MySpace is for Sale: There is One Bidder

MySpace used to be the place to go on the internet. I joined it, but never quite figured it out. In fact, almost every MySpace page I ever went to was so badly designed--with text that couldn't be read over the loud background images, and loud music files playing with no obvious "off button--that it just wasn't worth the time. Then Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp bought MySpace at just about the time that Facebook was taking off. Facebook was easy to understand, easy on the eyes, and much more usable. I don't think I ever went to another MySpace page.

It's kind of interesting to see which services become so common that they are now parts of speech (Google), and which ones wither and die. Sometimes it's sad. Other times--like when Rupert Murdoch is involved--I feel a bit of schadenfreude.

[Excerpt]

Myspace Has Just One Bidder, Sources Say



The tragic tale of once successful Myspace may finally come to an end. . .
 
Read more at: Huffington Post

Jon Stewart Tries Out Chatroulette (with Guest Stars)

I was a latecomer to Facebook after mostly missing MySpace, and not understanding what to do with Twitter. Now, there's Chatroulette, and it's taking the country--or at least the news media--by storm. Here's what I don't get: if you want to see nekkid people doing nekkid things to themselves or others, there are countless sites devoted to just that. If that isn't your aim, that's still what you're getting with Chatroulette.

Anyway, this clip is laugh out loud funny, with cameos by Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Keith Olbermann and others.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Tech-Talch - Chatroulette
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
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Greenlee Gazette Elsewhere on the Web

I'm attempting to branch out into the great wide Internets. I'm an old-hand at computers, having used them nearly as long as the home versions have been around. So, while I have great familiarity with these marvelous devices, I've been slow to adopt some of the newer technologies. And when I say "new" I mean in the last several years!

You're already reading this blog, an endeavor started in June 2007. But here are a few other areas I'm branching out to, though it remains to be seen whether I'll figure out what to do with them, once I'm finished.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/greenleegazette
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreenleeGazette
FaceBook: No idea, really. Couldn't figure out how to find the URL. But I'm listed as James Greenlee, if that works for you!

So, there. That's what I did this morning. I know these things are far from new to many people, but it's new to me.

What's a Twitter, Anyway?

I didn't understand, for a long time, what the big deal was with having a cell phone. I'd had one (the size of a telephone lineman's phone) in 1995 for a job. People had them in their cars back in the 80s; heck, we even used to call them "car phones." So, why was it suddenly such a strange thing if you didn't have a cell phone?

Well, after I finally took the plunge, I kind of got it. Now, I feel very strange indeed if I leave my cell phone behind. I still don't actually talk on it much, but am glad to have it in many circumstances. From checking on what The Other Half wants for dinner, to relaying important information when he's out of town, it is a great convenience and sometimes a necessity.

Blogging was another thing that took me a while to grasp. I mean, I'd been participating (or lurking) on bulletin board services (BBS), message boards (at Prodigy, and later, AOL), chat rooms (but not much), and the like. So why was everybody going on about blogs? Online diaries? Say what? Then, I started reading them, and eventually writing one. I get it now.

And I've already written about texting from the "don't get it" to the "I get it now" perspectives. But there is more to learn. Like Twitter. Everybody's atwitter about Twitter. And tweeting on it, apparently. Little bloglets, or some such. I'd hoped this would be a fad that went away, or that I could sample and decide I don't need, like FaceBook or MySpace. But everyone's doing it, so maybe it's time to move into the "I get it" camp, and check it out.

[Excerpt]

To tweet, or not to tweet?

That is the question. The answer? Who knows! In the meantime, anything goes on Twitter. . .

Read more at: ComputerWorld

Confessional: I Don't Understand MySpace

Intentionally difficult to read graphic by Editor (click to enlarge)

It is a fact of life that when we get older, we will not understand what the younger generation is "into." That means music, fashion, and slang. And right now, for me, that includes MySpace.

Many times, I've found links to people's MySpace pages that seem to have some sort of interesting content. Invariably, once I click the link, I'm taken to a page that is a horror to behold--unintentionally I'd imagine. My profession as a graphic designer probably accentuates this attitude. And understand, I'm aware of some of the limitations of the medium. My blog here on Blogger.com doesn't look quite as nice as I'd like it to either. Going outside the parameters of Blogger's templates is hard work.

That in mind, let's say you find that your favorite actor has a MySpace page, and the story you find about it talks about great pictures and video on that page. Intrigued, you click the link. . .and are taken to hell. Visual and audio hell, that is. On the background, there is an image that fairly obliterates most of the text, unless you scroll it to just the right place where you can read half a line. An audio file begins playing. . .with no obvious source, and no way to turn it off. You see that the actor has 28,562 "friends," with pictures of themselves, and inane, fawning chatter. If you happen to find a link to photos or videos, the link goes to a generic MySpace page. And you find none of the things you clicked through for.

This happens every time I try. And to be honest, I don't try it much anymore. I just simply and completely don't get it. And hey, I'm no dummy. I'm the "go-to" guy for coworkers and friends alike with virtually any computer issue. It's got to be an age thing. But word of advice, kids: if you're going to use a background image on a web page, dim it by 75% or something. Otherwise, it's just awful.