Recently, Facebook has been playing up more and more. What used to be a nifty tool for social networking seems to be becoming increasingly an absolute pain in the neck to use. Here are just some examples that have been particularly annoying me:

Broken links: Frequently, for example, the Event link doesn’t work. This seems to be because instead of going to the normal link, ../events.php, it intercalates home.php#/. This happens all over the site, sometimes it tries to access an address /home.php#/home.php. Predictably unsuccessfully.

News feed: It frequently publishes items from sources I have chosen to hide, publishes items more than once, and publishes items as recent material which were actually posted weeks previously.

Ads: Facebook ads are pretty limited generally, with slow turnaround time for approvals, little flexibility in format, unclear targeting and poor diagnostics. But recently I noticed the possibility listed alongside a group I administer to advertise the group. I clicked on that, but not only does it not pick up and automatically fill in the link I wanted to promote – it actually appears to be impossible to promote groups at all!!! (You can promote it as if it were an outside link, like you can promote any outside link, but this seems very inelegant; you also can’t indicate that it’s a Facebook group in the text because the word “Facebook” is banned!)

It’s also interesting that for a certain range of values, the less you bid per click the more clicks it predicts you will have!

Uploads: For some reason, you can upload video files, but not audio files.

Link previews: Facebook insists on adding a preview of any link you include in the text of a status update or any other material posted to your wall/newsfeed, but unfortunately this preview is frequently worse than useless. Often it references some general statements about the site to which you link, rather than the material you are linking to (for example if you link to drop.io or tinyurls). On other occasions it previews, for reasons no one can understand, entirely different pages from the same site (for my blog, it will frequently provide a preview of a different blog post, although I use the permalink).

Mail: Why on earth is it impossible to forward messages? And why have updates suddenly become so invisible?

Friends: Why is it so difficult to manage lists?

Privacy: Why is Facebook continually trying to put, and actually putting, material in the public domain which I do not want to be there? I was very surprised to discover that my public search listing includes pages I’m a fan of and a host of other personal material that I don’t especially want to be in the front line of my Google Search listings. I hope I now fixed it, but I see more and more the default option “everyone” which, in case you didn’t realize it, actually means “the entire world (human or otherwise)”.

x.facebook.com: Facebook seems to have a host of different mobile sites with reduced functionality. Particularly reduced is this one, which for some reason is the default it opens on my phone (although m.facebook.com works no less badly).

Notifications: It frequently omits notifications, or includes them only hours (or possibly days) later (usually as if they were read) so you don’t notice them.

Any more annoyances with using Facebook? Post them here!

Thanks to mashable.com, I found the following applications in this space: Clickbook: Robyn, Scheduly, Appointy, SuperSaaS and BookingPad. So six to choose from (there are a few others catering to what seem to be different/more specialized resource scheduling problems).

Not that I actually need this software for the moment, but i’ve long awaited the day when I could book professional services online and see when people are free without having to phone them. It’s not only that I don’t like to phone. There’s frequently no-one on the other end of the phone, or my request disrupts them, or I’m in a holding queue for half an hour, or they don’t have the slot I want and then I have to negotiate my way out of the situation, call someone else….

Apparently, it’s also possible to book seats at concerts, tables at restaurants, and places in group events using this kind of software (though for the concerts, there are already ticketing apps that have this functionality).

So there’s definitely a market demand.

As far as I know, the first generation required a client on the service provider side, but now it seems that most if not all of these applications have migrated to a remote hosting model (in normal language, you access them over internet through any browser).

It would be nice to get hold of a comparative analysis, but since I haven’t found one, here are some comments of my own, with any luck social media monitoring software will get my comments to some interested parties who will then complete the picture

So far I only looked quickly at Clickbook, and this from the customer standpoint. This application was the first I came across, and has the additional nice feature of being free

Apart from useability considerations, the following obvious features occur to me:

1. Web integration: how seamless is it? What about support for popular CMS packages like Drupal and Joopla? (About which I am also so far fairly ignorant, but it’s on my to-do list)

2. What about CRM integration? These apps are gathering, and could potentially also exploit, valuable information on customers. How easy is it to feed this information into CRM systems, for analysis and for email marketing, for instance?

3. Clickbook appears to provide an iCal feed to the service provider, but what about sending meeting requests automatically to users too, so they don’t have to enter them manually in their agendas? That should work for Outlook, Google Calendar, whatever Apple users have, and so on.

4. What would be really attractive would be credit card reservations. Does any app support this? How difficult is it to build in?

5. Clickbook doesn’t support reservations to activities that can admit multiple or unlimited participants, at least not in an elegant manner. What applications do permit this?

6. In the event a service provider is unavailable after booking (eg through illness or emergency), how easy is it to inform clients automatically? Is it possible to propose to reschedule appointments?

Perhaps there are also some other features I should care about and which differentiate these apps from each other. I’d really like to know, as rolling out such apps seems to me to have quite some potential.

I’m also wondering about the business models of these applications, including whether they have any chance of becoming killer B2C portals for service provision beyond individual providers, at least in particular sectors and geographies. So far we seem to be a long way from that. However, I must say that if one of these apps gained market dominance I’d be very tempted to use it to look for service providers, rather than other channels. It’s extremely convenient. So a good business model could definitely be built around that.

Looking forward to some interesting feedback!

I am just back from a week-long visit to Istanbul.

It’s apparently not the capital of Turkey (I knew that of course…) but I am not sure its inhabitants have really accepted that. It certainly was the capital of vast Eurasian empires for 1500 years, and that leaves a mark.

Like Venice, Istanbul is dominated by the sea. And somehow it feels so weighted down by history that one wonders if it is not really in danger of sinking.

The modern city is on such a scale that it is impossible even to begin to grasp it during a week-long visit. I had the impression I would need many years. Wikipedia says the population is 12.4 million, but I have heard 15 or even 20 million – apparently, no-one really knows.

Used to the Turkish districts in Brussels and other Western European cities, I thought I knew something of what to expect. There were a few points of contact, of course, but that was overall not really the case. Although men clearly outnumbered women in the street, the vast majority of women whom one did see wore no headscarf and dressed in quite a Western way. In the prosperous districts north of the Golden Horn, they shopped in a Western way too.

But overall, Istanbul was an enigma, and the guidebooks we used (TimeOut, hg2) were largely useless, at least for our purposes. So were sites like Tripadvisor. So here are a few notes of my own trying to make sense of the place.

SIGHTS

These at least you will figure out with a standard guide book.

Try to go to Hagia Sophia when there aren’t too many tourists, as the queues can be very long.

The archaeology museum next to the Topkapi palace is superb, especially the gorgeous sculpted mausolea from the Sidon necropolis, which are in an extraordinarily good state of preservation. An amazing fusion of Egyptian and Hellenistic styles.

The Yerebatan Cistern (Basilica Cistern) was well worth it; as was wandering around in Pera (Beyoglu).

SHOPPING

To buy something worthwhile at a normal price in one of the bazaars is almost impossible; at best, a few souvenirs can be picked up there. North of the Grand Bazaar there are many shops selling much humbler produce. Little of this would seem worth taking back though – it’s the kind of garments and other trinkets they sell here in Belgium in Turkish shops and on markets. Prices in the posh shopping districts offer little advantage, if any, over those in Europe.

However, there is one district in the old city that offers what appears to be quality fashion at reasonable prices. Some items carry the famous European brands and look like them too. Others carry local brand names, fantasy Italian brand names or are unbranded. This district is situated to the South of Ordu Caddesi near the Istanbul University.

Be prepared to bargain there too – but from a more reasonable starting point often known in advance. Being able to speak Russian is a huge advantage – especially if you don’t speak Turkish… Many shops actually refuse to sell you single items, they appear to cater to who-knows-what kind of small post-Soviet shopkeepers. Occasionally they bear the word “wholesale” in the window but more frequently the russian word “optom”.

What’s authentic there and what is not? I have no clue. Are the items genuinely of the quality that they appear? Not always in any case, so buyer beware – but I think we picked up lots of bargains: leather items, fur coats, shoes… We also avoided serious rip-offs (goose down comforters with almost no weight of down in them). Who shops there – can it really be JUST for Russian tourists? And isn’t that a bit odd?

There are also some normal shopping malls out of town (Cevahir in Mecidiyeköy, Akmerker in Etiler, Kanyon…), these we didn’t reach so I can’t say what the shopping experience there would be but I imagine it would be more reliable and organized, prices presumably would be at least similar and probably lower. But maybe I’m wrong. Russian-language assistance would probably not, though, be provided (I do speak enough Russian to communicate).

If you want to buy carpets and kilims in Istanbul, it surely isn’t the best place but it may be an opportunity you don’t have at home. It is absolutely indispensable to be really clued up on all the technical details in advance. There are buyers guides available – you can order them on Amazon, but there is also an English-language bookshop near the Blue Mosque at the beginning of Divan Yolu which is well stocked in all sorts of interesting material with a local slant – it will cost you much more but it’s convenient and pleasant browsing. Anyway you’ll certainly save from having these guides if you do intend to make a purchase.

For some reason all those carpet stores are unable to provide any evidence for their long stories about the carpets they try to sell. I wonder why…

Shops in the touristy districts displaying prices were a rarity. Unsurprisingly, those few who did, were doing great business. Elsewhere, we found all the hassling really tiring and it put us off the shopping experience, so we ended up buying almost nothing other than clothes in the district mentioned earlier.

The Arasta Bazaar near the blue Mosque is much more hassle-free than the Grand Bazaar and an altogether more pleasant experience, though real bargains are unlikely.

Don’t let the hotel take you by car to shops or restaurants, that’s yet another tiresome scam. For some reason, they can’t just tell you the address and let you go by yourself.

Obviously the Turkish government has little vision or desire to reform the tourist experience, which is a pity as the city has great potential without any need for scams.

EATING

We found some really nice and high quality Turkish restaurants in Ticarethane Sokak near the Basilica Cistern and Blue Mosque. One of the few places they don’t hassle you. There are also others in other side streets of Divan Yolu that looked nice. We recommend “The Cure” (despite the name). Rumeli was less good.

There are great grilled fish sandwich available in a variety of places, not just at the quay in Eminönü – for example we also found one next to the Gedirpasa bath. TL 3.50, a bargain.

In the event you get out to the City shopping mall in …, which sells only Western labels at high prices, there is nonetheless an absolutely amazing restaurant on the top floor called “Itś a Joke”. Astonishing design down to the last detail, a feast for the eyes as zell as palate!

After a while we got tired with all the kebabs. Notwithstanding sometimes good quality and service, and the amazing displays of fresh produce in the markets, there seems to be a real lack of variety in terms of food on offer.

BATHS

For goodness sake avoid Cagaloglu on Yerebatan Caddesi – at least if you are a man it is a total ripoff and an unpleasant experience to boot. Gedirpasa was much cheaper and better: 40TL with massage. The architecture in neither place is anything particularly stunning, but Gedirpasa does also have a small pool. In any event, in neither place will you find anyone speaking even very rudimentary English – which is kind of surprising considering the first place caters exclusively to tourists!

CHILDREN

The Turks love children and our two small ones were constantly surrounded by attention. Pushing them in strollers around Istanbul was a challenge though. The sidewalks are awful, frequently too narrow, blocked by lampposts or parked cars, and frequently with steps. The kerbs are also extremelt high and most of the streets are cobbled. We had to push them in the street most of the time, which is certainly not ideal; but we managed it.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Taxis are cheap and we never had any problem with meters or other scams, though it always pays to be careful. The tram which runs down Sultanahmet across to Beyoglu is also very convenient though. Single journey by token, TL 1.40. Buses run everywhere but it was impossible to figure out what was going on there; in any case they are often crowded so not easy with kids in strollers.

HOTELS

We stayed at Kybele two nights, it was a great location, and worth the stay, though it’s rather expensive and the breakfast buffet was disappointing. Our room had a nice terrace, but no view as a high-rise was blocking out Hagia Sophia.

For the rest we stayed at Aruna which is a new hotel and apparently under the same ownership. It’s location in Sultanahmet was slightly less ideal but still OK. The breakfast buffet was better but still got boring after a couple of days. Unlike at Kybele there is a lift. One guy at reception was very helpful and friendly, the other more annoying. Make sure you use the code on the safe deposit boxes, just with the key it is not necessarily safe.

The hotels around Ordu Caddesi are presumably cheaper and next time we might try them, as the district is ideal for shopping and convenient for the tram. But perhaps they cater only to tour groups. There are so many hotels in the old peninsula and around Istiklal Caddesi.

CONCLUSIONS

My main conclusion is that once you venture a bit off the beaten trail in your travels – and Istanbul really is only a LITTLE bit off the beaten trail – local knowledge becomes hugely important. There is really no substitute, even in the internet age. Next time, I would plan more in advance. Internet cannot be relied on (except this article of course . I would try to contact people on the ground by better exploiting my online social networks to find friends of friends. We really only used A Small World, and that delivered something, but not a great deal.

A week was the minimum to get ones bearings and see stuff, but it was also enough for a first visit as the non-stop hassle became tiring and one realized how little one actually understood of how the place worked.

Istanbul is an obvious place to go at least once in a lifetime for its cultural and historical attractions, but it is also a place that one could keep coming back to if only it would be more visitor-friendly and public authorities made a real effort to rein in the hassle and scams. If one has to tolerate the latter anyway, I guess there are more interesting shopping destinations. But it is surely a place that, in any case, leaves a deep impression on one and a hunger for something more.

The photos are here.

In this article, Acharya and Franks analyze the capital budgeting practices of banks, and conclude that State guarantees – both explicit and implicit - already distorted markets even before the crisis. They say that banks should be forced to price debt as if there were no guarantee, or (presumably) that regulators should render all guarantees explicit and charge banks for them at the market rate, regardless of whether or not the bank actually wants the guarantee in question (though maybe it would be sufficient for there to be transparency on who has taken up the guarantee and who has not). One of many arguments leading to the conclusion that more state guarantees to banks may have a role to play in the short term, but in the long term are really going to make the problem worse.