Re: Facebook Camera

Facebook Camera is the next step in solving the biggest problem I see with facebook. The most effective apps and services on the web right now aim to do one thing, and to do that one thing very well. Facebook is unique in that it serves many functions, and does most of them decently. But continued growth in that direction is perilous. 

For my own purposes, I’ve begun to use facebook as my central Internet identity where I can post and collect my activity from all my other services. And all my friends, regardless of if they participate in these other services, can view my activity on facebook.

I use Instagram for my most important photos; not the built-in facebook Photos app. Tumblr for my blog posts; not the facebook Notes app. Twitter for status updates; not the built-in Status tab. If I need to share a video, I’ll do it through Vimeo or YouTube. And, though I haven’t yet, I want to do my check-ins via foursquare, which to my knowledge, has no best competitor at the moment. And that would be a fine way for facebook to continue on…

But they need to be more competitive than that. So yesterday, we saw the release of Facebook Camera—what is clearly the best-engineered native facebook iPhone app to date. The app is beautiful. The app is quick. There is literally zero lag time when I switch to it from another app. Rotating a photo from portrait to landscape in full-screen mode feels more fluid than the actual iOS Photos app. It debuts some new interaction paradigms which are destined to become standard as soon as other app developers pick up on them, like swiping down to close out of a section (photo comments, etc.). And the bouncy toggles for the on/off selections of the ‘like’ buttons are adorable. All these attributes work together to make the Facebook Camera app simply fun to use.

Like the Facebook Messenger iPhone app, Facebook Camera is a much-improved way to handle the functions of the minimal Photos app within the standard Facebook iPhone app. I think that facebook will continue to release these specialized apps, in order of which clearly need improvements the most. I can see Events being the next one; a calendar-alternative of sorts. The app-centric approach is a smart one for facebook, and as evidenced by the new Camera app, it is clear that they have recruited the programming talent necessary to create some killer new apps and interface paradigms.

I would not be surprised if in the future, we see facebook releasing a whole suite of standalone apps that function as replacements for the standard iOS apps. This would be the closest thing to a facebook phone to date, and I don’t think any other brand could come anywhere as close to releasing their own alternate core suite of apps for the iPhone.

The only two problems I can see at the moment with the app are that there is no way to search for a specific friend’s photos, and landscape viewing of photos is a hassle when you need to tap out of them back to the main interface. But these are both the sort of kinks that get ironed out after a while.

Facebook Camera is a pleasure to use, and is a shining example of what a simple and well-conceived iPhone app can be. If you’re a facebook iPhone user, go pick it up now while it’s still hot.

Facebook Camera

Really liking what I’m seeing so far. Will post a more detailed review later.

Always Czech-ing Facebook

Google Chrome: I have intentionally set my Facebook language to Czech. Every time I visit a new page within Facebook, you automatically translate that page into English for me. I appreciate the effort, but I have intentionally put my Facebook in this foreign language, because I would like to become a more fluent speaker. Why do you not give me the option to Never translate Czech? Why oh why?

A good friend of mine pointed out that point number two can also lead to very successful results. I was about to delete and re-word the original post after reading his comments, but I think it’s important that I leave my faulty points up here to be seen. Though it’s tempting to post a thought immediately, it’s far more important to give it a little time to sit first.

My main point (3), though, still stands. Keep social time out of the classroom while the professor is teaching. College is not middle school.

Three Kinds of Students

There are three kinds of students I have encountered in college, with respect to work and play:

1. Those who enjoy what they study so much that their social time is oft spent discussing and applying what they are studying and learning. This, I think, is the result of the ideal learning environment.

2. Those who have distinct times for learning and study, and a time for play. Work hard, play hard. Though this is not ideal, and will probably lead to cookie-cutter professional mentalities, it is fine, and happens often.

3. Those whose social time they deem so important that they talk about it during class. This is the attitude I have encountered with many students in my study abroad program, and it angers me to no end. Here we are, in college, where you study what you want to; if you don’t want to be there, don’t go. You are paying for your education at this point. Please don’t act like an elementary or middle school student who is competing with the teacher for talk time. Regardless of how seriously one takes their study abroad program, this mentality needs to be eliminated. It is rude, and endlessly frustrating to those who care.

ghostsandonionskins:

Maurice,

I read you ten thousand times
in that small toy-filled room
on the days I went to work with my mother
at the doctor’s office
Out of that poison house
over the seas
and into a world
wild
and mine

Let the wild rumpus continue.