Why Facebook Is Awesome

Recently I’ve been using Facebook a lot more than usual, in order to:

  • Reconnect with old friends
  • Arrange ‘real world’ meetups
  • Plug gaps in my network that I should have filled ages ago
  • Build a page for Digital Cortex (right here!)
  • Organise my contacts into groups
  • Do a bit of peer-analysis (spying)
  • Try some FB apps and tools for work

Now that I’ve got all of my contacts sorted, I thought I’d try one of those friend wheels, just out of interest. I chose the one with most users, which is called Nexus, and I’ve gotta tell you – it is seriously good!

Nexus creates a interactive image of your friends’ interrelations, their shared interests, and their profile information. It is really powerful, takes about four minutes, and it’s results are guaranteed if not to please, then at least to look cool.

Here’s my Nexus analysis, with some text roughly labelling my groups:

freedimensional friend wheel

If, like me, you use Facebook as a life-management tool, you may find it interesting to see your whole network presented in this way.

I was surprised at how this complex display of some 460 connections made me really nostalgic (soppy, I know) and has driven me to reconnect with people I haven’t thought about in ages. Seeing everyone like this revealed that this is basically who I am: a series of connections. So you could say, this friend wheel has reaffirmed me as a human! Who thought Facebook could be so deep?!

Where do you fit in to the wheel? Let me know if you recognise yourself amongst the connections. I’d love to know!

P.S:

Subscribe via FacebookInspired by all this, I’m adding a new icon to Subscription Options, my WordPress Plugin, in the next release.
It will allow bloggers to create subscribers to a Facebook page.
Try it by clicking this icon, and subscribing to Digital Cortex.

Web Discoveries for December 30th

These are my del.icio.us links for December 30th

  • Overlay.TV – Watch it. Click it. Get it.
    Adds clickable elements to UGC Video, but its true power lies with advertisers.
  • Pink Tentacle
    One of several emerging Okatu blogs that I’m beginning to take interest in.
    This particular site features technology in its more bizarre forms.
  • definr – incredibly fast dictionary
    Cool little tool that defines words as you type them. Cute logo.
  • 4096 Color Wheel Version 2.1 – link removed due to spamming
    Yes it’s a colourwheel, but it’s a particularly attractive one. Will be used to implement changes on DigitalCortex eventually.
  • 50 websites you’ll wonder how you lived without | Curious? Read
    Great list of Web 2.0/3.0 apps that, within minutes of finding this, changed my connected life forever. Curious? Indeed I am.