Blog Post of the Day: @dough Talks About the New Shiny

Happy Martin Luther King Day

I made the conscious decision to take today as a true holiday. Usually I would volunteer for a local cause, or work to zip ahead of the crowd. But instead, I decided to take a leisurely stroll around these intertubes.

And here’s a clip from an article I read from our good friend, Doug Haslam, giving his opinion on some of the new best things in social media:

The truth is, I am aways suspicious of new platforms being declared “The Next XXX ” before it has had a chance to mature a little and give users enough chance to figure out how the platform is going to work for them. Google Plus has been a prime example, making some folks giddy before most people – especially businesses – we’re able to use it, a direct before it was even complete. Not that I don’t think it will make a huge impact, but if the train is leaving the station, say, in eight months, don’t line us up on the platform today.

I have seen several tools vying for “next big thing” status lately, but rather than fitting these for crowns, I see them – and others – fitting into a larger trend, whether they succeed or not.

Emphasis mine, because I agree with this long view. Everything I ever opine as a big step is not just because I think that company has something good that will succeed, it’s because I see a larger picture of the web going in that direction, and a possible relevance for business.

Doug’s Point Helps Discern Whether Objects are Less Shiny Than They Appear

It’s a good article. It talks about Pinterest, Path, Instagram, and Storify, 4 new social media resources that have been getting a lot of attention, some of which are worth watching. If you haven’t come across them, read Doug articles before you finish mine.

These were my thoughts on the article;

I don’t really pay attention to what anyone says is the next big thing. And I rarely get caught in arguments over stuff like this – everyone thinks what they think for the most part, and it’s almost never mere discussion or a single article that changes their mind.

I strongly agree with your assessment of these tools being part of a larger trend. Even when I focus on what could be a great new tool, it’s because even if they screwed up, something along those lines could be very successful.

 

What I’ve observed is that when people truly get turned on by social media, it’s not because of the site or resource itself. It’s usually an experience they have with it.

My Take on the Social Media Tools and Trends

I had an experience with a friend featuring me on Instagram that got my attention. Quite frankly I like how quiet and slow it can be at Instagram due to it limited availability. I love that it’s only available to Apple users, a point that Doug took exception to in his article.

Path I inexplicably hate.

It’s not just the limit of connections, though I’m a big proponent of connecting with different groups of people in my various circles as my mood/circumstances change. I can’t put my finger on what I don’t like about it. I doubt I’d join even if it had business uses, except to be knowledgeable about how it works for people who would ask me.

But that’s my opinion today. It may change. And I’m not in love with hammers, but if I need to drive in a nail, I’d still use one. My issue now is that Path isn’t solving a problem I have. Yes, I have a lot of followers and follow a lot of people, but I’ve picked or allowed each one to be connected for a very specific reason.

When it comes to these shiny new tools, sometimes I lurk and tell all of you what I think will happen next, based on my own research and experiences. Usually it’s that something fits into a larger trend, as Doug was talking about.

2012: The Year the Firehose is Tamed?

The one thing all three of the tools have in common is that they tame the firehose of information to an extent. Pinterest lets you categorize photos very easily with the boards feature, as you’re saving them. Flickr has this capability, but I find the whole thing about sets very annoying.

I also love being able to attribute/link to the source in a very Tumblr-like style.

Despite all the bliss that comes with discovering new tools, I stil think it’s most comfortable for me to be at the trailing edge of early adoption. Part of what I seek to provide is advice about what you should be using next before the world hops on the bandwagon – and more importantly, what may be a waste of time.

What’s your experience with Pinterest, Instagram, Path and Storify? Are you with the crowd? Did you have a strong experience that would get me excited about them?