Social Aggregators: FriendFeed vs. Socialthing!
When I explain FriendFeed and Socialthing! to my non-social media friends, they think the general idea is pretty cool. A place where you can aggregate the updates from your favorite social communities? Very nice. Borat style.
I recently got a Socialthing! invite from modern journalist and friend Brad King and signed up for FriendFeed at the same time. I’ve been using these two services side by side to see what I think and get a flavor for what the buzz is about. Although the case can be made that each service is bringing users a unique solution, so far I’ve been using them the same way.
Initial feelings: I like the Socialthing! UI much better than the look and feel of FriendFeed. The Lifestream thing is working for me. However, I have a lot more social networks aggregating in FriendFeed, making it much fuller as a one-stop shop for checking in on what my friends are up to. I don’t think I’d choose one over the other at this point. The thing is, I’m not sure that I even like mixing up all my networks in one place, even though social aggregators are so hot right now.
There’s something familiar and comfortable about going to each distinct site to find that separate content. I know what to expect from each different network and they’ve all become like favorite hangout spots for me. These social communities are not just about contributing and absorbing the content my friends are creating, but about the experience of going to a comfy, cozy place I’ve come to enjoy.
Do you find tools like FriendFeed and Socialthing! to be useful for you? How do you use these services?
4 Responses to “Social Aggregators: FriendFeed vs. Socialthing!”
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I agree, neither has done anything to warrant being better than the other, despite Friendfeed having more services supported. I also like visiting individual social sites because of the community experience they offer, however, I’m hooked into so many of these places, that I just don’t have the time to visit each one every day. I primarily use Friendfeed and SocialThing as places of review, where at the end of the day, I can glance over them and see if I missed anything really cool.
Twitter @thattalldude
I like the idea behind it, especially as it’d allow me to keep up with everyone a little better. Except for Twitter (I use Twhirl), I’d rather visit the network since I usually log on to respond anyway. Lately I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed with information so maybe I haven’t given SocialThing! or Friend Feed a real chance. It just seems like another thing which we have to keep track.
Excellent analysis of what’s become the hottest trend these days, social aggregation. I remember when I started using the first ones that same out like Plaxo with their Pulse feature and 30boxes. I still think Plaxo is the best because it works with your entire address book which is synchronized automatically with your contacts who also belong to Plaxo.
I’m looking forward to GMail’s address book synch feature once google gets off their assets and polish it off.
I agree with your assessment that it’s more enjoyable experiencing each network in its natural environment. Shoot, I think I’d even miss the hideousness of MySpace, well, ok, that’s a lie! I can live without seeing another MySpace profile page! But your point is well taken. Nothing beats going to the site itself, no matter how slick a social network aggregator might look.
Pai
Excellent write up Amanda.
While i like both aggregators, Im stuck on friendfeed. It’s the simplicity of it i reckon, sought of like twitter. FF is missing a nice ajax GUI, but it’s not a major deal breaker for me. I know in time friendfeed will explode with some new features. For me FF is my main aggregator along with google reader.