FanConcert is still alive, I've just been distracted lately by another project and some full time job opportunities. Resumes take a long time to get right! Thanks to everyone that've given me kind referrals, I appreciate it.

FanConcert has many problems, I'm not afraid to admit that. A difficult aspect of shipping early and often is that you're out there long before you're ready and everyone can see your flaws. It might be a lot like naked public speaking but I wouldn't know firsthand.

Shipping early is also a great advantage though. I'd still be chasing my tail around the room if it weren't for the excellent feedback I've been getting from FanConcert's users, even just from the limited pool of people I've told about the site and a few people who have wandered in from Google.

After a long hiatus and some time to reflect, I see two main problems with FanConcert that need immediate attention. One is basic and is something my users told me I needed a long time ago. The other is more technical.

The basic one is the ability for users to socialize and interact. Originally I pictured FanConcert being strictly a music news site but there's nothing sexy about information -- no matter how new or relevant it is. FanConcert needs more to keep people interested and constantly coming back.

Here are some ideas people have come up with:

• Users should be able to directly communicate with each other though an internal message/mail system.
• Users should be able to make a list of friends -- other FanConcert users -- who will be allowed to recommend artists, releases and concerts, etc.
• Users should be able to tag objects any way they want, like del.icio.us but there will be some reserved tags, like "I have this album" or "I went to this concert".
• You can see everyone else's tags.
• Every object (artists, releases, concerts) could have a message board, where people can talk about whatever they want.

More socializing gives FanConcert the opportunity to snowball in a way it just can't right now. It would also provide a reason for accurate information to exist on FanConcert: if you want to tag every concert you've ever been to, they all have to be in FanConcert. Same with all of your albums.

The technical problem has to do with naming objects. This has been a really big thorn in my side from day 0 and there are several issues that need to be addressed:

• How does the system handle duplicates?
• How does the system handle aliases, especially multiple aliases to one object?
• How does the system decide which alias is the real name of the object?
• How does the system handle objects with two or more official names in different languages, like concert venues?
• When there are duplicate objects, which one should be deleted?
• If a duplicate is deleted, what do you do with the objects that are connected to it, like an artist's concerts?
• What if an object's name changes? If a venue's name changes, how does the system show name changes over time and show the correct venue name for past concerts? How does the system keep track of the name switch date? How is the current venue name indicated?

Lots of open issues there! The good news is that shipping early exposed all of these problems. I'm confident that by continuing to ship often and by listening to feedback we'll knock them off one by one.