing MP3’s. How? It’s just not appealing. Mainstream users do not have the patience to sign up for a application like Pownce that’s psuedo social network / filesharing. We’ve already got Facebook!

Here are a few comments from Digg that echo my theory:

SDCarter: I hate to say it; but I think that’s what Pownce is. I signed up right after it was announced because I was curious and I thought it might be interesting. Since then, I’ve successfully invited four of my friends. None of us actually used Pownce. In fact, until an article about Pownce hit front page the other day, we’d all but completely forgotten about Pownce. It’s a great idea; I just don’t see it going anywhere near mainstream.

–>Romulusx86: The MP3 sharing is great, you know, for those legal tunes you made.

Bottomline: Pownce is now just a great tool for music pirates. It will never catch on to the mainstream unless Pownce heavily markets its audio sharing capabilities - but that’ll be riddled with its own legal ramifications that Kevin Rose would not want to deal with. You should have just made a Facebook application, Kev.

Diggnation will be recording their next show at Studio B in Brooklyn on June 4th. If you don’t know, diggnation is a “news” show from the creator of Digg.com - Kevin Rose and his buddy Alex Albrecht. It’s sure to be a great time and if you can make it you should really come through! Studio B is located in the uber trendy neighborhood of WIlliamsburg. It’ll be my first Diggnation ever! The show takes place on Thursday, June 4th. It starts at 7PM and continues till 11:45PM but you should get there at six to enjoy good music and drinks with other digg fans before the show begins.

Studio B is located at 259 Banker Street between Meserole Avenue & Calyer Street in Brooklyn. Get directions from HopStop.com.

I always hate it when an application that I use on a regular basis suddenly adopts a new redesign.  Even if it’s just slight, at first glance I’ll always dislike it.  But then… I’ll grow to adore the new design and wonder how I ever used to the old format.

Facebook has come a long way from the lonely wall it used to be.  Now it incorporates so many different avenues of content and information.  A new redesign is coming in the next few weeks and I’m sure to hear plenty of my friends complaining just like they complained when the NewsFeed made its debut.

Here’s a look at the changes in the upcoming facelift.

• Expanded and interactive “Wall,” where users can generate their own content, friends can write Wall posts, and applications can publish Feed stories
• Additional tabs on the profile, where users can feature their favorite applications
• Profile boxes, which appear in the narrow column, separate from the tabs
• Profile action links

I like it.  It now seems like an enhanced version of Twitter!  I like how Facebook is vying to become a huge conglomerate of smaller independent ideas.  Rock on Zuckerberg, you are a god.

Remember the good ol’ days when you had quotes like, “too close for missles, i’m switching to guns” (from Top Gun, 1986) on the bottom of every Facebook page?  Ahh, here’s a screenshot of one of the first formal redesigns.  How far we’ve come…

There’s only one thing to do: invite/tell friends!  Pownce is geared to keep you in touch with your closest friends.  I really want all my friends on it just so we can all share our music with each other - I’ll probably pitch it to them all somehow this week.  I really like this whole unlimited space concept with the max individual file size at 100mb.  Get started today at Pownce and add me at http://pownce.com/vipin.  Be quick and get the best names now kids.  Pownce can be a little buggy right now, but its got potential.

Hmm, I wonder how long it takes to upload/download things off the Pownce server… One moment please.

UPDATE:  A threee megabyte mp3 took me less than five seconds to upload.  But it’s probably because of the sick speed Fordham hooks me up with (see below)!  Either way, when the next generation of internet technologies and speeds arrive, Pownce will be set to conquer it.  I think it’s in its most basic form now with plenty planned for later.

Here is a brief review of the three best finance apps out there to organize your money, help you budget, and spend your money wiser.  These services are perfect tools that put all your financial accounts in one place and graph different trends such as your spending habits, net worth and budgeting.  They’re great for everyone, but I think these are excellent tools for rising entrepreneurs and college students who want to manage their own finances.

I’ve been using Yodlee’s moneycenter finance application for almost a year now.  It’s helped me manage my bank accounts, credit cards, investment accounts and even student loans with a very concise and powerful interface.  What Yodlee does is agregate data from all of your financial accounts - you have to give your userid and password for each - but I’ve had no problems with Yodlee and by looking at their company’s history, its management and investors, I think its web tools are secure enough to trust.  Of the three web apps I’m reviewing, Yodlee has the interface that most resembles a bank.  Yodlee does not concern itself with much social networking like Mint.com or Wesabe.

Mint.com is all about interface.  Their intuitive graphs really help display where you’ve been spending your money.  You can tag different purchases and Mint will learn what the types of purchases you make and further display them in their very dandy graphs.  They also give you some tips on how you can better use your money.   This is my favorite finance application because it’s feature rich and graphically pleasing.  However, there are a few problems I’ve been experiencing… For example, even though I’ve only added one Paypal account, the grand total of my money figures in my Paypal balance five times.  Mint.com is still in BETA but I really think their the best at what they do.   They have options to send you a text message, email or phone call when a bill is due or one of your accounts has reached a certain threshold.  Mint is Verisign secured, TRUSTe certified and protected from phishing attacks from RSA.  These are industry-leading protection services.  I trust it, so that says a lot.

And finally, Wesabe.  I don’t wanna bash Wesabe, but for what it is and what it does, it’s horrible.  Wesabe employs an intensive social networking approach to your finances.  Personally, I do not feel that this aspect of my life needs any social intervention - but hey, I could be wrong.  Basically, the Wesabe community gives you a bunch of tips based on where you shop and what you spend your money on.  For example:

Come on, I know a croissont from Au Bon Pain will set me back $4.00 while one from Dunkin Donuts would be $1.00.  This is just common sense.  I guess if you want to know where and how to spend your money better at comparable places, Wesabe is for you.  But come on, does my money management have to become this social?

I think Mint.com is the best service out there with Yodlee right behind.  Mint.com incorporates all the power of Yodlee with the elegance of beautiful code and usability.  Wesabe, just chill a little.

I found this from OverheardinNewYork.com, a great social quote website:

NYU girl to friend: So then he like bitched me out, hardcore, in a text. And he didn’t talk to me for like a day so I was just like, “Ugh, whatever.” But then he ended our relationship on facebook! And I was just like, “Oh my god!” I need someone who’s mature, y’know?
Friend: Oh… Yeah. Totally

Though I personally believe that Overrhearders mislabel anyone down by Union Square as NYU students, this is pretty much self-explanatory.  Good day.

At first glance, GoCrossCampus looks like a simple social game but it’s much more than that.  GXC puts an amazing social networking aspect into the mix with a heavy emphasis on connecting with your real-life connections.  The game is set on a map of your campus, school or location and the goal is to take over as many properties on campus as possible.  How do you do that?  Brute force.  You must “attack in a certain direction” with a bunch of your teammates for effectiveness.  By encouraging real-life communication, GoCrossCampus is setting new standards in multiplayer online gaming.  Show everyone in the rival dorm who’s boss and conquer your world.  Think about it - a business can utilize this kind of gaming to build morale - (”HR took over the North Tower again!  The accountants must strike at 12″).  This is powerful stuff.

GoCrossCampus was created by four Yale upperclassmen.  In fact, one of my closest friends is chummy with one of the founders of GXC.  Innovative idea nonetheless.  However, even though the game is fueled by our innate human sense of competition, I think the creators of GoCrossCampus have to do a lot to ensure the retention of their gamers.  They have to find a way to ensure that their gamers don’t get bored.  What if a certain militia is stronger than its opposition just because of sheer user size?  “Armies” must have different pathways to take down their competition without it just being dependent on the group’s memberbase.  Perhaps a integration as a Facebook application could help boost its popularity.

Google has expressed interest in the company, we’ll see what develops.