[Blazingmonga]

This is very interesting to me!

I've recently been trying to remove as much data from my profile on FB as possible, without actually deleting my account. It's only now that I realise how much info they store, and with no real way of controlling it.

I would sign up to this for sure.

I don't really mind Facebook looking at the data I have on there so much.
My main concern, is that they seem to change the default privacy settings all the time in an attempt to force you to share more.

I really don't want anything on my Facebook being seen by anyone other than my friends, as I work in an industry where a blog post or facebook/twitter status could very easily be picked up by the press, nor do I want future employers potentially knowing all my private business.

[Keeker]

I signed up for notification a few months back when they were looking for funding. Not sure if it'll be any good, or if it would be any use to me, but would give it a shot for a wee while and see.

[Octillus]

I signed up for notification a few months back when they were looking for funding. Not sure if it'll be any good, or if it would be any use to me, but would give it a shot for a wee while and see.

I'm in this camp. We'll see.

I think building enough of a critical mass to compete with Facebook will be difficult, but I'd love to see them try.
Being a nerd, I love open-source software. Open standards are where it's at.

I think building enough of a critical mass to compete with Facebook will be difficult.

That. Social network success depends solely on user base. People won't like having to deal with 2 separate profiles, so what will they be using? The one that no-one uses but respects privacy, or the one that everyone uses?

Besides, it looks like Google is going to try it's hand at social networking (once again) in an attempt to takes some bites out of Facebook's user data. They'll probably get a decent user base from the start because lots of people have a Google account anyway and such, so they might actually stand a chance. If they do it right this time, Orkut and Buzz failed miserably.

I think I like this project though. Will keep an eye on it.


Edit: Just noticed that Diaspora has a Facebook account. Made me giggle.

Why don't people just do a homepage?

Why don't people just do a homepage?

That is sooo 1998.

Why don't people just do a homepage?

That is sooo 1998.

Yeah but I mean thats kinda what you do on FB. It just comes with a search engine for other people.

And I mean if you are gonna install server software on your computer (in the case of Diaspora, if it really is like that) to make something next to a homepage...

why don't you just do a freaking homepage?

I am John Adams, hear me roar!

Yeah but I mean thats kinda what you do on FB. It just comes with a search engine for other people.

And I mean if you are gonna install server software on your computer (in the case of Diaspora, if it really is like that) to make something next to a homepage...

why don't you just do a freaking homepage?

Because then only people that have the technical ability to create a homepage would be able to use a social network, which would defeat the point.
It's like saying, why use a P2P file-sharing app when you could set up an FTP server?

Yeah but I mean thats kinda what you do on FB. It just comes with a search engine for other people.

And I mean if you are gonna install server software on your computer (in the case of Diaspora, if it really is like that) to make something next to a homepage...

why don't you just do a freaking homepage?

Because then only people that have the technical ability to create a homepage would be able to use a social network, which would defeat the point.
It's like saying, why use a P2P file-sharing app when you could set up an FTP server?

I suppose you're right. Which reminds me...

I've been wondering if something like the internetz needs to be so complex only few people really can operate it and have to do all the FB:s and other stuff like that for the rest and recieve money for it.

Or maybe as technology and especially the internet continues to become a bigger part of our lives, it will become as essential to be able to handle teh nets as to write, and then everyone will have to learn how to set up an FTP server.

And evil mofos like Zuckerberg wont make money on less capable people.

And everyone will have a freaking homepage.

[Octillus]

to be honest, that kind of elitism about the technology divide kinda bugs me a bit.

If we focus on education, more things will get accomplished.

Why don't people just do a homepage?

That is sooo 1998.

Yeah but I mean thats kinda what you do on FB. It just comes with a search engine for other people.

Facebook and the likes are called "social networks". Key herein is interaction and connectivity. You can easily communicate with other people, and you create a network of people you know and/or like to get their updates and stuff. If everyone would just create their own homepage, you wouldn't get this.

And I mean if you are gonna install server software on your computer (in the case of Diaspora, if it really is like that) to make something next to a homepage...

why don't you just do a freaking homepage?

As the Diaspora people said, they're aiming for a Wordpress sort of situation. Wordpress is an open source blog framework, that everyone can download and install on their webspace (this is usually not your own computer). However, there are companies that offer the whole package - webhosting, domain name, Wordpress installation, maintenance, they just take the whole thing out of your hands.

This is what the Diaspora people are trying to achieve, they're creating the software and hoping that there will be one or more organizations that will provide that complete package. They're going to start doing that themselves, too.

The beautiful thing is, that if there are more such providers, they still connect to eachother. Suppose Facebook and Myspace would take on providing Diaspora seeds, it would mean that a Facebook user can befriend a Myspace user and it just works.

It also works with grouping of friends and contents, so instead of using Facebook for your friends, Last.fm for music and LinkedIn for career related things, you can get away with using only a Diaspora seed and still your (future?) boss won't be able to see how you and your friends spend the night drinking in your underpants... (I made that embarrassing situation up of course ).

The level of programming knowledge needed to create a complex website is never going to be commonplace. Most people just aren't interested, and there's a lot of people out there that will just never be good at that kind of thing.

Network programming is inherently complex. Someone is always going to have to write that layer in the middle that makes it easier for the less technically inclined.