Billion7 Blog

Social Networks And Facebook's Dominance

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:13:05 GMT

The other day a plumber came over to fix a leaking valve. He asked me what I did. 'I'm a web developer', I said. 'I'm creating a new type of social network', I said. The plumber said, 'I didn't think there was any more room in the market for those'. Facebook now has so many subscribers, it's hard to see what the future holds for the rest of us. Facebook must be given some credit for it's success, but often success just breeds success. Once something gains momentum, people don't want to be left out. This is probably the main reason why Microsoft became a giant. It's only natural for people to want to use what everyone else is using. The thinking behind billion7 is that people would use a variety of different websites, and billion7 would be the central hub, where you let everyone know where you store your photos, or home page on the web.

It's hard to imagine facebook's dominance being replaced with something else now. It's not inconceivable though. Empires do fall, and fashions do change. Economist will tell you that when something becomes so fashionable that everyone is using it, then it will become unfashionable.

One of the most important drivers behind billion7 is that it's kept up-to-date. When you stop using one website and start using another don't forget to update your profile. Billion7 relies completely on you to keep your profile page up-to-date. And that includes your photo.

I hope that one day somebody will leave a comment on the blog.

Embed Code

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:55:46 GMT

There's no shortage of websites now offering the ability to use code and embed it in other websites. If you have a blog you may have already embedded videos or photos from websites like YouTube and Flickr. You can also embed Google maps, or audio players from websites like SoundCloud. I've often thought it would be nice to have one place where I can collect my favourite bits of code. I've found some great looking clocks, so now I've got a digital clock showing the time in my timezone on my profile page.

To start collecting code, sign in and go to your Embed page.

Michelle Obama in Haiti from The White House on Vimeo.

Billion7 Mobile

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:45:55 GMT

We've started work on a mobile version of billion7. It's a long way from being complete, but we'd like you to start using it. Each page needs to be crafted to fit on a smaller display, so it will take us a while to build up the mobile version. If you find it useful please let us know.

mobile.billion7.com

Nine Million Bicycles

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:30:36 GMT

I was listening to the song 'Nine Million Bicycles' today by Katie Melua. In the song one of the versus goes:

There are six BILLION people in the world
More or less
and it makes me feel quite small
But you're the one I love the most of all

In a few years time the lyrics will have to be updated to, 'seven billion people in the world'. I wonder how many bicycles are in Beijing. Maybe the song title needs to be updated as well.

New MP3 Player

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:47:59 GMT

We have installed a new mp3 player for everyone to use. The mp3 player from www.epplayer.com must be the best Flash mp3 player on the web. It's was easy for us to adapt for use on billion7. I hope to create some new skins for the player one day. It does support displaying artwork in the player. Let us know if you'd like to be able to upload artwork for your mp3's.

We've added a new option which allows you to display the mp3 player on your profile page. You can always switch this option off in your audio settings page.

Don't be shy. Record something on your computer. Save it as an mp3 file and upload it. We look forward to seeing what people upload. You can view the newest audio uploads here: Audio Search

New Photo Background Options

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:46:44 GMT

It's now possible to completely customise the background of your photos page. You can choose any color, or you can upload your own background image. This is a feature that I don't think any other social network offers.

I've experimented with different backgrounds for my photos, and came the conclusion that having a plain white background just looked a bit boring. Maybe some people think a plain white background is fine. It's fun experimenting to see what sort of background works well with your photos.

What background are you going to use?

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:35:00 GMT

Your profile page is now even more customizable. Is customizable a proper word? My dictionary doesn't think so. Oh well, spelling never was my strong point. Anyway, the point I'm try to make is that you can now add even more eye candy to your profile page. Upload an image of your choice and make your profile stand out from the crowd. The same background options will soon be available for your photos page.

Bookmark Comments

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:46:18 GMT

You can now add a comment to someones bookmark. Bookmark comments can be deleted at any time by the person who added the bookmark, or by the person who wrote the comment. If someone adds a comment to one of your bookmarks, you will be notified by email.

Activity

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:03:05 GMT

So you want to know what all of your contacts have been up to? What do you mean you don't have any contacts? It's really easy to add a contact. Just go to their profile page and click on the 'Add/Remove Contact' link. Now, where was I. Oh yes. Activity. We've now added an activity page to your profile. This is a news feed of what your contacts have being doing. It's now going to be really easy to see when your contacts have uploaded some new photos or added some new bookmarks. What's great about the activity records is that you have control over what activity is shown. Say for example you added a new entry to your diary, but you don't think it is something that your contacts would be interested in, you can easily delete the activity record.

Twenty Ten

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:48:48 GMT

It's 2010. The start of a new decade. Was it really ten years ago when I watched the new millenium celebrations. It might not seem very long ago but the last ten years has seen a lot of changes on the web. Ten years ago facebook didn't exist. And as for technology, mobile phones can now do what desktop computers where doing. All of these changes make me excited about what billion7 could become. Hopefully, as we add new features and more people signup, it will get better and better. I hope 2010 will be a good year for all of you.

New Blog Accounts

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:03:52 GMT

Is blogging big business? Probably not for most of us. I expect that the majority of bloggers write blogs because it's their hobby. They enjoy writing, and publishing their work in way that was never possible before the internet. For a few people, blogging is a serious business. Blogging can be an important marketing tool for an existing business, or for the most popular blogs you can generate a regular income from advertising. Some of the best blogs are a collaborative effort. Rather than seeing posts by just one person there's a group of people regularly posting to the same blog. Whatever kind of blog you have you can now boost traffic to your blog by registering a blog account on billion7.

E-Cards Background Color

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:05:39 GMT

You can now choose a background color when you create your e-card. Just click on the tiny color wheel and you'll see the new color picker control. Sometimes you can make you e-cards really stand out if they are on a dark background. We've also tweaked the layout of the email, so that the e-card is centered. Don't forget you can always try it out be sending an e-card to yourself, before you send them to your friends.

Share Photos For E-Cards

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:57:26 GMT

Allow other people to use your photos as an e-card. With your help we can create one of the best places on the web for sending e-cards.

Compassion

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:02:59 GMT

CHARTER FOR COMPASSION TRAILER from TED Prize on Vimeo.

Billion7 is a global networking website, so we are interested in anything that has a global theme. Whether you are religious or not the words, "Treat all others as we wish to be treated", are good advice in any situation. They are words that I need to sometimes ask myself, "I'm I treating others as I would expect them to treat me?".

ImageMagick

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:42:44 GMT

We've just installed a new version of ImageMagick. What would we do without open source software?

Whenever you upload a photo or send an e-card we use ImageMagick. It's the perfect tool for resizing images in different formats.

When you upload a photo to billion7 we create four different copies. A small thumbnail image, and then small, medium and large versions. This makes viewing photos easy, regardless of your browsers window size.

Free E-Cards

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:43:37 GMT

Above is an example of what a billion7 e-card looks like. We've added some new handwriting fonts to our free e-card service. You can send anyone an e-card even if they are not a billion7 member. Just go to your profile page and click on Send E-Card.

New Document Icons

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:53:47 GMT

It's very easy to add your CV or Resumé to billion7. Just click on the Upload Document link on your profile page. The most popular formats for documents now have an icon. Although the Microsoft Word format is probably the most common, Adobe PDF and even plain text can be better as they can be easily displayed in a large number of web browsers.

If there any more formats you would like then please leave a comment, or contact us. If you upload your Resumé don't forget to add your skills list to your profile so they can be easily searched for.

Philippines Flooding - Typhoon Ketsana

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:49:11 GMT

Our thoughts go to all those who have been affected by this disaster.

Peace Day

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:48:01 GMT

Every country has their own public holidays. Days to mark special events or religious festivals. Now there is a day that we can all share. A day to make us unite as a world and put our differences aside. Today is "The International Day of Peace". Read more about it here: www.internationaldayofpeace.org.

Do looks matter?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:29:58 GMT

When it comes to designing web pages, we believe that looks do matter. We've given the sign in and registration pages a fresh new look. If you've looked at a few MySpace profile pages you'll know how difficult it can be to read text on a page full of clutter and noisy graphics. Our aim at billion7 is to make a website with your help that is easy to use and easy on the eye.

When it comes to dating, looks may be important to you, but looks are only skin deep as the saying goes. Here on billion7 there are many single guys and single girls, and billion7 can be used as a completely free dating website.

Common Human Values

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:50:04 GMT

I am just one of 6.7 billion people. You are just one of an unimaginable number of people. We are all different. We can be special and we can be ordinary. We have different thoughts, different ideas, different religions, we are short, tall, fat, thin, young, old, and everything in-between. It is often easier to talk about what makes us different, than what we all have in common. Do you believe that we all have common values? What are these values? Sometimes we all need reminding. Please leave a comment.

Global Globalisation

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:03:45 GMT

We've now added the ability for billion7 users to add comments to this blog so I thought it would be good to have a debate on globalisation. The word global seems to be getting a lot of use these days: Global Warming, Global Economy, Global Trade, Global Communications, and of course our Global Networking Hub™.

Is globalisation a good or a bad thing? If there are bad things about globalisation can it be controlled so that it is only a force for good? Recent financial problems have shown how vulnerable countries can be to global economic swings.

All of the countries in the world have different resources. Ever since human beings have travelled there has been trade between countries. Does global trade lead to a more equal world, or are we becoming more divided?

Nurses Looking For Nursing Jobs

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:45:59 GMT

Billion7 has many Nurses registered from all over the world. If you know of any hospitals looking for extra staff then please ask them to search billion7. Since billion7 has been advertised on www.21stcenturyjob.com many nurses have been adding their profiles to billion7. With the average life expectancy increasing in many countries, and of course new babies increasing the world's population to nearly seven billion, nursing skills should always be in hot demand.

Brand New Fully Integrated Billion7 Blog

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:07:23 GMT

We are in the process of creating a new billion7 blog. Many social networks have their own blog to let everyone know of any changes or new features to their website. We didn't want to be left out so here it is. Rather than use an existing framework like WordPress, we are writing our own blogging code from scratch. This means our blog will look like a fully integrated part of billion7 and we can make use of our eye catching themes.

At the moment our blog doesn't have all the bells and whistles you'd expect such as adding comments, but we will add this in time. It does have an RSS feed, so you can subscribe to this blog with your favorite RSS reader and be informed when a new blog post is added.

At some point we'd like to use our own blogging software, so that any billion7 member can create their own blog which would be accessed straight from their profile page. They could then customise it with our growing number of theme settings.