I read people's comments with interest. I am rather surprised by the negativity aimed at Facebook. I would point out that I do have at least one BBC person as a Facebook friend, that being BBC Radio 5 Live's Victoria Derbyshire:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=611852937 <http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=611852937>Whilst I understand about Facebook being a "closed" platform, it does provide some good developer tools. In particular I have seem applications like *Mafia Wars*, which is a very simple game in iteself (you can model the gameplay on an A4 page), but it makes exceptional use of the Facebook APIs. Not only does it use the "user login" to provide an environment for the game objects to run, but access to the "buddies list" is used to great effect, and the programme also uses the "message" and "feed" components of the platform to great effect. As for Twitter (I'm @Briantist, obviously), the APIs are so simple, the message format easily understood and the number of clients (I use Twidroid on my G1 phone) that integration is very simple. Aside from "tweeting" you status from time to time, you follow the updates of people that interest you. That bit is easy, but the hashtag makes everything "fun", because you can search the whole network for live updates on a topic you are interested. I find the latter reason useful for following meatworld events such as (#radfest09, the recent radio festival) and also just "Twitter fun" such as #1stdraftmovielines I was just a *little *disappointed that the BBC Radio "Visualization" didn't use Twitter, but a closed little feed. I would have preferred to add #materialworld to some Tweets, as I can do this from my phone. 2009/7/11 Nico Morrison <microni...@gmail.com> > Good point. Very good point. Both points are good. Took me a long time to > get on Facebook and even longer to go on Twitter. With FB the (alleged) > privacy and control is one of the best features, PROVIDED you put your faith > in them. Twitter is like a flock of gnats you can swat it as it goes past > but there's always more. > > Nico M > > > 2009/7/11 Matthew Wild <mwi...@gmail.com> > > On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 3:02 PM, Nico Morrison<microni...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> > On an allied subject, is there a Facebook page or group representing BBC >> > Backstage? It's a good way to disseminate information, regardless of >> what >> > you think of FB. >> > >> >> I don't like how much the BBC in general advertises and pushes Twitter >> (a single commercial entity after all), but I really would have to >> draw the line at Facebook, sorry :) >> >> Unlike Twitter (who provide an RSS feed), Facebook is completely >> closed... if you don't have an account you don't have a peek. I would >> be very disappointed in seeing any BBC data locked away inside >> Facebook and only accessible to Facebook users. If the account is kept >> in total sync with another more open means of communication then I >> really have no issue with it at all. >> >> The Twitter issue is a matter for another day :) >> >> Matthew >> - >> Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To unsubscribe, >> please visit >> http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. >> Unofficial list archive: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk/ >> > > -- Brian Butterworth follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/briantist web: http://www.ukfree.tv - independent digital television and switchover advice, since 2002
