This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Farheena Rahman — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 11:46:49 GMT

I loved this piece but mostly because of the example of Africa.

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Richard Williams — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:08:05 GMT

Interesting article by the way. I've continued the conversation on my blog: http://www.pixelpod.co.uk/blog/?p=97

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Richard Williams — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:29:20 GMT

Facebook's Twitter-like newsfeed and status functionality has been described as 'Ambient Intimacy'. http://www.disambiguity.com/ambient-intimacy/

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Victoria Davies — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:17:42 GMT

The Amex thing is a great idea if you are happy to introduce spending as a category of your life that you want to tell everyone about. Especially if it's the red Amex because you can then use charity as an excuse for why spending is good.

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Rory Sutherland — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 23:34:37 GMT

I have just discovered the phrase microjournalism -which also describes the phenomenon rather well.

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Rory Sutherland — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:05:49 GMT

Mark Earls would be the man to speak to there. Twitter him - he's called herdmeister on Twitter

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Simon S. Kershaw — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:43:20 GMT

Hold on. That's my name at the top of the posting but those ain't my words. Simon? Is that you Simon Kershaw? Anyway, good piece Rory. The other great thing that would happen if your Amex activity was posted is that customer services at Amex (Coporate & Consumer) might just get better. They couldn't claim that "this is consumer not coporate..." thing. One final thought. It seems as though 'social grooming' is becoming increasingly important and new forms of expression are coming out. I love that example from Africa. Has anyone come across any research or white papers that quantify how and why social grooming is becoming more important? Yours, Steve

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

988401 — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:51:55 GMT

Perhaps Weight Watchers would also be interested in such a technology. I would however caution that dieters may be tempted to cheat by placing their rubbish in a neighbour's bin or by simply taking their rubbish to work with them. Would certainly give new meaning to the phrase 'take your rubbish with you'. Not so funny when it comes to the weekly weigh-in though eh?

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Pauline Davis — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:59:54 GMT

Weird. My name isn't Polly

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Pauline Davis — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:59:10 GMT

Funnily enough, back in 1999, NCR Knowledge Lab created a prototype version of such a system (an intelligent bin that used a barcoded rubbish bin to monitor your calorie intake and outtake, reorder food etc. I'm not sure what has happened to it since then, but Tesco was very interested.

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Rory Sutherland — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 07:57:24 GMT

Actually this technological answer to the Schlitz Campaign (you are what you trash) is a wonderful idea. Ocado would be the natural sponsor, as you could then automatically reorder what you had disposed of.

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

988401 — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 07:33:08 GMT

Thanks for furthering the whole 'social networking replaces normal life' debate Rory. Perhaps to further their environmental credentials Amex could also provide free barcode readers on bins so we can also get a mytwitterflickerfacebookspace profile on what everyone has consumed. I have heard of schemes being trialled in the US aptly nicknamed 'chip and bin'!

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Lyndon Morant — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:48:47 GMT

I don't know, Steve... I think it could be quite compelling to see in the news feed "Steve just used his American Express to buy an Apple computer"... would certianly be easier than sending you a message asking you what you got up to on the weekend, wouldn't it? What's actually said in the feed isn't as important as what isn't, in this case (there's only so much space in one's head for thinking about credit card brands). Plus, it would become associated with the daily snippets of action/information synonymous with Facebook... Quite a useful attribute for Amex... Good thinking Rory!

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Charlie Hoult — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:35:01 GMT

I'm glad you've finally called. I've been waiting out here with no juice in my email for so long.

re: This Facebook thing - allow me to explain.

Simon S. Kershaw — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:42:30 GMT

I believe that Rory's analysis is spot-on ... until he gets to Amex (how often has that happened?) ... While Rory may not be a big fan of those "fashionable brands" that the industry so wants to hug and he so he so wants to decry in a (let's be honest) contrary and reactionary way (not that I necessarily disagree) ... as a facebook friend, I really do think a reminder that the new howie's catalogue is out there will have a better reception that owt to so with Amex. ;-) Sorry, mate ... Simon