Uneven Distribution.

I prefer a bit of chaos.

July 21st, 2010

A few people today linked me to this video on Flipboard. It’s the next big thing, the ‘reason I finally want an iPad’.

But I’ve got a problem with it. And actually, I have a problem with almost all of these 3rd generation social apps.*

For the guy in the video, I’m sure that’s a totally rad app. It pulls in all the interesting content from his super interesting friends. And when he runs out of super interesting content from his super interesting friends, he can start browsing the broader app content, like finding out all the news about what amazing thing Apple is doing next. He can even share content back out to his amazing friends!

But I don’t know anyone like that guy in the video. People have boring friends, and exciting friends. They have different social circles, and stuff is shared differently in those social circles. Every person that I’m connected to on any social network participates at a different rate, in a different way. But I know who, and what, is important to me.

Social networks online are just like social networks offline. They’re utterly chaotic, unpredictable, disorganised, and constantly changing shape. And much of the innovation that’s happening in social media at the moment seems to be around attempting to control that chaos. This control comes from creating code that apparently analyses and optimises my connections and their shared content, presenting me with the sterilised, iPad-friendly view of my world.

Admittedly, I’ll be giving Flipboard a go. But the next awesome thing in social media for me, won’t be about streamlining, simplifying or automating. I’m not sure what it will be, but lately I’ve been feeling that perhaps, deep down, I’d prefer a little bit of oldschool chaos.

* I just made that term up, admittedly. But if you think about it, the simple act of connecting online was the 1st generation social apps (email, IRC, IM). 2nd generation apps then, were platforms that utilised the social graph to make connections and share content (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter). 3rd generation social apps then, are the layers that are being built to sit over the top of the 2nd generation. There’s a general concensus that no one wants to re-build their social network connections, so all 3rd generation social apps are simply layering on top. Most are trying to simplify, or somehow automate discovery.

Why Twitter’s Titanium matters.

July 7th, 2010

I decided to keep out of the whole ‘Twitter winning at Cannes‘ debate a couple weeks ago. But listening to the Mumbrella podcast yesterday, I couldn’t help but think we’re slightly missing the point.

The thing is, Titanium is meant to be the best idea in the world of advertising, marketing, and brands from the past year. And this year, Twelpforce won it.

The best way I’ve heard to judge ‘the best’ was that while gold might be an idea that makes you jealous because it wasn’t yours, Titanium is an idea that makes you humble. I like that, and I really believe it’s true (and not just for creative awards).

Nike+ does that. The Unicef Tap project does that. The Million Project does that. Obama for America does that.

So does Twelpforce make me humble? To be honest, it doesn’t. But it does makes me excited. I don’t have a problem with Twelpforce winning Titanium. The thing is, the discussion shouldn’t be around whether the judges were right to award it Titanium. The discussion should be around what this means. It’s a signifier that the advertising landscape has changed. And if we’re to believe the best minds in the idustry that are assembled into the judging panel, this is the idea that truly humbles them.

What an ace time to be in this job.

Because Twelpforce has nothing to do with a big idea. There’s no helicopters, no world-renowned director, no multi-million dollar budget. There’s simply a bunch of guys in an agency that saw what was happening on twitter, and sold it to their client.

So this year’s Cannes Titanium was a signal to the advertising world. The true talent and genius in your agency is not the awkward aspiring filmmaker who turns up at the agency at 11am, half an hour after getting out of bed. The talent is now found in the guys that can see opportunity in how people are communicating, and how to leverage it. And crucially, they can then sell that opportunity to clients. Make them comfortable, make them believe it, and execute it without backing down on anything.