Twitter has changed the way we share information. It's changed the way we search. It's changed the way we are alerted of breaking news. It's changed the way we market products.
And it's become a place where casual and new users are unwelcome.
It's important to remember that the word "we" in the cases above refers to a select few who have mastered the microblogging service. While there are approximately 20 million users in the US, a staggering number never make a single tweet or survive past a month.
Twitter has a big problem. It's done a great job of showing value, breaking through with the Oprahs and Ellens. Millions started using it personally or professionally during the past year because it appeared to be the right thing to do. Many leaped in carelessly without knowing how to use it.
Then they realized the work involved. Many left.
I have used Twitter for about a year now, combining my professional and personal use. I have committed to it for personal use in about October of 2009 (have had an account since March, but really dove in later on). My latest professional use is being implemented by the American Cancer Society in the Great West Division.
I still have plenty to learn, but I "get" Twitter.
Make no mistake, it's a lot of work. There's a lot of talking to yourself. There's a lot of second guessing. There's a lot of butt kissing and talking to others who often don't respond. There's a lot of searching for the right people to follow, and deciphering whether people are interesting, spammers or scammers. There's a lot of time spent wondering if you're doing the right thing or if you're wasting your time.
Once you break through, there is a reward. Once you get that captivated audience, your talking becomes a conversation with others. People want to hear what you have to say. People want to share what you share with their own audience.
Now, I'm not completely there yet -- either personally or professionally. But I know it will happen. It takes time and a lot of work, but I've seen improvement and I've seen the results from others. I'm also confident that the way I'm using Twitter is appropriate, and that I will continue to learn from my mistakes and the advice of others.
I'm not talking to myself as much these days. I have some "friends" (mutual followers) with whom I have conversations and enjoy sharing information. I follow some pretty cool people who provide me a constant stream of news and interesting tidbits.
But you've gotta wonder... Why would a casual person ever want to use Twitter? Why would a business without a person whom they can dedicate to Twitter even bother?
I hear a lot of snickering from Twitter loyalists about how Facebook's quarterly rounds of changes are their attempts to "be more like Twitter." Facebook isn't becoming more like Twitter. They are evolving to include some of Twitter's features. They are looking to provide what Twitter provides and so much more. As a result, Facebook may eventually make Twitter irrelevant.
Twitter could learn a thing or two from Facebook.
Accessibility to New Users
Facebook is easily accessible to new users. It's a piece of cake. Create an account. Find friends by searching your e-mail contacts or looking through lists Facebook provides based on where and when you went to a certain school or where you worked. It's incredibly easy to find people you know, and once you've found a couple it just snowballs with mutual friends.
Twitter is virtually inaccessible to new users. You create an account. Then it's pretty much up to you.
[Note: Twitter did add the ability to search by e-mail address. However, my personal e-mail contact list isn't particularly complete. So you know how I compiled an e-mail contact list? I went through all of my Facebook friends, profile by profile. And after going through 500 people, you know what I got? Virtually nothing. Maybe 10% of my Facebook friends have a Twitter account, and almost all are inactive.]
It's an empty feeling for many. They don't know who is reading what they write. They tweet away. No one answers. They get a follower, only to find out they are spam. To properly use the service, they need to tirelessly research which tools to use and how to use them.
If you're a newbie, the world of Twitter is a cold, cold place.
That could change with some familiar faces. I want to follow people I know. These are the people who will provide the strongest relationships. They are the people I trust. How do I find them?
There is value in following people in specific industries, celebrities, and news outlets. That's fine. But building relationships is the biggest challenge. And Twitter makes this difficult for the new user.
Usability for Casual Users
You can be a casual Facebook user. Check in every hour, every day, every week, every month. Whatever. Your friends aren't going to reject you because you stopped updating five times per day.
I stopped using Twitter for a week during the holidays so that I could focus on my three-dimensional family. The result? I lost 31, or 10%, of my followers.
Don't get me wrong, I have no need for those followers who require me to retain my 10-update-per-day pace through the holidays. There is clearly not a relationship there.
But this is the thing. On Twitter, you need to remain active to retain an audience. In general, the audience is unforgiving. You have to be consistent. You have to tweet several times per day. You have to provide value.
This is terrible for casual users. You simply cannot expect that from casual users. And because of this, casual users will find little value in the service.
Why Change is Needed
I'm not a Twitter hater. I see the value. I've experienced the value. But if it is going to continue to grow, Twitter needs to be usable by new and casual users. While the dedicated can still reap the greatest rewards (particularly professionally), it is wrong to snub the new and casual by keeping them behind the velvet rope.
2009 was a year of inflated numbers for Twitter. Huge successes based on the large number of new users. Individuals and companies alike were encouraged to dive in without fully knowing why or how. Many accounts were DOA.
Change is necessary if Twitter is ever to revolutionize the way we all get and share information, as was originally claimed by the Twitter masses.
Twitter simply isn't a place for the casual. It's a cold place for the newbie. But Twitter needs the new and casual users, and they need to retain them. Without them, Twitter will only be a niche service, embraced and championed by a small minority.
Most damning, however, is that once the fact is separated from fiction and hype dies down, people will stop "trying it out" for personal use. They know what it's all about. They've already tried it, and they've already either committed to it or quit (the majority will quit). Companies, now informed on what it takes to effectively manage a Twitter account, either will or won't jump in. There will be less dabbling and testing.
The Solutions
How can Twitter become a warmer place, accessible to the newbie and usable for the casual user? I have a few suggestions.
1. Make finding people you know and trust easier. Why is this so difficult? There are directories to find people by category, but I care about finding specific people I know. How can I find former classmates? Professional or personal contacts? The e-mail address search is fine, but who knows which e-mail address they use for their Twitter account?
When a profile is created, allow the ability to label it "personal" or "company." If personal, provide fields for work history and education. This information doesn't necessarily need to be displayed publicly, and the user shouldn't need to provide it at all. It can simply be used to help find people.
This way, once you mention that you graduated from Cornell College in 1997 and worked for the NBA from 2005-'08, Twitter can quickly find people you may be interested in following. It can also help you find brands with which you have a personal connection. You worked for the NBA? Follow these accounts...
Additionally, why not use e-mail addresses and contact lists to track down more people to follow? Import GMail, Outlook or Yahoo! Mail contacts to find people you know who are using Twitter. [This is now done.] Maybe a third party app could allow you to match Facebook friends with their Twitter accounts.
I mentioned it in a previous blog entry as well, but a "mutual friends" feature would do wonders. Someone follows you, but who are they? If you are told that this stranger is followed by five people you trust, suddenly they become someone interesting whom you may want to follow.
By making these simple changes, Twitter suddenly becomes a much warmer place for new and casual users. It's less work. They quickly find people they trust and build their networks. They are much less likely to give it up and move on. And they aren't stressed to maintain a certain involvement or risk losing followers.
2. Cut the spam. I realize this is easier said than done on Twitter. It's pretty easy on Facebook. You "friend" people you know and trust and aren't bothered by people you don't know. Twitter is different. You'll follow people you know and trust, but you're open to people you don't know. It's part of the beauty of Twitter.
But spam is taking over Twitter. Automated accounts and "people" who aren't actually people at all. It's turning what was a warm, info-sharing community into a cold, lonely place overrun by rats.
Twitter has rules against spam. Hopefully they are enforcing them.
Twitter can also do more to discourage spammy behavior. I alluded to something similar in another blog entry, but Twitter should create a score or metric that helps classify a profile as a spammer. Whether or not that profile is banned, it will alert people that this is someone they should probably not follow, thus opening up their DM inbox to them. Additionally, third party applications that auto-follow users could then flag spammers and ignore them.
While spammers are tolerated by committed Twitter users, they are a reason that many newbies and casual users bolt the service. Not clear on whom they can trust, they are excited to be followed. Someone finds them interesting! This is great! They follow back. Then they are bombarded by garbage.
Twitter is a great marketing tool, but it is no place for spammers. None of us wants to hear from them, so let's put them in their proper place. If they can't be eliminated, Twitter at least needs to make life more difficult for them so that they are not rewarded for their behavior.
In Conclusion
I understand that Twitter purists will hate these suggestions. "Keep Twitter simple," they say. "Making Twitter anything like Facebook is a laughable idea," they snicker.
Fine. Ignore that Facebook was even mentioned in this blog entry as a comparison point. Do you want Twitter to grow? Are new and casual users important? Do you want to engage more people? Do you want to make yourself easier to find by people who know and trust you or your brand?
Then the answer should be easy: Change, though always difficult, is necessary.
Or Twitter will remain as it is. Cold. Overrun by rats. Success behind a velvet rope.
But secretly bleeding.
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Technology: Facebook Dislike Button is a Bad Idea
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If you ever want to get a feeling for sentiment on Facebook, simply run a search for a key word in the Groups and Pages sections.
Thanks partly to the "new" Live Feed, I've noticed several of my friends joining a group to get Facebook to create a "dislike" button. Several of these groups and pages have been created. A basic search found that about 6 Million people have joined groups or pages in support of such development.
Personally, I think it's a terrible idea. It's not what Facebook is all about.
For the most part, Facebook is one big love fest. We're given tools to easily communicate with people we care about. "Like" things they are sharing. Comment on pictures of their kids. Share in their triumphs and provide support during their sorrows. Wish a happy birthday. Brag about Mob Wars conquests.
Facebook is successful because it promotes positive relationships. While it may not always represent our actual lives accurately, it's the warmth of Facebook that allows it to thrive. It's why Myspace is sputtering.
The Facebook experience takes a dive when you have disruptive relationships on the network. It's why starting ill-conceived debates, picking fights, or discussing sensitive topics tends to be a bad idea. It pokes a hole in the "love balloon" that is Facebook, and it's these things that eventually drive people away.
That said, a "dislike" button is worse than responding with a negative comment. It's the epitome of passive aggressive behavior.
Let's think about when it would be used. Sure, someone may use it as a joke, and I can conceive of times when its application could be quite funny. But why else would someone use it?
Ultimately, someone will give a "thumbs down" to your sensitive status or link. Something you're passionate about. Instead of simply ignoring the post or responding to what you posted and (hopefully) having a productive discussion, they will give a drive-by "thumbs down."
Fights would result. The bubbly love fest would leak out. And users would leave.
It's not only why I think it's a bad idea, but I'd bet good money that Facebook agrees.
A "dislike" button is fine to gauge user sentiment on ads and potential development. Anything that is beyond arm's length. But encouraging people to "dislike" what their friends are sharing opposes the core strategy of Facebook.
What do you think? Are you a member of one of these groups in favor of a "dislike" button? Would you actually use it, and why would you want it?
Personally, I think it's a terrible idea. It's not what Facebook is all about.
For the most part, Facebook is one big love fest. We're given tools to easily communicate with people we care about. "Like" things they are sharing. Comment on pictures of their kids. Share in their triumphs and provide support during their sorrows. Wish a happy birthday. Brag about Mob Wars conquests.
Facebook is successful because it promotes positive relationships. While it may not always represent our actual lives accurately, it's the warmth of Facebook that allows it to thrive. It's why Myspace is sputtering.
The Facebook experience takes a dive when you have disruptive relationships on the network. It's why starting ill-conceived debates, picking fights, or discussing sensitive topics tends to be a bad idea. It pokes a hole in the "love balloon" that is Facebook, and it's these things that eventually drive people away.
That said, a "dislike" button is worse than responding with a negative comment. It's the epitome of passive aggressive behavior.
Let's think about when it would be used. Sure, someone may use it as a joke, and I can conceive of times when its application could be quite funny. But why else would someone use it?
Ultimately, someone will give a "thumbs down" to your sensitive status or link. Something you're passionate about. Instead of simply ignoring the post or responding to what you posted and (hopefully) having a productive discussion, they will give a drive-by "thumbs down."
Fights would result. The bubbly love fest would leak out. And users would leave.
It's not only why I think it's a bad idea, but I'd bet good money that Facebook agrees.
A "dislike" button is fine to gauge user sentiment on ads and potential development. Anything that is beyond arm's length. But encouraging people to "dislike" what their friends are sharing opposes the core strategy of Facebook.
What do you think? Are you a member of one of these groups in favor of a "dislike" button? Would you actually use it, and why would you want it?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Technology: Facebook's News and Live Feeds
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While I'm quick to make fun of Facebook's users for their incessant and irrational whining over every change that the social network makes, I do admit that there could be better communication when changes are made.
There is a Facebook Blog that will explain changes as they're rolled out, but unless you are subscribed to that blog or a "Fan" of Facebook, you will remain in the dark.
Yet, even their overview of the recent changes didn't do a particularly great job of explaining the differences between the News and Live feeds. Even if it had, the site needs to highlight these differences when they roll out their changes.
Don't get me wrong, I still think you're a loser if you can't eventually figure it out yourself through use of the site. It's really not that complicated. But let me help you. If it means one less ignorant Facebook user, I have done my job.
Live Feed
It's what the Live Feed is meant to be -- live. Now, apparently there are still some bugs in it (or were), and the feed doesn't always update in real time for everyone. Could be a browser compatibility issue, but it seems to always work for me. If I don't think it's updating, I simply click on the "News Feed" button on the left like I did before this change was made to refresh the feed. In other words, if you hate change, you should like it when it's not updating in real time.
Other than actually making the feed live again, they've added content back into the feed that was previously there in other iterations but taken away. You'll notice that you'll now see the following types of "news" in your Live Feed:
"[Person X] and [Person Y] are now friends."
"[Person X] is attending [Event X]."
"[Person X] became a fan of [Page X]."
This change has drawn some criticism from people who say that it litters their feed with stuff they don't care about. I like it, and I'm glad it's back.
It's also a smart strategy. Before, you only saw this stuff if you clicked on the "People You May Know" or "Connections" area on the right (to be honest, I don't remember what it was labeled now). I've got to think that a high percentage of people never used this. I did, but it was a chore since I'd have to X out hundreds of people and pages before I'd actually find something or someone I wanted to connect with.
My bet is that this little change will significantly improve "friending" and "fanning." So to assure growth of the site, this change (though it's a feature that was previously taken away) makes a whole lot of sense.
That said, Facebook would be smart to provide a drop-down option to "Hide Similar Updates." Currently, with regards to these types of updates, you can only hide everything from that individual. Facebook should allow you to hide friend updates the way that you can hide application updates. Of course, they may not allow this intentionally, at least in the early going, so that people learn to accept those items in their feed.
Eventually, it would be smart to allow removal of these items, if a person chooses, because the live feed becomes difficult to use for people with a lot of friends. I have about 500 (not real life friends, but digital ones), and it's not too bad. But I can see how it could be a big mess for someone with 1,000 or more friends. It's not just that there is so much info to sort through, but that it's also constantly updating in real time.
Others have pointed this out (you've likely seen a status update with this information), but if all you want to see is friends' status updates, you can alter your Live Feed. Simply click "More" on the right and drag "Status Updates" to the top. Then click on Status Updates. This then becomes your default view.
There's not much else to say about the Live Feed. It's a little different than it was before, but if you've used Facebook long enough you've likely seen a very similar format in the past.
News Feed
Yes, Facebook could explain the differences better between News Feed and Live Feed. It's confusing, especially when the tab on the left reads "News Feed" and it actually includes both feeds.
Since Facebook doesn't explain it and people don't want to figure it out for themselves, let me break it down for you.
News Feed is a highlight section of the popular things that have happened during the past 24 hours or so. Not sure on the time period, but the cutoff appears to be some time during the past day.
Unlike the Live Feed, the News Feed does not update in real time. In fact, it doesn't even display items in chronological order. This is particularly confusing to people at first. Users hate it until they realize the application of the feed.
If you are on Facebook 24/7, the News Feed has little use to you. It isn't completely useless (I'll provide an example shortly), but it's intended for the more casual user who checks in once per day or every couple of days.
News Feed is a "What Did I Miss" feed. If you were away for a day, you probably don't want to scroll through every single item in your Live Feed. You want the highlights. That's what this is.
Some users are offended (yes, they are easily offended) by the attempt by Facebook to highlight things you will find interesting. "How do they know what I find interesting?!" Yes, yes, let's overreact. But it's really not that complicated.
Take a look at the top items in your News Feed. If you won't, I will. Here are some basic characteristics of what is there for me now:
Item 1: eight comments, posted three hours ago
Item 2: 10 comments, five thumbs up, posted about 20 hours ago
Item 3: seven comments, one thumbs up, posted about 20 hours ago
Item 4: two comments, one thumbs up, posted about 12 hours ago
Item 5: two comments, two thumbs up, posted about 18 hours ago
So, the algorithm favors lots of comments and thumbs up. And it appears that if you have two items with about the same number of comments, the most recent one is first. Timeliness is a factor.
Facebook is saying that they believe you are likely to find something interesting if the friends you choose to associate with, having similar interests, also find it interesting. Is that such a bad assumption? Seems pretty reasonable to me.
Maybe I accept change easily, but I think this change makes a whole lot of sense. I was on vacation recently and put it to use. Also, I read an update today that I did not comment on, but I wanted to follow it. Even though it fell off of the first screen of my Live Feed, I was able to easily follow it by going to my News Feed since it was getting a lot of responses.
Operation Engagement
These latest changes appear aimed at engaging the less active users and reingaging the inactive users. The revamped "Suggestions" area certainly follows this strategy as well.
Therefore, it only makes sense that those most perplexed by the latest release are users who use the site religiously. They don't understand the application of the News Feed or Suggestions since it really isn't targeted for them.
Eventually, I firmly believe that the Facebook community as a whole will come to understand, accept, and embrace these changes. It may take some time, but it will happen.
Tweaks that could be made
I understand that with any roll-out, what we see isn't the final edition. Obviously, this is the case with Facebook. There are always going to be bugs (hopefully small) and some tweaks that should be made to improve user experience.
So many of the complaints people had about bugs (Live Feed not being live) will likely be addressed soon, if they haven't been already.
I'd also like to see the News Feed renamed to be "Highlights." That's essentially what it is anyway, which makes the feature much more intuitive. It's currently confusing that the "News Feed" section contains a News Feed and Live Feed. Improvements can be made there.
Once Facebook gives their users time to either accept or further reject the changes, they should also allow people the opportunity to hide certain "friending" and "fanning" info from their Live Feed. I understand giving it time, though, because people are prone to make quick, emotional decisions otherwise without understanding the value.
Finally, Facebook needs to provide more information within the site when changes are made. Highlight what was done. Define what things are. Give the user the ability to then hide these explanations. I've seen them do this before, so not sure why they went away from it.
What do you think? Do you like the recent changes? What other tweaks do you think should be made?
There is a Facebook Blog that will explain changes as they're rolled out, but unless you are subscribed to that blog or a "Fan" of Facebook, you will remain in the dark.
Yet, even their overview of the recent changes didn't do a particularly great job of explaining the differences between the News and Live feeds. Even if it had, the site needs to highlight these differences when they roll out their changes.
Don't get me wrong, I still think you're a loser if you can't eventually figure it out yourself through use of the site. It's really not that complicated. But let me help you. If it means one less ignorant Facebook user, I have done my job.
Live Feed
Other than actually making the feed live again, they've added content back into the feed that was previously there in other iterations but taken away. You'll notice that you'll now see the following types of "news" in your Live Feed:
"[Person X] and [Person Y] are now friends."
"[Person X] is attending [Event X]."
"[Person X] became a fan of [Page X]."
This change has drawn some criticism from people who say that it litters their feed with stuff they don't care about. I like it, and I'm glad it's back.
It's also a smart strategy. Before, you only saw this stuff if you clicked on the "People You May Know" or "Connections" area on the right (to be honest, I don't remember what it was labeled now). I've got to think that a high percentage of people never used this. I did, but it was a chore since I'd have to X out hundreds of people and pages before I'd actually find something or someone I wanted to connect with.
My bet is that this little change will significantly improve "friending" and "fanning." So to assure growth of the site, this change (though it's a feature that was previously taken away) makes a whole lot of sense.
That said, Facebook would be smart to provide a drop-down option to "Hide Similar Updates." Currently, with regards to these types of updates, you can only hide everything from that individual. Facebook should allow you to hide friend updates the way that you can hide application updates. Of course, they may not allow this intentionally, at least in the early going, so that people learn to accept those items in their feed.
Eventually, it would be smart to allow removal of these items, if a person chooses, because the live feed becomes difficult to use for people with a lot of friends. I have about 500 (not real life friends, but digital ones), and it's not too bad. But I can see how it could be a big mess for someone with 1,000 or more friends. It's not just that there is so much info to sort through, but that it's also constantly updating in real time.Others have pointed this out (you've likely seen a status update with this information), but if all you want to see is friends' status updates, you can alter your Live Feed. Simply click "More" on the right and drag "Status Updates" to the top. Then click on Status Updates. This then becomes your default view.
There's not much else to say about the Live Feed. It's a little different than it was before, but if you've used Facebook long enough you've likely seen a very similar format in the past.
News Feed
Since Facebook doesn't explain it and people don't want to figure it out for themselves, let me break it down for you.
News Feed is a highlight section of the popular things that have happened during the past 24 hours or so. Not sure on the time period, but the cutoff appears to be some time during the past day.
Unlike the Live Feed, the News Feed does not update in real time. In fact, it doesn't even display items in chronological order. This is particularly confusing to people at first. Users hate it until they realize the application of the feed.
If you are on Facebook 24/7, the News Feed has little use to you. It isn't completely useless (I'll provide an example shortly), but it's intended for the more casual user who checks in once per day or every couple of days.
News Feed is a "What Did I Miss" feed. If you were away for a day, you probably don't want to scroll through every single item in your Live Feed. You want the highlights. That's what this is.
Some users are offended (yes, they are easily offended) by the attempt by Facebook to highlight things you will find interesting. "How do they know what I find interesting?!" Yes, yes, let's overreact. But it's really not that complicated.
Take a look at the top items in your News Feed. If you won't, I will. Here are some basic characteristics of what is there for me now:
Item 1: eight comments, posted three hours ago
Item 2: 10 comments, five thumbs up, posted about 20 hours ago
Item 3: seven comments, one thumbs up, posted about 20 hours ago
Item 4: two comments, one thumbs up, posted about 12 hours ago
Item 5: two comments, two thumbs up, posted about 18 hours ago
So, the algorithm favors lots of comments and thumbs up. And it appears that if you have two items with about the same number of comments, the most recent one is first. Timeliness is a factor.
Facebook is saying that they believe you are likely to find something interesting if the friends you choose to associate with, having similar interests, also find it interesting. Is that such a bad assumption? Seems pretty reasonable to me.
Maybe I accept change easily, but I think this change makes a whole lot of sense. I was on vacation recently and put it to use. Also, I read an update today that I did not comment on, but I wanted to follow it. Even though it fell off of the first screen of my Live Feed, I was able to easily follow it by going to my News Feed since it was getting a lot of responses.
Operation Engagement
These latest changes appear aimed at engaging the less active users and reingaging the inactive users. The revamped "Suggestions" area certainly follows this strategy as well.
Therefore, it only makes sense that those most perplexed by the latest release are users who use the site religiously. They don't understand the application of the News Feed or Suggestions since it really isn't targeted for them.
Eventually, I firmly believe that the Facebook community as a whole will come to understand, accept, and embrace these changes. It may take some time, but it will happen.
Tweaks that could be made
I understand that with any roll-out, what we see isn't the final edition. Obviously, this is the case with Facebook. There are always going to be bugs (hopefully small) and some tweaks that should be made to improve user experience.
So many of the complaints people had about bugs (Live Feed not being live) will likely be addressed soon, if they haven't been already.
I'd also like to see the News Feed renamed to be "Highlights." That's essentially what it is anyway, which makes the feature much more intuitive. It's currently confusing that the "News Feed" section contains a News Feed and Live Feed. Improvements can be made there.
Once Facebook gives their users time to either accept or further reject the changes, they should also allow people the opportunity to hide certain "friending" and "fanning" info from their Live Feed. I understand giving it time, though, because people are prone to make quick, emotional decisions otherwise without understanding the value.
Finally, Facebook needs to provide more information within the site when changes are made. Highlight what was done. Define what things are. Give the user the ability to then hide these explanations. I've seen them do this before, so not sure why they went away from it.
What do you think? Do you like the recent changes? What other tweaks do you think should be made?
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Technology: The 10 iPhone Apps I Use Most
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Labels: American Cancer Society, Euchre, Facebook, iPhone, iPhone Application, iPod Touch, MLB At Bat, More Birthdays, Simply Tweet, Sportacular, Textfree, Todo, Yahoo Fantasy Football, Yahtzee
Labels: American Cancer Society, Euchre, Facebook, iPhone, iPhone Application, iPod Touch, MLB At Bat, More Birthdays, Simply Tweet, Sportacular, Textfree, Todo, Yahoo Fantasy Football, Yahtzee
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Updated 10/20/09 (Tweetie 2 replaces Simply Tweet as #6)
First, let me get this out of the way early. I don't have an iPhone. I have an iPod Touch. However, to be accepted with the cool kids, I'll just call these iPhone apps. They are. They're also iPod Touch apps, but no one seems to care.
Something to keep in mind, though, is that any apps that utilize GPS or a microphone (not that this adds all that much to apps) won't be found on this list.
I also have a Blackberry, but come on. Those apps are terrible. Just installing an app or accessing one ends up being a chore. Poor graphics, poor performance. Would be nice if it were 2001. It's not.
So, following are the top 10 apps that I currently use. You'll notice some themes here. Not surprisingly, I like sports apps -- there are three in the top 10 and five in the second group. I also like casual games -- two in the top 10 and eight in the second group. The apps with staying power, though, tend to be those that have utility. The Facebook app isn't going anywhere. Same for TextFree, and I'll likely always have a Twitter app in this list (which one it is may change). Hopefully, the More Birthdays app will also have the same level of utility.
This list is always in flux, so I've also included the apps that may have recently fallen out of the top 10. I'll try to keep this list updated on the home page as often as possible -- or as often as I start favoring other apps.
1. More Birthdays - Great app from Welikesmall (the company that built the Magic Coke Bottle) and American Cancer Society. I may be a little biased on this one (just a tad) because it's my baby. Will be released soon. Awesome birthdays manager with solid graphics and push notifications to remind me to send birthday greetings through the app to my friends.
2. Facebook - Pure genius. I can't stand a web companion that doesn't offer you all -- or close to all -- of the tools available on the web. Beautifully designed, nice organization, great performance, everything I need. And don't get me started on the Blackberry Facebook app.
3. Textfree - Beautiful. I don't have a favorable texting plan, so I was thrilled to discover that such an app exists. Saved me a lot of money.
4. Euchre! - Am I the only one who wasted hours upon hours in college playing Euchre? Even played in the Yahoo! Lounge back in the day as well. You don't play live players, but you can kill a lot of hours playing this game. AI is good overall, but it drives me crazy when my partner will lead with the big dog when it's their only trump and our opponent called it. That's my biggest beef.
5. Yahtzee Adventures - Yahtzee! I have perfected the game by playing this over and over again. Lots of strategy involved in this mathematician's classic. Can play friends, or play in an "adventure." In the end, I usually just play quick games. Only complaint is that they should keep track of ALL of your best scores, not just your very best score. I have a score in the 600s that I know I'll never beat, so it's tough to keep motivated to play.
6. Tweetie 2 - Alright, so I had Simply Tweet here in this spot last time, and then Tweetie came out with their second version. I still wish that Tweetie (man, I hate saying "tw" words) would have push notifications, but the beauty is that I keep my Simply Tweet notifications on and use Tweetie 2 for updates and whatnot. And I find Tweetie 2 to be much deeper in terms of types of information that can be accessed than Simply Tweet.
7. Sportacular - The fellas at Citizen Sports put this one together. For whatever reason, good sports scores apps are hard to find, but this one seems to do the trick.
8. MLB At Bat - My favorite app of all time, but the regular season is now over so my time using it will diminish greatly. Not much the people at MLB can do to make this one better.
9. ToDo - Nice little utility. Pretty steep price, but I found it useful when I was putting together lists of things to do around the house.
10. Yahoo! Fantasy Football - Still a bit buggy, but it's a new app. Very clean interface, and Yahoo! is always ahead of the curve. They'll come around.
Former favorites that have fallen off the list:
The Weather Channel
Tweetie
Simply Tweet
Echelon
Monopoly Worldwide
Scramble2
Sudoku
Flight Control
Flick Fishing
100 Pushups
200 Situps
CNN
MyFantasyTeams
Price is Right
MLB Power Pros
Rotowire
ESPN Scorecenter
Home Run Battle 3D
So what else am I missing? Let me know what apps you're using.
First, let me get this out of the way early. I don't have an iPhone. I have an iPod Touch. However, to be accepted with the cool kids, I'll just call these iPhone apps. They are. They're also iPod Touch apps, but no one seems to care.
Something to keep in mind, though, is that any apps that utilize GPS or a microphone (not that this adds all that much to apps) won't be found on this list.
I also have a Blackberry, but come on. Those apps are terrible. Just installing an app or accessing one ends up being a chore. Poor graphics, poor performance. Would be nice if it were 2001. It's not.
So, following are the top 10 apps that I currently use. You'll notice some themes here. Not surprisingly, I like sports apps -- there are three in the top 10 and five in the second group. I also like casual games -- two in the top 10 and eight in the second group. The apps with staying power, though, tend to be those that have utility. The Facebook app isn't going anywhere. Same for TextFree, and I'll likely always have a Twitter app in this list (which one it is may change). Hopefully, the More Birthdays app will also have the same level of utility.
This list is always in flux, so I've also included the apps that may have recently fallen out of the top 10. I'll try to keep this list updated on the home page as often as possible -- or as often as I start favoring other apps.
1. More Birthdays - Great app from Welikesmall (the company that built the Magic Coke Bottle) and American Cancer Society. I may be a little biased on this one (just a tad) because it's my baby. Will be released soon. Awesome birthdays manager with solid graphics and push notifications to remind me to send birthday greetings through the app to my friends.
2. Facebook - Pure genius. I can't stand a web companion that doesn't offer you all -- or close to all -- of the tools available on the web. Beautifully designed, nice organization, great performance, everything I need. And don't get me started on the Blackberry Facebook app.
3. Textfree - Beautiful. I don't have a favorable texting plan, so I was thrilled to discover that such an app exists. Saved me a lot of money.
4. Euchre! - Am I the only one who wasted hours upon hours in college playing Euchre? Even played in the Yahoo! Lounge back in the day as well. You don't play live players, but you can kill a lot of hours playing this game. AI is good overall, but it drives me crazy when my partner will lead with the big dog when it's their only trump and our opponent called it. That's my biggest beef.
5. Yahtzee Adventures - Yahtzee! I have perfected the game by playing this over and over again. Lots of strategy involved in this mathematician's classic. Can play friends, or play in an "adventure." In the end, I usually just play quick games. Only complaint is that they should keep track of ALL of your best scores, not just your very best score. I have a score in the 600s that I know I'll never beat, so it's tough to keep motivated to play.
6. Tweetie 2 - Alright, so I had Simply Tweet here in this spot last time, and then Tweetie came out with their second version. I still wish that Tweetie (man, I hate saying "tw" words) would have push notifications, but the beauty is that I keep my Simply Tweet notifications on and use Tweetie 2 for updates and whatnot. And I find Tweetie 2 to be much deeper in terms of types of information that can be accessed than Simply Tweet.
7. Sportacular - The fellas at Citizen Sports put this one together. For whatever reason, good sports scores apps are hard to find, but this one seems to do the trick.
8. MLB At Bat - My favorite app of all time, but the regular season is now over so my time using it will diminish greatly. Not much the people at MLB can do to make this one better.
9. ToDo - Nice little utility. Pretty steep price, but I found it useful when I was putting together lists of things to do around the house.
10. Yahoo! Fantasy Football - Still a bit buggy, but it's a new app. Very clean interface, and Yahoo! is always ahead of the curve. They'll come around.
Former favorites that have fallen off the list:
The Weather Channel
Tweetie
Simply Tweet
Echelon
Monopoly Worldwide
Scramble2
Sudoku
Flight Control
Flick Fishing
100 Pushups
200 Situps
CNN
MyFantasyTeams
Price is Right
MLB Power Pros
Rotowire
ESPN Scorecenter
Home Run Battle 3D
So what else am I missing? Let me know what apps you're using.
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