Earlier this month, FriendFeed opened the beta testing area of its site to test a major redesign and a big new feature: Real-time updates. Today, it has removed the beta label from the new features, and pushed them live to the regular site.
Initially, there was quite a bit of concern from beta testers that the real-time updates were simply too much information being thrown at you, too quickly. But over the past several weeks, that talk has quieted quite a bit, and users seem to be acclimated to the live updating functionality. Of course, there have been some who also chose to use the regular, more static FriendFeed site still, so it will be interesting to see how those users react now.
This roll-out is potentially important for other social sites as well. The biggest is of course Facebook, which has stated its desire to make the site’s news feed streams update in real-time. Given the initial backlash FriendFeed saw against real-time, one can only imagine how bad it would have been received on Facebook. Especially considering that site has over 200 million users sending updates.
And it’s likely that fact that is delaying the roll-out of the real-time data flow on Facebook, I’m hearing. That functionality was first talked about during the preview event for the most recent redesign back in early March. But with its recently unveiled new stream APIs, Facebook is allowing other services to access some of its data flow in real-time, and to build apps that handle it, even if it can’t do that, yet.
And the real-time updates aren’t the only new feature of FriendFeed. Aside from the aforementioned redesign that makes the site have a cleaner look, there is improved search functionality — including the ability to easily search for users. There is also a way to save searches that you do often on the site and have them easily accessible.
There is also a new feature that it’s calling “FriendFeed by Email.” Basically, this allows users to interact with the service through an email account. This includes sending updates and images, and to send messages to specific groups. You can also get custom updates emailed back, including comments on the items you have posted to the service. Replying to these will place a comment underneath on FriendFeed.
The new version of FriendFeed also includes the ability to direct message people, just as you can on Twitter, and this too will work through email.
Learn a bit more about the real-time update aspect in the video below.
The only thing stopping me from using it more is my preoccupation with Twitter. If FriendFeed could integrate full blown Twitter app capabilities I’d be there all the time.
What sort of capabilities does Twitter have that FriendFeed is lacking? Twitter isn’t a destination. It’s a feature and a simple/silly one at that.
I’m referring to the ability to check Twitter replies, Twitter DMs, etc.
Actually it is a destination. That’s why it’s practically the fastest growing site on the web right now (+76% monthly growth) and getting so much attention. If you don’t understand that, it’s probably because you haven’t used it. I too was skeptical but it’s clearly more than a feature to the 14+ million people using it.
Moreover, why do you think FriendFeed’s new design is so reminiscent of it?
Twitter may be growing, but it’s still a clearly a feature. Check out my Skitch: http://twitpic.com/4970u
FriendFeed is more like Facebook then Twitter. Who’s copying who?
Well, call it what you want, features don’t grow like that. Besides to call Twitter a feature is like calling Google search a feature or Digg a feature.
You’ve got it all wrong, Facebook copied FriendFeeed’s features first. FriendFeed just redesigned to a simpler, but more Twitter like look.
Unless of coarse you are a developer?
I *luuuuuuuuuuve* realtime!
Pass the Ritalin please.
I really liked FreindFeed going real time. Plus the entire redesign makes FFing easier, it’s one of the reasons why I moved back to FF.
I was still using the old interface. Not ready for this. Prefer periodic updates to real time
Yeah, I remember you saying that, will be interested to know how you deal with the forced transition.
Well, right this second I’m downloading BuddyFeed (friendfeed client) for iPhone
iPhone Safari interface still isn’t real-time yet either.
I have been hunting for a real-time search engine for web pages and finally found one and am slowly getting addicted to it. It’s BoilingPage (http://www.boilingpage.com) that shows the hottest pages on the web in real time based on how popular they are in Twitter. I believe it’s a great idea and solves my problem of finding web pages that are popular and in real time. Here’s one of my search results for ‘AIG’: http://boilingp....php?search=aig
I want the favicons back next to each activity. Why remove those? Looks like I am not alone: http://is.gd/vrSo
I’ll admit, I kind of miss those too Johnny, but I’m not sure they wouldn’t clutter up things a bit now. But I bet FF may figure out a way to implement them.
They don’t even have to bring back the favicons. Under each post it says “x minutes ago from twitter/delicious/whatever” If you could just click on the word “twitter” and have that function the way the favicons used to it would be great. But instead it takes you straight to the person’s twitter account. I hate that.
I’m loving this new design. Wish I had full Twitter app capabilities on FF though. I imagine that would pull in a ton of users for FF too.
They broke the abilty for me to post to the beta from my iPhone.
Eric Eldon’s post over at VentureBeat alerted me to the email feature as well. I am extremely impressed with the FriendFeed email integration so far and my Gmail filters are parsing and organizing nicely.
Kudos to the Gmail… I mean, FriendFeed team.
Now, for anyone working inside Facebook or Twitter — please steal these ideas. Thanks!
Ha. Email is pretty slick.
Yeah, considering my views on email in general, FriendFeed just made me very very happy.
If you don’t like real time updates, there’s a pause button at the top of the page, or you can just use the ‘q’ hotkey to pause the stream. The paused state persists even if you log out and log back in, and the real time feed won’t resume unless you explicitly un-pause it.
I just realized that by replying to this email generated by FriendFeed, I can have a comment appear on TechCrunch. Oh, this will be good. No more hoping Firefox and/or my Mac does the spinning beachball pinwheel of doom… In reality, I’m posting back to the headline. So, this will be great for regular readers of TechCrunch that summarily ignore the content of the post in the first place
Hmm yeah interesting, that’s a good use.
Yeah, I noticed that earlier today as well, really nice.
MG:
How did you guys implement that here? Is it a plugin?
I think they need to make the "pause" button a little more prevalent. Or just make a manual/auto button so the new Friendfeeders will understand. Especially for those who don’t like the real time fire hose of information coming in.
Anyone else getting FriendFeed spammed today? I got like 15 from:
FriendFeed user Bargain Tweeter
(http://friendfe.../bargaintweeter) has subscribed to your
FriendFeed.
Getting old…
Yep, getting the exact same ones. Over and over and over.
Haha, love it how MG always picks the most random pictures …
Someone buy this or deadpool it already. Apart from Robert Scoble and Louis Gray no one cares about this over complicated barf bag.
Friendfeed is what happens when engineers are given free reign to bolt on any feature they deem worthy…no one besides a relatively few ’social media whores’ has the time nor inclination to figure out it’s obtuse UI let alone sip from the firehose of unrelenting noise.
These “Shepard Fairey/Obama” graphics of people got lame a long time ago.
I really liked FreindFeed going real time I’m loving this new design. Wish I had full Twitter app capabilities on FF though. I imagine that would pull in a ton of users for FF too.
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I didn’t know how the new FriendFeed commenting functionality worked, so thanks for explaining that. This could be very useful
New version pretty much rocks.