Wednesday, August 24, 2011

"Lift" me up.


Social networking sites have been an inescapable part of my life. From Friendster, Myspace, and Multiply, to Facebook and Twitter, and now Google +, there is no escaping the fact that these sites have changed the way people live their lives. I will go as far as saying that these sites, for better or for worst, has shaped humanity (instead of humanity shaping it) in ways that then seemed unimaginable. This is the influence that social networking sites have, and will continue to have in years to come.

But if I were made to choose between all these social networking sites, I'll choose Twitter, any day. I've stopped using Friendster, Myspace and Multiply for several years now, and I haven't jumped to the Google+ bandwagon. So it was toss between Facebook and Twitter. I've been a Facebook user since I was a college senior, and I see that you can reach most people through Facebook nowadays. You can post status updates, upload photos, then tag your friends on those photos. It has game applications. You can also share and upload articles, videos, and what have you. I also love how it now has the group feature similar to email groups but definitely more interactive. It's a one-stop shop. They might as well use ShoeMart's former tagline "We've got it all for you."

This aside, Twitter still gets my vote. Why? The flow of information in Twitter is just so much faster. 240 characters is all you got, hence it allows people to place bite-sized chunks of information online. You get immediate responses as well, which make tweeting live and instantaneous. Unlike Facebook, there is no difficulty in looking at your wall because you only see the tweets of people you want to follow. Since I'm inclined to live a fast-paced lifestyle with the way our world works, it's perfect for me. I want information to be available when I want it. It's like a convenience store. It doesn't have everything, but it has everything that I need. Not to mention the fact that I can follow Twitter accounts of celebrities, politicians, basketball players and the like. People you are really not related or connected to. But Twitter bridges that gap for you and provides a venue to personally interact with these people.

So when I heard that there is an upcoming social networking site created by the geniuses behind Twitter, I naturally got excited. The name of the site is Lift. So I went to the website and entered my email account. Then I got a message saying "What is Lift? We're interested in ways new technology can help unlock human potential, especially through the use reinforcement. That's all we can tell you right now." Talk about a tease. Unlock human potential? Interesting.

According to ReadWriteWeb, it looks like Twitter, only with "more structure." which traced Lift back to something called Mibbles just a few weeks ago (that project's site, GetMibbles.com, now automatically redirects viewers to lift.do). The plan with Mibbles was apparently to allow people to track their daily goals and accomplishments with friends and sort of collectively chart everyone's progress.

I wonder how a social networking site will help "unlock human potential." Talk about shaping humanity.

Can't wait to get "Lift"-ed.


Entry #10

Mark Garrido

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