Mark KrynskyFounder, LIfeScribe.us · Digital Legacy Advocate. Building personal data projects using AI, sharing tools and learnings

MySpace on The Future of Lifestreaming with Activity Streams at 140Conf

Name: MySpace on The Future of Lifestreaming with Activity Streams at 140Conf
Uploaded: 2009-11-03T03:34:37+00:00
Duration: 1 min 14 s
Channel: Mark Krynsky
Description: In this segment of a MySpace presentation at 140Conf, the speaker argues that static "About Me" profile fields are no longer reliable indicators of a…

3 Nov 2009 · 1 min

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1:14

In this segment of a MySpace presentation at 140Conf, the speaker argues that static "About Me" profile fields are no longer reliable indicators of a user's interests because users rarely update them. Instead, real‑time activity streams—what the speaker calls a "lifestream"—provide a richer, continuously refreshed picture of identity. By following actions such as befriending Lady Gaga for Halloween or attending a secret Weezer show, the platform can infer preferences and social connections far more accurately. The speaker urges developers to design activities with richer semantics to capture these nuanced signals, positioning lifestreams as the next evolution of personal identity on social platforms.

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you know, the About Me section, people were not updating that at all. So then we were basically selling to ad companies, hey, you can target this user because they wrote on their About Me section what bands they like. Well, who really goes back to their About Me section every time they like a new band and update it? That doesn't really happen anymore. So we've come to expect the stream to be part of our identity. So as we do things, like for example, I decided that I was going to dress up as Lady Gaga for Halloween. So there I went and befriended Lady Gaga because I want to check out her music and check out her photos. So basically, you can get a much richer picture of who a person is by their livestream. So by everything they're saying, by the content they are interacting. Last week, we had Weezer do a secret show for us. So we have a picture of Weezer there. So it really paints the whole picture. We're used to seeing people come across via Twitter in 140 characters. Well, I think this adds a little color, and I would encourage more people to consider building activities with rich semantics.