AirTime is Facebook’s Hangout.  Of course it all makes sense. Video is the final frontier. Same with meeting those you do not know, live. Chatroulette (remember that?) proved to be a great MVP for that market. And of course Sean Parker being a major shareholder in Facebook makes the alliance much more concrete. The deep integration with FB will certainly be crucial.

I am not sure if Google’s delay in focusing on hangout will make them loose the battle again with Facebook. Well, We’ll find out on June 5th

PS: Ah! Here is Mr Parker explaining this idea 2 years ago.

PPS: For the copycats out there, you could still move fast and do something similar with Twitter. The difference is while AirTime will be focused on Facebook’s people graph, one built upon Twitter will be based on their interest Graph.

I have the Asus Transformer. For almost 6 months, my friend and oga Victor kept insisting I should get the iPad instead. Note that he was the one going to buy it (I get mind sha).  And for reasons best known to me, I kept on forming  ”Android for Life”.

Anyway he got me the Asus and though it is no iPad, I was/am quite happy with it. I travelled to Benin and returned to Lagos only to realise I forgot my charging cable/connector. In a normal case, it would not be a problem. However, smartasses at Asus thought it wise to have a proprietary plug/socket/port for their 300 devices sold. So right now the only charging cable/connector I can use is resting quietly, 350km away.

So why do manufacturers, insist on a proprietary docks/sockets/etc when they know absence of accessories can prevent people recommending their stuff. , Apple tablet owners though with proprietor y sockets,  know that at least the nearest charger is not 350 km away because of the 350 million iOS devices around the word.

I thought there were port standard like how the micor USB is now the standard for phone?

I will start with a very short story.

When two cousins of mine were about 5 and 2 years of age, the one that was 2 was crying and their mother (my aunt) was trying to console him. The one that was 5 came around and inquired, “What’s happening mummy? Why is baby crying?”. The mum responded “Baby does not want to relax”. The 5 year old looked at the little baby with concern, then began to shake him violently “RELAX! RELAX!! RELAX!!!” he commanded.

Larry, that is what you are doing to us with Google Plus. “HAVE FUN HERE!!! HAVE FUN HERE!!” You are commanding. You are integrating the plus button everywhere, from the browser to every search result. I am afraid, it is not going to work that way. There are some activities that just cannot be forced. Having fun is one of them.

Google Plus had it’s chance though but did not take it. While you were forcing us to have fun, you were not listening. The baby could not speak, but we can, we did, but you did not listen. For instance, here is a little thing that might have made a lot of difference. You know that annoying red notification thing on the right? It prevented me from properly curating my circles. I just got into the habit of ignoring all. Friends and foes alike.

However, all is not lost. You will now see why AirTime is mentioned in the title of this post. Larry, Google Hangout is a KILLER feature or product of G+. EVERYONE says it. Why don’t you guys pivot and center Google Plus around instant and synchronous communication (Chat + Video). I argued this with the Googlers I met in Nigeria and from my interaction, I got the message “No negotiations. Larry wants it this way, and this way it shall be”.

Anyway, Sean Parker’s AirTime is launching soon and I am sure it will be centered around what I have been saying to you. You have it, but do not recognise it.  It is interesting that even the big boys prefer the thing of others. So before you attempt buying AirTime, maybe you could just give Google Plus a chance. If I were to give you one guiding advice, it would be this let it flow.

PS: I wrote this about a week ago but decided to publish now after seeing Google needing to ‘host’ Nigerian celebrities to push the uptake of Google +. If you have to pay so much for your product to be used, then.. *sigh*. Instagram rebuffed compensation demand from Justin Bieber’s people when he started using their app. His response? He used it anyway. It was/is that good.

A brief back story. If you have been reading the news, you would know that there has been a conflict in UNIBEN between the past Bursar Dr. May Nwoye (my Mum), and the current Vice Chancellor, Prof Oshodin. The problem has been on for months but I never mentioned it before because I understand there is always internal politics and conflict in any large organization. Even when my mum was receiving death threats, I kept quiet.

As any Nigerian campus child knows, anytime there’s a change in personnel in principal positions (Bursar, VC, Registrar, Provost of Medicine etc ), threats are received, names are sullied, alliances change, and then peace returns. The children of the parents ignore it all.

So on my way to the Village on Thursday, I passed through Benin, saw my Mum asked her “how far?” and if things had settled down” She said everything was quiet so I continued my journey to the east where I want to attend a burial.

I was woken up on Friday morning to be told coffins had been deposited at our gate on campus. I had to return home immediately as my mum was alone at home (my dad was in the village for the burial of his sister).

When I got back with my dad, I saw the coffins. It was annoying at first before being embarrassing. In 2012 when Google is doing self driving cars, coffins are being used to fight battles.

Anyway, we reported to the police as a matter of formality. The UNIBEN security was called in but they did not come. I was told that there were three coffins at first but a UNIBEN security van came and took one away (yup, it is that ridiculous).

A priest came and we burnt the sacrifice and the day continued normally.

Slept, woke up and say another coffin right inside the compound in the front door of the house.  Now that has made me really angry as it has become really deadly as their next stop would be inside the house or my mums room?

My mum and dad have given the University of Benin 57 years between them. So it is absolutely an unacceptable way for them to be treated as they wind down their service to GREAT UNIBEN. I really do not mind internal political battles over the years, I have seen them come and go and never gotten involved. But physical threats are another thing. They are certainly new.

I no send jazz at all but physical harm cannot be reversed. The number of people that have been killed and kidnapped in Benin (several on campus) makes me really worried for the lives of my parents.

The fact that the Vice Chancellor Prof. Oshodin and the CSO have not visited the site right on campus after several days says a lot.

If anything happens to my Mother, Father or myself, we all know who is responsible. However, I would rather avoid anything happening than to try to seek “justice” if that exists.

Thanks for reading and please pass it on (RT, BBM, FB, etc.). If you think you can be of help, please contact me ositanwoye@gmail    I will appreciate it. Some people have boasted that “nothing go fit happen” but I know that the co-ordinated grassroot can win any battle.

Thanks a lot.

PS: I am just pissed that instead of writing about GBEDU.FM, Google, Spotify,  the music industry, Mobile broadband penetration in Africa etc, I am here talking coffin, sacrifice and juju. I tire! All I can do is file this under WTF?!!!

Joel is one of the very few truly great guys I have met in my life. I am not ‘famzing’ because he recently raised $400k for his startup Buffer. Anyone that can live with Oo for 4  months+ and attempt to run a business with him without running mad, is truly a great person.

Few people know how I met Mr Gascoigne.

Back in ’08 I got admitted to Warwick. I was in Nigeria when  I created a group called “Warwick Internet Entrepreneurs”, he was the only person that joined. When I eventually got my visa (I get faith sha) and arrived Warwick, we met up, got talking about his projects, mine, etc. We eventually started OnePage together. Even though I was EXTREMELY self conscious about being Nigerian (my “Yes, I Am Nigerian” tees were just fronting), it was as if this dude did not realize. He trusted me more than I would have imagined.  He has no idea how much it helped me. Thanks buddy!

When OnePage did not go as planned, we needed lawyers to tidy up a few things as we decided Joel would be taking it forward. What I realized much later was that his lawyers  ( I did not have one) wanted to insert clauses that would have given him the option to “screw me” if he so wanted. He asked them not to.

There was a period we got a mini grant (about 1500 quid) to do market research. Now at that moment, we did not need any damn market research but Joel needed a computer to build the product we were to research for. I needed the ‘seed money for a space over my head. Even though there was a ‘way out’,  Joel consistently refused to do anything remotely borderline against the rule even though it was what we sorely needed. So we forfeited the grant.

Of course he acted as my translator on quite a number of occasions when I did not sound Bri ish enough to be understood.  I even got him to enjoy a helping of Nkwobi.

So Joel, as you turn 25 (Haha! You are damn old man! 25?? Really? You are that old??) do have fun and keep being a great person.

I am just waking up after a very short sleep and I have a few minutes before preparing to attend  The Future Awards Symposium. So this has to be brief and i hope it is as articulate I want it to be.

Here is the issue, I do not get Mobile Money as it is being attempted in Nigeria. The companies I have heard of seem to be more interested in in painting BRT buses and large billboards rather than being Mobile Money companies.

However, this post is not about my disappointment with the “Mobile Money” companies but rather an opportunity for them. Any real/serious Mobile Money company in Nigeria will salivate at this

Crowd funding and A grand opportunity.

Crowd funding is is one of the few killer applications that makes a business case for Mobile Money and there is a grand opportunity waiting to be taken.

There is a young man called Oke who needs some money to save his legs and his life. (If you get mind, here is the link to his story) The fact of the matter is the money he needs (N5million) can be raised in a single day if there was an easy way to send money to him. At the moment, Twitter is virtually saying “shut up and take my money”. But the true problem for the young man is HOW? The sad truth of the matter is this, 95% of the people absolutely willing to give 1000 or more will not because going to deposit money in a bank account is a really long thing. That is the absolute reality.

If only there was a way we could send money without the hassle of going to a bank, queuing, etc etc… Wait!! that is what the entire premise of Mobile Money is all about. This is the perfect opportunity to prove and show how this thing works! It is one thing to go back slapping yourselves at Mobile Money conferences around the world and claiming to be the next M-Pesa and another to actually do stuff.

What Serious Mobile Money companies should do NOW!

It is a no brainier for a Mobile Money company to provide matching funding for money raised for Oke through their platform. You will be committing bird genocide with a single stone (showing how/that your stuff really work, doing good, awesome PR, acquiring real users, jump starting the industry, having a very relevant case study, etcetc gbogbotigbo).

So MTN, Paga, VCash, PoketMoni, GLO, VTN, Airtel, what are you guys really waiting for. Are you guys real? Can you already grab this opportunity with both hands?

When CCHUB tried to raise money for a roofing project at the police barracks in Yaba, you guys failed, but the implication was a few wet mattresses. However, this time is someones life. Do the right thing for Oke and yourselves.

The problem with Posterous that they are not the best at anything.

via The Problem With Posterous

Sadly, nothing changed. They just did not double down on any aspect of their product. I would have paid if they allowed better customization and plugins the their present offering (If Oo will pay for your product, then congratulations, you have a tested business model!)

Their pivot to ‘Spaces’ was really cool, but they struggled to communicate it in a simple way.  I really really liked Posterous. I recommended them to quite a lot of people. I feel really sad the way things have turned out.

Startups are hard. REALLY HARD. And it is REAL EASY to theorize from outside. But there is one thing I know, Sachin gave it his all. I look forward to what he plans to do next after he leaves Twitter.

Now, where do I move my bloggage to?

*sigh*

Yesterday, Linda wrote a rather normal post about a previous post, in which people commenting on the post were too hard on the person the post was about. So she sent a private tweet to the person the post was about apologizing about the comments in the post, the person now posted the…… I can yard dust and beat around bush sha (no, not that bush). But you get the gist.

Well, this post is not about the contents in the post but the fact that it ganared 800+ COMMENTS!!!! Nope, this is not a picture of a cat being shared on facebook. Or a front page item on reddit. This is a sub domain on blogger that has a rather ugly commenting system that requires a login. And it still got 750 COMMENTS!

I had always known her blog is popular. But I thought it was Nigerian standard popular. 800 comments is on a worldwide big deal level. There is a massive potential for her to be undisputedly number 1 in Africa digitalmedia wise, and worldwide relevant when it comes to entertainment and gossip (TMZ and Perez Hilton level). She can also go Huffington. Arriana started blogging personally about left wing politics; 5 years and $200 million later, we know every.

However, her reaching those heights will require Messianic and not Mikelist sized ambitions (As at 2005, Mikel and Messi used to be mentioned in the same sentence. While Messi had his sight set on being the greatest ever, the 60k/week from Chelsea no let Obi see road he thought he had arrived ).

Whatever the road she decides to take, I have to say, I hail. She is a true testament of how the internet and blogging tools have democratized publishing. I mean, anyone, can start from anywhere and rise to the top.

One of the perils of living in the city of Igboefon is you have otherwise, normal people behave like lesser mammals. In the picture above, someone thought it wise to park right in front of my gate, and leave to God knows where.

As I type this, I am sweating in a cab on my way to Surulere where I am running late for a meeting. Late because I had to wait and hope the muppet would return.

Rather than get angry and do damage, I decided to leave the fellow with a message make e for no loss.

Did I do enough?