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The article brings up a good point, sometimes it makes more sense to start with the person. For example, let's say I need to get in touch with my friend to quic

The article brings up a good point, sometimes it makes more sense to start with the person. For example, let's say I need to get in touch with my friend to quickly inform them of a change to our plans. Open Skype? Not online. Check Facebook, nope, they're not on. Messenger? Nope. Ok, I'll open my contact book, and get their number to call. Wouldn't it make more sense to simply select the person I'm trying to reach, and see what platforms they're online, so I can choose my contact method? Or what if I want to see what's new with one friend? I should be able to click their name, and see their facebook changes, new tweets, status updates, etc. Of course, this isn't always the case, I might want to open Facebook without plans to browse a particular person, or I might open Skype just to see who's online that I can video call. So, there are times when I need to take both routes. They should both be available so I can choose either. It's complicated to aggregate content from a variety of sources into a single page, so it's not a surprise why this option isn't frequently available. You would almost need a new standard, so HN could provide an API for a user's comments, posts, etc, and Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc, all do the same. Then I can build an app that merges all of this information together. So a user opens the app, and creates a page for John, enters John's Facebook profile, Twitter/Reddit/HN handles, and everything appears in a single place. However, these sources then get less direct traffic, and therefore less revenue, so it's unlikely they would jump on-board.

shanselman 13y ago
Exactly. Global person-centric presence.
alanlewis 13y ago
From the platform provider's point of view, it doesn't make business sense to offer features like this to an OS or to other apps. Someone like Facebook wants you to have to come to the experience (app, website) that they control, and that they monetize. Want to know if someone is online? Come to our app and find out. And maybe while you're here you'll browse your feed and see an ad or 2 (probably more like 10).
- User8712 13y ago
  Yes, that's why I said they'd get less traffic, and not likely provide the information. However, you might be able to achieve the opposite. Let's say on the iPhone, you could click a person's name, and attach their Twitter and HN handle. Now, you click their name a few dozen times a day when you go about your usual stalking to see all the new tweets and HN posts. You then follow these links to both Twitter and HN when something catches your eye. Facebook is now missing out. They didn't want to take part, because they wanted you to visit their app directly, but now, people are not taking the time to open their app. I can get 10 sources of information on my friend by clicking their name. Will I make a completely separate visit to Facebook to get their info? It's kind of a hassle, I might check those 10 sources with a simple click every hour, but only visit Facebook once a day because it's now more work. If Facebook was integrated, and I now had 11 sources of information just by clicking someone's name, I might start visiting Facebook more often by following these links.

shanselman 13y ago

Exactly. Global person-centric presence.

alanlewis 13y ago

From the platform provider's point of view, it doesn't make business sense to offer features like this to an OS or to other apps. Someone like Facebook wants you to have to come to the experience (app, website) that they control, and that they monetize. Want to know if someone is online? Come to our app and find out. And maybe while you're here you'll browse your feed and see an ad or 2 (probably more like 10).

User8712 13y ago
Yes, that's why I said they'd get less traffic, and not likely provide the information. However, you might be able to achieve the opposite. Let's say on the iPhone, you could click a person's name, and attach their Twitter and HN handle. Now, you click their name a few dozen times a day when you go about your usual stalking to see all the new tweets and HN posts. You then follow these links to both Twitter and HN when something catches your eye. Facebook is now missing out. They didn't want to take part, because they wanted you to visit their app directly, but now, people are not taking the time to open their app. I can get 10 sources of information on my friend by clicking their name. Will I make a completely separate visit to Facebook to get their info? It's kind of a hassle, I might check those 10 sources with a simple click every hour, but only visit Facebook once a day because it's now more work. If Facebook was integrated, and I now had 11 sources of information just by clicking someone's name, I might start visiting Facebook more often by following these links.