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Introducing Paper

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211–220 of 291 posts

Re: Introducing Paper

#211
post #48

Man, that video, typical marketing bullshit. First scene shows a guy writing on a typewriter, next scene shows someone hanging up Polaroid pictures. Seriously? Show me why this app is useful and why I need it, instead of trying to lull me into a world that doesn't exist.

Marketing is not about features or why you need to use that specific application. It is eliciting emotions. It is selling feelings.

Re: Introducing Paper

#212
post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. Its become almost formulaic: cue hipster/light-hearted/playful music, show several emotionally engaging images with over-the-top DOF blur, narrate about how some mundane product that sucks us away from "real life" activities is tied to making the world a better, more engaging place.

I think your "sucks us away from real life" complaint has become formulaic. https://twitter.com/HistoryInPics/status/428802773313134592/...

I knew what your photo would be before I clicked on it, and thus your defense is also 'formulaic'. One photo meme doesn't adequately counter the massive psychosocial influence of technology, good AND bad.

Re: Introducing Paper

#213
post #184
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's literally the entire point of this type of visual marketing: to help you envision a fantasy world that's attainable with a particular product. Apple, BMW, Chanel, etc, all do it.

Yeah, I used to love the iPod adverts with the hip, trendy silhouette dancing away. Then you would see the average user on the train. Spotty, not especially attractive, and definitely not cool. But I guess that image wouldn't sell much.

iPhone commericals have gotten creepy - everyone staring off into their silent screen..

Re: Introducing Paper

#214
post #19

I'm impressed by how much CPU this website is able to use. It pegged all 8 cores at 100% while I had the website open on firefox/win7

My laptop fan is still going after leaving the site.

Re: Introducing Paper

#215
post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but sharing pictures of her fetus, which could then be enlarged by anyone who cares enough. What is the issue with someone enlarging an ultrasound picture?

Not in enlarging, but in sharing. Why are we sharing ultrasound pictures? Should we be? What if something goes wrong and the woman has a miscarriage? Who's keeping these pictures (outside of FB)? Who's sharing them with others? At what point is it ok/not ok to share pictures of kids/future kids? My point is that it's an interesting philosophical question that has a lot of implications, and I personally don't like the…

Why are we sharing ultrasound pictures? Should we be?

How about: should we be questioning what other people decide to share with friends, family, the Internet? Probably not.

Re: Introducing Paper

#216
It looks beautiful - which is what I have come to expect from the designers over there at facebook. I love how Mike and Sharon's trips are used in their marketing materials, it is a nice personal touch.

The facebook timeline is starting to feel extremely stale - if facebook can make it so its users can tell better stories then I am all for it.

Re: Introducing Paper

#217
post #108
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> All tech companies/startups are starting to look the same. I think it's more that they are just starting to advertise the same way that all other companies do. More and more they're evoking emotional responses from the ads' viewers, rather than listing technical features and productivity measures. Apple was probably one of the first, really. Look at the early Macintosh ads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCL1c8JCe…

Yes. Agree with this. At some point, though, I feel the same about everything... Queue up someone commenting that their feed doesn't look anything like the polish of a feed in a Facebook ad. :)

Right here. Couldn't help but think it as I watched. It seems like facebook has tweaked sharing algorithms, and I'm getting a lot more memes from pages my friends "liked" and updates from people I don't know, interacting with my friends. Not to mention pictures of food, dogs, and other stuff that I should be a little more active in culling.

If they have smart integration with news sources / blogs (they showed BBC and the Atlantic I think) that could show me news that matches my interest but isn't spammy, this could be a reversal for them; I might not go to Facebook for friends, and Twitter for news/ more intellectual stuff.

Re: Introducing Paper

#219
Reading the (few) details, it seems pretty poor at algorithmic level, in the sense of how it choose the stories for you.

I wonder what the best strategy is, while in the past we had ugly interfaces with interesting algos (e.g., reddit), now it seems there's just UX/UI... my question is: is this a viable solution? Can you build UX first, and then complete it with better algos?

Re: Introducing Paper

#220

When did "beautiful storytelling" become code for "a big picture near the top and then plain text on a white background?"

You've got to understand things in context. The world of web design and of app design has typically been a cluttered and ugly mess where typography and clean design have been pushed to the wayside in favor of trying to cram more stuff into user's eyes (often in service to advertising dollars). In that world boring design that has little going for it other than cleanliness and good lines becomes "beautiful".

Or, rather, usability, generic sans-serif, and having everything above the fold was valued more than typography and clean design.
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