Emily Chang – Designer

Recent posts have been expressing why people don’t like using social software, or believe it’s just a passing fad. Since I disagree, I’ve made a short list of why I do use social software, and why I think the social aspects of our digital interactions will only increase not decrease.

Nick Carr writes that “The crux of the problem is that, in most cases, social software is an extremely inefficient way for a person to get something done” and “when the faddish phase subsides, something useful will remain, but it will be considerably less than world-changing.”

My experiences have been quite the opposite. Sites and services like Flickr, LinkedIn, De.licio.us, Basecamp, and numerous others offer both efficiency and social aspects. I can bulk upload and tag hundreds of photos with a few clicks; then experience the satisfaction of having those photos seen, and participate in conversations with people who share my same interests. I can connect with hundreds (or thousands) of netizens, entrepreneurs, clients, colleagues, and friends to discuss projects, tech issues, plans, and more. Dozens of projects can progress at the same time with multiple teams coordinating design and development from remote locations. And in the process, we get to know each others lives, too.

Social, useful, efficient: these aren’t contradictory terms.

Here’s why I use social software:

- I believe in the value of the network
- I like participating in peer media
- My participation = value – time
- I enjoy asynchronous and time-shifted interactions with real people
- I find increased productivity through segmentation (eg. social bookmarking at stylehive has kept all my product and trend interests together)

It’s been a whirlwind month as we’ve been working on the new design of GigaOM.com, the online property founded by award-winning journalist and famous tech blogger, Om Malik.

“GigaOM.com is an online news and weblog published by Giga Omni Media Inc., a San Franciso-based company. We deliver technology news, analysis and opinions on topics ranging from broadband to online games and Web 2.0 to a monthly global audience of 500,000 consumers and professionals interested in the world of hi-tech. Our readers include industry leaders, venture capitalists, investment professionals and entrepreneurs around the world. Our unique combination of in-depth reporting, editorial articles, community opinion polls, and internet market metrics highlight the most interesting startups, products, and people in technology. GigaOM.com is ranked in the top 100 IT news sites by Hitwise, an Internet tracking service. The site is among the top 50 blogs as ranked by Technorati, and part of C/Net 100 Most Influential Blogs.”

In addition to a new design, the revamped site features category navigation as GigaOM expands its coverage, now including Startups, Connected Home, VOIP, Mobile, Broadband, Software 2.0, India, Inc., and Online Games. There are individual RSS feeds for each category if you only want to follow a few areas, or you can get the Featured Stories RSS with GigaOM’s top picks. My choice? Get the GigaFEED of all stories.

The new GigaOM launched yesterday and then it was off to the party at Mighty. I had already been a reader of GigaOM and respected his opinions before I met Om, but I knew I liked him as a person the first time we met and he was instantly charming, genuine, and cool. It’s been a pleasure working with Om, Dave, Nitin, Foofy, Barry, and all of TeamGiga… here’s to more.

Visit the site, get the GigaFEED, and stay tuned for more to come as GigaOM launches new features.

Also see news at Ideacodes. Special thanks goes to web guy extraordinaire Ben Bleikamp and his late nights.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who sent in congrats and comments!

I’ve had phases where I was really into digital video. In the early 2000s, I shot a lot of footage of my daily life with my one-chip Sony DV cam and turned them into web clips of abstract scenes set to music. Then there was a period where I shot documentary video at electronic music events and raves in Toronto. I participated in some of the early online group video projects like Spongi and DailyDV and watched animations at AtomFilms.

With this recent wave of Web 2.0 social video sites, you might think I spend a lot of time at YouTube (or numerous other social video sites) but the truth is I rarely watch online video unless it’s a tech demo, music video or movie trailer. I’m not into the random stupid-human-trick videos that abound on social sites, and with the exception of ZeFrank, I haven’t gotten into watching vlogs.

Tonight I finally found a compelling video on YouTube. Perhaps I’m drawn to it because it’s so unlike other videos, and so unlike anything I’ve made. I like the honesty and the emotion. Thanks, Peter. You’re the first channel I’ve subscribed to in YouTube. I hope you keep using this medium to tell your stories.

Tell it All, Part 1

Ideacodes redesigns the newly launched GigaOM.com, an online news and weblog published by Giga Omni Media Inc., a San Franciso-based company that delivers technology news, analysis and opinions on topics ranging from broadband to online games and Web 2.0 to a monthly global audience of 500,000 consumers and professionals interested in the world of hi-tech.  Giga Omni Media, Inc. is founded and led by executive editor, Om Malik, an award-winning journalist.  Before launching his own publishing venture, Om was a senior writer for Business 2.0 magazine covering telecom and broadband stories.

“Most people spend their lives living in dreary, beige conformity, mortally afraid of using colors. The main purpose of my work is to provoke people into using their imagination and make their surroundings more exciting.”
-Verner Panton

Ideacodes has been working on the corporate site for Sapotek Inc., the company that created the first Web-based desktop of its kind in Spanish, Computadora.de, as well as the launch of a new enhanced version of its world class desktop in English, Desktoptwo.  Sapotek was also featured in this month’s (August 2006) Business 2.0 magazine in its issue “31 Best Business Ideas in the World.”