Insider Chatter by Donna Bogatin

Stunning! Beautiful! Great Job! GEEKS GONE WILD for Facebook on the the iPhone! BUT, Facebook is NOT open, on the iPhone.

Ultra iPhone Cool OR Ultra Facebook Hype?

“To be or not to be,” that used to be the question. Now, Facebook: “Open, or not open” is the question, but it is a silly one.

Facebook is CLOSED and always will be, unless Mark Zuckerberg turns his back on all that he touts Facebook supposedly stands for: A special walled off place for “trusted” connections within the greater wild, wild Web.

The iphone.facebook.com welcome presents the typical virtual brick wall Facebook offers the world: A blank screen!

When Facebook was first erroneously declared F8 “open” in May, I underscored MySpace is 179 million times more open than Facebook. Since, Tom Anderson has gotten even friendlier at MySpace, but Zuckerberg still plays hard to get at Facebook.

Tom now has 196, 403, 410 friends. What about Zuckerberg? Who knows.

I can see all of Tom’s friends via his open profile at the number one (by far) social network. How about Mark?Can I get to know him at Facebook? NO. Can I see his “face,” can I be introduced to his friends at Facebook? NO. How many Facebook friends does Zuckerberg have? Not the 200 million Anderson boasts!

Via a Google search for “Tom Anderson MySpace profile,” I “hooked-up” with the very open, social Tom at MySpace, immediately. Via a Google search for “Mark Zuckerberg Facebook profile,” Zuckerberg, himself, was MIA.

The Facebook faithful will counter that a “closed, open” Facebook is a good thing, echoing the Facebook company line that Facebook IS all about “trusted connections,” as opposed to the anything goes wild wild MySpace.

The reality of the Facebook phenomenon, though, is that it is nothing that it promises, or seems to be. Facebook is NOT an open Web site, but it is not a protected social safe haven, either.

After all, can a “valid” Hotmail address really guarantee “trusted connections” at Facebook? A Harvard.edu is not even a guarantee for Facebook trusted privacy: Just ask Caroline Giuliani!

Flaunting Facebook’s own Terms of Service, her Facebook profile was hijacked in the name of media sensationalism; Lucy Morrow Caldwell, Harvard student cum Slate reporter, took a screenshot of Giuliani’s private profile and posted it to the open Web for the world to see.

Facebook code was not manipulated, something worse was: The integrity of the Facebook social graph.

Facebook code? THAT was manipulated a few days later! SEE Zuckerberg Insecurity Exposed: A Facebook Bug Attacks Again

AND: Facebook Embroiled in Washington DC Scandal: Howard Kurtz Dishes the Dirt

PLUS: NYC Street Tip: Blogging Can Be Hazardous to Your Sex Life

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN

Is Walt Mossberg prepping for “Personal Technology” brought to you by Rupert Murdoch’s News corp.?

The Wall Street Journal mainstream media tech gadget maven “of record” relaxes staid headline tradition to engage in typical blogosphere “scoop” hyperbole at his own Mossblog in a post titled: “Secret new iPhone features.”

REALLY? What does ”secret” mean in Walt’s view of the iPhone world? Functional enhancements publicly available but apparently not consacrated by virtue of an official Apple press release or user manual update:

Apple issued its first iPhone update this week. And, while the company billed it as merely a bug-fix and security-improvement patch, in fact it has several small feature improvements that Apple hasn’t announced or documented. These aren’t the big items, like an instant-messaging program, which may come later. But they make the phone nicer to use.

Mossberg ”unveils” to the world at his blog the purported “secret” iPhone features that are nevertheless publcly available to not only Walt, but undoubtedly to every retail purchaser of the iPhone:

Here are a few of these hidden new features I discovered after performing the update.

• In the Favorites list in the Phone module, you can now have 50 entries instead of 20.
• In the email module, you can now automatically BCC yourself on every message you send.
• The iPhone can now play music through many previously incompatible car adapters and other external speakers originally designed for the iPod.

If the Mossberg heralded “new” iPhone “features” were really “hidden,” he wouldn’t have “discovered” them.

Walt to the iPhone user rescue nevertheless? iLounge is not convinced:

The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg claims in his blog that, following the 1.0.1 update, the “iPhone can now play music through many previously incompatible car adapters and other external speakers originally designed for the iPod.” Though iLounge’s editors have had no success getting iPhone to work properly with their favorite car adapters, we would be interested in hearing new reader experiences based on version 1.0.1.

Mossberg is reaching out to his readers as well to share their iPhone (not so) “secrets”:

I’m sure readers have found some other secret features in this first iPhone update. Let me know what they are.

But wouldn’t the “secret” be out then?

ALSO: Norman Pearlstine ‘Excited’ by a Rupert Murdoch Led Dow Jones and Blogging Ethics: Why Blog ‘Disclosure’ is NO Panacea

PLUS: Facebook Polling: The Social Graph is 64% White and Silicon Valley ‘Sucks’? Welcome to Silicon Alley!

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN

Michael Arrington gives Dave Winer a big ‘ol pat on the TwitterGram back while wondering what the “media hacker” will “blend up next.”

No need to wonder about what Winer was blending yesterday, thanks to the mighty Twitter itself: “Fresh cherries”!

Yes, thanks to the narcissism enabling and voyeurism inducing Twitter, the world was put on notice on July 6, 2007, at 12:16 am, by Dave Winer, that the same Dave Winer was “eating cherries” at that precise moment AND the verdict, to boot: “Very much not disgusting.”

Winer, not one to leave his Twitter “friends and followers” in a cherry eating dark, graciously Twittered in but a moment later to advise and assure: “Current temp in Berkely, 55 degrees F. Great sleeping weather, in just a few minutes after I polish off these cherries.”

Before Winer ravished his prize cherries, though, he publicly checked in with Scobleizer with important notices: “check your email for a photo of the brat who hasled everyone at the Palo Alto Store on opening day for the iPhone.”

Apparently, not all of the youthful exuberance displayed at the once-in-a-lifetime Apple Experiential Retail cum Steve Jobs love fest was as generationally inspiring as the Robert Scoble and Thomas Hawk clans effused.

SEE Apple Retail: Who Needs Woodstock, iGot iPhone!

“I hear you’d like to phone in TwitterGrams,” Winer announces in announcing he is helping Twitter blabber flourish, with a TwitterGram over the phone tool.

Brian Eisenberg comments at TechCrunch: “Watching Scoble and Winer twittergram each other is pretty damn interesting.”

HOW SO? What IS interesting is the AT&T box Winer Twittered himself into with his cherry orgy in Berkely!

Dave Winer’s Twitter, sponsored by AT&T (thanks to Ads by Google)!!!

Yes, the one and only AT&T that Winer just last month called “heinous” while calling for a special “death penalty” just for AT&T corporation.

While Winer may declare death to AT&T at his blog, he is keeping AT&T alive by Twittering.

ALSO: Facebook, Twitter Rule? Get a REAL (social networking) Life! and Google Buys Postini PLUS 500 million Email Secrets

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN

Disclaimer: “Take Over” is a ludicrous claim, in the words of Jeremy Toeman, AND hyperbole is ludicrous as well!

Nevertheless, a blueprint for “how Apple will use the iPhone to take over the wireless industry,” is offered by Scott Karp, in six convenient paragraphs.

Toeman sees things differently, underscoring the need for ”domain expertise and the difference between the Web world and the device world.”

To put things in perspective, “Do you have any idea the sheer volume of mobile handsets sold worldwide?” Toeman asks:

There are a lot fewer people influenced by style and experience in the phone industry than in others.  The Razr (aka the most successful cell phone of all time) moved 50M units in 4 years.  And that’s been THE trendy phone to-date, and you can get them for next-to-nothing already.

The turnover rate in mobile phones in the US is under two years and dropping.  In countries like Hong Kong it’s hovering just over 3 months.  So Apple has to not only have the “best” phone (already questionable), but they must sustain that position continuously.

Don’t forget that the mobile OS industry is much less locked-down than the PC industry, where the only competition takes 5 years to put out a terrible upgrade to their OS.  There are 4 other solid mobile operating systems for manufacturers to choose from, all of which allow for tremendous device flexibility.

Unlike the PC industry which operates on margins so bad that a single tech support call makes a PC unprofitable, there’s plenty of money in mobile.  LG, Samsung, Moto, and Nokia (to name a few) will not bend-over quite as peacefully as Compaq, Dell, Gateway, and Sony (you know Sony, right, makers of my hunk-o-laptop?) have to the competition.

BUT, Toeman merely debunks a wireless industry take over by Apple scenario. Karp actually under promised in his headline and over delivered in his post: He signs off by pronouncing Apple to be the preordained ruler of the entire computing and entertainment universe, Microsoft and Google be damned!

What Apple really wants is to sell unlocked iPhones that can be used on any network — and I believe they will pull it off. Thus, Apple will do to the wireless carriers and other cell phone makers what they did to the music industry and makers of digital music players — they will completely take over.

From there, Apple will turn its attention to the last great battle — PCs. Once you own both an iPod and an iPhone, you’re going to look at your Windows PC and ask yourself — what am I thinking?

While Karp does not specifically reference Google in his wistful Apple rules the world scenario, any Microsoft killer strategy requires “taking over” Google as well, the ruler of the Web, Google’s anti-Microsoft platform.

Eric Schmidt, Google CEO AND Apple Director, NOT at Apple’s service for THAT scenario!

ALSO: Facebook iPhone Verdict: NOT Buying It

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN

Silicon Valley took to the streets (sidewalks) yesterday, bigtime, to flex its collective muscle, at $106 billion market cap corporation Apple’s retail cash registers.

Is experiential retail the new Woodstock? Are tech writers the new rock stars? Thomas Hawk captured “Peace Scoble Peace.”

Who needs sex, drugs and rock and roll? We’ve got the iPhone, Apple store excitement, AND his lordship Jobs!

Hawk is unabashed in underscoring the life affirming impact of Steve Jobs:

To those who say it was stupid to camp out overnight at the Palo Alto Apple store when I could have gotten it waiting only 4 hours in line at a At&T store somewhere else, you just don’t get it.

Camping out last night at the Palo Alto Apple store was not about an iPhone. It was about an experience. Something that I value far more than my new iPhone. There were many highlights for me.

When we left the Apple store we crossed paths with Jobs. I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t even notice. Kristopher did though and he traded nods and a wink with Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs has been a long-time hero of Kristopher’s. It was an intensely powerful emotional thing for him. One of the best days of his life I’m sure.

Hawk on the Scoble clan mega bonding, thanks to Apple store:

What a great thing for a father to do with his son. Patrick was so proud to be #1 in line. They made a big deal about it when they let him into the store first. That’s a memory that he’ll have the rest of his life. What a great dad to make that happen.

How touching? A multi-billion dollar corporate product push bridging the generations!

The generational cultural memories of prior American decades are undoubedtly not only of more universal import, but less self-focused as well:

Woodstock peace movement,
John F. Kennedy assassination,
First moon landing…

More recent: The anti-Iraq war demonstrations.

BUT, Hawk waxes poetic on the “unreal” sense of community that DID prevail while queing up endlessly for the privilege of a once in a liftetime chance to part with hundreds of dollars to buy a retail product: Playing guitar and sharing stories.

Hawk comes down to earth, though, in describing how he piggy-backed on the Apple financed PR blitz, to develop one of his own:

Zooomr was definitely well represented at the iPhone launch. We handed out tons of stickers. We even used our stickers to mark people’s number in line. We got to personally evangelize Zooomr to so many people, were able to show our Zooomr stickers on CNBC (and get a link to Zooomr on their blog), many press photos and interviews, and getting to upload lots of photos live to Zooomr as we participated in the launch (resulting in some great digg juice).

Apple, then, really is helping the American dream live!

NOT all are convinced. Commenter LayZ at Robert Scoble’s blog:

“Being the first customer into the store was an experience I’ll never forget” “It was surreal.”

You’re kidding, right? An experience you’ll never forget? Surreal? Seriously? Do you know the definition of the word? Please tell me you’re kidding. If walking into a store to buy a cell phone conjured up “fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtaposition of subject matter.” then sleep deprivation got the best of you. Otherwise, seek psychological help immediately!

ALSO: Facebook iPhone Verdict: NOT Buying It and Google Health: Lambast Doctors, Sell Medical Ads

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN

Does iPhone live up to every bit of the massive hype? Are Apple - Steve Jobs amazing?

Facebookers are NOT convinced, just ask Facebook.

“Want to instantly know what 25 million people are thinking?” Facebook touts. And says it can answer via “Facebook Polls.”

Mark Zuckerberg and crew asked yesterday of its 25 million sought after Facebookers: “Are You Going to Get an iPhone? And the results are in, from 1000 of the Facebooker faithful:

YES: 7% (70 Facebookers)

NO: 63% (633 Facebookers)

UNDECIDED: 30% (297 Facebookers)

Scientific? NO. But Facebook promotes it is getting the real pulse of the Facebook people AND, as with all polls and studies, people happily accept the “results” as the real thing. AFTER ALL, Pew Internet & American Life Project makes defintive conclusions about the behavior of the entire American adult populace based off of a few thousand simple telephone suryveys.

Pew’s “methodology” relies on aggressive assumptions and extrapolation. Nevertheless, the world eagerly accepts Pew’s absolute characterizations of the American lifestyle as unbiased, objective snapshots of irrefutable truths, even though Pew advocates for positions, aggressively, based off of its proprietary polling.

What is Facebook advocating? Facebook polls, starting at the who can resist price of $6.

WOW! Instantly know what 25 million people are thinking for a mere $6? Sounds too good to be true. IT IS.

How much does a Facebook poll really cost?

Facebook charges you based on the number of responses you indicate that you need, multiplied by the amount that you indicate that you’re willing to pay per respnse. The more you pay per response, the faster Facebook delivers complete results.

Facebook’s 25 million? Available to the highest bidders.

ALSO: Apple Retail: Who Needs Woodstock, iGot iPhone! and Google Health: Lambast Doctors, Sell Medical Ads

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN