Buzz, which along with the most recent iterations of Facebook, resembles Twitter has been criticised by Users (Google Getting The Wrong Kind of Buzz: Web Pro) for automatically creating follow lists from the personal address books held within Google Mail.

This makes the massive assumption that Google Mail Users don’t have contacts in there that they don’t mind sharing.

Should any of these Users be looking for a new job or having an affair the rest of the world would now be able to see the mailing habits of their users in a handy ‘follow list’.

Obviously as Google expands to occupy an even larger space on and off the web, the way your data can be stored, used and sold becomes more comprehensive, lucrative and invasive.

It seems to me that the rejection of Google’s new services could start to damage the reputation of their primary ones: i.e. search and advertising.

These subtle tweaks harldy alter the layout, but introduce more modern flourishes and usability updates such as moving the search box to the top right. As search forms such a major part of the Wikipedia experience this seems a long overdue update.

Wikipedia Redesign: What’s In Store?

Fascinating, complete and packed with resources.

Once the initial euphoria had subsided, and I actually tried to do something, I realised just how unintuitive the system is. I only had the chap who invited me in my contacts list, so first task: find some other people and start having meaningful conversations.

Getting no joy from the interface, I hit the help files. And with some poking around managed to import my contacts. None of which were in Google Wave using the email addresses I had.

Figuring it was a limitation of the beta, I decided to get into a conversation with my gracious host. So replied to his greeting message. In a day he responded although I had no idea as I didn’t get an email alert (which is fair enough - why not just use email), but it wasn’t obvious in the main view either. I only discovered it after ‘playing’ the wave back. Seriously unintuitive.

I guess after all the hype, I’ve been pretty underwhelmed by Google Wave. Maybe when it comes out of beta some of the niggles might be resolved, but if the system is indeed the future of business communication, someone (who does understand it) will make a mint offering training courses.

UPDATE: Thought this was a good tweet that summed it up nicely. @adamcoomes: Hahaha love this “Google Wave was built to show younger people how older people feel when they try to use the internet”

Whilst I come up with my albums of the decade, here’s a couple of interesting links. The first from Noupe with a broad look at what we’ll all be doing in the next five years. Still no jet packs or flying cars unfortunately though the iPhone is certainly bordering on Tricorder territory.

The Future Of The Web: Where Will We Be In Five Years?

The second from UX Booth looks at Interface Design. Whilst providing some interesting concepts - the humble mouse and keyboard combination will be on the office desktop for a while yet.

The Future of Interface Design

This was linked to by the BBC Technology website so not exactly a scoop, but very useful research and very much free:

2009 Ecommerce Usability for High Street Retailers

How To Choose Content Management Systems For SEO

Blogged so I don’t lose it!

Although easier to play than the 6 string, it’s very satisfying and I wish I’d got one much sooner.

It’s made me appreciate the complexities of the bassline and how it can provide an interesting counterpoint to the chord structure and melody.

I’m specifically listening out for the bass in all sorts of familiar tracks and giving me a new appreciation for this much maligned (by regular guitarists) performer.

In my opinion the Volkswagen website isn’t particularly well desgined. I don’t like the tool bar at the top of the page, the floating navigation and the floating cars. The car selector on rollover is presented in a really awful way - calling up the horizontal scrollbar which looks ugly.

However, the site does offer a couple of features which two very different clients have responded to in a very positive way.

Firstly, the ‘needs based’ selector on the homepage. This allows the User to self identify and allows Volkswagen to direct them to the correct area of the website in one click. By identifying the products or sevices of interest to the User, Volkswagen can not only create awareness of the broad range of services they offer, but also create a positive User Experience by not wasting the Users’ time.

In fact where a broad range of services are offered by one company, this type of direction is an essential.

Another area where the Volkswagen website excels is the Used Car Locator which offers a comprehensive, yet simple search query configurator. There are obviously a large number of options available on each car, but by splitting the options into sections, the User is not presented with a complex and daunting form which would otherwise have put them off.

Thirdly, once the results are clicked on all the options for progressing or saving the journey are displayed on the models specification screen through the use of tabs: a neat and tidy solution to presenting a lot of options in a small manageable way.

These three areas in particular are good examples of best practice and can easily be adapted to present other products and services.

Having made revolutionary (pun intended) leaps and bounds in both sucking and blowing, the Dyson desk fan provides a low maintenance and less clunky way of cooling your stress creased brow.

The price tag of nearly £200 means that it’ll find a home on exec desks initially where no doubt it’ll sit next to those chrome ‘clackers’ and the radio controlled tank.

It’d be interesting to see how the technology actually works as there are obviously all sorts of uses for efficient fans. Stopping my testicles from cooking while using my laptop for a start!