What future holds for the use of Flash in the Social Networking Scene?

Image: Based on one provided by http://www.thecinemasource.com.

You know what I mean when I say that places like Facebook are way deeper than just a place to take care of a virtual farm. Right? For any web developer that disses at the social networking phenomena, is close to showing off they are in a deprecated state of mind, so to speak. This huge amount of people who are turning into this huge parks (social networks, that is) where conversations are taking place, can’t be wrong. And since its agrowing platform becoming an important spot in the society, our very survival is at stake.

Now, it’s not even in discussion if Flash could be used in Social Media, because clearly its already being used. Within Facebook for instance, Flash is the most powerful plug in you can implement. When it comes to gaming, Flash is evidently the strongest weapon (ask Zynga!). So what exactly do we mean by the question that titles this post? Before answering that, let me ask something else that might give us the real clue: what is this social media buzz really about?
Well, Social Media allow us to get back to a point where we all started as humans and at certain point technology and industry generated distance from: conversations. Suddenly, social networks allow us to have direct, bilateral contact with many, in a way that nor radio or TV have never been able to do before. That explains why, normally, we don’t log in to any of these social networks to look for ads or banners, nor to read boring articles like this one, no. We dig, and connect with other peers. We talk. We listen. We exchange cooking tips. Medicine recipes. We match. Un-match. Fight. Complain. And we don’t keep fancy talk (we can even curse!). It’s Real time, cheap, with neat interfaces, and it’s free! Gee, there’s no emoticon for what I’m feeling!
Does it have to do with what we do? More than you think: it happens that markets are conversations. The most successful advertising campaigns have ‘conversational’ elements strongly related to social media. Like it or not, word of mouth is back again and then people weights in more a comment that advices them about buying something, than the banner that appears on the upper-left corner. We listen people, and that is mainly why we all signed up with whatever social media platform we are subscribed at. Figuring out a way on that scheme might mean our very survival chance. So, asking again: what is the future for Flash in this?
Adobe people seems to understand the importance of going beyond nice pics and animation, and step into the ‘conversation’. I could quote as example, their Flash Media Server Family, projected to include the possibility of rating, interacting, developing, encoding, streaming and delivering media, and interacting with it, in an atmosphere oriented to Social Media.
We could also mention the development on AIR, which might be very strengthened by using the Flash family of products, and provides tools like TweetDeck, one of the best tools made available for twitter. How’s that for a nice start?
But we could go even further: on their website, Adobe exhibits the case of WooMe, which has an interesting approach concept for interaction in a social media atmosphere. In this case, they wanted one focused on speed dating. Their philosophy states that you can know if you have chemistry with a possible new contact, by only seconds of conversation with that person. Therefore, they provide you with a little video chat to see if you could have a potential hookup. And guess who is behind that?Yes... Flash technology. We don’t need to do the speed dating thingy to admit this is such a kool human to human approach. Do we?
But wait, there’s more. Take a look at this hyperlink of a short presentation at the NAB 2010. Despite the fact that the final show was a complete mess that must have caused someone to loose a job, this attempt of a talk still allows us to have a nice outline of what might be next to come. And yes, there is a lot to be excited about, probably more to come (ever heard about Grapevine?).

That was pretty much some advance to outline an answer. But we’re just starting. This would not be much of a Social Media talk if we would not consider your thoughts, which are really valid, cause you are developer. What crosses your mind when you think of the next technological leap of faith? Any ideas you want to share? Will the real Social Media Flash Dev, please stand up?


This article was a collaboration, written for my company's internal blog. Special thanks to Emmanuel Ulloa, for the helpful information given in order to get this post done.
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D-Fusions by Javier Fernández and David Zúñiga is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at d-fusions.blogspot.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at facebook.com/dasvassen and d-verse-city.net.

El Lazo Azul

Imagen, www.PlaneBuzz.com

“Soy muy sincero y digo las cosas a como las pienso. No soy de los que se quedan calladas cuando ven algo que no les gusta. Que viva la libertad de expresión!”. Cuántos así conocés?
La historia está atestada de luchadores por la libertad de expresión de varios tipos. Arrancaríamos con Sócrates, o la ‘Areopagitica’ de John Milton, John Stuart Mill en su ensayo ‘On Liberty’. Podríamos citar a Larry Flint defendiendo el editorial de su revista, o los Testigos de Jehová su derecho de compartir su mensaje a otros. De todo ha habido en la viña del Señor, y sigue habiendo. La gente brinca pululante por doquier, amparándose en ese derecho, con un lazo azul por ajuar.
Mas, como con otras garantías, los seres humanos tendemos a extremos y, mucho de algo bueno, se torna malo. Si somos capaces de confundir una bombetada con un ‘ídolo’ también hemos tenido la ligereza de enredar ser social con lo light, la buena educación con la escolaridad, y la autonomía con el libertinaje, la libertad de expresión entonces, es la nueva bastarda del grupo.
Y hablando de chanchadas, a diferencia de Porky, eso no es todo amigos. Tenemos megáfono. Los canales de comunicación, hoy son el confesionario de los llorones. Asomate un rato a las redes sociales, al tele, o al periódico para ver de lo que hablo. Haga la prueba y lea la Nación, o escuche a Amelia Rueda. Hace unos días, vi quejas por que se enzacatara el nuevo Estadio Nacional. Se que esto va a sonar peor que un madrazo, pero parecemos diputados de la asamblea hablando, y no haciendo nada.
Recientemente, ante la muerte de una señora y un bebé por un autobús, ví tristemente, por lo menos tres bandos: [1] periodistas sensacionalistas e imprudentes, [2] quejumbrosos de las calles, buses, conductores y las leyes vomitando trapos sucios y conjeturas, que emergían incluso antes de que pudieran sacar siquiera los cuerpos, y [3] los que, indignados por el amarillismo, comenzaron a chorrear su desazón, insultos, y su juicios. Pero todos y cada uno, alegan tener bases para su ‘denuncia’, por la libertad de expresión. Hubo pocos reparos en lo que la tragedia que realmente significó, por que nos fuimos en el guindo de la forma y el ‘fondo’.
No pretendo, anular derechos.‘Cada uno, cada uno’. Pero, quizás, quieran considerar que cuando la queja se hace un patrón, no solamente se aliviana el concepto de libertad de expresión, sino la seriedad con la que se nos tome. El llanto de un bebé, la acusetas de la escuela, la autenticidad de los Eminem’s o Calle 13’s, los Albinos Vargas, los Guevaras, la Glorias Valerínes. Todos inmunizan, y pasan. Estaremos haciendo de las redes sociales, un nuevo Zócalo?
Si hay, empero, consecuencias preocupantes de la queja: el fortalecimiento no del diálogo, sino del odio. Tengo que documentar lo que producen los comentarios de prejuicio, xenofobia, clasismo u homofobia? Recientemente, la victimización por el prejuicio que algunos religiosos han hecho, ha sido la base para que se genere en el mínimo de los casos, un concepto arcaico, caricaturizado, de cualquier persona con fe; promoviendo un prejuicio igualmente cegado, solo que con otro argumento. Título de la novela: Los ‘haters’ tambien crecen.
Todo lo que se hace al calor de una emoción fuerte, tiende a caducar pronto. La rabia, la indignación, hasta el amor romántico, son escobas que barren bien, solamente de nuevas en nuestra efímera pasarella de camotes. La longevidad que obtengan de las redes sociales, es tan pasajera como el sabor del mes. Si no cambian, los van a cambiar. Sugiero, con todo respeto, para nosotros y para todos aquellos precursores que lucharon por que nos expresáramos, pensar bien, cómo vamos a usar ese derecho.  Por que bien puede ser que cuando uno dice ‘yo tengo un problema, es que soy muy franco’ quienes realmente lo tengan, sean los demás; no por honestidad.
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D-Fusions by Javier Fernández and David Zúñiga is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at d-fusions.blogspot.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at facebook.com/dasvassen and d-verse-city.net.

“¿Cómo va a enseñarles a sus hijos a ser altruistas y compasivos si en el mundo virtual se les permite conocer a alguien y luego eliminarlo de un plumazo?” - What in the World Are Your Kids Doing Online?