Connecting

(image courtesy of GovGab- the US Gov't blog. I kid you not.)

UPDATED: I just got a sweet new email address. Hooray. So you can now connect with me at betsy {at} theliquidbetsy {dot} com.

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So I’ve been working to make TheLiquidBetsy more… well.. connectible.

Not everyone does an RSS feed.

Not everyone wants to enter in “http://theliquidbetsy.com” or Google or bookmark.

I’m trying to be accommodating, so all the nice people that read TLB (or those that don’t even know they want to read it but can be turned into rabid fans) can get it with the least amount of effort.

See …I knew you’d like that.

Lazy-ass efficiency. I live for it.

I’ve set up a Facebook fanpage HERE.

I’ve also set up a feed from Networkedblogs on Facebook HERE.

Now I’ve made FB my bitch, (or rather the other way around) I wanted make myself available.

I love new things, researching, trying, writing and reviewing. That’s my shtick. So if you have interesting things you think I would like or should know about send them my way. Many thanks to those who already have been sending their fab finds.

The address is: betsy {at} theliquidbetsy {dot} com.

And, as always you can reach me on Twitter.

Cheers.

TheBetsy

It’s Betty White, Bitch. (The Music)

I love me some Betty White.

Always have.

Ever since she played that skank, Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

My sister and I would watch secret-forbidden-after-school TV and our preferred digital smack was Mary, The Bob Newhart Show (yeah, the one before Newhart… funnier too.) and the occasional Elvis movie.

So I am thoroughly enjoying the resurgence of TheBetty. Thoroughly.

Totally underused in a McRole in Golden Girls. We are glad to see TheBetty flexing her comic fabulousness. The Proposal. Super Bowl Snickers Ad. SNL.

Especially the Viral YouTube video TheBetty did with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Ryenolds for The Proposal. Love that.

So obviously I’m not the only one whose feeling Betty While these days as The St. Olaf Glee Club does fan-tabulous take on Grandmaster Melle Mel’s “White Lines” — so without further ado, enjoy.

“Betty White Lines.”

(A special thanks to Perez Hilton the original source. Total confession- I read the Queen of All Media pretty much every day. Chalk it up to my Questionable TV/Media addiction.)

Passive Evil.

Evil.

Is it just reserved for the person that commits an evil action or can it belong to those who do nothing to help?

You decide.

Alfredo Tale-Yax. 31 Homeless in NYC.

Stabbed several times in the chest as he came to the aid of a woman being attacked during the early morning commute.

He collapsed on a New York City sidewalk.

Of the dozens of people that walked by in the early AM, no one stopped to help him.

Not one.

One did snap a photo though. With his camera-phone.

He died. Alone. On the sidewalk.

He died because he helped.

He died because he was stabbed.

He died because not one of dozen people cared enough to hit 3 digits and press SEND.

Which one is right?

Again, it begs, what is evil?

The active or the passive actions that lead to this?

Which one?

Alfredo Tale-Yax. 31 Died Homeless on NYC sidewalk.

(Many thanks to Jessica Gottlieb, for the original post on this. I think she right on with her last sentence: “Get mad.” I am. Are you?)

The Blessings of Good Enough.

We often see "Not good enough"

I don’t profess to know everything, but much of what I do know I’ve learned the hard way- trial and error. Mistakes. I then to do the “3 steps ahead, one step back” approach- I’m a work in progress. As we all are.

So… I do yoga.

I didn’t always do yoga. I did it in the past. Then life took over, so much so that I had to stop.  Then life started kicking the ever-loving crap out of me and I stopped and spent over a month cleaning my body. Part of that clean is yoga. The focus, exercise, meditation and sweat.

And it’s better. I’m healthier. Not perfect but better.

And sometimes you have to be grateful for that.

My enlightment happened while trying to do a balance pose. I’m not so good with the balance poses, but there I was… really trying… frustrated… I got almost to there… almost..ahhh dammit!

The teacher noticing our strain and struggle paused and then simply said “Sometimes you just have to accept where you are…it might not be where you want to be, but it’s good enough.”

A-ha. So halfway I stopped. It was good enough. I felt great.

We spend so much time focusing of fixing the wrongs in our life, stressing over the missed opportunities, the fine lines of time that creep across our body, the problems with no immediate fixes. Stress, anxiety.

I forget to stop and count the blessings of being good enough.

I bet you do too.

There’s the 80/20 rule in business. If 100% is perfect, usually getting to 80% relatively easy, it’s the last 20% that will potentially kill your product, your business or you. “The Devil is in the Details” and sometimes you have it ask yourself “Does it really make it that much better?”

Most of the time it’s “No.”

Somtimes good enough is, well… good enough.

Some companies, 37 Signals, in their terrific book, REWORK, talk how they actually force themselves to take away features on any of their new products. That’s like aggressively “Good Enough.”

I have to practice this, again I’m a work in progress. I mean, did I really need to stay up until wee hours of the morning hot-glue gunning pom-pons onto favor boxes my twin’s “Mini-wedding-but-it’s-a-3rd-birthday-so-who-made-me-Martha-Stewart?”  No. Now as their 7th birthday approaches will I do it again? No.

Wonderful marriage. Healthy, happy kids. Nice dog. My health. It’s not perfect but it is good enough and I am blessed for it.

See… I’m learning.

Soon I’m going to be embarking on 90 Day “Ass of Death Pilates Challenge” with the Fabulous Lisa Johnson and her Modern Pilates Boston. For 90 days I will be pilate-ing my tush off (or I hope to- that’s the goal because the badonkadonk I got going is Gansta Rapper size.) Of course I’ll set goals for myself- I’ve done Pilates (about 10+ years ago) and in fact, I did achieve the “ass of death.”

I was also in my twenties.

Though I’ll be writing about the whole 90 day experience, complete with the stats and pictures, I’ll have to keep it to my expectations in check. Be grateful for the experience. The improvements that will surely come,  perhaps new-found strength and flexibility. An inch or two off. A size smaller. I don’t know.

I have to remember that I am blessed if I get to good enough.

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Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

You can be a Streaming Media GOD! Wii-Netflix

“Two great taste that go great together”

Wii. Netflix.

Here’s the review.

I love this idea. Debuting this month, Netflix, the online DVD rental, now can stream movies directly through your Wii.

First, I’ve drunk the Netflix cool-aid. Yes, there’s Red Box and yes, there’s Blockbuster. But somehow, nothing does efficient, lazy-ass movie rentals like Netflix. The Hubster has been a member since inception in 1997 (one of the first 1000, and all he got was a lousy -shirt!) The basic gist- you manage your DVD list online, you pay for the amount of DVD’s “checked” out at anyone time, once you finish viewing a DVD you return it via snail mail in the pre-paid envelope it arrived in. No late fees ever.  It’s pretty awesome.

Now we get it streaming? Sweet.

First, the Pluses

Instant Gratification. You pop it in. Select what you want and it loads and plays. Hello? This is awesome calling, and I’ve just made your life easier.

Intuitive Instructions. Wii is intuitive. And the Netflix UI (User Interface for the rest of us… the controls) are just as intuitive. Pop the Wii disk, select the movie from Your Netflix “Instant Queue” and it plays. Viola! You are a Streaming Media God.

Feel the Power. You are hero. To the impatient, the overly-tired. The cranky. The obsessed. The forgetful. You feed their insatiable habit for flickering digital images of delight… well, instantaneously. If only you could George-Jettison fresh pizza out the coffee-maker– wow, you’d truly would be all-powerful.

Now, the Sucky side of Wii-Netflix

Selection Spotty. Well not exactly spotty but you’re not going to get AVATAR when it’s released. You can get a lot but just don’t get snippy when it’s not everything. This is all new, so I’m going to give them some time get things i,n order. I got BOLT, but that’s been out for a while. I checked out other titles- for example Entourage, all the past seasons are available except the first– this I don’t get.

But what you can see is where this is going. All streaming all the time. Price points will be altered to reflect. No more driving to pick up a movie ever. No more returns. On-demand: in the home, on the iPad, on your smartphone, on the computer. In your brain… wait.. maybe that’s not such a great idea…

Picking Instant Movies Online Isn’t Intuitive… at first.  I’ll spare you the five minutes it took me to figure this out. Look for the movies you’re interested in and the ones available for streaming will be a part of the “Add to Queue” button you normally hit. Touch and it will ask you if you want to add it to your “Instant Queue” (that’s the list you choose from on the Wii.) And you want to hit yes. You can also go though regular “Queue”- ones available with the “Play” button are the ones you can add to your Instant Queue. Hit the title and again it will be apparent how to add it to your “Instant Queue.” Honest, it was 5 mins before I figured out that out. You can send me a ham later.

And Just So You Know (Extra Bonus Round)

Wii isn’t the only way to stream movies. You can also stream from XBox-360, PS3, Roku Digital Player, Seagate FreeAgent Theater + HD Media Player, a bunch of Internet Connected Blu-Ray Players and HD Internet Connected Televisons, just to name a few.

So don’t think Wii is only way you can be a streaming media God.

But you knew that already.

32 Refections From The Potty

Just so we’re straight-  I’m not the one on the potty.

Baby Lug is.

As I type this I’m potty training Baby Lug, whose just turned 3.

Thank goodness I have a ton of Easter Candy to dole out for each time he uses the toilet. Otherwise I’d be in big trouble — I just don’t think real carrot is enough of a “carrot” to get the job done.

(also as I edit this he’s just stood up on the closed potty lid and peed. We may have a ways to go…)

It also means I am a prisoner of my home, and complete with Baby Lug is running around freestyle. If you get my meaning.

Times like these I have to stop and review just to see what the experience of parenthood done for (and to) me.

This is one of those times.

So far I know these what I know for sure:

• At some point parenting becomes about zone defense.
• Showering can be option. But not much past day 3, unless it’s a blizzard or a natural disaster has hit your town, then everyone is scuzzy.
• Live and love the uniform. Cops have’em, nurses wear’um, even the Dunkin’Doughnut Man who I used to scored my hits of caffeine from wears one… you’ve got to consider they might be on to something. Mine is a Gap Trouser jean and a Gap t-shirt (long and short) with clogs. The clogs are key because here in the Northeast it is snowy, slushy and with 2″ platform base I can navigate easily. Those extra 2″ also makes me 5′10″ and skinnier. And I can slip them off easily.
• You don’t have to bathe your kids everyday. In the summer yes (sunscreen) but you can fill up a kiddie pool and Viola! bathtime. After day 3,  again, things get gamey.
• You wear your hair everyday. Spend the cash there.
• Bobbi Brown make-up hides pretty much everything. Also spend the cash there.
• There were days I’d sell blood or non-essential organs for Bobbi Brown make-up. (Or now I use Sarra, which may have turned me forever.)
• Perfume is your friend.
• Tag sales are your friend. So is Ebay and Craig’s List. Even your town dump if it has a “Dumptique” Ungodly how much great stuff you get, sell or trade. Or just give it away to a family crisis center/thrift shop.
• Giving is better than getting.
• You will have a million new mommy friends but if you can cultivate 3-4 close in-the-trench friends from them, they will literally save your bacon with emergency babysitting. Also fab for venting, as sounding boards and as your biggest fans.
• We all need fans. Your kids do. You do.
• No one know what it’s like to have twins. Except those with twins. You just have to accept it. We give each other knowing looks and, yes, we have a secret handshake. Same goes for higher-order multiples.They also get better discounts and have my undying awe.
• With twins, things either get exponentially easier or exponentially harder. All learn the potty or everyone figures out how to dial 9-1-1.
• Diaper bags can be anything. Even a car.
• The nice stuff gets pooped, peed, thrown up on just as much (if not more) than the good enough.
• The Baby weight won’t come off unless you have a hand in it. I know, Heidi Klum says she just breastfeeds, but the girl is LYING. She’s paid to work out and just assumes that subsisting on salad is the norm.
• Your body will not spring back. Maybe the first one it did, and maybe those we’re even twins and you were as huge as a German Zepplin, but the second or the third. Your pushing it.
• You can totally send your kids a bill when their older if that makes you feel better. For the boob-lift surgery, the tummy-tuck, therapy you threaten you need.  Also you can offer your sons future movers to your friends. I have two and boy I’m thinking up projects for them to build, tear-down and move when their 16.
• What works for one kid doesn’t work for all. In fact count on it. It make it less frustrating. And it’s a pleasant surprise when it does work.
• A sleeping child will make you glad went down the lunatic path known as parenthood. It’s also the reset button. You might wanted to ship’em off to the Gypsies earlier but the sweet calmness of a softly snoring babe and, well, you forget about the cat in the dryer episode. Well not forget…but forgive. (The cat won’t.)
• Have at least 2 emergency back-up dinners ready in freezer/pantry. Trader Joe’s is great for this- pizza, frozen Risotto, fishsticks. McDonald is the back-up, back-up, back-up — right after Wholefoods, who does an awesome job, without the crap.
• You will rue the day they learn to walk. That means they will run soon.
• You will cry. Because of them. For them. Tears of joy included.
• You will think you are unqualified to be a parent. I was shocked they let me out of the hospital with 2 little beings. “Do they know I don’t know what the HELL I’m doing?”
• You will figure it out. It may not be pretty but it will be OK.
• The days are long but the years are short. You blink their starting to talk, you blink again and they’re jumping on the school bus giggling with their friends.
• Food is what is served. No options, no whining. Don’t be a short-order cook, kids will eat anything if they are hungry enough. Even if it’s just the veggies.
• Kids are master manipulators and crafty minxes. You get the behavior that was last rewarded. Give them ice cream to keep them from fussing, you get fussy, bratty kids ALL THE TIME.
• Being bored it ok. Scheduling 7 days a week with classes is mind-numbing for them and you. Creativity is born from being bored. Pirates under the kitchen table, Jungle boys in the backyard, princesses on bikes. Keep it in balance.
• Exhaustion is the norm. You’ll wish for the days when you were bored. Sleep is sexy.
• Given the chance, you still wouldn’t trade being a parent for anything. Really.

I’m sure there’s more …but this is what I can do for now.

Plus, the 3 y.o. just informed me he went potty all by himself. In the potty.

(Hooray!)

Brief follow-up to the best complaint letter ever.

Recently I posted on The Best Complaint Letter Ever. Ever. Ever.- One man’s disappointing flight on Virgin Atlantic hysterically detailed. There was a rumor that Sir Richard Branson, the fabby head of Virgin, called to thank the author for his letter and apologise.

I believe it.

Consider this evidence supplied by Guy Kawasaki, AllTop founder, Social Media and Apple Computer Legend:

Backstage in Moscow. Richard Branson is speaking before me. He asks me if I ever fly Virgin; I admit that I never have.

He asks me to try it. I say to him:  “If Richard Branson asks me, I guess I have to.”

He then gets on his knees and starts polishing my shoes with his jacket in order to convince me.

Can it get any better than this?

You see the personality that makes a mega-successful entrepreneur ( Virgin Records, then Virgin Music, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Air and finally Virgin Galactic… among others.)

Yeah, he’d totally call.

And invite him to Necker Island for a drink.

The Redemption of Disney, Reformation of TheBetsy

This post was initially called “Hey Disney, WTF?” And “Disney Redemption” but I cut somewhere in the middle and compromised. Sometimes after the worst experiences hit their peaks, comes the best.

First a confession. I never thought of myself as a “Disney” person.

Having grown up 20 mins outside of Disneyland, I was brought up on a pretty steady diet of Walty-D: from taking family friends and guests there to school trips- to TheBetsy, Disney was not a biggie. Not a biggie at all.

In college I did make a trip to Florida’s bigger version, but still I was left with the same feeling: contrived, expensive, not worth it. Long lines, expensive food and bad ice cream.

Then I had kids.

Having completing my first trip to Disney with children I can tell you I am reformed.

Redeemed.

Rejoiced.

Can I hear a “Praise Goofy!”

Amen.

Disney does destination vacations, especially with kids, better than any other alternative. They are so big, yet detail oriented, they can accommodate any size, shape, creed, allergy, handicap and do it with ease.

We started off, DisneyW and I on some very shaky ground. Very. I was not the happiest of campers in the happiest place on Earth. Far from it.

The Magic Express Can Kiss My Ass. The bus that is supposed to pick you up, was 2 hours late. With excited little kids, 2 + hours in line is not cool. Not cool at all. As for the excuse of being “slammed” by the zaftig cast member in charge. I didn’t buy it (and still don’t.) We book through computers, and through computers you know when we arrive, and in what numbers. Heads up Zaftig lady, your foot soldiers need better info, as lame excuses like this only entice the mob. Which you did. Nice. Exasperated parents and tired, hungry kids banding together to fight you- that’s what you got. And not a good first impression of Disney World.

Disney dining Reservations Can Bite Me. Then changing my reservation, because I was going to miss our 5:15pm Biergarten (Oompah bands! And 2 1/2 hours later, Beer! Beer! What Clean diet?) as our not-so-Magical-definitely-not-Express was 2+ hours late was painful. After being informed that my reservations will be held for 20 mins, which after I walked the “reservationist” through no-way-in-hell-we’re-gonna-make-this breakdown I still got… bumpkus. “Oh but they’ll hold your reservations for 20 mins.”

(WTF?)- I invoked the “supervisor” request. Unable to contact the Biergarten directly (!) to tell them to hold my reservation for the 40 min, which blows my mind so entirely. Disney dining can’t call the restaurants DIRECTLY. This is not good. I was put on hold and then was shuttle-cocked to what I can only guess is Disney dining reservation rescue. They managed to call ahead and move the reservation. This took the entire bus ride, or 40 mins, to complete.

Oh and I missed the twins finally figuring out, with squeals of delight natch, that we had surprised them with their first trip to Disney.

Nice.

My Keys Don’t Work. Nice.

After the Not-s0-Magic Not-Really-Express dropped us off at the beautiful Disney Yacht Club (it really is gorgeous) our keys didn’t work. Really. At this point I was thinking short of a heathen sacrifice we were doomed. Disney and I were not meant to be. I also did a revolutionary thing: I attempted to file a formal complaint through the front desk manager.

Enough is freakin’ enough.

The Redemption of Disney. That “formal complaint” was my first glimpse at the Disney World Business Machine wheels in motion. First the apologies (to be expected,) Then came 10 Fast Passes (which I had little idea of the power of “the Fast Pass,” but soon did) delivered to our room and, from what I glean, a special notation in our file that said “Don’t mess with these people” because after this we got special treatment. Or so I would like to think. Because after that, our trip was great. I also say, the delivered cookie and milk tray they delivered to our room, with chocolate “tuxedoed” strawberries – was a nice touch.

Each instance those first few hours (the bus, dinning reservations, uncut keys) was unique and unrelated, but to me, the new Disney visitor, it the prelude to the whole. By the time the door key wouldn’t work for the 5th time, I was expecting more delays, constraints, disappointment in the days to come. That front desk clerk effectively nipped that in the bud.

They made amends, they made my family and I more than whole and they did it in a very timely manner. From my past with crisis communications, that is exactly how it’s suppose to be done.

Disney redeems, I am reformed.

Praise Goofy!

Buzz-kill? What’s the Buzz on Google Buzz? Let’s ask…

Early February, Google debuted Buzz.

As most tech-tweet-Socially Media-inclined people, I signed up for Google Buzz when it first came out.

You may or may not heard of Buzz- it a social media tool similar to Twitter and Facebook, but attached to the Google Gmail account. Some sources reported it as a potential Twitter Killer.

I had my reservations. About using it. About it being the Twitter Killer. Now, over two months later- I asked the question:

What IS the Buzz with Google Buzz?

First, let me say my Google account isn’t my primary email account. It’s more like a secondary or tertiary one.

Let me also say that I have issues with  online privacy, especially with social media. I like separation between church and state in SM- for example, I keep my Facebook account for friends/family, LinkedIn is for business and nary the two shall meet. More personal items, such as pictures of my children stay on FB. I rarely tweet about the kids, never by name. I do have FB connected to Twitter via Tweetdeck, but at my discretion. I also like my email a few steps removed. FB, Twitter, LinkedIn lead you to this blog, where you can find my gmail account if you look.

For me, Google’s Buzz got a little to close by flattening the levels from SM to personal email and profile. So after initially setting it up, I backed off. Outside the very basic (picture and a brief profile) not much is going on with my Buzz account. I follow no one, I’m not getting the iPhone App. It’s been relegated to a distant 5th position after my Friendfeed, which means I barely use it.

Curious to other’s experiences, I tweeted (my primary SM choice) to my follower base and DM’d few selected SM pros and amateurs alike.

For the most part, I found the buzz wanting:

I do not use Google Buzz. Maybe later, but not now.

I have used it for about 3 seconds. Over on my Gmail account but until they roll it out to Google Apps I won’t touch it.

turned off buzz the day it was announced

I’m not that into it, I feel like Google is trying too hard

No one I know. It’s going to take something big to move it along

Yep — a bad time because it looked like social media gone wrong — and looked like spam. I think it was more the feel that made it spammy. Not the interface, but how the messages were being sent around and stuff

And this one from  @chrisbrogan

@thebetsy – you can say that I’m only dipping my toes in and that @louisgray is the current reigning champion of it. : )

Hmm. Louis Gray. Of LouisGray.com. His tag line is “A Silicon Valley Blog for early adopters, technology geeks, RSS addicts, and Mac freaks.” Plus he’s the reigning champion… how could I resist?

One tweet, two tweet, One SXSW, and week or two later Louis and I matched up. He was kind enough to answer all my questions, as there was quite a few…

TheBetsy: Buzz was supposed to be the great Twitter-killer, but since the fan-fare I really haven’t heard much about it. I’m trying to get the Buzz on Buzz. What’s the real story. Why isn’t it working… or perhaps it is?

Louis: Google Buzz was never intended to be a Twitter killer. It’s not how the Buzz team positioned it, and should never have been seen that way by any reputable writers. Those who saw it as a full-on assault against Twitter or Facebook were likely doing so for the benefit of pageviews and drama. That said, it does offer the best real opportunity for Google to compete with somebody like Facebook, in terms of aggregation and social sharing, but it is not yet architected to replace either service.

Buzz is very new, so much of the polish we have come to expect from more mature services is not yet there. Because of this, it lacks filters, and it can be, for some, tough to manage connections and updates well. I expect better tools to come in time, and hope they do before those using the service get fatigued and opt out.

Personally, I found it tied me too close to my gmail account, I like a separation of church and state, FB is for friends & family (i have pixs of the kids up there,)  while Twitter, Friendfeed and my blog provide about the right distance.

You’re not the only person who felt the tie-in between Buzz and GMail was not ideal. I recognize this gave Google the best opportunity to start with a built-in social network, and not require starting from scratch. But what’s best for the company isn’t always the best for you. I have taken a fairly open and public approach to my sharing, and have not hesitated to share personal and family updates on sites like Facebook, FriendFeed and Twitter, and don’t expect I will act too much different in Buzz, depending on what the community expects.

What is your experience thus far? Chris [Brogan] says you live on it.

Chris is a very nice guy. I am not living on Buzz, but it is a big part of my social activity online. Every day, I share about 20 items, via Google Reader, to Buzz, and those shares gain activity. If the conversations are good, I participate, and I do check in multiple times a day. That doesn’t mean I live on it, but I can devote about 5 minutes [to] an hour to it a few times a day, and keep engaged.

Do you use it for professional, personal reasons or both?

The shares and engagement I make to Buzz are personal, but done in a professional manner, if that makes sense. I also manage one client’s Buzz activity and expect to do more with new clients.

What are the benefits versus what you used prior? (please tell me what you used)

As a long-time FriendFeed user (going back to late 2007), the benefits of aggregation, likes and comments have long been understood. To have them in a new place with Buzz made sense immediately. As FriendFeed’s community is fading following the Facebook acquisition, Buzz offered a new opportunity to start again with similar tools with a community that has a chance to grow. Buzz lacks a number of the elegant features that FriendFeed was known for, but it also leverages a lot of open standards which make me feel like putting my activity here is the right thing to do.

Are you finding others are using it more or less? Is there a niche that really has adopted it?

Buzz, today, is for the early adopters. The same early adopters I saw participating in FriendFeed and Twitter early are participating with me on Buzz. Thanks to my cultivating a large community of connections in Google Reader already, moving them to engage with me on Buzz was very smooth. I find some people like Buzz a lot and others are just dabbling, just like with most networks.

Are using it in lieu of Twitter/Friendfeed/et al?

I don’t think I have decreased my use of Twitter or FriendFeed much since the launch of Buzz, but as FriendFeed seems to be fading, conversations are taking place in Buzz that might previously have taken place in FriendFeed. Often, those are even with the same people who would have participated there.

Being so close to Google’s home, do you get a sense of how Google sees their performance and adoption of Buzz?

Proximity usually doesn’t give insight into companies, even if you live next door. The best gauge of how the team is interpreting Buzz are their public comments. I think they were surprised to the negative reactions they received at first, and the massive reactions to what I believed were minor privacy goofs. Conversations I have had with people there show they think they need to iterate more quickly, but they are working hard to not introduce latency for their GMail users and want to continue on their path of using Buzz as a testbed for all these new open standards.

Anything else you think  I’m missing?

Many products, especially those from well-respected companies like Apple and Google, have the ability to get users and reporters into a froth about what “could be”, even if it strays from reality. For every post that says Buzz is the end of the world or something completely amazing, it’s more likely somewhere in the middle. Even in this world when we all seem to have shorter attention spans, and get drawn to the newest shiny objects, we should be patient. I hope Google can deliver something that is useful, but open and discoverable, and not cede the market to Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you so much in advance, I know you’re busy and really appreciate your time.

You’re welcome. Sorry for the delays!

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It is interesting to note that around 12 days after Buzz’s debut, Bradley Horowitz, Google’s VP of product management pretty much dovetailed what Louis was saying when he told eWEEK that “Google Buzz is not intended as a challenge to Facebook or Twitter, but as a unique complement to those Web services.”

When eWEEK asked about Buzz as a Twitter/Facebook killer Horowitz responded:

“Absolutely not. Per what I just said, this is creating a new category of communication. It’s filling a niche, which is not currently met in the market. I think something unique is happening on Buzz that will continue to evolve. It’s hard to create a trend line or extrapolate too much from six days of use, but certainly conversation and the conversational Web is a place where Buzz has excelled. I think it is unique and offers a compelling, interesting experience.”

So what’s the story here, is there any Buzz or not?

I think I’m going to have to go with Louis. Not the big splash a lot of people thought it would be, and not a total miss. It’s somewhere in the middle.

I don’t ever count Google out. Buzz 1.0 is not Buzz 4.0. Better features, better integration, more robust and allowing for better conversations can change everyone’s mind. But for now, Buzz  is the playground of the early adopters.

The Return of the Complaint Letter- Powerpoint Version.

I seemed to have touch a nerve last week.

A LiquidBetsy reader sent me this gem. You got to ask- what ticks a person off so much they’d spend hours putting together a seamless, storyboarded F.U. to the company.

Well that’d be Mike, night clerk at The DoubleTree Club Hotel in Houston.

The result? “Yours is a very bad hotel.”

And a gem.