‘Old’ Hotviews readers will remember both MyTop and my open letter to Mark Zuckerberg some four years ago in Sept 07. See Dear Mr Zuckerberg – MyTop – it could be you! 11th Sept 2007
Sadly, as not all of you are subscribers who can access the archives, let me reprint a few paragraphs from that letter
Dear Mr Zuckerberg – MyTop – it could be you?
“To become MyTop, Facebook has got to embrace all the facets of ME.
Let me give you a simple example - and suggestion. Recently my daughter posted a picture on Facebook of me in a Lycra suit when I went diving. It was to protect me from the jellyfish but was probably the most embarrassing picture of me ever! I'm happy to share that with my family but not the UK head of EDS who also just happens also to be one of my Facebook friends.
On the other hand, my daughter is pretty uninterested in my (or, indeed, anybody's) views on BPO.
So why can't I have friends in different categories - Eg Family, social friends, company colleagues, business contacts etc. When I accept them as Facebook friends, I specify which 'type' they are and they only have access to the appropriate part of my Profile and associated 'news updates' Surely that would be ever so easy to implement?
Indeed, if you did that, I could have a MyTop that followed me around. Just log in on "Any device, Any time, Any where" (Holway's ultimate Martini Moment) and up pops MyTop and away I go!
If you did become MyTop you could stop dreaming of Facebook being worth $10b - it could be worth ten times that! But if you don't build MyTop - someone else will and then I will abandon Facebook. You see, unlike what many think right now, I don't think I can afford the time to maintain lots of profiles on different social networking sites. I want just one.
And, to steal someone else's catch phrase - It could be you!
Kindest regards
Richard Holway (veteran IT analyst from the UK)
11th Sept 2007”
Google+ Circles
The interesting thing about this is that it’s not Facebook but Google+ Circles that has implemented the feature I proposed. Facebook Groups still doesn’t give me what I wanted all those years back. Initial reactions from friends that have used Google+ is quite positive. Am I tempted to abandon Facebook? Well not yet but ‘never say never’.
Skype out on Facebook
Another 
feature I have been asking for in MyTop is a Skype out button. See my Sept 10 post - Facebook plus Skype. Indeed it was heavily rumoured that Facebook might buy Skype but Microsoft got them in the end. See my May 11 post - Microsoft confirms Skype deal.
Tonight Zuckerberg announced such a feature. See AP Facebook launches Skype videocalls. However, it is just video calls not voice (as far as I can determine) This feature is already available in Google+. Indeed Google+ allows group video chats already.
A social battle
Probably for the first time in years, Facebook is facing real competition. Google is determined to fight back. It has a huge amount to lose. Advertising $s are moving from Google’s sponsored search to classified ads and other viral marketing on Facebook. The other giant in the fight is Microsoft. Microsoft owns a minority stake in Facebook and will soon own Skype. On top of that Microsoft’s Bing powers search on Facebook. Office 365 on Facebook was another of my ‘wishlist’ for MyTop.
I still see the possibility of a Facebook/Microsoft partnership taking on Google. Could be an interesting fight!