Guy Kawasaki’s Truemors is testing out a new version of the service for Facebook. This is a very different application from Truemors.com, which is a sort of Digg for rumors. TFF is an application to spread rumors just with your friends, or a subset of friends:
TFF is very different from Truemors.com. Our site is for you to “tell the world,” so if you post something at Truemors.com, anyone with a browser can read it. With Truemors.com, our intent is to spread information as far and wide as possible.
By contrast, TFF is for you to “tell your friends.” You can post something that only your friends can read and discuss. In fact, you can get even more specific: Selecting just a few of your friends.
Add Truemors for Friends here.
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I really don’t understand the appeal of Truemors. This is not in any way a criticism of Guy Kawasaki, but simply a statement of my confusion around Truemors. Perhaps some form of mindless entertainment?
I think the application makes more sense than the website.
oh brother!
Memo to Guy: Stick to VC investing, not becoming a Web 2.0 guru. It’s not your cup of tea, eh!
Just slap on a gradient and click your heels three times… ta da!
“You can post something that only your friends can read and discuss. In fact, you can get even more specific: Selecting just a few of your friends.”
Uh, isn’t that called email? Or a chat room? Or, good G-d, Twitter?
What’s the point of this? Michael, why do you think this warrants ink? Is one hand scratching the other’s back here?
While the Truemors concept seems neat this TFF concept doesn’t seem very compelling.
I think if anything the TFF application makes more sense than the website itself.
I wonder if Truemors heard a rumor of this facebook app?
I seriously thought this app was already dead.
i heard a rumor that truemors is headed for the deadpool…wrap your head around THAT strange loop of ironic wit.
I like the idea of this amongst friends - I think it has some great viral potential. “Megan, I heard Tiffany sucked face with Tommy”
Steve - good one. But I believe it was Sammy not Tommy.
I think this app will do pretty damn good. I think it’ll be used as fun, rather than seriously used.
Let’s do a little test. Which of the below are true?
Rumor: TechCrunch is paid by Y Combinator to shill their start-ups.
Rumor: Scoble is a shill and doesn’t even get paid for it.
Rumor: You can’t make money on Facebook apps.
Rumor: Facebook can’t turn a profit without guaranteed revenue from Microsoft.
How is this different from Twitter?
@Jay
the rumor is that none of that is true but that truemors is a pointless exercise in futility and egostroking. at least that’s what i read off of truemors on my facebook app while sifting through music i like on ilike and wondering why robert scoble hasn’t responded to my friend invite.
“I think the application makes more sense than the website.”
Is that really saying much?
Rumor: Jay is a loser with nothing better to do than blabber lame arguments.
Tip: Pissing at facebook using the profitability argument is very weak for a three year old company with incredible growth, reach and user loyalty. Or may be you’ve no idea what any of those things means.
What a way to treat your friends!
Both the site and the app are clutter. Guy is awesome but come on…
@Doodle,
Please explain to me as to what incredible growth, reach, and user loyalty equates to? I’m a little confused.
Alaska:
- 1mil new signups/week
- 99% legitimate data such as user’s name/date of birth/interests
- vast majority of users returning to the site DAILY for hours at times(sit through a college lecture to see firsthand)
- you’ve to live in a hole if you attend a US uni and aren’t on facebook. morely, the same phenomenon has spread in Canada and UK. So you can’t say it’s just a “US-college-thing”
new way to spread rumors on facebook? sounds like a good idea. would be great if can be anonymous.
How is this any different than adding recipients to a regular message within the Facebook platform? Is it because you use a TFF application that it suddenly makes it much more interesting?
Of course, I’m not a 14 year old girl, so what do I know?
You CAN post anonymous… go look before commenting.
The most efficient way to spread a rumor is to punk a blogger.
For example - I heard that some drunk guy turned off the switch in 365 main in SF, shutting down Craigslist and Six Apart.
Or - Hey Engadget, did you hear about the apple iphone delays?
What the fuck? “You can post something that only your friends can read and discuss. In fact, you can get even more specific: Selecting just a few of your friends.” HAS ANYONE HEARD OF EMAIL? Wow, I’m totally going to use this service because it can get “EVEN MORE SPECIFIC” than telling something to everyone I know.
Fail fail fail.
@ Doodle
Facebook is successful by certain metrics but why is their click-through rate 0.04%? I am certain they will make a profit at some point, but I think it’s quite overhyped.
As for me being a loser, that may well be the case or may not be, but you should try to use arguments and logic. It tends to help build support for your viewpoint.
Jay, may be if you were in the business of understanding metrics, you would know that in the non-search clicks market, the cleaner your site is, the lower the CTR often is. That is probably why MySpace refuses to fix its dirty crappy site–it gets them higher CTR. That is why facebook gets such low CTR–may be because it is very clean.
Also, facebook hasn’t really tried *that* hard to monetize. They are still in the stage where their main product is maturing. Just like google, the way for facebook to optimally monetize won’t be by putting random syndicated ads but to build a custom ad platform of its own–which they will soon.
Why does truemors always get attention? I don’t get it. Simply because some big name is behind it doesn’t mean it’s worth anything.
This is a good move for Guy.
Check out my thoughts at
http://abhishek.tiwari.com/200.....-move-guy/
One thing Facebook does really well for 3rd Party Apps is the the Viral Spread - just adding it from one of yer Friendz U are automatically directed to Send it out to 20 or More of yer Peeps - so it makes sense from any Web2.0 Startup standpoint to toss it at Facebook* Who knows ya might get Lucky + be the next MySpace piece o Billion Dollar crap!!
;))
and how is “By contrast, TFF is for you to “tell your friends.” You can post something that only your friends can read and discuss. In fact, you can get even more specific: Selecting just a few of your friends” different from stuff you can already do in FB, like using the internal email, or sharing or notes - which can all be adapted/used for all or a few friends…
Guy is like my hero, but man, Web 2.0 rumor spreading has to be the least “sticky” thing I can imagine. Gossip has to be the one of the most UNATTRACTIVE personality traits, why would one ever want to be associated with it….
…I am thinking of building a site called “I wipe my nose on my sleeve, let me show you dot com” where you upload and share video of yourself using whatever is near by to wipe your running nose with. I look forward to a Facebook mash-up.