Facebook’s Buchheit: The Future Is Lightweight Conversations

techcrunch.com

11 pointsglen5 comments

I think there's an 'AND' piece missing from the headline (and maybe Paul's thinking, though from what I've heard about him I doubt it).

Just as "the best companies" have a big vision from the founders down AND are implementing lightweight, rapid iteration, so too people are looking for a number of lightweight conversations AND a depth of meaningful relationships online and offline.

5,000 Facebook friends doesn't replace socialising with your three best mates.

Can someone explain what "lightweight" means in this context?

Like you don't go to a pub to have a few beers with your friends, but exchange a few tweets and FG status update comments...

Well, thanks for the reply, but I still don't know what "lightweight" means.

No idea what he meant, but here is my take.

Conversations online often come with tedious parts, like logging into the system, composing messages with these awful input devices, double checking the recipients, etc.

Do you want these just in order to pat your friend's back to cheer him up, or to make some insider jokes?

And it's not just a UI issue; we have to design the system from the ground up to remove the obstacles for lightweight communication.

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