I’ll be the first to admit that I am a sucker for the command line. Hence I was smiling yesterday, when I saw the Duck Duck Go Terminal hack. But I realize that it is not mass market behavior. So I am happy whenever a bit of command line like goodness finds its way into broader usage.
The rise of @mentions and #hashtags on Twitter is one such example. By adding a tiny bit of syntax to an expression we wind up with a lot more value without requiring a lot of extra work on behalf of the user. Imagine for a moment that instead you had to click on each username to identify it as Twitter handle and then link it. Or type the hashtags into separate fields.
So I was thrilled to see Shapeways support @mentions for conversations in their marketplace for 3D printed goods. This is just the beginning of a number of additional social features coming to Shapeways soon.
