Anatomy of a status virus

The great thing about websites like Facebook and Twitter is that you can really express yourself and share the things that you are passionate about. However there is a dark side to Facebook, a very dark side and I am not talking about Farmville, that will wait for another article. What I am going to talk about are status viruses.

What is a status virus? I just coined the name, even though it is more directly related to chainmail than it is a virus but the personal nature of facebook statuses elevates the conscern for this problem so I think virus is accurate. A Status virus is a status update that is copied from someone elses status because the update implies that you are somehow less of a man/woman/human being/gamer/geek/rodeo cowboy if you do not. They use our insecurities against us. You are less of a man unless you agree with me and post this statement! or worse, the ones that suggest that if you do not copy and paste a droll message about cancer that you are in fact supporting cancer. Not only am I less of a human being but I now actually support cancer? Is it possible to support cancer? How would that work?

Usually status viruses say something everyone already knows. Cancer is bad, I love my children, I enjoy food and beverages, I like to have fun and implore you to also agree that you do as well, otherwise you do not, and you are a terrible terrible person. I refuse to repost these, I enjoy my originality, my creativity and my individuality. I refuse to fall under the yoke of status bullying and you all should as well. If you value who you are, then you should be who you are. If you want to fight cancer there are a number of organizations you could donate to, this would help more than yelling at your friends who may or may not "unfriend you".

The worst kind of Status virus is the kind that preys upon the insecurities and fears of people. There was recently one that was complaining about the so-called mosque at ground zero. (it's actually a cultural center). Status updates like these try to justify hate and pass it off as speaking ones own mind Feel free to speak your mind, but please don't copy and paste others.

Posted via email from Robert Headley's posterous

Well played Apple. Well played.

Apple must have realized that they were bolstering their competition by not allowing apps created with a go-between. I am sure there was a financial and not a benevolent reason for the recent change in terms and conditions.

Posted via email from Robert Headley's posterous

Zynga and other facebook ad impression scams

Games like Farmvile are not so much games as they are scams to get ad impressions. If you set up a website that had a big button that said refresh and everytime you clicked it you refreshed the page adding ad impressions, you would be summarily kicked from whatever advertising network you use. If you however make a game that requires you to go to a different page in order to DO ANYTHING then you are ok. Zynga and other "game" networks like it are just rushjob crapware that is poisoning the real game industry and is giving facebook and other social networks a bad name for time wastage.

I don't have a problem with social sites, social sharing or micropayments but please, if you are going to take up mine and others time, please be a game, an actual game. Farmville is like a bonzai tree that if not trimmed daily whithers and suggests you buy another one.

Posted via email from Robert Headley's posterous

Kongregate brings its Flash games to Android platform

via downloadsquad.com

This is exactly the kind of thing that apple DIDN'T need as competition. First Kongregate, next maybe Miniclip. Loads of free games that dont make apple any money.

Posted via web from Robert Headley's posterous

Scribefire for Chrome adds Posterous!

It appears that Scribefire for chrome has added support for posterous. About time!

via ScribeFire

Posted via web from Robert Headley's posterous

Apple should be making washing machines.

Apple makes great devices, outside of a few mis-steps and step-children (Apple TV) Apple has done a great job of breaking design and innovation to the world of hardware and software. If only Apple made washing machines.

When Maytag releases a washer nobody necessarily expects for it to have the ability to add programmable wash cycles that you can share with others. However the second you add the internet to a device people want openess. Why is this? The internet has always been the work of many, from the very beginning the internet was more than the word of Tim Berners-Lee and Al gore, it took many creative and brilliant people to create the world we know today.

This brain trust has made people come to expect that if its on the internet than they can tweak it, make it better. This wouldn't be a problem with a washing machine but with a Cell phone (or touch screen mid) it certainly is, especially when that device is made by Apple.

Apple likes for their devices to exist within a walled garden, meaning you can enjoy the flowers and the vegetables within but if you want pizza, you are out of luck because Domino's doesn't deliver there and you can't leave. This wouldn't be a problem, but unfortunetly for those unlucky Apple users, their walled garden has the internet so they can browse Domino's website and see what they COULD order, but they can't. Why?

Apple likes to say that by using the walled garden approach they can control the experience so that it is up the standard that Apple thinks their products should be. Theres no argument that Apple is great at providing a cohesive experience, but look at the app store and how many of those apps are really up to Apple's standard? Obviously the walled garden isn't doing them any favors.

The real reason Apple is a walled garden is purely financial. If you have to use Apples tool chain and Apples code, it makes it costly to develop for any other platform. Since Apple is the biggest, thats where people go, forget about Android or Rim or WebOS or Windows Mobile. Companies like Adobe are like a bridge over the wall, so that your hard work can work on multiple fronts and so that everyone can enjoy a slice of pizza, whenever it suits them. Apple users can enjoy their garden, but there is a revolution on its way. Adobe is the sleeping giant, I don't know if Apple realizes how much Adobe means to the Mac platform, if not the iphone. What happens if Adobe pulls Photoshop from Mac support? or even worse, stops developing flash for the Mac (ok, that probably wont happen.)

Apple likes to say that HTML5 will do anything that Flash can do, this isnt really true and even the things that it does recreate, it currently does at a slower performance level. HTML5 is amazing which is why Google is throwing its support behind it and why Microsoft is taking a huge risk by accelerating HTML5 in hardware in windows 9, but HTML5 is complimentary to flash, it isn't a replacement. Not at this time.

Apple needs to realize that they do not make washing machines and that people like pizza and if they aren't willing to open the door, they may see their users start to leave their garden to greener (and more open) android pastures.

Posted via web from Robert Headley's posterous

Apple should be making washing machines.

Apple makes great devices, outside of a few mis-steps and step-children (Apple TV) Apple has done a great job of breaking design and innovation to the world of hardware and software. If only Apple made washing machines.

When Maytag releases a washer nobody necessarily expects for it to have the ability to add programmable wash cycles that you can share with others. However the second you add the internet to a device people want openess. Why is this? The internet has always been the work of many, from the very beginning the internet was more than the word of Tim Berners-Lee and Al gore, it took many creative and brilliant people to create the world we know today.

This brain trust has made people come to expect that if its on the internet than they can tweak it, make it better. This wouldn't be a problem with a washing machine but with a Cell phone (or touch screen mid) it certainly is, especially when that device is made by Apple.

Apple likes for their devices to exist within a walled garden, meaning you can enjoy the flowers and the vegetables within but if you want pizza, you are out of luck because Domino's doesn't deliver there and you can't leave. This wouldn't be a problem, but unfortunetly for those unlucky Apple users, their walled garden has the internet so they can browse Domino's website and see what they COULD order, but they can't. Why?

Apple likes to say that by using the walled garden approach they can control the experience so that it is up the standard that Apple thinks their products should be. Theres no argument that Apple is great at providing a cohesive experience, but look at the app store and how many of those apps are really up to Apple's standard? Obviously the walled garden isn't doing them any favors.

The real reason Apple is a walled garden is purely financial. If you have to use Apples tool chain and Apples code, it makes it costly to develop for any other platform. Since Apple is the biggest, thats where people go, forget about Android or Rim or WebOS or Windows Mobile. Companies like Adobe are like a bridge over the wall, so that your hard work can work on multiple fronts and so that everyone can enjoy a slice of pizza, whenever it suits them. Apple users can enjoy their garden, but there is a revolution on its way. Adobe is the sleeping giant, I don't know if Apple realizes how much Adobe means to the Mac platform, if not the iphone. What happens if Adobe pulls Photoshop from Mac support? or even worse, stops developing flash for the Mac (ok, that probably wont happen.)

Apple likes to say that HTML5 will do anything that Flash can do, this isnt really true and even the things that it does recreate, it currently does at a slower performance level. HTML5 is amazing which is why Google is throwing its support behind it and why Microsoft is taking a huge risk by accelerating HTML5 in hardware in windows 9, but HTML5 is complimentary to flash, it isn't a replacement. Not at this time.

Apple needs to realize that they do not make washing machines and that people like pizza and if they aren't willing to open the door, they may see their users start to leave their garden to greener (and more open) android pastures.

Posted via web from Robert Headley's posterous