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#ADN is here. You should be, too.
Working With Cashtags Using Yahoo! Pipes & IFTTT
Needless to say, I wasn’t part of the #ADN hackathon that took place recently. However, that wasn’t going to stop me from having my very own hackathon (you know… for non-developers….). I started thinking about what I wrote during my last two posts, and how it would be cool if contextual hashtags (dubbed #cashtags) could be used with #ADN to drive user engagement, which would (perhaps) drive more users onto the site, which would increase funding for developers & #ADN, etc. etc.
So, I thought…
…. how the hell am I going to do this? ….
… and as most non-developers do, I listened to others, used what I’ve learned, and put together a non-dev hack of my own.
I decided to use two #cashtags to start; the #hasktag (#?) and the recommendation tag (#^). Also, I figured that I would start simple; use them with #ADN (for lots of folks want to ask about ADN, as well as make a recommendation for ADN).
So, here’s what I did:
1) I noticed that every user has an RSS feed, and also noticed that (as a non-developer) I was unable to find the Global Feed RSS (perhaps there isn’t one, or perhaps I would have to be a developer to access it… whatever…).
2) I Googled ‘curate RSS feeds’ and stumbled across Yahoo! Pipes
3) I took my feed and created a pipe for #?ADN as well as #^ADN (essentially, used a filter module). This was very flexible and easy to do.
4) Saved the Yahoo! Pipes and created RSS feeds for said pipes (As well as an #ADN pipe page… more to come on that).
Now that I have RSS feeds based on those #cashtags (which I can subscribe to and read at my leisure), I am able to set triggers through ifttt.com for when those feeds change (i.e. text message myself, send to Dropbox, and/or a whole other host of things). Also, you can set up widgets, get the feed in JSON format, and integrate this within websites. Very versatile and slick…
The only downside to this is that I don’t have access to the Global RSS feed (if there is one). It would seem as if it should exist somewhere, and I would appreciate any sort of insight into this. In the meantime, the only way this would be effective is if I were to pull in all of the RSS feeds of the users that would be interested in using #cashtags, and essentially create the #cashtag community from those that wish to participate. I could, essentially, just start dumping all of the individual feeds into Pipes one-by-one, but that’s a pain-in-the-ass (and I wouldn’t do that w/o permission anyway).
If anyone is interested in seeing how this works, please feel free to give me a shout (chris dot carey at outlook dot com) or hit me up on #ADN: @chriscarey
I hope that folks find this helpful and/or inspiring (especially for the non-developers out there like myself.. 
Let’s Reinvent The Hashtag!
One of my App.net buddies @q asked what sort of dev work his App.net buddy @berg should work on over the weekend…
…. and I thought…
Let’s reinvent the hashtag.
Let’s face it; Twitter made the hashtag mainstream. However, the hashtag, while a relatively decent filter through the 20 tons of noise that Twitter produces, is a primitive filter. It gets us from A to ‘sort of’ B quickly, but when it comes to generating meaningful conversation with others, let’s just say it falls flat instead of sharp (nyuk nyuk).
In other words, hashtags merely focus on the topic (or, in developer terms, the object).
But what if we innovated the hashtag to focus not only on the object itself, but on what we can do with said object (the method)? What if we are able to curate ‘hashtag method’ streams instead of searching for the object itself and getting every random burp and fart out there? For example, instead of searching for #iPhone5 and getting everything under the sun, why not search for #?iPhone (called: hasktag) and get all of the questions asked (method) about iPhone5 (object) in order to see if you can help answer a question (or ask one yourself)? Or, perhaps we want to make a recommendation for #^iPhone5 (i.e. I think that the #^iPhone5 is great!). Some folks can’t decide between two things, and might want to ping the crowd (i.e. Can’t decide… help!! #iPhone5%Android). If you want to throw in your two cents on something… (i.e. #$iPhone5 is ok, but could be better with a,b, and c), share your opinion (and search for them as well).
Ask, answer, recommend, compare, and opinion; five ways to reinvent the hashtag, and five ways to search for and generate meaningful conversation through the noise.
Three Things You Should Know About App.Net (from a non-developer)
Some of you might have recently heard about something called App.net. Others are probably wondering what in the hell I’m talking about. That’s because App.net is a brand new social networking platform…
.. yup.. another social networking platform…
You might be wondering what in the world we would need with another social networking platform. We’ve got Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, and a host of other social networking sites to keep us connected. We have Likes, Tweets, and +1′s. However, App.net is different.
(yeah… right…)
Seriously. App.net is different.
How so?
Here are three things you should know about App.net:
1) App.net has a different business model – One of the biggest differences that you will notice is that App.net is not free. Yes, folks – this social network costs money. However, for most of you that are fed up with ‘free’ social networks that aren’t innovating, messing with the privacy policies, and are inundated with ads, this will be a refreshing experience. While App.net has built their initial API around what most non-developers would consider a ‘Twitteresque’ model with some extra available characters, the folks at App.net assure users that developers are working hard in creating applications (web-based & mobile) that will innovate social networking like never before. This is all the more reason to join App.net early; you’ll have the ability to offer up valuable feedback to developers as to what they should be developing (i.e. what you would/wouldn’t want to see in a social network). With App.net, we pay for the product instead of our information being the product.
2) App.net is in its early stages – Most non-developers checking out App.net will complain that there is nothing innovative about App.net (most commonly heard: It’s a Twitter clone!) However, if you look deeper, you will realize the potential of the business model. For example, when you pay for App.net, you are, in part, funding the developers that will create applications on their framework. Imagine, for a moment, a Facebook without ads, and a mobile application with Instagram filters all rolled into one. Or, perhaps a Pinterest/Twitter-like hybrid. The point here is that App.net has just started out, and the more folks that support it and bring ideas to the table, the better it will be.
3) With App.net, the conversation has returned – I consider myself a non-developer that enjoys tech stuff, social networks, and good conversation. With that said, App.net is for me. I am able to check out the Global feed for conversations that interest me, and while I might not be able to speak in the same language as some of the developers, I’m able to offer up suggestions as part of what will inevitably be a large part of the user base; the non-developers. Bridging developers with non-developers is the key to success, for developers need to know what non-developers like in their social network applications so they can develop ‘the next big thing’. I believe that the more non-developers that join App.net with an open mind and suggestions, the more likely it will bring App.net to the next level.
If this sounds interesting, go ahead and check it out. You will not be disappointed, and just think; you’ll be part of ‘the next big thing’ in social networking.
