TechWag

: Image via CrunchBase

FriendFeed has become my gateway to the world system, much like MSN’s Home Page, or Google’s Home page, or even for about three months it was techmeme, I spend far more time on FriendFeed than I do on any other system. If it dies, it is going to be a really bad day.

Robert Scoble points out an article from the Inquistir.com that FriendFeed is dying but no not really, and since FriendFeed is so important to how I connect with people and learn about what is going on this is one of those panic, relax, breath kind of moments. The article backtracks on to a note from Louis Gray about what FriendFeed needs to do to grow and survive.

Why? Because as great as I believe the service is, the learning curve is sharp. People aren’t getting its utility right away. They aren’t finding friends right away, or understanding why they should spend time to participate. Others are intimidated by the sheer volume of updates coming from people seemingly embedded in the Web, be they Robert, myself or many others. Source: Louis Gray

Is the learning curve for FriendFeed too hard for people? Or is it that FriendFeed does not get enough popular press. Is it that the Digerati have so completely gotten into FriendFeed that we just do not talk about it enough because we take it for granted? Is it too noisy, or is this not the system to follow 5000 people on? There have already been backlash against the tens of thousands of followers on Twitter, are we getting ready for the same kind of backlash for FriendFeed?

Honestly, I can only really handle about 150 people per system, some I follow get sent to the “professional” bin when the home feed is what I really read. FriendFeed though is one of the best windows on the world that you care about, not what other people tell you that you need to care about. Learning curve issues, not if you look at the compete score.

In all honestly, great headlines, but this is a stop and pause moment, FriendFeed if it is used right, and used in a way to narrow down the conversations to the people that matter to you is what makes this important. There is no realistic way that someone can truly manage thousands of people feeding data to you on a continual basis. As humans we will short out, and then get angry with the level of noise because we are following everyone. Not what you want to do on any social system unless it is a one way branding message. Pepsi, Google, Coke, BMW can afford to have the one way conversation because they have a traditional brand, they will have a ton of followers by nature. When we are just being human, we have to deal with our human limitations. Friends are cool, but given the graph, and given what social networking is about, FriendFeed is doing it right.

Not to argue with Louis, he is usually spot on when it comes to things, and the majority of the issues that he raises as things that FriendFeed can do better are spot on. But I am not so sure about usage growth stagnating, or that there is a general backlash against FriendFeed like we have seen with Twitter. Sure, there are always things that can be done better, but FriendFeed has a decent growth curve, and it is not time to kill the system yet.