Saturday, June 21, 2008

Thing 12 of 23 Social Media: Mixx, Reddit and Newsvine

Mixx

...has a little slicker looking site than Digg. Its subtitle is "your blend of the web". No registration is required, they say, but in order to comment or add recommendations you do need to create an account. The video tour froze my computer, alas, so I couldn't see the overview. The social aspect of this goes beyond the ordinary. You can have "Followers" and see who they are. You can apparently ban them if they don't suit you. (Bad, bad, follower). You gain "karma" by being a good Mixxer with good comments posted by you and your followers. You can become a "Super Mixer" with "Powers". I have to commend them for an unusual spin on being social and rewarding frequent use and popularity.

Reddit

...has a very choppy looking site, but there is a handy sidebar that lets you check boxes to see only the most popular entries in categories you choose. I chose Funny and Entertainment categories and had these results:

...Sounds familiar: a man named Buttle is kidnapped at gunpoint by goons who literally burst into his home, put him into a sack and hauled him off to be tortured and never seen again.

I love how half of Reddit read an article then promply jumped off the Obama train today.

Mysterious Brain Cells Linked to Blood Flow ...nearly a century after the discovery of strange star-shaped cells in the brain, scientists say they have finally begun to unravel their function.

Calling someone an ****** is not an argument.

Baby Crying With Wrestlers in Contest at Tokyo

Let Sudo Insult You When You (mess) Up
submitted to programming

Bike Commuting for Newbies, Part Three— Some Things I Missed: Pulling Your Weight (And A Bit More)

Pensioner, 81, ordered to remove flat cap as he has a quiet pint - because it's a security risk
submitted to worldnews

Photographer Documents Secret Satellites — All 189 of Them submitted to offbeat.

None of these fit "fun" or "entertainment" in my mind. You can see other categories crept in as results. Politics and general insults popped up. I can't see this as a very useful tool.

Newsvine

..."an instant reflection of what the world is talking about at any given moment". I am not a "news junkie" but several people I know have recently described themselves as such. These are certainly interesting times, but for myself, TMI (too much information) leads to a sleepless librarian. Not recommended for those who need to use their heads in their employ. Most days. This site is certainly more professional looking than the others which look like mere text feeds in comparison.

A sampler:
Some Republicans Worry About Party's Chances
Newsweek (Seeded By Jim Dent)
( Has modern life killed the semicolon?
Slate (Seeded By Scott (Scoop) Butki)
Photographer Documents 189 Secret Satellites; the Terrorists Win
Wired News (Seeded By M. Remmers)
Torture began at the top
The L.A. Times (Seeded By Pamela Drew)
Hot Air: Obama to Clinton supporters: It would help if you'd just get over it
Newsweek (Seeded By gpnavonod)
Vitamin C Is About To Be Made Illegal In Canada! Nutritional Supplements Banned In Canada! Bill C-51

I'll forward this site on to my news junkie pals.

Thing 12 complete, on to 13.

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