Within the past 24 hours, two major social networking stories broke.

First up: Jaiku, a microblogging service oft compared to Twitter, was acquired by Google.

Next on the docket: It’s rumored that MySpace will soon be launching a 3rd party developer platform.

No one seems to be talking about them in tandem, but –from a bird’s eye view at least – the stories are begging for a paired analysis.

Let’s first take a look at the overwhelming reaction both announcements are getting from industry insiders.

In a word: dismissal. In two: utter skepticism.

In a few more: “We’re doomed”[src]; “…we fall right off a cliff”[src]; “Is that all there is?”[src].

And, in a tight little summation of the Jaiku deal: “This may also be a sign that Google has overstaffed its business development department and is doing deals just to keep them busy.”[src]

Brutal, sure. Off the mark? Nope.

These reactions clearly aren’t the product of a haughty hand-wave and a reductionist view of a few key business plays, but rather from a panoramic look at the current state of social networking– namely, the rise of microblogging and the rapid propagation of widgets.

Both conversations –that of Jaiku and that of MySpace– circle around the same concern:

Does this continuing trend (from blogs and fully-supported apps to microblogs and widgets) indicate a cultural shift? A shift *gulp* in which we embrace the frivolous, champion vacuity, and– goofy grins blazing– send ourselves roaring back to a time of chain emails, ComicSans-laden e-cards, and dancing hamsters? Have we never moved on… or are we in some sort of warped Web 2.0 revisitation?

Or, even more frighteningly, are we starting to grub for the lowest-common-denominator forms of mass media (derisive hat-tip to US Weekly and American Idol)? To put it bluntly, are developers now using the “people are dumb, let’s make them dumber” model that’s proven so successful for network tv and weekly periodicals… to create popular widgets?
More importantly, should this surprise me? (I’m thinking no.)

The millions upon millions of daily FaceBook users downloading widgets like Pop Ur Zit, Poke Ur Friends, and Slap Ur Own Ass (okay, I made that one up) at a breakneck pace since FB opened up its platform in late May of this year are–whether we like it or not– chiefly defining “what widgets are all about.” As MySpace primes to skip on down that same colorful, blinky, oh-so-widgety road, industry analysts are rightfully skeptical of the parallel trajectory.

But wait. Could these two stories portend some sort of sociocultural redemption? Does “widget” have to be a dirty word? Could these two deals be representative of a move towards utilitarian widgets? Will we soon be reading the headline “Worker Productivity Skyrockets with Continued Adoption of Microblogging” on our pimped-out NYT personal homepage– obviously fully mashed with our Linked In profile?

Perhaps. And who will lead the way? I have to give Goog the nod on this one.

[tags]The Web Outside, Jaiku, Google, MySpace 3rd party developers platform, Tech Crunch, NYT, microblogging, widgets, culture[/tags]

Hey, what’re you doing right now?

If you’re not playing LineRider, you’re likely being far too productive.

I can’t tell you how to play– the “aha!” moment of it is definitely half the fun. I will, however, tell you that the green lines are landscaping lines… I learned this the hard way, as I initially created my entire “race course” in green, only to send my poor linerider to an immediate, horrific, bloody death.

And then, upon piecing together the rules (it would clearly be too easy to press ctrl-H for help), I created course after course brimming with heinous tragedy. Ahem… Inadvertently.

Sounds awesome, right?

ScreenCap below of my picturesque race course of gory destruction.

[tags]The Web Outside, LineRider, Web Games[/tags]

AdAge pushed out a thorough recap of Anderson Analytics’ third annual fall brand survey of college students, which polls the brand and media habits of the 18-24 demo.

As author Beth Snyder Bulik nicely sums up:

They love Apple, shop at Target, use Facebook online and are split on whether they adore or despise the Geico lizard. They wish they were better at sports, watch TV more often than surf the web and view a lot of YouTube videos, but generally don’t create them.

In addition, FaceBook trumped MySpace (especially with females), and Taco Bell surprisingly beat out Mickey D’s, and Coke is still the bev of choice.

And, although I hate to admit it, the NY Yankees (as a brand, mind you) upset the Red Sox;
Yea, well, we’ll see how that plays out over the next few weeks…

Check out the full run-down below. [Chart courtesy of AdAge; Source: Anderson Analytics]

[tags]AdAge, Anderson Analytics, college students, brands, popular, YouTube, audience studies, The Web Outside[/tags]

Bob Dylan’s latest release, “His Greatest Songs,” dropped on October 1st – and was uniquely hyped by the promo site dylanmessaging.com.

The site allows users to customize the cue card scene from Dylan’s 1967 video for Subterranean Homesick Blues, shot behind London’s Savoy Hotel. Dylan is a natural at OOH messaging… Set him up with a Wiffiti! [Insert witty reference to The Times They Are A-Changin' here.]

Go take a look and make your own– it literally takes no more than 10 seconds from start to finish. Look closely– Alan Ginsberg makes a cameo in the background!

In a fantastic display of collaboration, twenty digital signage companies have banded together to champion MacMillan Cancer Support. This effort represents the largest multi-network OOH ad campaign ever in the UK.

Running on donated airtime from major players in the signage world, and with content created by Amigo Digital, the campaign has been running on screens throughout the UK since September: from bars to hair salons, from gas stations (I’m sorry… petrol) to post offices. The campaign also incorporates a Second Life component (which, I must say, seems extraneous– and even potentially distracting).

The project aims to to raise an ambitious 14.2m for cancer research. Truly an excellent (and charitable) presentation of the power of the industry.

[via aka.tv]

[tags]The Web Outside, MacMillan Cancer Support, Amigo Digital, digital signage, OOH networks, London[/tags]

Steve Smith at MediaPost published a short piece this afternoon entitled “Make My World Clickable,” in which he muses about the allure of turning the non-virtual world (as Smith cheekily calls it) into one huge reality-blanketing web app.

Sound familiar? The Web Outside, indeed.

Smith, a self-proclaimed “modern urban creature saturated in electronic media,” decries organic beauty in favor of the digital version thereof. To capture his worldview in a quick nugget: “I also have this overwhelming desire to turn up the color setting on landscapes so that the outdoor world better matches the fantastic palette of my Sony HDTV.”

Smith comments that he’d like to see the mobile phone “as a universal mouse on reality.” Although I tend to lean towards the terminology “universal remote control,” Steve and I are definitely on the same page on this one.

And his dream of a “standard, friction-less mobile pull technology” may be further along than he thinks…

Smith’s article can be found on MobileInsider at MediaPost (subscription required).

[tags]Steve Smith, MediaPost, MobileInsider, The Web Outside[/tags]

Since I devour my CoolHunting, YPulse, and Springwise feeds every morning before breakfast, I’m always on the prowl for a new trendwatching site.

Well, I’ve found one (and of course I’ll share).

Go take a spin through MTV Sticky (you’ll need to sign up and respond to an email invitation in order to poke around). MTV Sticky brings together a community of users devoted to finding the coolest new technologies, art, products, media, you name it. Better yet, it’s presented in a funky “sticky note” format, making for easy tracking and bookmarking. While it’s far from comprehensive, it’s a decent resource for keeping tabs on the latest media trends, especially since contributions are often made by end-users themselves.