Tonight, a number of Facebook users reported that they received beta invitations to a ‘lite’ version of the popular social networking service. Details about this simplified version of Facebook are still sparse, but we know that the site will be available on http://lite.facebook.com and will offer users a “faster, simpler version of Facebook.” Judging from what we have seen so far, Facebook Lite turns Facebook into a very Twitter-like experience.

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Currently, the lite.facebook.com link doesn’t go anywhere and the invites have disappeared again, but just a few days ago, at least this Twitter user got to see it in action (hat tip to MG Siegler for finding this).

Attack on Twitter?

It is interesting to see that Facebook is working on this now, especially given that it only announced the acquisition of FriendFeed yesterday. If these screenshots turn out to be true, then this would be a full-force attack on Twitter. FriendFeed was often heralded as a potential challenger for Twitter, though it never quite got the mainstream traction to fulfill this promise.

Earlier this year, Louis Gray argued that in order to succeed, FriendFeed would have to offer a simplified version of itself. Now that FriendFeed is part of Facebook, maybe the FriendFeed team will get a chance to do just this.

Overall, stripping down Facebook’s interface to the bare essentials doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. The current interface is getting rather cluttered and if Facebook really wants to emphasize the stream, this is definitely a step in the right direction.

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Facebook Goes Lite and Tests Twitter-Like Version of Itself

In the latest Gartner Hype Cycle report, ReadWriteWeb commented on RFID as being stuck in the “Trough of Disillusionment”. While the report argues that RFID is likely to emerge in 5-10 years for inventory purposes, this far off glimmer of hope is not enough to hold back the tidal wave of ennui washing over the industry. According to a recent article by Engadget, consumer RFID company Violet has filed for bankruptcy. Best known for programmable RFID rabbit Nabaztag, Violet needs another company to step in before September 4th or unfortunately its rabbits and mirrors will be nothing more than inanimate plastic.

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While RFID tags are primarily used for inventorying purposes, the concept has also been used to create games and track bicycles, passports and luggage. Nevertheless, just as the RFID is currently inappropriate for warehouse use, it’s also inappropriate as an entertainment device or a security measure.

Before Nabaztag, Mattel’s HyperScan was an RFID scanning game incorporating character cards and video game play. Launched in 2006 and discontinued in 2008, reviewers complained that the system took more than 20 seconds to scan and load each individual battle. And if adult reviewers didn’t have the patience to play, you know the targeted 8-12-year-old audience found it infuriating.

As for security, there have also been several attempts to use the RFID as an asset tracker. ImmobiTag encourages users to track their bicycles, FKI Logistek integrates RFID in airport baggage handling, and in a widely disputed move in 2006, the US government began issuing passports with RFID chips embedded in them. While all of these solutions were originally employed for security purposes, a recent video by whitehat hacker Chris Paget builds a great case against the RFID tag.

The problem with a programmable chip is simply that it can be cloned and reprogrammed. In the case of the passports, what was once criticized as being a Federal invasion of privacy, is now a security concern on its own. Suddenly the RFID chip has become the internet underground’s bubonic plague. Duct tape wallet talisman and microwave rituals are being used to ward it off.

In a time when surveillance and identity theft are real concerns, the sweet little Nabaztag bunny simply couldn’t break free of the negative connotations that RFID conjures. In this day and age, the world’s simply too paranoid or impatient to follow the white rabbit.

Thanks to Daniel Williams for the tip!

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Fear and Impatience are Killing the Nabaztag Bunnies

Following February’s slew of complaints regarding Facebook’s Terms of Use amendment, founder Mark Zuckerberg launched an “Open Governance” model and wrote, “If [Facebook] were a country, it would be the sixth most populated country in the world. Our terms aren’t just a document that protect our rights; it’s the governing document for how the service is used by everyone across the world.” Today Facebook redrafted its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and while users / citizens have until August 18th to comment, we can’t help thinking the system is a bogus democracy.

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After a week of acquiring Friendfeed and launching a real time search engine, the blue nation appears to be growing at an alarming rate. In order to address the growth and new promotional ecosystem, notable changes to the Bill of Rights incorporate bans on citizen marketing abuse. Facebook hopes to stop spammers from overrunning the site and as pointed out by Inside Facebook, prohibit companies like Magpie, Twittad and Sponsored Tweets from starting profile sponsoring programs. Other marketing-related points included the phrases, “You will not engage in unlawful multi-level marketing, such as a pyramid scheme” and “You will not offer any contest, giveaway, or sweepstakes (“promotion”) on Facebook without our prior written consent.”

As citizens of this vast country, it’s nice that we can smite the spammers and illegal pyramid schemers that plague our great nation. And then I remember, this isn’t ACTUALLY a country. It’s a company. If it were really a nation, we would know where we’re supposed to offer our comments pre-August 18th and each of the “Rights” would have been spelled out separately as amendments to a pre-existing document. In fact, by now all of this info should have arrived in our mailboxes as a poorly designed pamphlet full of cheesy stock photography.

While Facebook’s “Open Governance” redraft is an admirable attempt to encourage crowd sourced decision-making, it lacks the feedback mechanism to make it a success. Critics will argue that this is intentional, but it feels more like the system (or lack thereof) was rushed to the public after the TOS uproar in February. While this amendment to the Facebook Bill of Rights is a fairly tame one, consider joining the Bill of Rights group for future updates and leaving a comment. At this rate, if Facebook acquires anymore companies or services, you might find your entire online identity living in one social networking landscape. It’s not like the administration is going to change, let’s just hope a loud majority can usher in a better system.

Photo credit: David Drexler

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De-Mock-cracy In Action: Facebook’s Open Governance

Analyst firm Gartner has just released its latest Hype Cycle white paper, detailing some of the biggest trends in technology this year. According to the report, cloud computing, e-books and Internet TV are at the "Peak of Inflated Expectations," while this year’s biggest hit Twitter is said to have "tipped over the peak" and is just about to enter the infamous "Trough of Disillusionment." Social software suites and other microblogging services are likewise starting their downward trend. Interestingly, web 2.0 is deemed to be nearly past the Trough and entering the "Slope of Enlightenment."

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One of our current topics of interest, RFID, is stuck right at the bottom of the Trough of Disillusionment. But another RWW hot topic, Augmented Reality, is on the rise.

Web 2.0, cloud computing, Internet TV and RFID are all labeled "transformational" by Gartner, meaning that they are predicted to have a big impact on the market. Microblogging is only ranked "moderate," so Gartner doesn’t think that Twitter is a very meaningful technology.

We can’t help but feel that Gartner may be underestimating the impact of microblogging. It remarks that services like Twitter enable "new kinds of fast, witty, easy-to assimilate exchanges." Microblogging is rated as having a "moderate" impact on business, however Gartner does not analyze the over-arching trend of Real-time web that microblogging exemplifies. They do make a good point that "channel pollution" is a current issue with these services, however this is where the ecosystem of search and filtering products – around Twitter especially – are proving their worth. See also our post earlier today about the new distributed forms of microblogging that may rise to take Twitter’s place over time.

Gartner states that Cloud computing is "changing the way the IT industry looks at user and vendor relationships." It points to vendors such as Amazon.com, Google, Microsoft and salesforce.com.

Regarding eBooks, Gartner has a bob each way: "This technology is potentially revolutionary if the issues that have suppressed adoption are addressed." It lists Amazon.com, Fujitsu, Plastic Logic and Sony as sample vendors.

Gartner’s conclusion about RFID is similar to our own – that it’s moving slowly. Gartner notes that "the number of leading retailers working with it [RFID] did not grow greatly through 2008 and will not grow significantly during the next two years."

On Web 2.0, Gartner archly notes that "the Web 2.0 hype has peaked as constituencies vie for the next generation of the Web." However it also puts Web 2.0 in the "early mainstream" and is bullish on its future. Note: we reviewed the latest attempt at the next buzzword, Web squared, last week.

Overall, this report is an interesting high level view of the state of technology. It’s quite business focused though, so Gartner perhaps overlooks some of the more exciting new consumer Web trends that we’ve been writing about this year on ReadWriteWeb: real-time Web, Internet of Things, mobile web, to name a few.

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Gartner Hype Cycle 2009: Web 2.0 Trending Up, Twitter Down