NoiseRiver developer quits FriendFeed, says LOLCats to blame
The developer of NoiseRiver quit FriendFeed today, citing LOLCats as the cause. Some reports are suggesting that NoiseRiver may be shut as well, but we can’t clarify this (it’s up at the time of writing). I predicted that FriendFeed will acquire NosieRiver back in June, and they still might, and the reason remains the same: it is a great idea well implemented.
In a missive posted to Google Docs, develop Directeur said that he was quitting FriendFeed because Friendfeed has become “a show biz zone, it’s for entertainment.”
You can argue that people share tech stuff and discuss them. Yes that’s true. BUT you have to agree that tech stuff will definitely vanish besides LOLcats and other stuff when shared by “top” friendfeeders. You just can’t make things change. I’m not superman. And I’m not a like-monster, I don’t like stuff by my “friends” when I don’t like the stuff they post. that’d be stupid.
He goes on to explain that the top of FriendFeed isn’t the same as it was, and that many people do nothing than pander to an A-list, who have switched to posting funny content over serious tech news.
He quotes an email he received from an unnamed source:
I hope that things return to an atmosphere of compassionate, intelligent conversation that FriendFeed once was.
Having read the reason why a couple of times, I don’t fully get why he’s quitting: I take it that he’s not happy with the shift in content on FriendFeed, and some of the related conversation, but the decision seems extreme to me, but so did Mark Rizzn Hopkins leaving, and I get why that happened.
There are two important takeaways though from this: the shifting content mix on FriendFeed, and the move away from civil, intelligent conversation.
On the latter, see my post on Mark leaving here, that experience may not have been the same for Directeur, but the conclusions hold true: FriendFeed has started reflecting the rest of the internet, moving away from a great place for interesting discussions, to something that is sometimes more nasty. Cyndy Aleo-Carreira writes that “If you don’t like conflict, get off the freaking Internet” which sort of sums up the counter argument really, it’s just a shame as a FriendFeed user that there was once a time where conversations didn’t end up in name calling and general nastiness. I’m a glass half full guy, can’t help that. I’d rather take a positive view where I can vs a bitter, twisted one that presumes all people are bad, all the time.
The content shift point though is interesting. I don’t have data on the shift, but certainly in the 6 months or so I’ve been using FriendFeed, the content has dramatically shifted. Where as once it was more tech related, it moved into fun stuff and politics, with the tech stuff still there, but not nearly as dominant as before. I understand and take on board that some people miss the old FriendFeed, because it’s very much a different place today.
But you know: despite some of the nastiness in the political discourse, I love it just the way it is. It is my primary social networking platform, I enjoy talking online to Mona, and Robert Scoble every day, or liking stuff from Cee Bee, Louis Gray, Allen Stern and many others. I also like a lot of the stuff that comes through, even if it isn’t always serious. FriendFeed has helped keep me sane through this sites rough times, and it helps give me a break from work today. I respect that Directeur doesn’t like the change, and that’s the very nature of change itself, some people don’t like it, and I think nothing less of him for his decision, even if I’ll be a sad to see him go. But I like it mostly the way it is today, and so do many others.
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Oct 27, 2008
Mona. Yes this the 2nd time. I thought that I was wrong the first time and was back. But now, I'm done with it… “LOL”
Oct 27, 2008
Duncan, thanks for your good words, though I humbly think that it's really not worth an article. See? You call me directeur (a nick) This is exactly what I'm about. I believe that content is more interesting than people and friendfeed is shifting interst from “feeds” to “people”. And to end the rumor, no, I'm not closing Noiseriver. It's still available at
Oct 27, 2008
As the primary purveyor of said “entertainment” and self-proclaimed “meme maker” of FriendFeed I would like to apologize on behalf of all of us for increasing the noise to the point where FriendFeed has been rendered useless to those looking for a dull, dry, collection of tech stories.
Oct 27, 2008
I think this is the second or third time he quit… lol
Oct 27, 2008
Duncan, No, really you shouldn't apologize. *i* choosed to be a nick. That's my vision of things. I was saying that I'm a nick to say in a way, that the person (me) is not important and doesn't deserve attention.
Oct 27, 2008
Did I miss where it said FriendFeed was for tech news only?
Oct 27, 2008
I take your point, and that I don't actually know your first name most certainly does go to your argument. I can only apologize, and I'm sorry that I never learnt it, I should have, and there is zero excuses.
Re: the rumor: just read it elsewhere, great to see you're keeping it up.
Oct 27, 2008
As participator of said “entertainment” and self-proclaimed “meme maker” of FriendFeed I would like to apologize on behalf of all of us for increasing the noise to the point where FriendFeed has been rendered useless to those looking for a dull, dry, collection of tech stories. /echo
Oct 27, 2008
re: not being worth a post, yes, true. It started as NoiseRiver shut, and I'd nearly finished it when Louis was kind enough to email me saying that it wasn't shut down. I hate wasting a post, and the whole thing about the changing content on FriendFeed is something I've been tossing up for a post now for well over a month, so I ran it anyway
Oct 27, 2008
Mona, if you stop doing what you do, I'll personally hop on a plane and stand at your front door screaming stuff until you reconsider
That stuff of course will be completely foreign to you because it will entail Australian slang terms….so don't make me do it 
Oct 27, 2008
Splendid — don't forget the bacon, please!
Oct 28, 2008
Louis, you do understand that in the case of FriendFeed “likes” and “comments” are really used by some as real “money”? Right? Now this is stupid. People are running away from digg because of “diggs”… “Like” is just another name for “digg”.
Second and actually more important: Friendfeed was nice when it was a tool for content, now it's a tool for the cult of “person”. I don't need heros, I need smart (funny too!! How much times should I repeat that I'm not against fun?) content. I'm not looking for recognition or whatever… it's not about my “person”. It's about the way content is served and consumed. Anyways… I should just shut up and let things go slowly, all this will just vanish within a day or two
Oct 27, 2008
If Mona quit FF. I'll probably quit too! LOL!
Oct 27, 2008
+1 Sean. Friendfeed is not just for tech news. If someone wants to have “tech news only” feed then try to create TechFeed. =)
Oct 27, 2008
Are you kidding me? I'm not planning to quit any time soon… wait — are you guys trying to get me to quit?!
Oct 28, 2008
There is a tugging in different directions with any Web service that approaches the mainstream. Unless you want to keep it very small, there will be a diversity of interests. The change can clearly be hard for people who liked it the old way. If we early adopters are to survive the transition as it crosses the chasm, we need to be flexible.
Oct 28, 2008
Not at all Mona! =) haha
Oct 28, 2008
Robert often says “you are who you follow”. If you end up seeing too many LOLCats, it is because you chose to follow people who post LOLCats. Same with politics, sports, religion, porn, or whatever turns them on (and you off). I wrestle with trying to be inclusive and following diverse interests, but as I get further away from my own core interests, they have a decreasing amount of value. The lists have helped there, as I have a “Back Page” and “Everyone” feeds when I want to step out of the comfort zone.
Oct 28, 2008
Nope.
Mona Quitting == EPIC FAIL.
Oct 28, 2008
If you quit, I quit.
Oh wait.
Oct 28, 2008
Great. Now people are going to say *I'M* the one attention whoring by assuming people want me to quit. UGH!!
I'm just playing around, people! Like a joke. HA-HA? … :
Oct 28, 2008
All very interesting. FriendFeed really is changing quickly, almost weekly. What's become apparent to me is how much it changes if important content finders aren't posting. I'd say whilst I'm subscribed to about 250 people only about 10 post significant content regularly.
Oct 28, 2008
This isn't a dig at Directeur, I certainly understand the frustration at when a cool service moves ot of your wheelhouse and stops being fun, but it's indicative of the the problem with the technospehere in this moment.
There are countless posts about when X is going to go mainstream, when adoption rates are going to meet expectations, is X dead (and if blogging, FriendFeed, and Twitter are all dead, which they have been in the last 10 days, what are we doing here….) but no one who is writing about it, commenting, tweeting, denting, Feeding, sharing, liking those bits and bytes WANTS it to happen. Of course it's more fun when a great service caters to you. I would prefer that more of the internet were about me too. But it moves on and you use a thing for what it's useful for.
But it's bad for business to strive for technosphere lock-in on anything.
Stop trying to use Every Service prossionally. There remins no award for being The Best FriendFeeder (sorry Mona), or having the most follows. If the way a service works annoys you? Ditch it. If it's a few bad LolShareres… ditch them.