Sharing is Caring… It’s all about the third party.

When I started using the net, things were very different. Dial-up meant it took a long time to do almost anything, and once you were online, the connection was volatile. More so, we were limited to the tools the webmasters gave us. The site ruled the user. The site limited the user. The site was in control.

That’s not the case anymore. The age of the third party app is in control. If it doesn’t exist already, write it. If you can’t, someone else will, and within a short amount of time, it will be on facebook too.

Meebo.com is one of my favorite startups. They took the Trillian model and put it online. I haven’t used the official MSN, Gtalk, or AIM clients since I discovered Meebo. Yes, they do have a facebook app too! Not only are they marking their second birthday right around now, but they are taking their software one step further and opening the platform to developers.

No longer is the site in control, the third party is the key, and I want to wish Meebo every success!

Save an Alien, with Facebook

You might have read about this new Israeli startup a few days ago, they were featured on TechCrunch, and on the one hand, they are just another pointless, annoying Facebook app, and you’d be right.

Save an Alien is a facebook application that I did decide to add to my profile, but it hasn’t been warmly received. It currently has a six month shelf life, and who knows what will become of the rescued aliens when the meteor hits their planet in 180 odd days, or more worryingly, what will happen to this Israeli startup once their initial project is over.

Sometimes it’s the simplest of ideas that can be hit or miss, and I feel like this is one I want to follow!

Oh, and it seems that Google want to take on Facebook.