The New Dork – Entrepreneur State of Mind

I think this video speaks for itself….

What’s The Value In Having 5,000 Friends?

Let me ask you all (ya’ll) a question – how many friends do you have on Facebook? How many of those people are actual friends that you know, care about “what’s on their mind”, and want to converse with? How about Twitter? Do you strive to have more followers? Do you follow everyone who follows you? How often do you get to read all the tweets in your Twitterstream?

We’ve created a monster.

Inspired by an article in the latest issued of Wired he read on the flight to LA this week, our friend Tyler just announced he had cut his Facebook friends list back from more than 2,000 to around 300 total. The article, by Clive Thompson (In Praise of Online Obscurity), analyzes the way we have turned social networking into something very unsocial. No longer are we using social networking as a means of fostering relationships with people we actually care about – we’re using it to create new relationships with people (and “reconnect” with people from our past) and quite frankly, we can’t keep up with it. We’re faced with countless hurdles to jump to maintain these relationships, weeding through updates from networking contacts we barely know, distant friends from our childhood, friends of friends and ex-boyfriends. All people who, the second you click accept, can see all your info, as well. As Thompson points out, when your list gets too big, social networking is no longer a possibility. Social networking starts to break down.

Nowadays, people use Facebook as a means to notifying their friends about developments in their life (and granted, some stuff we could care less about – “Makin’ quesadillas tonight!” – I’m guilty of that.) In the last week I found out that I missed news from two of my good friends because their updates were lost in my enormous feed. One of my friends adopted a rescue puppy and the other one got engaged. Both are things I actually would have liked to know, but because of all the noise in my feed, I didn’t.

So what was the result of Tyler’s massacre on his friends list? A list of status updates that he – SHOCK! – actually cares about. Imagine truly wanting to read each and every status update on your list, instead of clicking “Hide” on that person you added, but only because you had 30 friends in common, all of whom are people you met at conferences. Imagine not having to worry that you’re missing something important, funny or interesting because your feed is filled with information and people that honestly, you could care less about.

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Thompson emphasizes the value in obscurity – of keeping your network small and manageable, because once it grows to a certain size, the conversation dissipates. It becomes silent. Mark Zuckerberg famously declared at the recent Crunchie Awards that living publicly and having minimal online privacy is “the social norm, now.” I disagree. Living a public life is not something everyone should be obligated to do, just because they want to use social networking to keep in touch with friends. Now, online privacy is an entirely separate issue as far as I’m concerned (albeit a very, very important one, I have quite a bit to say about this what with having my identity stolen online several times). But aside from the security aspect, I can’t help but agree with Thompson’s stance on online obscurity – how on Earth are we expected to keep up genuine relationships with 3,000 of our closest friends? It’s just not possible. Not unless you give up your job, your family, your hobbies, eating and sleeping. And then what would you have left to talk about, anyway?

In a way, it’s just like high school again – one big popularity contest. So many people striving to be the next Gary Vaynerchuk, the next “online celeb” who millions turn to for entertainment and advice. First of all, this isn’t realistic. That kind of fame is just not feasible for most of us. And whatever happened to good old human relationships – conversations – not soapboxing?

I’m not suggesting everyone go on an “unfriend-ing” rampage or to stop trying to gain followers, I suppose it depends on the purpose of that particular network, but I do think that if you plan on using social networking as a tool to strengthening relationships, you might want to scale back or segregate your relationships by dividing them on different networks (LinkedIn, for example). I know many are of the opinion that in order to create a successful business relationship, you have to first start with a personal relationship, and to some extent, I agree. But you’ve got to make it genuine. Adding me as one of your 7,000 friends on Facebook does not make me feel like I am getting in a close, personal, trusting relationship with you to where I would ever want to enter a business partnership with you. The same way I would feel if I were one of 300 people invited to your birthday party and only had 5 minutes to celebrate with you.

By the way – I realize this might sound a bit hypocritical because I have this blog and a handful of fans, but in no way do I tout myself as a “guru” of any kind or someone that people should “turn to for advice.” I’m nobody. Just a random girl with a poorly written, stream-of-conscience blog and a need to share pretty, interesting things. I have no goals in terms of popularity or fame. This concept of scaling back on social networking just resonated with me, perhaps because of my own struggle to maintain intimate relationships these days via social networking. So – I ask of you…

What’s your method when it comes to managing your online social scene? Do you have rules for adding new friends? Do you only use certain networks for certain things? I’m very curious to find out!

How Social Networking Rules The World

It’s obvious that Facebook is quickly overtaking MySpace, which has ruled the US social networking scene for the past several years. But which websites have the rest of the world panting, logging on daily and updating their status? This map, created by IBM’s many-eyes.com, decodes which social networks are dominating and where.

The popularity is based on Alexa ranking and Google Trends, and although Facebook isn’t QUITE ahead of MySpace yet, this map says it is. I wonder what this will look like in five years.

Visit TechCrunch for an interactive map.

Idiot Calls In Faux-Sick, Gets Busted By Facebook

Here’s a great example of how being TOO connected can come back to smack you in the face. It’s social media gone wrong!

This 21 year old dorkus in Australia, Kyle Doyle, calls in sick after a night of too much partying. I am sure we have all been there once or twice in our life, no shame, especially at 21. But lets at least try to be smart about it, Kyle! Moments later the brilliant lad updated his Facebook status to read “Kyle Doyle is not going to work, fuck it i’m still trashed SICKIE WOO.”

His company’s HR department e-mailed him demanding proof of his “medical appointment,” and when he denied, they replied with the above screenshot of his Facebook profile.

BURN!

Maybe next time he’ll think before he updates his status. We’re watching you, Kyle!

via geekologie

You're Nobody If You're Not On Twitter – The Song

Who isn’t on Twitter these days? My good friend Peter was just whining to me that even his Mom is on Twitter, much to his disappointment. You’re nobody if you’re not on Twitter, at least according to this guy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYP-wBaqQAI&hl=en&fs=1]

And as a proud internet and gadget geek of many, many years, I completely agree.

Can Too Much Text Messaging Lower Your IQ?

Technology trend forecaster Aul Saffo was quoted in a recent New York Times article claiming that text messaging actually makes people dumber. Really?

“The act of texting automatically removes 10 I.Q. points. The truth of the matter is there are hobbies that are incompatible. You don’t want to do mushroom-hunting and bird-watching at the same time, and it is the same with texting and other activities. We have all seen people walk into parking meters or walk into traffic and seem startled by oncoming cars.”

I’d be curious to know how exactly Saffo arrived at the number 10, but I’d be lying if I said the statement was entirely false. I can’t count the number of times that I have nearly run straight into someone – or started heading off in the wrong direction – simply because my head was buried in my Blackberry or iPhone (lets just be thankful California now requires hands-free devices while driving!) So if we are so completely absorbed with what is going on in our handheld devices, can we really be aware of what is going on around us? And are we dumber because of it?

Perhaps not, and we are just excellent multi-taskers.

I’m not so sure we are, and the recent train collision in Los Angeles helps prove it. With the overwhelming surge of mediums by which we can connect with our peers on – are we spending just as much time maintaining these networks as we do actually connecting with one another and discussing what we came to talk about in the first place?

I successfully spent two full days in Las Vegas without really seeing much of it at all. You might be wondering how that is even possible, considering the amount of time spent going back and forth from Convention Center, to casinos, to clubs, to the airport with all the BlogWorld Expo attendees. Plenty of time to take in the sights, right? Wrong. Once again – my face was buried in my iPhone, reading tweets, checking e-mail, responding to text messages, finding out where everyone was. And I know I wasn’t the only one. There was so much #bwe08 traffic on Twitter, even those that were unable to make it to conference could still participate in the action.

So yes, it’s blatantly obvious that we have developed an addiction to mobile computing. With the wide variety of choices available to us – from smartphones to PDAs to teeny tiny laptops – in addition to the never ending flood of slick new applications and programs, it’s virtually impossible to avoid giving into the trend. And considering the impact services like Twitter are having on business development, it could be a mistake not to get involved!

So where do we draw the line? How much networking is too much? And is it really making us dumber?

I’m Going, Going, Back, Back to Cali, Cali. Bye BlogWorld!

A few words I could use to describe this weekend at BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas:

Fun. Amazing. Inspiring. Wild. Unpredictable. Educational. Exhausting.

I begun this trip as a total Vegas n00b and now as I sit in the airport enjoying the free WiFi (an hour early for my flight back to Los Angeles) and trying my damnedest to stay awake, I am beginning to understand all the cliches about Sin City. And even though I look back and think to myself, “maybe I should have taken better advantage of that killer hotel room and used it for SLEEPING more than a few hours,” I don’t regret a second of it!

If you are a blogger, work in social media, social networking, internet marketing, or any related field, I HIGHLY recommend visiting BlogWorld next year. Absolutely the most beneficial tool I have encountered yet. The panels and speakers were enlightening, informative and inspiring. The fellow bloggers I had the pleasure of meeting, chatting with, and even dancing with – were nothing short of amazing. I deeply admire you all and am thankful we had the opportunity to share this experience.

/sappiness

Just a few shout-outs:

Micah Baldwin, Muhammad Saleem, Tessa, Steve Hall, Eric, Rich Page, Jeremy, Adam Ostrow, Brett Petersel, Reem Abeidoh, Pete Cashmore, Jesse Stay, Adam Jackson … and so many more.

I look forward to putting this information to use in the near future and developing these awesome new relationships with all of you.

And now, a return to normalcy. PLEASE.

Seven Ways to Get Your Mom (or Friend) on Twitter

Mashable claims that all Twitter-ers fall into one of two categories.

1. You drink the “noob hatorade” and don’t tell anyone about it for fear it will become so popular (think MySpace, Facebook).

2. You try your damndest to get everyone you know on there.

I suppose I’m a part of both. Granted I’ve only been Tweeting since Fall 2007, so I can’t really claim OG status on that one, but I have been known to urge my friends to get on Twitter. It’s wildly popular with my colleagues, and it’s more fun to update than any other social network. Something about the simplicity and instant gratification.

So here are Mashable’s 7 Steps to Getting Your Mom on Twitter.

1. Find them some valuable people to follow

Politicians – @BarackObama, @JohnMcCain2008, @HillaryClinton, @RonPaul2008 (I used to follow him), @JohnEdwards.
Pop Culture – @MCHammer (I’m sure your Mom will be all over that), @RSS_PerezHilton
Internet Celebs – @iJustine, @kevinrose (is the Digg founder considered an internet celeb?)

You get the point.

2. Get them a desktop or mobile app

This is important, because using Twitter.com to tweet, respond and message is downright painful. Point them to a list of cellphone Twitter apps or other Twitter tools. Once they have an app that makes it as easy as instant messaging, it’ll stick.

3. Respond to their Tweets

Twitter is going to get really boring, really fast if no one is responding to them. I mean really, if a tweet falls in the Twitterverse and nobody hears it, does it make a tweet? Again, make it look and feel like an instant messenger. Once they make their own friends, they won’t be so dependent on your responses.

One way to force them onto Twitter is to tell them that you can’t talk on IM but if they want to tweet you during the day, that’ll be easier for you. Trickery always works.

4. Introduce them to Twitter Lingo

Tweet: A tweet is a message of 140 characters or less, sent through Twitter.

@ – Use this symbol before the name of the person you want to respond to. When you do, the person you’re sending it to will see it as a reply them instead of just a regular tweet in their feed.

Hashtag: A predetermined phrase that starts with a # sign that Twitterers use to categorize tweets. When someone want to talk to a particular group of people, they’ll use the hashtag after their message. Everyone else will still get the message, but anyone who searches that hashtag later on will only follow the designated tweets.

TweetUp: A gathering of Twitter users; normally a luncheon or a casual meetup. Stormhoek has infamously contributed wine to these types of gatherings.

Fail Whale: The Fail Whale is the symbol of twitter down-time. When twitter is down, the page displays a whale being carried by birds. Common phrases referring to the whale include: ‘whale sighting’ and ‘launch your harpoons.’

DM: A DM is a direct message sent from one Twitter user to the next. Only the recipient and the DMer can see this message, as opposed to the rest of the Twitterverse.

Twitterverse:The universe of Twitter users; everyone who tweets.

Plurk: the service that Twitter users swear they are switching to every time there is a whale sighting.

FWIW‚ A common acronym meaning, for what it’s worth. Hey you’ve got 140 characters to talk, and I’m surprised Twitter users haven’t come up with an entire tweet made of acronyms.

For the rest of the list check out Mashable.

And follow me – @theoneinpink, of COURSE!

Dating Site Makes Millions by Connecting Cheaters

I was pretty blown away when I recently was approached by a representative for a dating website strictly for millionaires. However, this is LA, and that kind of mentality (we are rich and/or beautiful, therefore, we are better than you and deserve elite social status) is not that uncommon.

THIS, however, this takes the cake! Ashley Madison (seemingly innocent name, right?) is an agency with the sole purpose of assisting married folks in being unfaithful. Their tagline says it all – “Life is Short. Have an Affair.” Ummm…. what?!?! Is this allowed? What happened to morals? Wait a minute, what am I talking about. This is Hollywood baby!!! There are no morals.

Apparently it’s pretty freaking popular, the self-proclaimed “World’s Premier Discreet Dating Service” boasts over 2 million members. Over 30,000 of which are online as we speak (thanks to the handy counter at the bottom of the homepage.) It’s also been featured on “Larry King,” “Ellen,” “Dr. Phil,” and “20/20″.

Shame on you if you sign up for this. Here is a much better opportunity to let loose, they’re having a contest to win an all-expenses paid trip to LA for a private “Summer Splash” party at the Playboy Mansion on August 1. “Airfare. Hotel. Money. Horny Naked Bunnies.” It’s a trip for 2 and they’re picking a winner a day for 30 days.

What has the world come to? I’m going to take a bath in holy water.

“This Is Totally Going On MySpace.”

Half the fun of going out with friends these days is knowing that all the obnoxious photos you’ll take of yourself will wind up on your social networking profiles. Whether it’s a group shot making inappropriate gestures, a solo glamour shot in the bathroom, a picture of you kissing a random boy on the cheek – whatever the case may be, it’s almost always followed by a "This is totally going on MySpace."  Don’t pretend you haven’t said it!

T20:

The smart people at Sony are releasing the Cybershot DSC-T20 and T100, which are targeted at the ever-present youthful party crowd.  Both models are 8-megapixels and less than a half inch thick (perfect fit for a tiny clutch or skin tight jeans).  Boasting features such as "Super Steady Shot optical image stabilization" and "face detection technology," this digicam is perfect for picture-loving-party-animals that have had too much booze to take a decent picture. 

T100:

While the T100 is slightly more advanced – with a 3" LCD screen (ideal for when you are too tipsy to see the screen clearly) and 5x optical zoom, the T20 isn’t so bad either – 2.5" LCD screen and 3x optical zoom.  The camera allows for 340 pictures to be taken per full battery charge – perfect, because we rarely delete pictures the night of (that is reserved for the day after – grimacing at the horrible faces we’re making or sweaty hair we have going on).  They are priced at $400 and $330, and will be available in March and April, respectively.  The color cases are designed to "match your party gear" and come in some really flashy colors.

Too bad the pink one is only available in the lesser advanced model!!