Comments on: The Big Idea: Julia Angwin http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/ DEVISING A SYSTEM FOR REMEMBERING EVERYTHING Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:06:06 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Unfocused Me http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/#comment-138645 Unfocused Me Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:45:26 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=6873#comment-138645 Good choice for The Big Idea, John. And like Greg, I'm going to use my comment to say hi to Julia: Hi, and congratulations on the book release, Julia! Good choice for The Big Idea, John.

And like Greg, I’m going to use my comment to say hi to Julia:

Hi, and congratulations on the book release, Julia!

]]> By: Steve Burnap http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/#comment-138524 Steve Burnap Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:56:16 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=6873#comment-138524 It doesn't matter if MySpace is a success for this book to be worthwhile. We wouldn't say a book on the Roman Empire was worthless because it fell. It doesn’t matter if MySpace is a success for this book to be worthwhile. We wouldn’t say a book on the Roman Empire was worthless because it fell.

]]> By: Ana Stoica http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/#comment-138515 Ana Stoica Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:07:29 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=6873#comment-138515 Chapel: "They are all fascinating stories, but do you really believe peoples attention span, as it is, will move product about yesterday’s internet phenomenon? Or maybe I’m just in the minority here." I'll admit that I haven't read the book and as such am limited in my knowledge of its contents, but from what I gathered in Angwin's introduction, the story might be less about the rise and fall (and how) of MySpace specifically and more about what Angwin said herself, "The greatest entrepreneurs are hucksters who have simply crossed the line into brilliance." I'm more interested in the truth (or not) of that claim than I am in MySpace itself, truth be told. Chapel:

“They are all fascinating stories, but do you really believe peoples attention span, as it is, will move product about yesterday’s internet phenomenon? Or maybe I’m just in the minority here.”

I’ll admit that I haven’t read the book and as such am limited in my knowledge of its contents, but from what I gathered in Angwin’s introduction, the story might be less about the rise and fall (and how) of MySpace specifically and more about what Angwin said herself, “The greatest entrepreneurs are hucksters who have simply crossed the line into brilliance.”

I’m more interested in the truth (or not) of that claim than I am in MySpace itself, truth be told.

]]> By: Steve Burnap http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/#comment-138475 Steve Burnap Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:25:37 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=6873#comment-138475 Oh, agreed. Myspace's founders have hardly shown themselves to be fools in this respect. (Especially in a world filled with stories of companies sold for a a tenth what the founders had once been offered.) I don't see News Corp selling it for a profit, though. Oh, agreed. Myspace’s founders have hardly shown themselves to be fools in this respect. (Especially in a world filled with stories of companies sold for a a tenth what the founders had once been offered.)

I don’t see News Corp selling it for a profit, though.

]]> By: John Scalzi http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/#comment-138473 John Scalzi Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:20:22 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=6873#comment-138473 It is if you can sell off the property before the cliff. It is if you can sell off the property before the cliff.

]]> By: Steve Burnap http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/#comment-138460 Steve Burnap Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:46:22 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=6873#comment-138460 Well yeah, I am sure MySpace will continue to make money in the near term, but I am fairly certain that MySpace will be a net loss for News Corp in the end. I'm not sure "making money until you fall off a cliff" would be the sort of thing that most business folks would consider a viable business model. Well yeah, I am sure MySpace will continue to make money in the near term, but I am fairly certain that MySpace will be a net loss for News Corp in the end.

I’m not sure “making money until you fall off a cliff” would be the sort of thing that most business folks would consider a viable business model.

]]> By: John Scalzi http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/#comment-138453 John Scalzi Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:31:27 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=6873#comment-138453 Steve Burnap: "I disagree that MySpace is viable in the long term." I think what you may consider viable and what is viable in terms of a business model are two different things, however. Also note that a declining property or industry can still make tons of money right up until they fall off a cliff: A number of newspapers had admirable profit margins up until a couple of years ago, for example (and believe it or not, AOL still makes a nice chunk of change on dial-up services). Steve Burnap:

“I disagree that MySpace is viable in the long term.”

I think what you may consider viable and what is viable in terms of a business model are two different things, however. Also note that a declining property or industry can still make tons of money right up until they fall off a cliff: A number of newspapers had admirable profit margins up until a couple of years ago, for example (and believe it or not, AOL still makes a nice chunk of change on dial-up services).

]]> By: Papapete http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/#comment-138450 Papapete Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:21:05 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=6873#comment-138450 "And thus I stumbled onto my big idea: The greatest entrepreneurs are hucksters who have simply crossed the line into brilliance." Two examples: Donald Trump and the guy who does "Girls Gone Wild". “And thus I stumbled onto my big idea: The greatest entrepreneurs are hucksters who have simply crossed the line into brilliance.”

Two examples: Donald Trump and the guy who does “Girls Gone Wild”.

]]> By: Steve Burnap http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/#comment-138436 Steve Burnap Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:43:02 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=6873#comment-138436 I disagree that MySpace is viable in the long term. These sorts of things rarely came back into the fore once they fall behind. At best, it looks to become some sort of niche market. Even there, I personally don't thing those who run it are savvy enough to react to the market. Newscorp may be savvy in the media old-world, but I've seen little evidence that it gets it in terms of the new world of online social networking. What moves it has made with MySpace after it acquired it have mostly been boneheaded. In the end, though, I don't think that any one SNS is going to dominate for social reasons if for no other. Facebook is currently being taken over by the middle aged while MySpace is a teenage hangout. This can be partially due to random circumstance, for instance, in the way Orkut got taken over by Brazilians. Facebook's advantage is that the middle-aged are less flighty than teenagers. This is of course entirely orthogonal to the question of whether the story of MySpace's rise is an interesting one that one might want to read about. I disagree that MySpace is viable in the long term. These sorts of things rarely came back into the fore once they fall behind. At best, it looks to become some sort of niche market. Even there, I personally don’t thing those who run it are savvy enough to react to the market. Newscorp may be savvy in the media old-world, but I’ve seen little evidence that it gets it in terms of the new world of online social networking. What moves it has made with MySpace after it acquired it have mostly been boneheaded.

In the end, though, I don’t think that any one SNS is going to dominate for social reasons if for no other. Facebook is currently being taken over by the middle aged while MySpace is a teenage hangout. This can be partially due to random circumstance, for instance, in the way Orkut got taken over by Brazilians. Facebook’s advantage is that the middle-aged are less flighty than teenagers.

This is of course entirely orthogonal to the question of whether the story of MySpace’s rise is an interesting one that one might want to read about.

]]> By: Chapel http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/31/the-big-idea-julia-angwin/#comment-138424 Chapel Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:17:55 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=6873#comment-138424 Agreed, I have dismissed MySpace outright, but the speed in which these business models start to circle the wagon is measured in months and weeks. MySpace a business that is based almost solely upon Hype, and once you start losing that, can you ever really recover? Tweens can be fickle. Agreed, I have dismissed MySpace outright, but the speed in which these business models start to circle the wagon is measured in months and weeks. MySpace a business that is based almost solely upon Hype, and once you start losing that, can you ever really recover?

Tweens can be fickle.

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