Spotify is Awesome

I feel like in the last year or so I couldn't go a week online without someone mentioning how good Spotify is but that was not available in the US. I recently tried out Amazon Cloud player and was hooked on "cloud" music. My phone is 4G but even on 3G I have the music I want available to me all the time and if I want something new a few clicks later it was mine. Great job Amazon. Well until I wanted an AC/DC album and ended up instead with a cover band.

Then I received my Google Music invite and a few free songs from them, the means to transfer 5000K of the songs I had on an external drive and I found my new streaming music player. Sure there was no store but anything I buy on my home computer in iTunes was quickly uploaded and available. Yeah Google.

But then came Spotify.com. Spotify became available to the US on Thursday by invite only for their free service. Their free service has ads and limitations and when was I going to get my invite. I think I visited Spotify.com only 2 or 3 times until I took notice of the line in the middle of the page:

"Don’t want to wait for an invitation? Jump the queue by signing up for Spotify Premium or Unlimited, starting at just $4.99/month." 


I didn't remotely hesitate. 3 minutes and $9.99 later I was an Unlimited Spotify user. Simply put almost any song I can think of, good quality, playlists, anywhere I am and on any of my gadgets whether over wifi, 3g, 4g or plugged in on my home computer.

Spotify also has 1 click sharing, any song you are listening to you can share on Facebook or twitter. Need some music inspiration take a peek at your friends public Playlists. Go ahead and peek mine. In the Spotify search paste this: spotify:user:wolfrakr

You can even leave playlists open to collaboration - like what a friend has but feel they are missing a song that fits right in - go ahead and add it (if they allow).

Sorry Google, I think your Music is great, Amazon you had me til you didn't, Apple, well, frankly you took too long to join the music in the cloud program.

Here is the Spotify.com promo video - I put it here cause it's just fun to watch.

If you are looking for an invite I still have 2 left. Leave a message in the comments or find me on Google+.

Maybe I was wrong about letting everyone in

I recently wrote about people turning away from Google+ because their friends were not there. It felt like being alone at a cool party. In the past few days Google+ has left the door open just a crack on occasion and let us pull some of our friends through that door and show them the glory of G+ and they all immediately asked in unison "now what?"

That's when I realized I may have been wrong. Those who I referred to previously as "sitting in the car on Facebook" should probably stay on Facebook. Now sorry if I offend and maybe you will come around but right now you are missing a gift from Google. Right in front of you is a fresh start, a ticket to a brand shiny new place of fun and wonder. Google is Willy Wonka and G+ is an edible chocolate factory.

Let me explain, friends, family, strangers following me who I don't know, others who may be reading this since it was possibly shared by another, everyone or no one...Google isn't Facebook, it isn't Twitter, it's not even a combination, it is something different in a familiar form. Google has given you your web presence in a nice social looking wrapper.

• Your Blog - go ahead and put your post right in the stream for the +public to see.
• Your pictures of your infant daughter - +family, +friends
• Took a sick day and went to the ballgame - +anyone but your work circle
• That picture you took on your phone - no need to send to G+ - it's already there just share it with the correct circle or everyone if you want (well on Android so far)
• Want to talk to your sister, brother, cousin and wife to make some plans - hangout or huddle
• Want to talk to strangers with the same interests - hangout or just start a creative post
• Want to follow those cool tech bloggers and celebrities - go ahead they don't mind, they don't have to be your friend and if it doesn't work out they have a handy "Block" circle

What was that? You say you can already do all those things with Facebook, Twitter, Skype, a phone, Wordpress, and a pen? Great, enjoy. I can also go pee in an outhouse but I'd rather have indoor plumbing.

Google+ is new, so new it only has like .1% of Facebooks users. But it has the right users. The people in G+ playing around aren't just complaining about another failed relationship or posting meaningless inspiration quotes telling their friends that they've never been happier, they aren't posting meaningless Youtube videos with a dog... never mind they are doing that, what they are also doing is making it better.

I doubt anyone is going to join Google+ if they've never been on a social network so I'm going to assume that most people have their preferred place to hangout, but I ask you to spend a few days here, follow some of the people you follow on Twitter and see what a difference 140+ characters makes, invite 9 of your Facebook friends over for a group video hangout and watch some Youtube videos together, admire the clean layout and the fresh start. Then after a few days go back to Facebook and let me know if it doesn't seem a little crowded with the mundane.

What I am hoping for is those I know come on over with an open mind and open up a little, share your interests in paragraphs not sentences, share videos of your kids not just pictures (but send them to the circles you know want to see them only), and don't worry, I'm sure farmville will get here eventually (I really hope not) and then you can share all your farmville requests with your farmville circle. You can complain about your relationship to your +trusted circle all you want.

Most of all enjoy the ride. Because we all know the G+ you see today will not be the G+ you see in 6 months or a year but my money is that it will be even better.

Are people already losing interest in Google+?

Originally posted on Google+ July 6, 2011

I recently came across this tweet by @rafat retweeted by a friend of mine:
"Yes Google+ is useful, if useful is blowing your brains out reading tech people talk about tech & media people talk about media."

I happen to enjoy the tech talk so I hadn't immediately noticed but a quick scan through my circles shows that those not in the "tech" community haven't said anything publicly almost since there first day. Now that doesn't mean they have abandoned G+ since plenty can go on within your private circles without the public knowing but a lot of the people are public figures to a degree that would benefit from any kind of exposure. Checking twitter shows that they are still active on twitter.

Is it possible they will come back once there is more of an audience? I would assume. Is G+ in beta? Well, yes. But that is where a fully closed beta isn't the best option. Google should open it up a little - let those that are inside invite a handful of outsiders to start growing their community.

What fun is the coolest party in the world if you have no one to share the experience with? There are some brilliant and talkative people at this party, I'd pretty much sit outside the house of +Gina Trapani or +Chris Pirillo just to overhear what they are thinking, but when I turn to tell my friends what I heard, they are still sitting in the car on facebook.