Two Slashes

Every time I get to read about the RIAA (or, as the case may be here, ASCAP) and their crazy schemes for raising royalty money, I grow a little more confident in thinking that these organizations are doing nothing but trying to alienate their members with each passing day.  And, so far, this thinking hasn’t let me down.  I’m especially loving the idea to charge for incoming calls proposed by ASCAP as reported by TechDirt a little while ago.

I’m not trying to defend the phone companies (they’ve got enough wrong with them to warrant a small novel), but let’s stop here for a second and think.  It’s downright impossible for the phone company to keep track of what ringtone your phone emits, let alone that there’s no reason for them to want to collect that data or care that one person is alerted to calls by Garth Brooks while another listens to Pink Martini or a third plays back the bridge from a Creative Commons-licensed song they found on Jamendo.  Obviously, we have licensing issues to take into account, because there’s certainly no way AT&T is liable for a song in the public domain.

Then there’s also the difficulty of determining whether whatever song they’ve identified is even being played publicly.  For example, I have an ‘instrumental’ chop of The Limousines’ “New Year’s Resolution” currently set as the ringtone on my Treo.  Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that AT&T knows this (perhaps because their friends at the NSA have nothing better to do and tipped them off).  Now, how do they determine which of the following scenarios is currently in effect?

1. My phone is in ring mode.  The phone will proudly play The Limos to anyone and everyone standing near me every time my mother calls.
2. My phone is in vibrate mode.  The phone will play absolutely nothing, even though it wants to play something, but instead will silently bounce around if placed on a table while being called by Don.
3. I have a pair of headphones plugged in.  Regardless of the ring/vibrate setting, my phone will pipe “New Year’s Resolution” into my ears while the phone waits for me to pick up a call from Google Voice.

By my understanding and thought, only that first scenario would be even remotely a public performance and only in such a case would AT&T have to pay for the playback of my (awesome) ringtone.  And, admittedly, it’s hard to call any ringtone a public performance when (usually) the clip being played is less than thirty seconds in length because the call is picked up or sent to voicemail.  Get a bunch of people in a large crowd, each with a different 30-second chunk of a song, and call them in the correct order, and maybe you’re onto some artsy project that needs licensing, but, for the typical cell phone user, I think that’s just dumb.  And let’s not even get into how many people need to be within x feet of the phone in order for it to be considered a public performance or anything like that.

Naturally, if your carrier had to pay for your pleasure, they’re going to want their profit margins exactly as they were (if not a little more padded), and the call is obviously your fault, so there’s nothing like passing on the cost to their customers (just like they do for incoming SMS messages, for example).

If this gets even a little support outside of the usual groups, I can’t see things going well for consumers.  And if you we do start paying for our ringtones…by all means, make full use of your library.

Warning:  I’m on a bit of a social/communications kick at the moment, so if you’re not in the mood, you’d best be reading something else from my blogroll.

Situation #1: You just met a roomful of people you want to stay in touch with.  You want to add them to your social circles on Facebook and LinkedIn, but there’s not enough time left for you to write everyone’s name down on the back of a napkin and, frankly, you’d be too worried about not being able to spell their name correctly or read what you wrote once you’re back at the computer.  And you’re sure that everyone else has the same problem, because they’re all social butterflies like yourself.

Situation #2: You’re at a meeting with a few prospective clients for some Internet-oriented startup.  How do you swap information quickly and easily without digging through your pocket for a business card?

What would you do in these situations?

Solution: Get yourself a Poken and use it.

It’s not often  that anyone finds themselves in a situation involving the need to mass-share information (actually, I can’t think of a single time that’s happened), and it usually takes getting to know and trust someone before most people make the jump from “acquaintance” to “friend” (which, by custom today, probably includes the indication of friendship on a social site).

A new startup called Poken (sharing the name with their product) doesn’t seem to believe in there being a such thing as an “acquaintance.”  Or, at least, they view social networking friend lists as a gigantic list of people you’ve ever been stuck in the same room with.  And to alleviate either of the situations above, they’ve designed a device that you simply touch to another to instantly trade your social networking information with each other.

As much as the company would like to say it isn’t targeting them, I find it hard to believe that anyone other than a teenager would want to possess one of these things.  However, the website backing the service (at this point, anyway) seems to suggest they’re aiming for a professional market.   Honestly, what professional wouldn’t feel at least slightly embarrassed about pulling an anime-styled panda out of their coat pocket to “high-five” their counterpart’s frog?  While the dongles are quite obviously child-friendly, I’ve yet to meet the teenager who wanted to share their had a LinkedIn profile, and the lack of MySpace support (*gulp*) probably gives even more reason for the young to avoid.

Ridiculous nature of the devices aside, there’s also the issue of acquiring them.  They’re not available individually in the United States (yet?), but you can order them in packs of twelve (and then share the humiliation with eleven of your friends) for the low cost of $180 per dozen.  For the math-challenged, that’s $15 for each adorable social electronic animal.

The website that makes everything work could also use a little help in and of itself.  As I mentioned, the only services you can link to your Poken are Facebook, LinkedIn, and what appears to be a Swiss social networking site called Usgang.  It’s plagued with URL generation problems of the same sort Facebook had early on in their interface replacement (I wonder what http://www.doyoupoken.com/[...]/logout.jsf?panel=statsdetails is going to do… ) and hands you reward points (redeemable towards discounts on more Poken if you save enough) for trivial tasks like logging in.  Yes, I’ve earned two points simply by logging into the dummy account I made.

I think the Poken solves a problem that never existed in the first place.  Consider most cell phones made within the past few years, and PDAs even older than that.  Almost every device you can name includes an infrared or Bluetooth-based way to share your information (or somebody else’s, should there be a reason to, but presumably it would be best used on your own) with someone else, the methods for accomplishing this have long been standardized, and the transfer of information can also be completed without handing anything to a third party.  Also, given the fact that everyone from teen to the technologically-enhanced power-businessman has a phone capable of contact sharing these days (also with these technologies, and dozens more besides), there’s a pathetic niche at best for which these devices actually serve a meaningful purpose.

Also, there’s benefit to getting the information on paper as opposed to letting one of these devices handle it.  If you’re the businessman handing out cards, you can write any other relevant information on the card, and it’s physical evidence that you met.  Ditto with getting the names and numbers on a napkin.  I’d love to see you do anything like that with a metaphorical handshake.

From a security standpoint, I have to raise the flag when it comes to giving everyone the ability to play “Six Degrees” with your friends list.  Sure, it’s a necessary part of social networking, but seeing as Poken isn’t a direct social networking site (and I’ve already given you a few alternatives, thank you very much), is this really necessary?  Perhaps Kevin Bacon would appreciate the idea, but beyond that, I’m hard-pressed to think of a single situation where posting your information in more places than required is a good idea.

There is one thing that I do believe is covered well, or at least deserves credit for being considered, and that’s dealing with creeps you’d rather not share your information with, but you still want theirs.  You can activate a “discrete” mode when you share your information with someone, and all they get is ghost information about you until you can investigate their profile more and then approve their ability to see your identity.  As they mention on the Poken site, it’s “better than memorizing a rejection number.”  Apparently they’re expecting guys to go crazy asking females they know to share information so then they can mark themselves as a couple on Facebook so then there can be drama when… *RESET*

However, my cynical rant seems to be in the minority; the original post that prompted me to write about this is in awe of the service and the potential it could provide.  What do you think?  Are you ready to “high five” (or rather, “high four,” as the Poken hand only has four digits) everyone you meet with what could very well amount to your contact information, or would you rather take the more conventional paper/PDA/phone route?

As much as I’ve ranted and raved about how much the current generation of “social networking” (aka “whore-yourself-out-and-see-who-knows-(or-doesn’t)-know-the-most-people” networking, I’ve also realized that they’ve become a part of Internet culture that may very well be just as much a necessity as an instant messenger screen name, or even more importantly your e-mail address.

A pair of students conducting video interviews stopped me today to ask my opinion on Facebook’s recent decision to open up profiles to search engines. (Which if you couldn’t tell already was the inspiration for me delving a little deeper into the issue here and now.)

In a way, I see social networking as not only a necessity, but a beneficial one. Picture your favorite social networking site as a gigantic phone book, only filled with the information people have volunteered. Picture the friends list on that site as a personal address book; those listings out of the “white pages” of the site that you know personally, and have a lot of contact with, but the difference between this address book and a standard paper or personally-kept one is that instead of you updating your information, your friends do it all for you.

Like I said, the interviewers were asking opinions about Facebook opening up profiles to search engines. Having recently acquired an account myself (yes, I know what you’re thinking), I’ve been able to poke around with the site and see exactly what information people have a habit of posting or not posting.

I see the decision as double-sided, really; on one hand, it makes it even easier for the people you want to find you to, well, find you. Perhaps a long-lost elementary school friend will finally catch up with you and get back in touch.

On the other hand, this same information is available and potentially being presented to potential employers, your mother, and anyone else who punches your name into a search engine. And with the ever-increasing rate at which the “background check” for a job includes a Google search to see how much and how well-standing a presence on the Internet you have, it becomes essential that you not only be creative and show your personality, but maintain your dignity and uphold the idea that you actually have a maturity level beyond that of a giggly fifteen-year-old girl.

For most people who have common sense, the content of their profiles is benign, but I would like to point out that I have seen plenty of profiles that could use a bit of a sanity check to more appropriately represent their owners, and in some cases to protect their identities. Let’s be mature and smart about what we do, people.

For example, setting your cell phone number and home address to be visible to the world are probably not the most intelligent things one could do. So to help you stay safe, I’ve compiled a short list of recommendations to help you avoid being the biggest target for miles.

• NEVER, EVER list your street address, and depending on the size of your city, it might be wise to even avoid listing your that. Bigger is better, obviously, since there’s more of a “needle-in-the-haystack” problem with each additional person in your town, but you never want to be able to have anyone come right up to your door without you having given the location to them. I really don’t think I can emphasize enough the importance of this one single bullet.
• AVOID using your phone number(s), especially mobile phone numbers, in a profile. These are very easy to harass (prank phone call anyone) and can often be problematic, not to mention in some cases cell phones can be traced. Instead, use e-mail addresses, and perhaps a seldom-used instant messenger account, both of which you can ditch or filter for unwanted attempts at communication, with no further effort required beyond the “Block” button.
• NEVER post anything that might get you (or anyone you know) charged with a crime, be it something that could get you in trouble with a police department, or even simply your school. And I’m talking anything. And with the movement to online mediums such as social networking sites, it makes it even easier for universities to keep an eye on students and their activities. (Remember how I just pointed out the address book image about how people’s information comes to you? Same thing…all they have to do is wait.)  So, as an example, don’t go around posting pictures of yourself or your best friend holding a beer…someone will find it and you’ll be caught.
• DON’T post anything that you might later regret, even to the slightest extent. Remember, this is the Internet, and news travels faster than the light shining out of my laser pointer. The moment you let someone know, you’ve pretty much let the world know, and that can mean a world of pain when it comes to your romantic or professional lives. And now that Google can come in and read portions (if not all) of your profile, it can be archived for future public consumption, even after you’ve removed it from your profile.
• DON’T add everyone who asks to your profile; there’s a reason they ask you to confirm the friendship – it’s to confirm that you actually know and trust the person requesting to be your friend.  By “whoring yourself out” you introduce hundreds, if not thousands, of people you don’t know to a free-for-all access to all the information you have posted.  So think before that random hottie sends you a message asking to be your friend; chances are it’s not even a female but an obese guy with three layers of skin on his stomach and flies buzzing about his head.

I’m not saying that social networking should be bland and boring; it’s at the heart a form of self-expression, albeit one demonstrated to the world. The problem is that most people just don’t know when to quit – and end up committing the virtual equivalent of streaking around.

(Finally…a post worthy of avoiding the ‘Geeky’ label. At least, I think so…)

There have been plenty of ways in which people have been able to filter out their communications. For example, e-mail allows you to read any message you want, whenever you want, without having to read the others first. Voicemail has gotten to the point where you can do the same, a la iPhone (I say “Blech!” at the iPhone, but to be honest this is a very useful feature, one that should have been implemented ages ago).

But while these are useful, you still have to deal with the notifications (in most cases) that someone’s even trying to get in touch with you. Most cell phones beep (by default) when you’ve got voicemail or a new text message (of course, this can be disabled), and you can hide yourself on most instant messaging services by marking yourself as Away and setting your client to not harass you. And let’s not even get into the spam circles of junk mail/e-mail/phone calls…

But while you can do all of that with the “current-generation” of communications, what about some of the older things…things that haven’t changed much in years. Yes, I’m talking about your standard hardwired telephone.

While some people find that simply having a single cell phone and dropping the house phone in favor of giving everyone their cell phone number is a way to reduce bills, the typical household still has at least one landline running to their home. It’s great as a communications device; it’s simple and it works, and you don’t have to worry about recharging it (short of a cordless handset…but since you generally don’t put those in a purse or pocket and forget about them for a week, they still follow my point). But where’s the ability to screen calls, or filter out the obvious junk.

If there’s one thing I believe the typical phone service needs to stay in the game at this point, it’s the ability to allow their users to filter their callers. Sure, there’s a Do Not Call list, but has anyone actually followed that, and how many people can actually be bothered to notify the FCC (or whoever the heck deals with the violations) that someone has indeed violated it.

At this point in the game, I would have envisioned a web-based and phone-based system for setting up call screening. Nothing overly elaborate, but perhaps a list of recent calls with the option to block them always or at a certain time (useful for neighbors with no sense of night and day ), a la this s***ty mock-up. Believe me, people will take advatange of something that they can make as routine as their e-mail, without having to jump through hoops.

Now obviously, with such blocking power, there would have to be a way to get around this. So for that, I figure some of the more important government numbers would not be subjected to such blocking, as would important divisions of corporate agencies, such as a debt collector notifying a resident that they’re a few months…the list is endless, but no doubt it would help.

Of course, what to do with the screened calls? That could be another option; for some, the voicemail would probably be an ideal place, like your nightowl neighbor, but for others, what about playing the phone-disconnected three-tone “whistle” and message? And all the while…no phone ringing at 3 AM, or because of some quirky insurance salesman interrupting your dinner trying to sell you condoms because of a new “per-child insurance tax” your policy is being subject to.

I think it’s about time the tried-and-true methods got a bit of a revamp. Change is good…especially change that doesn’t interfere unless it’s specifically set up to. Come on…this shouldn’t be something that people need to install a phone company’s worth of equipment in their home for some peace of mind…but what do you think?