Twitter and Facebook Sort of Available Through Verizon FiOS
On the one hand, let's all applaud Verizon FiOS for integrating Twitter and Facebook into its television offering, as part of an app store that will also include things like an ESPN Fantasy Football widget. On the other hand, don't get too excited by the headlines you read about it (except for the one above, which manages expectations very well, I must say). Look under the covers and so far, the Twitter and Facebook apps don't let you do much in the tweeting or status updating department but do things like read tweets related to whatever you're watching. (Verizon acknowledges that its first go-round with the Twitter and Facebook apps are, well, only one small step for mediakind.)
It's not exactly the interactivity that people have gotten, for instance, out of the Web-based union of CNN and Facebook Connect for big events such as the inauguration and Michael Jackson's funeral. Those allowed people to stream video and chat with their friends -- and that is truly the future of integrating social media platforms with more traditional ones. As I've said before, in future, it's going to feel as though something is missing if social is not part of a big media event.
And yes, I'm still wondering when this convergence will come to sports. If CBS isn't considering a deal with Facebook and/or Twitter for next January's Super Bowl XLIV, you can bet there will be millions of viewers watching the game on the big screen, and tweeting it on a much smaller one. Traditional and social media companies should come together to make sure they're part of that action.
Previous coverage of Facebook and Twitter at BNET Media: