CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-16 08:51:02 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Good morning all.

Happy Father's Day to all the fellow dads out there.

Not much on the menu for today so let's take it as it comes and see where we end up.

2013-06-15 09:12:07 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Breakfast anyone?

2013-06-15 08:30:00 (21 comments, 6 reshares, 17 +1s)

Is Facebook reinventing its image?

The new design – which has yet to roll out to all users – and recent introduction of new features would seem to indicate that Facebook is trying to encourage a different breed of social networkers to use its service – those who are more focused on news, discovery and the intricacies of networking.

Facebook is under more pressures than from just its shareholders and the long term fate of the network may hang on reinvigorating the service.

2013-06-15 06:43:11 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Good morning all.

We must never stop learning and never stop teaching - to do so is to die inside.

The symbiotic relationship between student and teacher is far more than a one-way flow of knowledge - take heed of the lessons we give each other.

Have a great day.

2013-06-14 23:02:30 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Night all.

As the clock strikes midnight it's time to climb the wooden hillock to Bedfordshire.

I'll hopefully have a new post up tomorrow morning so see you then.

Sweet dreams.

2013-06-14 21:38:18 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

This is essential reading for understanding the processes involved in curating our content and connections, processes that we take for granted but are more complex than we realise.

Great work, as always, from +Gideon Rosenblatt

2013-06-14 16:36:07 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

It's good to see that the new notification area has removed a lot of the nested scrollbars.

Result!

#googleplusupdate  

2013-06-14 14:57:53 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 10 +1s)

The Relevant Bunch.

Every couple of months I rework my "Relevant Bunch" Circle. I like to limit it to the top 50 (such is the Dunbarian in me, managing my Circles of Acquaintanceship) but it tends to drift up from time to time.

As it's Friday and the sun is shining (what more reason do you need?) I thought it was time that I refreshed things so I present to you the top 50 people who currently make my time on Google+ so amazing.

We have a couple of new entries from +Jesse Wojdylo and +John Kellden.

+Thomas Morffew is just managing to hold on to the top spot despite strong showings from +martin shervington and +Mark Traphagen.

Thank you to these 50 and to everyone else who makes Google+ such a great place to be.

2013-06-13 22:13:50 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Is Facebook planning RSS integration?

After the announcement that Google Reader was going to close I suggested a possible way that RSS could be incorporated into Plus. +David Prieto suggested another. Considering how other Google apps are being "plussed" it would seem logical for Currents to go the same way.

Could it actually be that Facebook is planning RSS integration instead?

Could it be part of a plan to entice over Reader users who have not yet moved to another solution?

2013-06-13 18:50:34 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Really excited about this - the possibilities will be endless for making complex music on an iDevice.

2013-06-12 20:26:19 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Hashtags on Facebook  #justsaying

It's been rumoured for a couple of months that Facebook was testing hashtags with a view to including them in the social network and now we have the confirmation that it's going to happen.

The general view of the anti-Facebook crowd is that the social giant is copying another network - again but this isn't strictly the case.

Social norm

Hashtags have become an integral part of modern social culture and even implemented on Google+ instead of other possible more "Google-esque" options [1] but there are no accusations of copying here (perhaps because +Chris Messina is active here and in favour of their use - as well as being a Google employee).

As I have repeatedly said for the past couple of years [2] competition is the social driver and once features exist on onep... more »

2013-06-12 10:40:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I love spam:

"A site query about me.uk"

"I'm emailing you today as I was browsing your website and felt it would be perfect for an online marketing campaign I'm currently running for a client of mine this month."

I'd love it if I controlled the whole of the .me.uk domain ;)

2013-06-12 08:00:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Good morning all.

It's been a busy couple of days one way or another and I can't see today being any different but that's a good thing.

Lots of things I want to do today but probably won't get the chance.

Let's just agree to wing it.

Have a great day.

2013-06-11 22:23:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Night all.

Hope you enjoyed the iOS exploration earlier. It was fun to do things slightly differently.

See you tomorrow.

2013-06-11 21:22:56 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Gideon Rosenblatt's Top 100

These are the folks Google tells me are my most relevant people (slightly modified to remove people who are relevant, but not active here on Google+).

Looking through this list, I can tell you that these are great people full of interesting ideas and engagement. 

I'm not in the circle here, so I can objectively say that this group is a worthy addition to your circles. 

Enjoy this group of people - I know I do. They enrich my experience here. Without them, I probably wouldn't still be here today. 

P.S. - If you got a notification, that means you're in the circle. 

2013-06-11 18:13:27 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Farewell Google Reader, hello Project Normandy.

And there we have it, Feedly has now officially gone out on its own.

2013-06-11 15:38:53 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Couldn't resist it!

2013-06-11 15:08:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Unless there's anything specific that anyone wants to know about iOS7 I'm going to revert to 6.1.3

The G+ app not working is a big issue for me so I'll try again with beta 2 or after the next update to the G+ app.

2013-06-11 12:44:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

What do you want to see in iOS7?

Are there any apps you want to see? Questions you want answered? 

Let me know and I'll update the live blog with what I can.

2013-06-11 10:25:45 (20 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Exploring iOS - live blog.

Here we go, the live blog is up and running and I'll be updating it throughout the day starting from a clean install so keep checking for updates.

If you have any questions I'll try to answer them or if there are any screens/settings/apps you want more info on just left me know in the comments there or here.

2013-06-11 09:34:45 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Problems.

Looks like there's an issue with the WordPress live blogging plugin so I'll have to find an alternative.

Also, the G+ app crashes constantly so don't upgrade if you use it!

I think iOS7 has confused it and it doesn't know whether it is on a smaller or larger screen - see the shot below - that is scrolled right to the top and once that happens the apps crashes straight away on launching.

You can roll back to 6.1.3 so that's something.

I will be doing the live blog once I can sort out the issues...

+Sky Bintliff Obviously, the G+ app will need to be updated for iOS7 so here's a heads up for you.

#iOS7   #googleplus   #googleplusupdate   #feedback  

2013-06-11 07:05:10 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Discovering iOS7.

I'm going to try something a bit different later: I'm going to live blog an exploration of iOS7.

I'll be using the built in live blogging functionality in Wordpress (I've not used it before so it will be an experiment) so it should be fun.

I'll drop you a link later once it's live.

#iOS7

2013-06-11 06:23:43 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Good morning all.

The iPhone is updating to iOS7 beta 1 and I've got Bomb Track by Rage against the machine going round in my head.

It's going to be a good day!

Have a good one all.

2013-06-10 19:41:38 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Did Apple go too far with iOS7?

2013-06-10 18:41:34 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

iOS7 Photo App looks pretty damn similar to G+ Photos.

2013-06-10 18:29:41 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Multiple pages in folders is a great move.

#iOS7  

2013-06-10 18:21:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

#iOS7 WOW!

Different!

2013-06-10 12:20:49 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

I've tried a number of third-party weather apps on my iPhone but have always found them to be a little lacking or inaccurate for the UK.

I would try something like SoLAR or Yahoo Weather only to find myself checking the BBC website for the correct info.

Well, I don't have to now and the app presents the same info as online so it's a win for me.

2013-06-10 11:37:27 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Waiting for iOS7

An updated blog version of this post can be found here:
http://colinwalker.me.uk/2013/06/waiting-for-ios7/

Good morning all.

I think we can all agree that iOS needs a new coat of paint, or at least a bit of a touch up, but that shouldn't be the primary focus of the new version and we will be doing ourselves a disservice if we let ourselves get blinded by the emperor's new clothes.

Apple needs to deliver more.

Okay, we'll have iRadio to show that Apple is still able to match Google but we don't want Apple to match anyone, we want Apple to surpass them!

We want better tools, we want a more robust but flexible system, we want better services.

A new look can't paper over the obvious cracks and make us think that everything is alright. iOS has come a long way but Google and... more »

2013-06-09 18:40:43 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

A good look at the whole Waze situation from +Chris Saad.

2013-06-09 15:48:04 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 4 +1s)

Google buying Waze?

So, after the reports that Facebook were interested we now have the report that Google are in the frame for a cool $1.3bn.

Personally, I don't think Google needs to buy Waze. Facebook, or Apple, does.

I also think that Google might be buying it so that someone else can't!

I think this is good for Google users but bad for consumers in general as we need a full featured competitor to Google Maps.

Just as Facebook buying Waze would have been interesting for the Apple-Facebook dynamic, if Google closes the deal then Apple Maps could be left without one of its data sources.

I hope Google doesn't part with the cash.

2013-06-08 23:05:28 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

That's me done.

Not been around much today and I'm certainly not going to be up at 3am again.

Night all.

2013-06-08 02:17:08 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

So, it's gone 3am and my sleep deprived brain has started thinking about how social, especially in the context of Google+ and, even more this community, is shifting from an individualistic experience where we fight to satisfy Freud's model of the psyche (that was a post last year) towards a more Jungian "collective social unconscious".

But, in parallel to this, we also have the existential battle between the concept of Individuation and seeking safety in the heart of the social collective.

Does this social collective manifest itself in the notion of collaborative sensemaking or is it merely the difference between the extrovert and introvert?

I'll leave it at that for now and, hopefully, sleep on it.

2013-06-07 19:19:35 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

This is good news for Apple and will put up a hood fight against Google's All Access.

Sony might not have signed yet but they will, they won't want to be left in the cold once this goes live.

2013-06-07 11:36:23 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

I'm excited to telly you that I will publish my first science fiction novel at the end of summer.  Exodus is the opening salvo in a science fiction trilogy that centers around the themes of utopia in a technological dark age, and the disruptive power of religious fundamentalism. 

2013-06-07 07:16:27 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Good morning all.

Lovely sunny start to the day here in the south east.

Lots to do to clear the decks before the weekend so let's get after it (in the words of +Scot Duke).

I've got a feeling this weekend is going to drag for many as they eagerly anticipate WWDC on Monday.

I've sanitised my iPhone apps so being on the iOS7 betas!

Have a great day.

2013-06-06 19:29:43 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

This is certainly a thought provoking article.

Is ever-advancing tech heralding a utopian society with no need of employment or a dystopian future of huge inequality?

2013-06-06 09:40:40 (19 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Making sense of it all.

Good morning all.

The past few days have been tough and that's probably why I've not be quite so active. (Apologies for that)

It's coming up on four months since I was made redundant and despite many job applications I'm still here having met with only silence apart from two "no" emails.

It's disheartening and makes you question your worth.

I know that I'm good at what I can do but that doesn't seem to be enough any more. I'm certain that my age is going against me (is 41 old now?) and I also know that my experience is too niche but that's due to coming from a secular IT environment where there were teams for everything and you only did a specific role.

Unfortunately, employers now want generalists (normally graduates on stupidly low money) which leaves specialists... more »

2013-06-04 20:12:45 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

It's nice to see people "get it" and finally understand exactly what Google+ is about.

This is a good read and worth sending to anyone who isn't sure about Plus.

2013-06-03 21:28:08 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Is it me or is this looking a bit like Android?

2013-06-03 19:51:25 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

I've never looked back since moving to Feedly and things look to be getting exciting.

2013-06-03 19:07:28 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Jigoshop or WooCommerce?

Go.

2013-06-03 19:05:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

The new version of WordPress for iOS looks better but why does it still not list posts in order?

Surely this is a fundamental thing for a blogging application!

This is one of the main reasons why I prefer Poster.

2013-06-03 15:53:20 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

How much is Hulu worth?

Depends if your headline is humorously truncated.

2013-06-03 08:48:55 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Inline birthday notifications in the iOS app? Didn't notice this before so it would be rude of me not to say happy birthday +Paul Kinlan.

Have a great day.

2013-06-03 07:57:09 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Good morning all.

Looks like it going to be a nice week here in the south east so no excuses for not getting the things done that are needed. (And there are plenty)

Have a great day.

2013-06-02 13:08:59 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

We are all equal.

G+ levels the playing field. Kings and beggars can all talk from an even footing. We can connect with people that we never would have been able to IRL.

I love to read and have met some great authors here so wanted to give a quick shout to three:

+Gabriel Fitzpatrick Always engaging, quick of wit and talented of word.

+Rod Dunne Connected out of mutual interest but later realised he is a talented sci-fi writer: has a place in my Kindle app.

+David Brin Double take - suddenly realised yes, he is that David Brin! Have seen his books on the shelf for years but for some reason never picked them up - I will be doing so now (also, thanks for the link in your recent blog post)

What other writers do you enjoy on G+?

2013-06-02 12:44:29 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Writing

I don't write for money. I don't write to be popular (although a virtual high five every now and then is good for the soul) and I certainly don't believe in following any post formula.

I don't believe in churning out daily posts just to have fresh content so my posts can be sporadic in nature.

I write when I have something to say, when I feel I can contribute value.

I write what I believe, what I feel, rather than what is expected of me.

I write out of passion.

So, if you want to be notified of my blog posts or other writing (wherever it may be) let me know and I'll add you to a new notification circle I am setting up. Just drop a comment.

It's currently empty but there are comfy cushions and refreshments so grab your place.

Here's what you get:

Social media and... more »