Charles Gallant

This blog has been going on for a few months now, and I’ve had a chance to make a good number of posts. I’ve seen some statistics pile up, and I’ve been really surprised.

There are a few things that I’ve learned thus far, and one of them requires that I write about them…

- I average less than a post a week, read it the next day, and don’t like it. Perhaps that’s not as bad as I think it is…

- Question everything. Never stop asking questions. Also, commit to ideas and take responsibility for them. Being wrong means you learned something. Publishing them helps practice this.

- My perception of time & memory is changing. It’s difficult for me to distinguish between 8 days ago and 9 days ago. This blog is helping with that perspective. Looking back at my posts is pretty damn interesting in this regard.

- You can practice anything and get better at it. This holds true for abstract things such as your understanding of time, and the act of practicing itself.

- The medium is the message. This quote has become somewhat monotonous to me since I’ve been studying internet culture, but I think it’s true. Despite what I want to do with this blog, and my goals of using it for a space to learn and think, the medium will always impose a different brand; a different mindset. A blog (in the eyes of the majority of the people I ask) is a modern soapbox for advertising & selling your perspective. As long as the medium is associated with such ideas, the content within will be secondary. I used to think that I should be trying to get around this, but now perhaps I should be working with it instead.

What can I do to make this more of a space for creative thought? Perhaps I shouldn’t post it online… although that would be a different experience…

Should I just ask more questions?

Facebook recently added a feature called Shares.  This lets you post a link on either your profile or your Facebook Friend’s profile.

Gmail just launched some new voicemail features that are integrated with Google Talk.  This lets you leave someone a recording, accessible from anywhere Gmail is.

Firefox 2.0 now has automatic spell-checking built into the browser.  I’ve used it 6 times in this post.  I just can’t spell ‘effecient.’

Sure, I could just send my link in an email, leave a voice message on a cell phone, or check my spelling in Word before I post, but it’s slower now.  It’s not efficient to utilize a system if you’re already vested in another that does the same thing.  It happens all the time, with just about every product imaginable.  Software’s ability to provide upgrades, and the web’s ability to make those upgrades free & seamless, makes it a little more interesting.

Because products like Facebook, MySpace, Gmail, Delicious, & Backpack all exist online, they could potentially creep into any realm they want.  Gmail could “upgrade” their contacts list and create “friend networks.”  Take that idea a little bit further, and you’re on your way to making a Gmail Facebook.  Facebook could also play this game, by simply building in an email client to their profile page.  All they would need was a place to store email addresses of people outside of their Facebook network.

The boundaries between these services are breaking down, and the network itself is starting to dictate design.

These tools have great potential to teach us about how we socialize.  Imagine a tool that could do anything.  An all-in-one super site that had all the luxuries of Facebook, Gmail, Digg, YouTube, etc.  People will use the features that make the most sense to them.  As the site upgrades itself, it’ll do so in the shape of the needs of the community.  If something doesn’t look or operate in an intuitive manner, it’ll get phased out in the next upgrade.  Perhaps having one site is too much for people, and the act of visiting separate sites for separate tasks will be more successful.  The tools will eventually reflect our brains, and give us a new perspective on how we think.

That sure is one amazingly younger looking mouse… when compared to the wrinkely one next to it!  Apparently, he enjoyed a “far better quality of life.”  Maybe it’s all that midi piano music he listens to.

For those of you in the NYC area, there is another likemind happening on the 20th. Likemind is a gathering created by Noah Brier & Piers Fawkes. Info below.

sNice, 45 Eighth Avenue, at West 4th Street
Friday, October 20th, 8:00am
http://likemind.us/

In the beginning, we had to stop by someone’s house to talk with them.  Then we could write a letter.  Then we could call.  After that, we could send an IM.  Then we could text-message them.

When it comes to socializing, people are always very conscious of how much of themselves they “lay on the line.”  Think of the “six days” rule in Swingers, where calling someone too soon after meeting them made you seem “eager.”  Writing a girl a hand-written letter is pretty bold.  Perhaps the opposite of this would be sending her a txt message.  Because of the nature of the format, you don’t even need to commit to sentences - or even accurate spelling.  Facebook has taken this to the extreme with “pokes.”  Here, you don’t even need to use words or even commit to a statement.  Just a poke.  You’re not risking anything.  When comparing it to physically visiting someone at their house, it’s safe.

The profile world (facebook, myspace, bolt, etc) seems to be the ultimate “safe” medium.  As an alternative to keeping in touch with people by contacting them, we can simply leave something that others can come across if they wish.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the use of site’s like Facebook for keeping in touch with people.  I think it’s interesting, however, that each iteration in this progression of socializing tools allows for more “safety” than the previous version.  The most successful ones seem to support a certain level of insecurity that is inherently present when you rope that many people together.  Facebook has proven their understanding of this with their “poke” system, and it’ll be interesting to see what else happens.  Will the GPS in phones someday let us see a real-time map of where our friends are?  Who will choose to make their location “visible” to their contacts network?  Will it be creepy to meet someone where they’ve posted their location to be?  Will it be like calling someone before 6 days have passed?