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If the extra utility is marginal, sure, but not otherwise, else we'd all still be using ICQ. Even though Facebook goes back a lot further, though in a locked down sense, Facebook's "development" of a new social network that superseded MySpace isn't a bad thing. Twitter was also a new social network.
Perhaps of more interest that coercing developers into being restricted by living on someone else's platform, are the efforts to make social networks work together and integrate better. That way, even if you set up your own social network base, there's a way to integrate with a user's existing systems. Development in this area is still pretty slow but we might get there one day!
Granted that if you get critical mass within the network before they can do what you do, the it would be difficult for them to catch up but remember, you're in their territory, and if they want, they can do really nasty things in order to get their way. Of course, if you have your own network, you can still become obsolete if a large networks starts doing what you're doing, but at least they cannot shut you down. Remember Alexaholic? Or the many widget sites for MySpace?
I guess what I'm saying is that building on top of an existing network has its own set of risks.
Also, since it's a closed site in alpha, has he actually "launched" or just showed a few people?
I like Loic too from the brief times I've chatted with him, but I am just not as wooed by "another video startup with a little twist"...
But it's early. Loic's company is only a week old and I'm not the PR guy for it. It's actually a competitor (if you look at it through a certain lens) to what I'm doing at PodTech.
as already explained by email, there are a couple of good points in this post. But, on top of reasons why a service gets more attention than others there is people and money. Loic is certainly better known than me or my company in the web 2.0 space and did great things before, has a "story". Like Pownce, this service is launched by a well known person in the Web 2.0 space. In addition, money. If you get money from well known VCs, you get more attention.
So, how to get more attention from press and tech bloggers? People + Money + a good idea = definitely more attention.
All that said, thanks for taking a look at Hictu. My comment to that TechCrunch post led to something at least... :-)
Do you know how Seesmic compares to Kyte? Not having had a chance to try it yet, the first thing when I saw the description was that this is a marriage of Twitter and Kyte.
So, will Kyte get a better UI or will Seesmic get onto mobile and Facebook first? That's the question.
At the end of the day it is all HYPE. Someone (I do not remember who) made a remark at the last Etel Conference "there 200 million cell phones in the USA, and 2 billion worldwide - I am going after the 2 billion"
Robert - no offence, but you and many bloggers live in a bubble where you write about each other. Sometimes forgetting there is a real world out there.
250 million in the USA alone, how many use these services that you write about?
In that direction, I do agree with you on the point of building on top of existing services - that is the way to go!
I wrote my view about it in my blog: http://the-presence-of-presence.blogspot.com/20...
I think this applies to Kyte.tv and many others as weel.
I visit Europe often and have been to Japan and China too and they are quite different from the US. You underestimate how connected we are here, though. Most of the tech companies visit my town to gather funding and then visit me to show me what's up.
And you also don't have a clue. Go watch http://www.twittervision.com for 10 minutes. It's a world-wide thing, not just one in California. Although it was designed/developed in San Francisco. How did that happen?
As someone getting ready to look for funding in the next few months for a new idea, I agree that the way in which Loic promoted and launched this site is very smart and offers several good lessons for any entrepreneur. I'll certainly be using Seesmic as soon as it's available to the public (or sooner if I'm picked as an alpha tester.)