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MySpace Blackberry App Sees 400,000 Downloads in First Week Posted: 20 Nov 2008 09:38 PM PST In a relatively surprising turn of events, MySpace experienced over 400,000 downloads of their application among Blackberry’s in the first week. According to MySpae this is the most downloads in the first week for both RIM and MySpace. Over 15 million messages were sent and received and over 2 million statuses and moods were updated. Honestly, I’m extremely surprised to see such a large demand for the application by Blackberry users. Blackberry users are traditionally though of as professionals who would theoretically not be an active MySpace user base. This clearly destroyed any of the assumptions that I previously had. MySpace is clearly still the largest social network domestically and the second largest player globally. While it’s easy to write off the company in the face of all of Facebook’s growth, being the perceived underdog may actually work to the company’s advantage. Personally, I downloaded the application but didn’t use the application actively. Then again, I don’t find much value in Facebook’s Blackberry application aside from the list of friends that the application provides. In regards to messages it simply filters the emails you receive on your mobile device.d I’m curious to see if this trend continues. Facebook’s Blackberry application has around 2 million monthly active users, meaning that in one week MySpace has become a quarter of the size of Facebook on Blackberry. I’d imagine the growth to slow but for now, the company has posted some very impressive first week stats.

Who Likes Mufins when You Can’t Share? Posted: 20 Nov 2008 12:50 PM PST Mufin, the music search and recommendation engine that suggests music based on an algorithmic analysis of music, has launched its public beta today. Of course, the biggest point of interest is the lack of human editing when it comes to Mufin’s recommendations, setting it apart from the likes of Last.fm and Pandora. Even though many systems such as web search queries have been after the all mighty algorithm that works as well as (if not better than) a human, none have really come close to replacing the human element. Granted, Mufin’s recommendations do work rather well. Perhaps this is because matching music can be more readily turned into a mathematical representation than say a search query for the best restaurants in Union Square. But Mufin seems to lack the human touch in its entirety. There’s no tweaking you can do for the recommendations Mufin offers, indicating how well of a match a song really is. And the social implications on Mufin’s main site are minimal, limited to a top playlist of songs that have been viewed, searched or played by others. I’m not saying that Mufin needs to be social, per say, but I do wonder if his is the direction other systems will move towards, where recommendations are provided wholly without human interaction but with algorithms and individual behavior analytics (i.e. listening and purchase patterns) instead? Are the days of relying on users to do all the work for you coming to an end? Not really. It never hurts to be able to share your music discoveries with friends, and instead of making friends on Mufin, just go straight to MySpace or Facebook. Two applications for these major social networks enable you to share your discovered music on your profile, and allow others to discover music from your profile as well. We’ll consider this an indirect recommendation spread to friends, based on the suggestions offered by Mufin’s algorithm. The downside to Mufin’s Facebook application is that it’s not really social until your other friends have added the app as well. And on the MySpace front, this music-centric social network has already begun to layer in similar sharing functions for music displayed on user profiles, which could potentially give Mufin some competition for its application.

A Clash of Idealists and “Realists” Becomes Apparent Posted: 20 Nov 2008 11:44 AM PST There’s been something bubbling in D.C. for the past year or two and more recently, it’s become boiling hot: the convergence of the technology crowds from around the area. It’s something that I’ve been pushing for at least two years and a number of other people have been supporting as well. Something that has increasingly become apparent is that there are simply people that get it and those that don’t. In one panel I was sitting in on earlier this week, a group of individuals were fairly critical of the government’s ability to become less bureaucratic and more quick to act as we witnessed with the Apps for Democracy program. It makes sense that government is bureaucratic by nature but is it possible for parts of the government to award contracts to smaller companies and remove a lot of the red tape which exists? I’m not quite sure but one thing that is clear is that some people want to be part of the change and others don’t. There have been numerous networks set up on Ning, Facebook, and other places to discuss the future of D.C. that have experienced mixed results. Ultimately I believe that those that don’t get it, can be persuaded to participate, but it requires some hand holding and a little extra effort. Many of us jump into action regardless of what the rest say and sometimes this works, other times it doesn’t. While change is happening and many of those that are against change will be dragged kicking and screaming into this new environment, I fear that in larger organizations (especially within the government here in D.C.) these two attitudes are mounting to create a fundamental clash. There is no doubt in my mind that “the people” who actually get it will win, but it’s hard to unravel the limitless bureaucratic tape which exists here in D.C. Talking with some at the DubMe Now launch event last night, it became apparent that many are optimistic about the change that’s about to happen but at the same time skeptical. A healthy dose of skepticism is always welcomed but in this new environment idealistic visionaries are required and ambitious goals are necessary. It’s clear that more than ever the people have the power to generate change and it will require those same people to show the naysayers the power available to them. Without the people working together for this new change, I’m concerned that this movement which we are on the cusp of could backlash and spawn further divides among us. Whether it’s on a small scale within the D.C. technology community, or whether it’s for the nation, it’s a risk which I think clearly exists. Do you think such a divide is really a big issue or will the world change without those that embrace it?

comScore Can’t Keep Up with Changing SocNet Ads Posted: 20 Nov 2008 09:11 AM PST Yesterday Nick mentioned on All Facebook that Facebook has modified ad formats throughout the social network yet again, now displaying three ads, up from two per page.  This was just the latest in a string of changes made to Facebook ad display options, which has also included video ads on the homepage. But who’s keeping track? comScore is trying. According to Red Herring, comScore is under-counting ad traffic on Facebook because of the constant modifications made to the ad formats. For instance, counting display ads and not content-laden marketing ploys could mean that a portion of advertising methods aren’t being efficiently included in reports reflecting Facebook’s potential to deliver ads to users. But if the real issue is comScore’s restrictions defined by the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s opinion of what a display ad is, then counting multiple forms of advertising methods and formats is indeed a difficult task on Facebook and other social media sites. Branding on a social network can come in many forms, and the more engaging the branding can become, the more effective it is. Whether it’s a contest or a fan page on Facebook, the gathering of eyeballs can still lead to an increase in directed traffic, as well as growing brand recognition. And while the IAB may not recognize the various ways in which branding can connect with users, Facebook does, with its revamped metrics program. As more social networks, such as LinkedIn and MySpace, seek more integrated ways in which to offer brands a way to engage their users, the very definition of engagement-based advertising shifts in concept and practice. And with advertising budgets shrinking in the online sector, creative advertising is a necessity.  That means a lot of shifting around is likely to occur on Facebook and every other major social network out there. The Red Herring notes that comScore is currently working with Facebook directly in order to provide a more accurate measure of advertising, especially as valuations of Facebook in relation to veterans like Yahoo has become a major point of contention during this economic recession.

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