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Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

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Re: Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

#31

Post by sssparkkk »

spiffworks wrote: post #22
three14 wrote: post #7

Has anyone made an effort yet to do the evident thing, and simply build a social service that lets you have separate groups of friends for all features?

The problem is that nobody wants to present their users with a gigantic list of contacts on first login and ask them to sort and organise them into groups. Instead, everybody just lumps all the contacts together so that the user is least inconvenienced at first, only to later experience problems. Google is in a pretty good position to tackle this, since a fair number of people who already have Google contacts probabl…

I don't sort my contacts into groups, and I really doubt whether 'a fair amount of' other people actually do.

Distinguishing between for example work and personal contacts seems pretty hard, I'd say even for google.

Re: Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

#32

Post by mattmanser »

spiffworks wrote: post #22
three14 wrote: post #7

Has anyone made an effort yet to do the evident thing, and simply build a social service that lets you have separate groups of friends for all features?

The problem is that nobody wants to present their users with a gigantic list of contacts on first login and ask them to sort and organise them into groups. Instead, everybody just lumps all the contacts together so that the user is least inconvenienced at first, only to later experience problems. Google is in a pretty good position to tackle this, since a fair number of people who already have Google contacts probabl…

You sort your contacts in gmail? I honestly would never bother, really don't see the point.

I very much doubt Google are, but Facebook might be in a good position to figure this out themselves now anyway. If I'm friends with Em, Bob, Barry and Jill, and Em and Bob are friends and Barry and Jill are friends, the friendship groups are fairly obvious aren't they?

Obviously I've never seen their data so don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised that they do have the information. Just looking at 'Mutual Friends' of people I know on Facebook it seems to be fairly well defined.

Re: Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

#33

Post by blr_hack »

aufreak3 wrote: post #15

This talk raises some questions for me. Email doesn't seem to have the kinds of grouping problems discussed in the presentation. So what is it really that isn't in email that can then be solved by something Facebook-like that doesn't do "social networking" like Facebook does it? Is it just that the interface is simpler? email = status update, social group = mailing list, contacts db = friends network what else?

Say, you want to let people know that you are going to be in their city. Email will be too intrusive. So indirect communication is advantage (which social group allows). A contact in the city can see it and choose to ignore it. Another one, may jump at the opportunity, and welcome you and want to meet you.

But we are still left with the problem of broadcast to all, which the PPT articulates very nicely.

Re: Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

#34

Post by goatforce5 »

It's also interesting to think about how to use social networks/networking if you're the owner of a store or service that people may not want to promote across all of the networks.

eg: Debbie probably wouldn't have any trouble recommending a new burger joint she found (except if she was telling everyone she was on a diet, perhaps). But now that Debbie has realised her contributions to social networks leak out further than her intended audience, it's going to be really really hard to convince her to 'Like' that gay bar were her friends work.

As someone involved with a few different 'gay bars' (ie, services people like using, but in a lot of cases don't want all(/any!) of their friends/family to know about) it's an interesting problem... And I have no idea what the solution is.

Re: Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

#35

Post by ralphc »

csallen wrote: post #6

>> If your privacy practices aren't transparent, then you introduce doubt. Doubt leads to lower usage. So true. Too many apps and services don't understand that as users, when we see "Connect to Facebook/Twitter", our minds are immediately filled with doubt and mistrust. Why? Because we want control over what our friends see about us, and we suspect your app doesn't give a shit and will shamelessly promote itself at…

I mitigate this by doing my main browsing in Firefox but always doing Facebook in Chrome, in Incognito mode. No cookie cross-pollination.

Re: Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

#36

Post by retroafroman »

ralphc wrote: post #35
csallen wrote: post #6

>> If your privacy practices aren't transparent, then you introduce doubt. Doubt leads to lower usage. So true. Too many apps and services don't understand that as users, when we see "Connect to Facebook/Twitter", our minds are immediately filled with doubt and mistrust. Why? Because we want control over what our friends see about us, and we suspect your app doesn't give a shit and will shamelessly promote itself at…

I mitigate this by doing my main browsing in Firefox but always doing Facebook in Chrome, in Incognito mode. No cookie cross-pollination.

I've always considered/wanted to do this, but the bother of having to actually type in my credentials every time and changing my habits has put me off. IIRC, Chrome won't remember my logins/passwords in incognito mode, correct?

Re: Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

#37

Post by tesseract »

mattmanser wrote: post #32
spiffworks wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that nobody wants to present their users with a gigantic list of contacts on first login and ask them to sort and organise them into groups. Instead, everybody just lumps all the contacts together so that the user is least inconvenienced at first, only to later experience problems. Google is in a pretty good position to tackle this, since a fair number of people who already have Google contacts probabl…

You sort your contacts in gmail? I honestly would never bother, really don't see the point. I very much doubt Google are, but Facebook might be in a good position to figure this out themselves now anyway. If I'm friends with Em, Bob, Barry and Jill, and Em and Bob are friends and Barry and Jill are friends, the friendship groups are fairly obvious aren't they? Obviously I've never seen their data so don't know, but I…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clique_(graph_theory)

Re: Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

#38

Post by FiddlerClamp »

Strange. I figured that Facebook handled this by default. If I make a comment on Friend A's status or post, and Friend B is my friend but not a friend of A, I assumed that Friend B could see neither A's post or my comment. That's a pretty big hole...

Re: Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

#39

Post by sudont »

retroafroman wrote: post #36
ralphc wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mitigate this by doing my main browsing in Firefox but always doing Facebook in Chrome, in Incognito mode. No cookie cross-pollination.

I've always considered/wanted to do this, but the bother of having to actually type in my credentials every time and changing my habits has put me off. IIRC, Chrome won't remember my logins/passwords in incognito mode, correct?

Based on your comment I assume the hot new FF/Chrome plug-in for 2011 will sandbox personal information between sites.

Re: Google UX Researcher Explains the Social Networking Gay Bar Problem

#40

Post by xtacy »

retroafroman wrote: post #36
ralphc wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mitigate this by doing my main browsing in Firefox but always doing Facebook in Chrome, in Incognito mode. No cookie cross-pollination.

I've always considered/wanted to do this, but the bother of having to actually type in my credentials every time and changing my habits has put me off. IIRC, Chrome won't remember my logins/passwords in incognito mode, correct?

You could use a Facebook Disconnect[1] to block all Facebook connect iframes from websites.

[1]: https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/ejpepffjfmamnamb...

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