Netizen

Saturday, August 04, 2012

Rediscovering Disqus

(Originally published at Michael Hazell' TechMans' World blog)

Rediscovering Disqus has been a pleasant experience for me. I had it. Then I walked out on it by default when I changed my blog's template. Now I have it again, and I am so glad I do.

Blogging is my favorite online activity. Makes for an active reader. And it is more than knowledge. You meet and get to know interesting people. The comments sections at blogs were an afterthought before Disqus came along.

And the new and improved Disqus beats the big dogs like Google and Facebook in the blog comments space. Both of them are innovative companies doing a lot but Disqus still beats them in the space. It is because Disqus' intensity of focus is greater. Disqus does one thing and one thing alone, and it does it very, very well.

Just like a ton of people who you could never convince to blog became happily active on Twitter, Disqus provides an outlet to people. You don't have to blog to comment. Commenting is legit. You don't lose track of your comments.

Like my new friend Michael Hazell, I met him through Disqus. Today he replied to a comment I had left at Fred Wilson's blog a few days back. It felt like randomly bumping into a friend. And, as of today, I don't even know what he looks like.

Adding Disqus To My Blog Was The Easiest Thing
Should I Get Disqus For My Blog?

Friday, August 03, 2012

Apps Are Where It's At

In 1996 everyone wanted a website. Today everyone wants an app.

Why a High-End Software Maker Pursues App Companies

selling expensive software to businesses, lucrative as it may be, is becoming a less reliable way of staying on top of trends in computing. As employees use tablets and smartphones both at home and work, and as desktop software moves to the Web, the lines between consumer and business customers are blurring.... Autodesk's consumer offerings are either free and supported by advertising, or they cost one or two dollars to purchase in app stores, while its typical software packages retail for thousands. ...... Historically, IT innovation started in big organizations, such as the military and large companies, and trickled its way down. But today, Bass argues, software trends are starting at the level of individual users ..... "I get more mail from people who have bought SketchBook and Pixlr for 99 cents than some of our $5,000 applications," he says. "The letter always starts: 'Dear Mr. Bass, I paid 99 cents for SketchBook and when I did, I expected it would have this filter or do this.' I rarely get that around our $5,000 professional products. For 99 cents, people feel very entitled."