Top 3 Twitter Apps For Bands

Have you noticed that Twitter evolved to a new level recently? It’s not a news story that you have Twitter. Everyone does. But what this next level of Twitter is doing, is making the experience of Twitter more customizable and personal. You can use this to your advantage as an artist. So here are 3 Twitter apps that you should check out and see if they work for you:

1. TweetDeck - Tweet Deck is very good at organizing your Twitter world and giving it a sense of community that most don’t get with logging onto the Twitter page. Understanding what’s going on in your Twitter world will help you start conversations and answer back at people who may be trying to talk to you. The point is to stay connected and TweetDeck helps with that.
2. Twibbon – Twibbon is like a tattoo for your twitter picture (avatar). If you belong to something, a group, a tribe, whatevs, you want to show that association. Plunk a poppy on your avatar to remember the veterans, or a NY Yankees logo to show the world that you have bad taste in sports teams. In both cases you’re spreading a message and saying something about yourself.
   BANDS DO THIS: Create a logo, join Twibbon, and get your followers to show their support by tattooing your logo on their face.
   
3. Tweet For a Track – This is pretty self explanatory. You post your music, then you tweet about it, your fans wanting the track must then tweet for that track (ah, ah, see that? Clever right?). I haven’t had a chance to use this app myself but it appears to be a pretty innovative way of sharing your music.

Wow! Wasn’t that the just the Top of the tops!? Maybe… there is a lot going on for Twitter these days… and yet with all this hubub, word is that Twitter’s growth is stalling, and its number pale in comparison to Fbook. So it still appears that you need to be active in more than one social media network to get the most out of this internet thing everyone keeps talking ’bout.

Download The NewRockStarPhilosophy eBook. It’s FREE!

Take Control of Your Music

Voyno

Tweet This

Facebook Bakal Bikin "Kuburan" Online

NEW YORK- Dalam waktu dekat, Facebook menyediakan fitur baru untuk menandai pengguna yang sudah meninggal. Namun, situs jejaring sosial yang sudah berumur lima tahun itu menyatakan tidak akan menghapus profil mereka.

“Menguburkan sebuah akun juga mencegah orang lain melakukan login ke dalamnya. Namun, fitur ini tetap memungkinkan teman dan keluarganya untuk meninggalkan pesan di wall sebagai ungkapan simpati,” kata Max Kelly, dalam blog resmi Facebook.

Langkah yang dilakukan Facebook adalah membedakan profil orang yang telah meninggal. Beberapa fitur akan dikurangi, seperti menghilangkan semua nomor kontak, e-mail, dan tombol login. Profil tersebut juga tidak akan muncul di bagian “Suggestions” dan hanya muncul di hasil pencarian jika dilakukan oleh orang-orang yang sudah masuk jaringan pertemanannya.

“Kuburan” online ini nantinya baru akan diberlakukan pada profil tertentu berdasarkan permintaan dari teman atau keluarga. Dengan fitur baru tersebut, Facebook berupaya membangun layanannya agar tetap menjadi penghubung sosial, pertemanan, dan tali kekeluargaan, yang saat ini digunakan lebih dari 300 juta pengguna di seluruh dunia.

Sumber: http://tekno.kompas.com

Branding across the social media spectrum

If you are one of our loyal social media followers, you may have noticed that we’ve decked out our halls a bit.  We’ve been so busy helping our clients build their brands in the online world, that we hadn’t had a chance to do the same for ourselves.  Well, between designing logos, programming websites and writing copy, we found some time to flaunt our social media prowess.

The New and Improved Blog:

As blog readers, many of you have questioned the identity of the blogger.  I of course, feel that the shield of anonymity is quite nice, especially when I babble on about picking up potential dates with my business card.  However, I do understand that sometimes stories get confusing if you can’t tell who’s telling them.  Therefore in an effort to lessen confusion and provide full disclosure, you will now be able to place a name with a writing style.  We also added a case study section so you can read about some of our great clients and our mutual successes.  Seeing as integrating social media is something that we practice and preach we added our twitter feed to our blog – don’t worry we don’t talk about what we ate for lunch, we prefer to tell you about the marketing and business world instead.  Oh and of course, with all the great new additions I can’t leave out the beautiful header that now showcases our name – have I mentioned that Karen is a rockstar?  She took our brand strategy and expertly communicated through every media vehicle we utilize.

Making the most of 140 Characters

As many of you know from reading my blog posts (yeah, the cats out of the bag now) I’m the one with obsessive tweeting disorder.  Since coming to terms with my need to tweet, I have convinced the rest of Rhyme & Reason Design that we most embrace our account and develop it into another avenue for establishing our brand.  I must have had a pretty good argument because our brand strategy is now reflected on our twitter background.

Seeing as we don’t want to give you sensory overload with all the great new bells, whistles and characters, I’ll fill you in on Facebook next time around.  Until then, take a look around our blog and if you want to improve your knowledge on the world of entrepreneurs, follow me on twitter @rhymeandreason3.

Why do people think Twitter is a good Customer Service platform?

Because Twitter helps customer solve problems, and they can vent – there a simple answer. But, the current approach will not scale!

I believe the following statement to be true:

The need to broadcast a problem to the world would not be necessary if the customer had confidence that their issue would  be solved timely and to their satisfaction.

There are lots of and lots of good reasons to broadcast, this post is not about all those good reasons: Co-Creation, Innovation, Community, Collaboration, to name a few. This post is also not about Service Communities like Lithium and Helpstream, Parature and others. While not about them, they might be part of the solution.

Using Twitter for support masks a larger issue. Therefore I believe the following also to be true:

If your customers are trying to get your attention on Twitter to solve a specific ‘me only’ problem, your processes are either horribly inefficient, broken or you have product issues.

Twitter is not SocialCRM. Twitter is immediate gratification meets CRM

There are lots of companies who are taking the opportunity to try and make things right, by watching for issues on Twitter and helping those in need. Unfortunately, this also promotes bad behavior, let me paint a mental picture:

In order to get your cable box fixed you needed to go down to the local service provider office. It just so happens that you have your 5 yo daughter in tow. The drive is 20 minutes, you figure the line should not be too bad – ooops, wrong, you need to stand in line for an hour or more. While in line, after 1/2 hour the person who just came in the door starts to yell really loudly about poor service.

In the real world, we all know what would happen (or what should happen anyway). The person yelling would be asked to quiet down, or leave. This would be done nicely of course, but that is what would happen. Right? How do you suppose it would go over if after the second ‘rant’, the best technician in the company walked over and opened up a new station at the counter, and called that individual over, fixed their problem, then left?

But, this is exactly what happens on Twitter, day in and day out. No scenario or metaphor can perfectly represent the Twitter scenario in real world. Are Twitter users playing the system or cheating the system? Or simply taking advantage?  I am aware of the United video (this fits into the broken category), as well as some really great uses of help and support, like Best Buy.

The Reality

Companies who are responding well are putting the best and brightest Customer Support people in the  role of Marketing and Support, and calling them Support. They have a direct line to anyone who can help solve your problem.  This will work for a while, maybe even a year or two – but then everyone will have the secret number – and we will yell and scream, but still be stuck in the queue. Support communities may very well help here – but not for all industries, company sizes or geographies.

The key is turning the data into information and turning the information into insights, then the insights into action. When this really gets mature 3-5 years, we will be able to predict – but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As the Twitter user population grows as well as Facebook and others, the call center and help desk models will simply not be able to scale. Organizations use predictive models to determine staffing and there only so many ‘A’ players (the ones the vendors are using to filter and watch Twitter).

Take the opportunity to learn and figure out what is broken or wrong, and fix it. In order to learn, you need to put processes in place to learn. Am I wrong?

Facebook revamps Home Page

Facebook on Friday dropped a bomb on its user base by launching changes to its homepage, which immediately treats its 300 million users to a real-time “News Feed” interface when they log into the social networking site.

The new “News Feed” format, resembling a semi-chaotic chronological Twitter-like interface, features friends’ updates with a “top stories” feel by showcasing what it deems as the most important, entertaining and interesting posts of the day. The News Feed format parallels the original Live Feed homepage interface, on which Facebook users could view a chronological list of their friends’ status updates and postings.

One small misstep in many users’ eyes — Facebook essentially picks what it thinks your top stories are going to be based on a variety of factors, including how many friends have liked and commented on the displayed posts, and how likely it thinks you will be to comment and interact with the Facebook contact. This of course is based on a metric that is not entirely understood by its user base.

Consequently, what is designated an improvement, however, often results in friends’ Facebook posts being accessible one minute and hidden the next, without a discernible reason why.

The social networking giant justifies its move by saying that users will basically have the best of both worlds — they’ll be able to have access to the most interesting highlights from days past as well as the most current posts — just perhaps not exactly when they want.

“You will be able to catch up on what you may have missed while you were away from Facebook and then easily switch to the real-time stream when you want to see posts as soon as they’re shared,” said Facebook’s Raylene Yung in a company blog post Friday.

By all accounts, the revamped homepage has not exactly been warmly embraced by Facebook users, who are somewhat resistant to fixing something that wasn’t broken. While the home page changes might be a well-intended effort to filter the barrage of superfluous interactions into one streamlined jet of useful information, the unexpected format change has led to a strong backlash by Facebook users who have formed a myriad protest groups. One such group, known as “Facebook: SWITCH BACK TO THE OLD NEWS FEED,” touts 648,000 members. Another group sports more than 400,000 members.

There is still some saving grace for disenchanted Facebook friends. Users can still access the old format by clicking through to the original Live Feed page, and, as Facebook contends, they still do have the option of accessing both formats. But the new “News Feed” comes as an unwelcome surprise to users who were perfectly content with the chronological order of the “Live Feed” posts. And ability to transition from one format to another isn’t immediately clear.

Until Facebook can find a way to seamlessly placate both objectives, the user outrage will likely continue to live on.

 

(Content from crn.com)

Comment, Rate,Share

101201

To The Y Generation: In Some Regards It's a Rotnem, Not a Mentor, World

Photo: Getty Images

As the final generation of internet-handicapped executives seek the late Y generation who have grown up with the media networking boom at the onset of this new millennium, positions managing (and teaching) third party social networking applications have become increasingly available in larger corporations that can afford to support the exorbitant salaries of these ‘children’ (exorbitant considering the job requirement). The Chicago Tribune found that Baby Boomers and the early X Generation were turning to the younger generation for social media help.

“Many organizations eager to strengthen their presence in the online world have discovered that they have the perfect consultants on their staffs: 20-somethings who live in that world… The baby boomer executives who might have scolded these young people for that if they had been their parents are now turning to them for help. A survey for the Center for Work-Life Policy found that 40 percent of respondents had asked younger colleagues for help with text messaging, social networking and using iTunes.”

Competitive companies, realizing the benefits cyberspace has to offer, see the mentor to pupil exchange, in some regards, break down the barriers of workplace hierarchies, allowing the pupils unprecedented access and relationship building opportunities.

“Think of it as reverse-mentoring… “Rotnem” — mentor, backward.”

The Chicago Tribune reveals that, “Some 95 percent of the leadership in the Chicago office have Rotnems, and the company has expanded the program worldwide. At organizations where social networking is not an integral part of the business, young mentors have to make their instruction simple.” [The Chicago Tribune]

If you’re clueless when it comes to WordPress, Digg, Blogspot, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and other social networking/media applications, start acquainting yourself. It’s resume worthy material a significant factor in attaining that coveted job or internship. Trust me I would know.

A Word on Friendship

I’ll never forget the day by best friend in gradeschool ditched me for a school mate of hers that she  said she didnt really like. At the time it broke my heart. I remember my mother saying ” It’s not your fault, some people just dont know how to be friends or know the meaning of true friendship.” I think that we never stop learning how to treat and relate to people. As we age, our relations just become more complex.

True Friends: Never leave you out in the rain!

Emerging Thought: What is a true friend?

I think with the rise of social networking we begin to lose sight of the real meaning of friendship. We tag people as ‘friends’ on facebook everyday, but we may know nothing about who they really are. Friendship is relative. My criteria for a true friend is different from your criteria. I also believe there a different levels of friendship as we dont let everyone get that close to us. For me, my true friends are the ones I can count on in a pinch, the ones that listen and offer sound advice. True friends are trustworthy, loyal, and have great conversation. The ones that you hang with often or as much as you can because you enjoy their company. These are the people who push you to do and be better. Sometimes they may not agree with you on something but support you anyway if it doesnt  do you harm. True friends are honest, caring, bring  joy, and lots of laugher to your life. These are the folks that will go out of their way for you when you’re in need. The people who you may not see often but when you get together its like you never missed a beat. True friends have common goals and objectives, but most importantly they are there for you.

Vague Assumption: Once a friend, Always a friend.

In recent years my friendships have transitioned for different reasons. New friendships made, Old friendships fade away, and many neglected As we grow and change the people we surround ourselves change. Sometimes lifestyle choices or opinions or our significant others can cause a shift in a cohesive friendship. One thing I’ve learned is that if someone is truly a friend and truly cares for you, they will always want you to be a part of their lives even if it means they have to fight for it. Seasonal changes in that person will not allow them to let your friendship fall by the wayside. Friends like this and what I’ve described above are far and few between, but I’ve been blessed with a mighty few who I can truly call my friends. I’m forever grateful.

Startling Conclusion:

I think true friendship is to be cherished. I also think that as we get older we should make more of an effort to connect with our friends and loved ones. I also believe that we should be more selective with who we deem as true friends. The most important thing that I’ve learned is that if I want all of these things from a friend that I have to be all of those things to my friends. The good news is that you can always become a better friend, just like you can become a better person. I may no longer be friends with my best friend from grade school but she will always hold a special place in my heart. Continue to love and treat one another as you would yourselves, and I guarantee, you’ll reap a lifetime of blessings for it!

Facebook news feed #EPICFAIL

Why does Facebook insist on fixing what isn’t broken? The feeds functioned just fine, why did they decide that they needed to become more invasive by changing the way they show posted information. I had spent a fair amount of time “hiding” various things that I didn’t want to see in my news feed. I was able to filter out various game status’s without having to filter out the people who played them. It seems impossible (or at least much more difficult) to do that now.

This is a change that was not needed and takes Facebook a step or three backwards. IT is much less useful to me now and I will spend less time there.

Mozilla's Response to Google Wave: Raindrop

A few months ago, Google rocked our world with its presentation of Google Wave.  The idea of sharing conversations, and integrating with all of the social networking utilities we use, into one web page grabbed a lot of attention.

Now it’s Mozilla’s turn to awe and impress.  Raindrop, appears to attempt what google Wave is trying to do.  it integrates with your online accounts, such as email, twitter, facebook, Skype, etc, into one web page, and organizes them into conversations.

Granted Raindrop is in heavy development and doesn’t have near the robustness of Wave yet, but setting up a Raindrop server is also much easier than a Wave server, for those of us who are still waiting for a Wave invite.

It’s also, in Mozilla fashion, open source.  Setting it up was a moderate difficulty.  I did it in a VM to be safe, and used the check-raindrop.py –configure option which mostly worked well and considering it basically just adds python modules, seems pretty harmless.

The end result being that you a browser (webkit or mozilla-based recommended) to a local address where all of your accounts get aggregated to.  So you see your email, twitter, skype, etc as a news feed, like conversations.  Pretty cool.

The instructions to set it up are on mozilla’s site.  Because it’s under heavy development, your mileage may vary, but seems to work pretty well here.  The above is a sanitized screenshot I took of it after getting it setup.

5 Reasons Why You Need a Facebook Fan Page - Productivity Nugget #004

In this Productivity Nugget I share with you the 5 Reasons Why You NEED a Facebook fanpage. Check out these stats and tell me you shouldn’t be moving some of your business focus there.

Facebook stats

• More than 300 million active users
• 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day
• The fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older
• If Facebook was a country it would be the 4th Largest

How engaged are the users?

• Average user has 130 friends on the site
• More than 8 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)
• More than 45 million status updates each day
• More than 10 million users become fans of Pages each day

Mobile use?

• There are more than 65 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.
• People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are almost 50% more active on Facebook than non-mobile users.
• There are more than 180 mobile operators in 60 countries working to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products

Bandar Narkoba 'Bonceng' Farmville

(Foto:Telegraph)

TAIPEI – Game Farmville, yang kian banyak dimainkan para pengguna Facebook, digunakan oleh bandar narkoba di Taiwan untuk mendistribusikan barang haramnya. Bagaimana caranya?

Seperti dilansir China Times, Rabu (21/10/2009), kepolisian Taiwan mengungkapkan modus baru transaksi narkoba lewat Facebook. Bandar menggunakan sebuah kode rahasia di Farmville yang hanya diketahui pelaku dalam jaringan narkoba.

Kata-kata yang sering digunakan dalam permainan Farmville menjadi kode untuk mengganti kata-kata jumlah ‘barang’ yang dipesan, jenis narkoba, dan lokasi transaksi.

Dipercaya, cara itu membuat bandar narkoba leluasa untuk menghindari pengawasan kepolisian.

Modus transaksi diketahui setelah polisi berhasil menangkap seorang bandar narkoba di sebuah wilayah di Taiwan. Pria berusia 28 tahun itu tertangkap saat sedang bermain Farmville (versi China) dan sedang memegang 15g ampethamine.

Komunikasi juga dilakukan lewat dinding Facebook. Setiap tanaman yang ada di Farmville mewakili jenis obat yang di pesan. Seperti contoh sayuran bit putih untuk memesan Ampethamine. Jika transaksi akan dilakukan maka bandar akan segera mengontak calon konsumen dengan mengatakan, panennya telah siap dan diminta untuk menyiapkan ‘farm coin’.

Polisi saat ini sedang menyelidiki teman-teman tersangka yang terdapat dalam ‘farm list’

Aplikasi Farmville merupakan game yang menawarkan para pengguna Facebook pengalaman sebagai pengelola perkebunan. Aplikasi ini sangat populer di kalangan Facebookers, sehingga menempatkannya sebagai aplikasi teratas dalam 10 aplikasi paling populer.

Hingga saat ini, Farmville dimainkan oleh sekira 72 juta pengguna, dengan jumlah pengguna bulanan lebih dari 35 juta orang. (stf)

Sumber:
http://techno.okezone.com/read/2009/10/21/55/267930/bandar-narkoba-bonceng-farmville

Parting Thoughts from SC EdTech 2009

I am tired but happy to be back with my family after returning from the 2009 South Carolina Educational Technology Conference in Myrtle Beach. The last three days have been a whirl of learning, connecting with old friends, and making new ones. Here are some of my thoughts and observations of the time I spent in Myrtle Beach in no particular order.

The biggest trend coming over the horizon is the use of mobile phones in the classroom. While this might not be a new idea, I believe many educators are rethinking their stance on their use. Okay, it not breaking news that almost every student has a mobile phone these days. However, instead of taking them away maybe we need to look at how we can use these devices in the classroom. Today’s cellphones are essentially mini-computers. They can access vast amounts of information from the Internet and kids could probably type essays using their thumbs faster than writing them on paper. Of course rules would have to be set governing their use. With budget cuts reducing the availability of more computers in the classrooms this is an idea with more study.

Speaking of budget cuts and the economy, attendance was way down this year. Many of my friends around the state were not able to come. Vendors did not have the usual cool “schwag” you usually see at the conference. This could be a blessing in disguise. I had the pleasure of meeting many new people who I now communicate with over Twitter. Since the vendors did not have much to offer, there seemed to be more participation in the sessions.

I have challenged people to show me a serious educational use for Facebook I would consider it. Nobody took me up on my challenge until I saw how a USC-Sumter Economics professor used Facebook groups to extend class discussions to the popular social network site. The professor also used her groups on Facebook to give out class information too. I was so impressed I created a Facebook group for my school.

Congratulations to my good friends Mary Ann Sansonettie and Chris Craft on receiving the Making it Happen Award. This award was deserved to two educators who are passionate about using technology in teaching. Both educators are a great inspiration to me personally.

Hopefully, I will be back next year to help solve the great mystery which will be the theme for next year. Until then, I will be exploring many of the things I learned at this years conference. I hope to see everyone in Myrtle Beach next year.

The NFL & Social Media

If you’re hoping to get Eli Manning’s thoughts in 140 characters or less this fall, you’ll have to wait until until he has given them to the media first.  The NFL has made some decisions about social media, who can use it, how, when and where. 

Players, coaches, and operations personnel can use Twitter, Facebook, etc., but no closer to kick-off than 90 minutes and only once they’ve given their traditional media interviews after the games.  Updates during the games by any individual or any representative of the individual are strictly prohibited.  

Game officials and officiating department personnel are banned from using the applications at all times.   The ban is considered an extension of the league’s rule that prohibits play-by-play descriptions of games in progress.  

The decision comes after San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie tweeted negatively about food service at the Chargers’ training camp.  He was fined $2,500.  Several teams, including the Broncos, Patriots, Bills, Colts, Saints, and Lions, have already set up team restrictions on the practice field, this summer.  The Miami Dolphins went all out, restricting players, reporters, and even fans attending training camp. 

On the other hand, the NFL has taken great advantage of sites such as Twitter, using it to connect with fans and make announcements; the NFL security department even assists in removing fake website set up in the names of various players.   Saints cornerback Malcolm Jenkins used Twitter to announce that he had signed with the team.  The Cincinnati Bengals used Twitter to announce the signing of Andre Smith.   NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell even tweeted live from the draft in April.

In a statement, the NFL acknowledged the positive impact social media has had on the league but also insisted they were trying to keep it in its appropriate form, “The growth of social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook has created important new ways for the NFL and clubs to communicate and connect with fans.  The NFL has been at the forefront of the use of new media and will continue to emphasize innovative and appropriate use of these new forms of communication.”

Will FaceBook replace email?

In an interesting column at StandardNet, the question is raised over whether or not FaceBook messages will replace standard email.

From a personal perspective, I find myself in a sort of muted agreement – almost everyone I correspond with is on FaceBook, and it’s quite easy to compose a message and get them all added in to the recipient list. Everyone can follow in on the thread, and let’s face it – I think the majority of people I know are checking their FaceBooks MORE than their traditional email accounts!

From a business perspective, I can’t see this occurring in the very near future, if at all. I absolutely agree that more and more businesses are using FaceBook to market themselves in a growing social media movement, but traditional communication via email will remain so, simply for the fact that business people don’t, as a habit, rush out and add new clients to their FaceBook friends list.

On another level, not every business is keen on social media; I know plenty of people who find sites like FB, MySpace, Twitter, etc. blocked by their firewalls at work. Those correspondents wouldn’t be on FaceBook during business hours, as a result it wouldn’t make sense to send them a business-related message that they couldn’t get to during “normal business hours”.

(Of course, “normal business hours” is becoming a thing of the past in the era of the 24×7 Internet, but that’s another blog for another time).

What say you – would you be more inclined to conduct business via FB messages, wall posts, or perhaps Tweets, vs. doing so in a “traditional” email format?

SD i ny fin mätning 4,7 %

Ännu en ny mätning där Sverigedemokraterna ligger en bra bit över 4 %  …

“4,7 procent är den högsta notering Sverigedemokraterna (SD) fått sedan Sifo började redovisa partiets väljarsympatier i september 2006. SD, som detta veckoslut har samlat sitt högsta beslutande organ till landsdagar i Klippan, är i nuläget större än Centerpartiet (4,6) och Kristdemokraterna (4,3).”

Verloren geglaubt und wiedergefunden

Aus dem Nebel der eigenen Geschichte aufgetaucht: das College.

[via]

Es passiert mir nicht oft, daß ich bei einem Eintrag in diesem Blog lange nach dem Einstieg suchen muß, aber momentan bin ich so bewegt, aufgedreht, ungläubig, kurz: gobsmacked, daß mir die Worte fehlen.

Facebook hat mir soeben eine wunderschöne Überraschung bereitet. Ich habe Nachricht von jemandem erhalten, den ich zum letzten Mal vor 15 Jahren gesehen und vor neun Jahren gelesen habe.

Damals, mit 19, 20 Jahren, war ich Au-Pair in Suffolk, im Südwesten England. Ich lebte völlig abgeschieden auf einer wunderschönen, denkmalgeschützten Farm aus dem 16. Jahrhundert. Im Gegensatz zu anderen Au-Pair-Müttern aus meinem Bekanntenkreis nahm mich meine hart an die Kandare, she made sure she got her money’s worth. Als hochbezahlte Werbetexterin legte sie jedoch auch Wert darauf, daß ich einen anspruchsvollen Sprachkurs im College der Kreisstadt besuchte (der mir später im Studium einen nicht unerheblichen headstart bescheren sollte). Meine wöchentlichen Trips mit dem Überlandbus durch die Kornfelder in die Kreisstadt waren das absolute Highlight – ich konnte shoppen gehen, Leute kennenlernen, und mich in einem  Studentenpub mit dem schlüpfrigen Namen The Spread Eagle mit meinem Lieblingsdrink Snake Bites Back besaufen.

Im College hatten wir eine sehr freundliche und engagierte Lehrerin, Freddie, die sich um uns Ausländer aus aller Herren Länder bemühte. Wo kamen wir überall her? Ich weiß es nicht mehr. Ich kann mich wirklich nur an Einen erinnern, Konstantin.

Ob er von Anfang an mein Banknachbar war, ob er tatsächlich neben mir saß, oder ob ich mir das nur in meiner Erinnerung so einbilde, kann ich nicht mit Sicherheit sagen.Ich weiß aber, daß er mich stets freundlich anlächelte, freundlich grüßte, woraufhin ich im Gegenzug wahrscheinlich freundlich errötete. In meiner damaligen Wahrnehmung erschien er mir deutlich jünger als ich, obwohl uns nur zwei Jahre trennten. Er war Russe und nach Großbritannien gekommen, um an einer renommierten Schule, deren Emblem sein marineblaues Sakko zierte, Abitur zu machen. Seine Englischkenntnisse waren asugezeichnet; er stachelte meinen Ehregiz an, und es machte Spaß, sich im Unterricht die Bälle zuzuspielen.

Soweit ich mich erinnere, haben wir nie etwas gemeinsam außerhalb des College unternommen. Wir haben nie eine tiefe Freundschaft geformt. Wir haben uns nie Zettelchen zugesteckt und uns nie geküßt. Ich kann mit Sicherheit sagen, I had a crush on him, aber möchte ich, aus heutiger Sicht, diese Mischung aus Unerfahrenheit, Hilflosigkeit und Schüchternheit wirklich mit dem Begriff „Verknallt-Sein“ oder gar „Verliebtheit“ adeln?

Was also war es, das mich jahrelang, immer wieder aufs Neue, und bis auf ein Mal fruchtlos, nach ihm suchen ließ? Ich hatte es einfach gespürt, er war ein besonderer Mensch gewesen. Ich habe ihn wirklich nie vergessen, auch nicht -zig tiefergehende, beständigere Bekannt-, Freund- und Liebschaften später. Sobald ich das Internet für mich entdeckt hatte, suchte ich nach ihm. Ich erhoffte mir nichts. Ich fand nichts. Einmal gab es einen Brief, wie auch immer. Ausgerechnet den Umschlag mit der Adresse verlor ich. Unzählige Male ärgerte ich mich deswegen über mich selbst.

Jetzt kann ich seine Nachricht lesen, in perfekten Deutsch, das er sich zwischenzeitlich ebenfalls erworben haben muß. Eine Geschäftsreise führe ihn nach Deutschland. Ich sehe sein Bild auf Facebook. Kein Jüngling mehr, ein Mann mit einem freundlichen Lächeln, verheiratet.

Interwebs, I owe you. Wie wär’s mit einen Drink im Spread Eagle?

Slogan Writer's exclusive interview with Max

Hey everyone, Slogan Writer here. Everyone I know was hyped when The Lost Generation came back for a second go-round, and I too was excited that Duffy realized it was the crumbling journalism industry and not stories of debauchery that was going to prevent him from securing employment. However, it seems like every day for the past month and a half or so, I’m asked the same question by friends and strangers alike. “Slogan Writer” they say, “Max’s picture is at the top of the webpage, and technically the blog is half his, so what’s preventing him from contributing……….well, anything really?” This is a very valid question to which I’ve only been able to reply “I have no idea, and more importantly, how did you find me in my mom’s basement?”

            Well America, no longer will your cries fall on deaf ears. I was able to secure a one-on-one interview with the elusive Max at a New Milford bar, the transcript of which follows.

Disclaimer: Familiarize yourself with Allen Iverson’s “practice rant”, below, before reading Slogan’s interview with Max.

Slogan Writer: “Overall, Max, tell us how the original blog ended for you as a team?”

Max: “We lost it man. It ain’t a whole bunch to that. Simple as that, we lost it.”

SW: “What did you talk about in Duffy’s office?”

M: “Everything, you know, just me and him, you know, just let him know that I’m the pit bull in his yard and if anyone tries to intrude, I’ll be the first one to bite and protect the Train Station, you know, the same thing I’ve been saying from day one.”

SW: “Were you upset about the comments he made publicly last Saturday?”

M: “No question about it. That’s what happens when you disappear though, you know. When you disappear, there is a whole bunch of room for negativity and I don’t feed into this stuff and I do not do any talking. I don’t run my mouth. If Duffy has any issues with me, I believe there are things that I can control, things that I can get a grip on but this is what happens when you disappear. That’s what happened, you know, everybody take shots at Max. It’s just unfortunate that I can’t punch back.”

SW: “So you and Duffy got caught up on Saturday about blogging?”

M: ““If I can’t blog, I can’t blog. It is as simple as that. It ain’t about that at all. It’s easy to sum it up if you’re just talking about blogging. We’re sitting here, and I’m supposed to be the franchise contributor, and we’re talking about blogging. I mean listen, we’re sitting here talking about blogging, not a party, not a party, not a party, but we’re talking about blogging. Not the parties that I go out there and die for and drink every drink like it’s my last but we’re talking about blogging man. How silly is that?

Now I know that I’m supposed to lead by example and all that but I’m not shoving that aside like it don’t mean anything. I know it’s important, I honestly do but we’re talking about blogging. We’re talking about blogging man. We’re talking about blogging. We’re talking about blogging. We’re not talking about the parties. We’re talking about blogging. When you come to the Train Station, and you see me drink, you’ve seen me drink right, you’ve seen me give everything I’ve got, but we’re talking about blogging right now.”

SW: “Is it possible that if you blogged, not you but you would make your writing better?”

M: “How in the hell can I make my writing better by blogging?”

Now, I’m going to cut this off here. Needless to say, things just got weirder from this point on as Max’s drink count climbed. I was as astounded as you probably are by Max’s logic, so I’ll spare you the rest of the interview and cut straight to his last statement.

 

SW: “Do you think this is finally over and do you think it will come up again?”

MJ: “I hope that it is. But It ain’t really about me. I am selfish to the fact that my sister has to go through it. My sister is 18-years-old. Ask yourself, if your sister had to listen to people talk bad about that brother or sister all the time, how would you feel, honestly? If you have siblings, I know y’all understand. This is what my sister goes through at school. She comes home and says her teacher said Max don’t leave. Max, the girl in my class says you’re getting traded. All for a blog, a [expletive] blog.

A lot of y’all can’t put your feet in my shoes because you can’t handle it. But just try to stick your feet in my shoes. It does not have to be a [expletive] day, just try for a minute and try to deal with what I do in my life. My best friend is in a different state and we lost the old blog. And this is what I have to go through for the rest of the fall until the season is all over again. This is what I got to go through…this is my life in a nutshell. Now y’all come home and live your lovely life, live it up and live your life to the fullest.”

Well, there you have it America. Max – a raving, illogical, and possibly dangerously insane individual.  Directly following that last statement he smashed his glass against the wall and angrily stormed out, sticking me with a $150 bar bill and a better understanding of just the type of person I was dealing with. Hopefully everyone now realizes that he’ll post again when he “damn well feels like it” and just ride out the indeterminate length of time with the patient hope that I have.

When Facebook Becomes Crack

6 Ways To Tell If You’re Addicted To Facebook:

1. You check it as soon as you wake up, on your phone while you’re driving in the car and even on a date.

2. If you don’t check it, you feel like you have ants in your pants. The ants go away as soon as you enter your password, click enter and your homepage pops up.

3. You’re enticed by the many quizzes and games on Facebook and insist on sending your friends requests to play as well.

4. You can’t fall asleep at night unless you’ve logged on.

5. If you don’t update your status to let people know what’s going on with you, you feel the need to scream.

6. You feel like you’re missing out on something crucially important if you don’t check it at least once a day.

Posted by Patience

ซัมซุง ส่ง “Samsung Candy” บุกตลาดพรีเมี่ยมแมสทัชโฟน

นายมนาเทศ อันนวัฒน์ หัวหน้าฝ่ายการตลาด ธุรกิจโทรคมนาคม บริษัท ไทยซัมซุง อิเลคโทรนิคส์ จำกัด เปิดเผยว่า “ปัจจุบัน ซัมซุงมียอดขายโทรศัพท์มือถือในเขตกรุงเทพฯ เป็นอันดับ 1 ด้วยส่วนแบ่งการตลาดกว่า 30.5% ซึ่งเป็นเครื่องบ่งบอกถึงความแข็งแกร่งทางด้านการทำตลาดที่ดีขึ้น      อย่างต่อเนื่อง สำหรับในส่วนของตลาดทัชโฟนนั้นซัมซุงก็เป็นผู้นำในการบุกเบิกตลาดขึ้นใน ประเทศไทย       จน ทำให้ทัชโฟนเป็นเทรนด์ที่มาแรงของผู้ใช้โทรศัพท์มือถือในยุคนี้ ด้วยความมุ่งมั่นที่จะสร้างประสบการณ์ทัชโฟนที่ครอบคลุมตอบรับความต้องการ ของผู้บริโภคในทุกระดับ ซัมซุงได้นำเสนอทางเลือกทัชโฟน         ที่หลากหลายตั้งแต่ในระดับสมาร์ทโฟนจนถึงเบสิคให้แก่ผู้บริโภคในทุก ไลฟ์สไตล์ตั้งแต่นักธุรกิจ            หนุ่มสาวยุคใหม่ ตลอดจนถึงวัยรุ่น นักเรียน นักศึกษา อาทิ ซัมซุง ออมเนีย แฟมิลี, ซัมซุง เจ็ต   และซัมซุง สตาร์ เป็นต้น”

กรุงเทพฯ (1 ตุลาคม 2552) – ซัมซุงมั่นใจขึ้นครองเบอร์หนึ่งตลาดโทรศัพท์มือถือสิ้นปีนี้ พร้อมสร้างปรากฏการณ์ใหม่ให้ตลาดทัชโฟนต่อเนื่องด้วยการเปิดตัว “ซัมซุง แคนดี้” ครั้งแรกของการนำเสนอทัชโฟนเจาะกลุ่มวัยรุ่นในระดับพรีเมี่ยมแมสผ่านไลฟ์ส ไตล์สุดคูลของทัชโฟน หลากสีในราคาเพียง 5,990 บาท เปิดตัวครั้งแรกในงานไทยแลนด์ โมบายล์ เอ็กซ์โป 2009 ตั้งเป้ายอดขาย “ซัมซุง แคนดี้” ทั่วประเทศทะลุกว่า 6 แสนเครื่อง

“เพื่อตอกย้ำความเป็นผู้นำทัชโฟนสำหรับทุกไลฟ์สไตล์ ซัมซุงพร้อมเปิดตัว “ซัมซุง แคนดี้ (Samsung Candy)” มุ่งขยายประสบการณ์ทัชโฟนไปยังกลุ่มวัยรุ่นที่ชื่นชอบความสวยงามของแฟชั่น   และสีสันที่สดใส พร้อมการใช้งานที่ครบตามความต้องการของคนรุ่นใหม่วัยทีน อาทิ ดีไซน์สีสันสดใส   สไตล์ลูกกวาดโดดเด่นตามเทรนด์ล่าสุดของแฟชั่นทั่วโลก หน้าจอระบบสัมผัสเต็มรูปแบบ และการเชื่อมต่อ       สู่โลกออนไลน์ได้ทันทีทั้งโปรแกรมแช้ตและ Social Networking อย่าง Facebook, MySpace              และ Twitter ในราคาที่ชวนสัมผัสเพียงไม่ถึง 6 พันบาท ทำให้การครอบครองทัชโฟนเป็นเรื่องง่าย      สำหรับวัยรุ่นในปัจจุบัน โดยเปิดตัวเป็นครั้งแรกในประเทศไทยที่งานไทยแลนด์ โมบายล์ เอ็กซ์โป 2009”

“ซัมซุง แคนดี้ (Samsung Candy)” โดนใจวัยรุ่นด้วยดีไซน์สีสันแบบลูกกวาดสดใสที่มีให้เลือก   4 สี ได้แก่ เหลืองสดใส ส้มจี๊ดจ๊าด ชมพูโรแมนติก และสีขาวเรียบหรู ในสไตล์โค้งมนที่แตกต่าง เส้นลายด้านข้างมีลูกเล่นแนวโค้งตัดกับตัวฝาหลังที่สามารถถอดเปลี่ยนลายได้ ตามใจชอบ มาพร้อมฟังก์ชัน      การทำงานที่รองรับการใช้ชีวิตออนไลน์ง่ายดายยิ่งขึ้นด้วย SNS Widgets ที่ตั้งอัพเดตอัตโนมัติให้ติดตามทุกการเคลื่อนไหวของเพื่อนๆ ได้อย่างไร้ขีดจำกัดไม่ว่าจะเป็น Facebook, MySpace และ Twitter        ตอบรับสไตล์การใช้งานสุดคูลของวัยทีนด้วยระบบสัมผัสเต็มรูปแบบพร้อมเมนูไอ คอนแบบการ์ตูน            ที่ช่วยปรับหน้าตาของเมนูการใช้งานให้น่ารักไม่ซ้ำแบบใคร พร้อมกับกล้องดิจิตอล 2 ล้านพิกเซล         และฟังก์ชัน One Finger Zoom ช่วยให้การซูมภาพง่ายเพียงปลายนิ้วเดียว อีกทั้งเทคโนโลยี              Smart Unlock ที่ใช้เพียงปลายนิ้วเขียนตัวอักษรบนจอก็สามารถปลดล็อคการใช้งานหรือสั่งงาน โทรออก  ได้ทันที วางจำหน่ายแล้วในราคา 5,990 บาท พร้อมฝาหลังลายแฟชั่นและฝาหลังสีดำและการ์ดหน่วยความจำขนาด 2 กิกะไบต์ในกล่อง

“สำหรับ งานไทยแลนด์ โมบายล์ เอ็กซ์โป เปรียบเสมือนการรวมตัวของผู้ผลิตและจัดจำหน่ายโทรศัพท์มือถือแบรนด์ต่างๆ เป็นศูนย์กลางให้ผู้บริโภคได้มีตัวเลือกที่สามารถเปรียบเทียบกันได้ซึ่งได้ รับความสนใจเป็นอย่างสูงจากกลุ่มผู้ที่มองหาโทรศัพท์มือถือเป็นประจำทุกปี และสำหรับในปีนี้ เรามั่นใจ    ว่าด้วยการเปิดตัวเป็นครั้งแรกของ “ซัมซุง แคนดี้” รวมทั้งไลน์อัพทัชโฟนอีกมากมายที่ซัมซุงนำเสนอ  ให้ แก่ผู้บริโภคในงานนี้ เราจะสามารถทำยอดขายโทรศัพท์มือถือตลอด 4 วันจากงานนี้ได้กว่า 3,000 เครื่อง หรือคิดเป็นมูลค่าประมาณ 25 ล้านบาท ซึ่งจะเป็นส่วนสำคัญที่จะช่วยผลักดันให้ซัมซุงขึ้นครองอันดับหนึ่งตลาด โทรศัพท์มือถือประเทศไทยภายในสิ้นปีนี้ด้วยส่วนแบ่งการตลาด 35% ” นายมนาเทศกล่าวทิ้งท้าย

ภายในงานซัมซุงยังร่วมเอาใจคนรักทัชโฟนด้วยโปรโมชันสุดพิเศษแก่ผู้ซื้อ ทัชโฟนรุ่น ออมเนีย II, ออมเนีย คิว, i8910HD, ซัมซุง เจ็ต และ สตาร์ ไว-ไฟ รับฟรี! ของสมนาคุณสุดคุ้ม อาทิ            ชุดหูฟังบลูทูธ และการ์ดหน่วยความจำขนาด 4-8 กิกะไบต์ นอกจากนี้ซัมซุงพร้อมมอบของขวัญ     สุดพิเศษ “โทรศัพท์มือถือซัมซุง B2100” วันละ 3 เครื่อง และ “ซัมซุง แอลซีดี ทีวี” ขนาด 32 นิ้ว    วันละ 1 เครื่อง แก่ผู้ซื้อโทรศัพท์มือถือทุกรุ่นที่ร่วมรายการ ณ บูธซัมซุงภายในงาน

Lockerz Lançamento, Off, Trambiques BR...

Certo, acredito que tem alguém TEMÇO por aí porque o Lockerz está off hoje, dia 14 e o lançamento é amanhã, dia 15.

A resposta para que o site esteja fora do ar é porque eles estão limpando o database, arrumando tudo para amanhã, estão incrementando a banda, para que assim o risco de overload de tanto br! tentando acessar o site seja menor. Eles pretendem colocar o site no ar novamente entre as 11 e meia-noite de hoje, 14 horas. Com isso, eles darão DOUBLE PTZ para quem acessar hoje, dia 14 e amanhã dia 15. Double PTZ significa 8 pra Z-Lister (eu não sou um ainda…) e 4 para usuários comuns.

Segundo o site Lockersbrasil, o Brasil é o site com maior interesse no lockerz, e o país com terceiro maior número de acessos. Ou seja, BRASILEIRO SEMPRE TENTA IR PELO MAIS FÁCIL NÉ? TUDO DE GRAÇA ENTÃO TODO BR VAI, É IMPRESSIONANTE.

Agora algo realmente sério, e preocupante para o próprio Lockerz… Eu já vi muita propaganda desses sites e “links especiais” que prometem PTZ a mais se cadastrar por eles. Sério, NÃO CONFIEM NESSAS PORCARIAS. É BATOTA DE LADRÃO BRASILEIRO, COMO SEMPRE.  Srsly, é fake. Se usado pro bem – o que é raríssimo com o COMANDO VERMELHO E FERNANDINHO BEIRA-MAR POR AÍ – não é nada além de jeito fácil de conseguir convites, dando  de graça seu email pra SEI LÁ EU QUEM… Se usado pro mal, além de conseguirem teu EMAIL… Eles podem fazer muitas coisas, até roubar teu login e tudo mais.
A princípio, se cadastrar por esses sites que prometem ptz a mais parece funcionar, não passa de um hack, ou bug, que mostra ptz a mais, ou um site fake. E de lá, podem spammar teu email, roubá-lo e roubar tudo que lhe for importante. Isso é sério.

Agora, como eu sou um cara legal, eu direi aqui os horários do lançamento do lockerz mundialmente:
Como a maioria já sabe, o lançamento é dia 15, porém tudo vai ir BEM RÁPIDO… Então eles farão 2 restocks por dia, nos dias 15 e 16.

No dia 15:
Primeiro restock às 19:00, 7 da noite;  GMT -4 18:00/6PM
Segundo restock às 22:00, 10 da noite; GMT -4 21:00/9PM

No dia 16:
Primeiro restock às 8:00, 8 da manhã; GMT -4 7:00/7AM
Segundo restock às 14:00, 2 da tarde; GMT -4 13:00/1PM

Porém há uma coisa, a partir do dia do lançamento eles estarão limitando todo usuário a somente UM(1) redeem de qualquer coisa maior de 50PTZ por dia, ou seja, você só pode “comprar” uma coisa que presta por dia, o resto menor que 50 ptz é só doações e frescuras que eu duvido que mais de 3 brasileiros vão fazer.

Envios para o Brasil terão um “lag”, atraso de cerca de 21 dias, devido ao Brasil não possuir o sistema de “presentes”. Todos os outros países possuem um esquema de “presente”, em que a fiscalização não abre o pacote para verificar o que tem dentro, assim a fiscalização não “vê” necessidade de taxar importação e tal, porém o Brasil não tem dessa, então eles terão que fazer de algum outro modo, por isso o atraso de 21 dias. Não sei ao certo se são só nestes primeiros 21 dias ou se sempre haverá um atraso de 21 dias para quem pedir coisas até eles arranjarem um jeito melhor.
Até lá, paciência, meus jovens padawans, paciência.

Mas vamos com fé, né pessoal, Lockerz parece que realmente vai funcionar no Brasil, o que é uma coisa exímia.

Se você ainda não tem conta no lockerz, envie-me seu email para monoolhoDD@gmail.com que eu lhe mandarei um convite na velocidade da luz. Por favor, eu só preciso de 11 pessoas para virar um Z-lister, nem sou ganancioso.

E pra quem se preocupa, aquele texto giganorme de um Jeff não sei o que, tal de ex-funcionário do lockerz que é mentira e blá, blá, blá, é mentira. E calhorda porque o lockerz tá fazendo muito sucesso no brasil… Como dito antes.

Só to esperando pela notícia do jornal da globo ou do fantástico sobre o lockerz, tomara que coloquem cenas do meu blog.

How can I manage my Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter profiles without losing my mind!?

There are SO many different social media tools available today that it is incredibly easy to get lost in a quagmire of time-consuming nonsense.

I know that business owners are thinking to themselves:  “I’m already working 60 hours a week (or more) how can I possibly manage a social media strategy on top of everything else?”

Check out my blog for ideas on how to manage your various profiles without losing your mind:  bit.ly/cxJ3S

The importance of being earnest

By Juliet Ohai

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the word earnest as:  “a serious and intent mental state”. What does earnestness mean in connection to our personal relationships? We can view earnestness as our sincerity in relationships, our honest decision to really be ourselves. In a nutshell, our earnestness reflects our ability to open ourselves up in relationships and put ourselves out there — even if it means revealing our vulnerabilities. It is our conscious decision never to lie about ourselves or present ourselves falsely to those we love.

Part of the process of being in love means that we must let go out our fears and struggles. Love means baring your soul to another person. How do we do this? Naturally, it’s not always easy. The process takes time, trust, and commitment.

Perhaps we don’t open ourselves up right away. In fact, in the beginning, before we really grow to know another person and before we can trust our judgments when it comes to that person, perhaps it’s not so wise to bare our souls without hesitation. But once we decide that we are going to commit, that the leap into a serious relationship is one that we want to take, then we must also take the leap of faith and relinquish any fear we might have of being completely vulnerable.

In fact, by choosing the path of dishonesty we cause irrecoverable harm to our relationships, particularly if the other person has instilled their trust in us. Dishonesty can be as simple as holding a part of yourself back from a partner  or keeping secrets from a partner while knowing that it will ultimately impact the relationship. Have you ever known the feeling of discovering a secret about someone you love, a secret that they had held back from you? Didn’t it feel like a betrayal?

Choose the path of honesty in relationships. In your quest to build a legacy with your partner and loved one, start off on the right path. The decision to be honest in all things we do will not only benefit our relationships with our loved ones, but is valuable tenet that benefits all our relationships in general, including our relationships to ourselves. Never forget the importance of being earnest.

Mantenha sua privacidade em serviços como Twitter, Orkut e Facebook

Navegar na web não é mais uma atividade qualquer. Serviços como o Orkut, Twitter e Facebook são alguns exemplos de redes sociais que rapidamente se tornaram parte da cultura online e, com elas vêm toda uma nova gama de potenciais ameaças à segurança.

Você verá aqui alguns dos perigos que as redes sociais oferecem, bem como ações fácies de seguir que podem mantê-lo a salvo dessas ameaças.

As redes sociais são construídas a partir da ideia do compartilhamento aberto de informações e do estímulo ao senso de comunidade. Infelizmente, uma rede online de indivíduos compartilhando suas experiências ativamente e procurando conexões com outras pessoas semelhantes podem ser iscas fáceis de criminosos que fazem uso da engenharia social ou de ataques phishing . É importante ficar atento às ameaças e fazer um esforço para manter suas interações online saudáveis.

Como fazer isso é um desafio permanente, mas os usuários dessas redes podem tomar algumas ações para protegerem sua privacidade e manter parte de seus dados pessoais fora do alcance de pilantras online.

Cuidado com o que se compartilha
Para os iniciantes, mesmo em uma comunidade aberta de compartilhamento, é preciso assegurar certas fronteiras. O presidente dos Estados Unidos, no início de setembro, deu uma advertência aos estudantes: Cuidado com o que vocês publicam no Facebook. Tudo o que colocarem lá pode usado contra vocês em algum momento de suas vidas.

O cerne dessa advertência pode ser aplicado a qualquer site de rede social e, possivelmente, à internet com um todo. Como regra geral, não publique coisas online das quais possa se arrepender mais tarde. Há grandes chances de alguém, algum dia, encontrar tal conteúdo e resolver usá-lo contra você especialmente caso você venha a se tornar uma pessoa pública ou mesmo na vida profissional privada.

Mensagens como essa não podem mesmo terminar bem

Além de simplesmente se abster de postar mensagens embaraçosas ou comentários difamatórios, usuários de redes sociais devem ter duas coisas em mente: lembre-se de quem são seus amigos e saiba que os amigos deles podem ser seus inimigos.

Lembre-se dos amigos
Quando se escreve um post no Twitter, atualiza-se o status do Facebook ou acrescenta uma foto no Orkut, não se pode esquecer da audiência que tem acesso a esses conteúdos.

Mais e mais histórias circulam por aí dando conta de pessoas que publicaram um comentário inadequado qualquer em uma rede social, esquecendo-se de que seu chefe fazia parte dela. O resultado: reprimendas e até mesmo demissões. Mesmo dizer algo simples com estou de saco cheio durante o horário de trabalho pode ter resultados imprevisíveis caso a pessoa errada leia isso.

Em redes como o Twitter e mesmo as mudanças mais recentes no Facebook permitem que qualquer um veja e ou busque por atualizações e não há nada que se possa fazer para ocultar isso.

Cuidado com os amigos dos amigos
Mesmo quem tem certeza absoluta de que seu chefe não faz parte dos contatos das redes sociais de que participa não está totalmente protegido. Por isso, nada de por a boca no trombone e dizer o que acha dele por fazê-lo trabalhar demais ou ter de vir ao escritório no final de semana.

Saiba que apesar dos cuidados, ainda há (muito) risco envolvido. Por não fazer parte de uma rede social, seu chefe pode não ter acesso ao seu post diretamente. Mas, se um de seus amigos estiver conectado com seu chefe, ele estará a um passo de chegar até você. E o caminho mais simples é seu chefe decidir conhecer quem são os contatos do seu amigo.

Mas não se desespere, seja social, compartilhe seus problemas e atribulações – caso queira – com sua crescente rede de adoradores, fazendo uso de uma regra básica: não publique nada que não deseja que alguém veja, porque, cedo ou tarde essa pessoa verá.

Defina privacidade
Conciliar privacidade e rede social parece algo praticamente impossível de se conseguir. Como se manter conectado e, ainda assim, manter sua privacidade? O simples fato de alguém decidir compartilhar algumas informações com um grupo selecionado de pessoas não significa, necessariamente, que se queira compartilhar todas as informações ou que as informações compartilhadas esteja visíveis a todo mundo.

O Facebook em particular tem passado por uma série de problemas relacionados com a questão da privacidade. Se você é usuário recente desta rede social já deve ter notado anúncios que trazem nome ou fotos de seus amigos relacionados a eles.

Na realidade, o Facebook proporciona controles de privacidade para que o usuário selecione que tipo de informação deve estar disponível para aplicações de parceiros da rede social. Mas basta dar uma olhada na aba de anúncios na área de controle de privacidade para ver que as coisas não são bem assim.

Entre em Configurações/Configurações de privacidade, depois escolha Feed de Notícias e Mural. Selecione agora Anúncios do Facebook. Se você usa a página do aplicativo em português, daqui para frente, todas as informações estão em inglês. E o que irá descobrir? Muito pouco além de uma frase que diz algo como O Facebook trabalha para criar anúncios relevantes e interessantes para você e para seus amigos.

O que um quiz pode revelar sobre você?
Para muitos usuários, um dos atrativos mais básicos do Facebook é uma virtualmente infindável coleção de jogos e quizzes que os torna popular pelo seu aspecto social. Nos jogos, um usuário pode competir contra outros usuários da rede social. Já um quiz permite que se aprenda sobre seus contatos e amigos.

A American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), entidade que defende o direito de liberdade nos Estados Unidos, expôs uma série de problemas que o compartilhamento destas informações pode acarretar.

Quando um usuário do Facebook inicia um jogo ou quiz, ele recebe um aviso informando que interagir com aplicações requer dar acesso a informações; o aviso também proporciona ao usuário a oportunidade de permitir ou de cancelar ou permitir o acesso para continuar interagindo.

Os quizzes do Facebook advertem os usuários que continuar permitirá o acesso a informações do seu perfil e ao perfil de seus amigos. A página de permissões claramente informa que tal permissão irá permitir que os aplicativos tenham acesso ao perfil, às imagens, informações de seus amigos e outros conteúdos para que possa funcionar. Mas por que um aplicativo precisa ter acesso às informações dos amigos para poder funcionar?

O Canadá disse não!
A privacidade no Facebook, ou a ausência dela, também foi alvo do governo canadense. O órgão responsável por avaliar questões relativas à privacidade no Canadá concluiu que as políticas e práticas de privacidade do Facebook violam as regulamentações canadenses, e recomendou uma série de mudanças que a rede social devem implementar para se adequar às regras.

Um dos mais importantes problemas está relacionado à manutenção das contas e dos dados dos usuários. O Facebook oferece uma forma de ativar ou desativar um conta, mas aparentemente não possui uma método definitivo de eliminar completamente uma conta.

Assim, fotos e atualizações podem ficar disponíveis por um longo período após o usuário ter desativado seu perfil no Facebook. E, como a ACLU, o governo canadense também faz restrições quanto ao volume de informações compartilhadas com fornecedores de aplicativos terceirizados.

Controle aquilo que você pode controlar
Apesar das preocupações da ACLU e do governo canadense quanto à privacidade dos usuários da rede social, o Facebook oferece controles de privacidade que restringem ou impedem o acesso a informações.

Como, por princípio, o Facebook é um site de rede social desenhado para compartilhar informações, muitos dos seus parâmetros estão apertos por padrão. Cabe ao usuário acessar os controles de privacidade e configurá-los como quiser.

Determine quem pode acessar ou ver as informações de um usuário

Para cada tópico, é possívle escolher compartilhar as informações com Todo mundo; Como contatos e amigos; Amigos dos Amigos; e Apenas amigos. Caso deseje, o usuário pode ir ainda mais fundo nessa configuração.

Se as configurações do Twitter nesse sentido são mais restritas, as do Orkut vão na mesma direção do Facebook, permitindo um controla maior do que exibir e quem pode ter acesso às informações do perfil do usuário. Apesar disso, evite publicar informações pessoas como números de telefones e endereços de onde se está ou estará na página de recados dos amigos. Tais informações podem ser usadas por criminosos. Em vez disso, combine enviar tais dados pelo e-mail.

Sequestro de dados e Phishing
Por sua natureza social, os usuários das redes sociais costumam manter a guarda abaixada enquanto compartilham informações. Eles estão ampliando suas redes profissionais, reconectando-se a antigos amigos e mantendo comunicação em tempo real com amigos e contatos.

Para os caras malvados, usar técnicas de engenharia social e de ataques phishing para tirar vantagem disso é quase como fisgar peixes de um barril.

Amigos em apuros
A maior parte das pessoas está ciente de que não deve responder e-mails provenientes de exilados nigerianos da realeza que prometem milhões de dólares para quem ajudá-los a retirar o dinheiro de seu país.

Mas um pedido de empréstimo que venha de alguém que você conhece provavelmente não levantaria tanta suspeita. Mas deveria. Os criminosos já perceberam que familiares e amigos são vítimas fáceis deste tipo de golpe. Por meio de técnicas variadas, esses crackers obtêm acesso a uma conta do Facebook, sequestrando-a.

A senha então é trocada para evitar que o dono legítimo da conta não possa acessá-la. A partir daí, basta contactar os amigos que estão vinculados a esta conta na tentativa de extorqui-los, utilizando as mais variadas técnicas de engenharia social.

Como evitar cair em golpes deste tipo? Se alguém – um amigo ou parente – é íntimo o suficiente para pedir-lhe dinheiro emprestado então é muito provável que tenha o seu número de telefone. Assim, usar o e-mail ou Facebook não seria o meio de comunicação primário escolhido em uma situação de emergência.

Se mesmo assim receber uma mensagem dessa natureza e quer assegurar-se de que não se trata de um golpe, pegue o telefone e entre em contato com o remetente para confirmar a história.

Cuidado com as URLs curtas
Uma nova ameaça surgiu em função das peculiaridades das redes sociais. Trata-se dos ataques feitos a partir de URLs curtas. Algumas URLs são tão longas que não funcionam adequadamente em um e-mail ou em post de blogs. Daí a necessidade de se usar os tão úteis serviços que encurtam tais endereços. O Twitter, com seu limite de 140 caracteres por mensagens, fez serviços como o Bit.ly e o Migre.me se tornarem essenciais.

Infelizmente, tais endereços curtos começaram a ser usados por criminosos virtuais para esconder endereços que levam a sites com conteúdo malicioso. As URLs geradas pelos serviços encurtadores são uma combinação de caracteres que torna impossível saber se é um endereço verdadeiro ou perigoso.

O Tweedeck, aplicativo popular para o microblog Twitter, tem uma opção de segurança que permite visualizar um preview de uma URL curta, incluindo o endereço real oculto sob a URL. Quem não usa o Tweetdeck ou precisa lidar com URLs curtas em outros sites e serviços, deve manter uma dose extra de atenção e se manter vigilante a respeito dos riscos que podem se esconder por trás desses endereços obscuros.

Quem é usuário do navegador da Mozilla pode contar com um add-on que faz exatamente o contrário dos serviços de encurtar URLs. O Long URL Please, traduz as URLs curtas geradas por tais serviços de forma que o usuário possa saber exatamente para qual o endereço web o link irá levá-lo.

—

Fonte: Yahoo! Brasil Notícias

Farmville Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Well, it should have. I have neighbors from all over the world on Farmville. I became neighbors with these people after my shameless act of begging for them to add me on the Farmville homepage. It works. I had more invitations than I knew what to do with. Everyone had one goal in common – Farmville. I have friends from Israel, Ireland, France, Indonesia, and some places I can’t even pronounce. Despite our geographical differences, we all come together for one common interest. No one cares about politics or boundaries when we are harvesting our crops or gifting trees and animals. We’re just having fun. We’re at peace.

So I would like to nominate the makers of Farmville for the Nobel Peace Prize. They have done a lot to bring the world together to farm and help its neighbors. Thanks, Farmville! If the whole world played Farmville…no one would fight.

Live. Laugh. Farmville.

October 2009 - Twitter Houstoncoach

Last month we finally got to grips with social media, the lastest hot topic and so I thought I would share my observations.

1. Facebook can be an effective marketing too (www.facebook.com/HoustonCOACH), especially to market workshop, events, but still we need to learn how to convert interest into solid customers using this forum.
2. Twitter is challenging and certainly a media that requires education (Houstoncoach or theresultcoach).  Its easy to “tweet” to the market, but from a business perspective focusing on a targeted market is challenging.  Twellow (www.twellow.com) helps you find tweeters by region and interest – its the yellow pages of tweeting.  It’s easy to set-up and to find new followers, added 400 in one week.
3. Twellow also allows you to analyze you establish your Twitter ranking and to set goals (www.twellow.com/search?q=the+woodlands&search_cat=)
4. LinkedIN is still a challenge and working with a marketing expert in Florida to optimize…

So its an on going progress, but the cool thing is that its driving traffic to my website (www.actioncoach.com/kevinsmith).  Over 70% of traffic comes from a twitter referal…isn’t that interesting and I have been asked to give a workshop on it at the end of the month…

კორპორატიული სოც. ქსელები

ერთთვიანი შესვენების შემდეგ ისევ დავბრუნდი. მიუხედავად იმისა რომ ახლა დაკავებული ვარ სწავლით, ვეცდები ბლოგზე კვირაში ერთხელ მაინც დავწერო.  ყოველი შემთხვევისთვის მაინც გირჩევთ ჩემი RSS ლენტა გამოიწეროთ, არარეგულარული განახლებების მისაღებად.

ახლა გადავიდეთ ამ პოსტის მთავარ საკითხზე.  სოციალური ქსელები ბიზნესს უკვე დიდი ხანია (სოციალური ვების განზომილებით) იზიდავს. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn და სხვები დიდი ხანია გახდნენ პოლიგონი მარკეტინგული კამპანიებისთვის, პოტენციური პარტნიორებისა და თანამშრომლების ძებნი ადგილი. მაგრამ კორპორატიული სოციალური ქსელები უკვე სხვა განზომილებაა.

ბაზარზე არის რამოდენიმე პროდუქტი, რომელიც კომპანიებს დახურულ სოც. ქსელებს სთავაზობს. თუმცა არსებობს აზრი (და გამოკვლევები) რომ ეს ტყუილა დროისა და ფულის ხარჯვაა. მიზეზად სახელდება მომხმარებლების სიმცირე, კომპანიების მენეჯმენტის გამოუცდელობა სოც.ქსელების მართვაში და ინვესტიციის სიდიდეს (რომელიც სარგებელს არ შეესაბამება). არა და ერთი შეხედვით სპეციალიზირებულმა, კომპანიაზე მორგებულმა სოც. ქსელმა შესაძლებელია რევოლუცია მოახდინოს კომპანიის პროცესებში და საკმაოდ ფულიც დაზოგოს, ამავე დროს არ სჩანს პროდუქტი რომელიც ამას შესძლებს.

ამ რამოდენიმე დღის წინ გავეცანი კორპორატიული სოც. ქსელების ახალ კონცეპციას რომელზეც უკვე მუშაობს რამოდენიმე კომპანია. გადავწყვიტე თქვენც გაგიზიაროთ მოსმენილი და თქვენი აზრიც მოვისმინო.

ახალი კონცეპტი ითვალისწინებს არა მხოლოდ კორპორატიული პროდუქტის შექმნას, არამედ უმიზნებს კონკურენცია გაუწიოს დღეს არსებულ სოც. ქსელებს და სოციალურ ინტერნეტში მომხმარებლის მოქმედებას “აზრი შემატოს”.

მოკლედ რომ ავღწერო, ლაპარაკია მრავალშრიან გაერთიანებულ დიდ სოც. ქსელზე რომელიც შესძლებს სხვადასხვა მომხმარებელს, სხვადასხვა შრეზე, მისთვის სასურველი სერვისი მისცეს. ამავე დროს, თითოეულ მომხმარებელს რამოდენიმე შრე შესთავაზოს. ეს კი საშუალებას მოგვცემს მოვაგვაროთ დღეს წამოჭრილი Privacy-ს, სპამის და ინფორმაციისგან გადატვირთვის პრობლემა.

მოვცილდეთ თეორიას და პრაქტიკულ მაგალითზე განვიხილოთ დაწერილი:
მომხმარებელი X დღესდღეობით გაწევრიანებულია… ვთქვათ Facebook-ში… მას ჰყავს რამოდენიმე ასეული “მეგობარი”. მათი სია შედგება ერთმანეთთან შეუთავსებელი ადამიანთა ჯგუფებისგან: ყოფილი და ახლანდელი თანამშრომლებისაგან, მეზობლებისგან, ოჯახის წევრებისგან, ინტერნეტ ნაცნობებისგან, 15 წლის უნახავი თანაკლასელებისგან, თანაკურსელებისგან, შემთხვევითი ნაცნობებისგან… და ღმერთმა იცის კიდევ  ვისგან. X გაწევრიანებულია ათეულობით ჯგუფში რომლისგანაც იყენებს 5-10 %. მოსდის ათობით შეტყობინება/მოპატიჟება… ხდება დიდი რაოდენობით არასასურველი ინფორმაციის ცირკულაცია. ხდება არასასურველი ადამიანთა ჯგუფებთან ინფრომაციის გაზიარება…

მეორეს მხრივ არიან კომპანიები რომლებსაც უწევთ დიდი რაოდენობით არასაჭირო ინფორმაციის დამუშავება. ისინი შეცდომაში შედიან კლიკების ან სოც. ქსელებში ჯგუფის წევრების რაოდენობით. გამიზნული დიალოგის ნაცვლად კი ბევრის მარკეტინგული ძალისხმევა, ქუჩაში გამოკრულ ბილბორდს ემსგავსება რომელიც ყველასათვის და ამავე დროს არავისთვის არის.

მრავალშრიანი სოც. ქსელი ითვალისწინებს ამ შეუთავსებელი მიკროსამყაროების ერთმანეთისგან გამოყოფას და ცალკე, იზოლირებულ შრეებში მოქცევას, ასევე სასურველი შრეების სასურველი დოზით დაკავშირებას. კომპანიებს ეს საშუალებას მისცემს პირდაპირი დიალოგი აწარმოოს მიზნობრივ ჯგუფებთან, გამოყოს და გაანალიზოს საჭირო ინფორმაცია და ასევე აწარმოოს სოც. ქსელი რომელიც ერთდროულად მოიცავს კლიენტებს, თანამშრომლებს, პარტნიორებს და სხვა მიზნობრივ ჯგუფებს, რომლებიც ერთად, თუმცა ამავე დროს ცალკე იქნებიან.

მომხმარებელი ამ თეორიის მიხედვით იღებს პირველ რიგში მეტ ძალაუფლებას კომპანიასთან მიმართებაში (პირდაპირი მიზნობრივი დიალოგის სახით) და ამავე დროს მას უბრუნდება ის privacy რომელიც სოც. ქსელებმა ამ ბოლო დროს წაართვეს მას.

კონცეპტი დიდი, აბსტრაქტული და ფანტასტიკური სჩანს, თუმცა მისი სერიოზული განხილვა და მასზე მუშაობა მიდის. შედეგს მომავალი 5 – 10 წელი გვიჩვენებს.

რას ფიქრობთ ასეთ დიდ, გაერთიანებულ და მრავალშრიან სოც. ქსელზე? გამოთქვით თქვენი აზრი კომენტებში.

"face" book, indeed

Props to Estee Lauder for finding a unique and personal way to engage their customer base via social media.

As explained in the image above (as well as on their Facebook page), Estee Lauder is providing free professional makeup services to their customers and then helping them post pictures of their fabulous new selves on their online profiles of choice.

I expect that this endeavor will bring in many new customers of all ages–after all, what girl hasn’t wished for her own personal makeup artist and photo shoot?

Many companies (of all sizes) struggle with ways to monetize social media.  I think the truth is that there is no across-the-board solution–thinking outside the box–and the makeup counter–is clearly the way to go.

You can always go home

“Rupp, do something, you big fuck.”

Surprise! It’s a hockey night in our house. (By the way, that last comment was from Matt.) While it may only be game 3 of 80 something, Matt gives it his all. 110% if you will.

I admire his dedication.

The kids and I went to Clarion for the day. It’s always nice going to Mom’s house. It’s warm, cozy, everything in its place…nothing like the house we grew up in. We lived in a larger house up the street (seriously, like a half a block away) but once Carly and I graduated, the house suddenly seemed too large to keep up with, so they downgraded to a really cute Cape Cod. Personally, I find it so comfy-cozy…it’s almost like a home away from home.

But back to the old house – it’s a sad sight now. Whoever bought it … wow. That’s all I’ll say. Wow. While I’m sure the landscaping could have used some form of, well, landscaping when we lived there … what they’ve done. Well. It’s, um, interesting. And the paint choices…all wrong. I’m glad, though, that it’s so different now, because it makes it so much easier to realize that it’s NOT HOME anymore. Still, I’ll sigh as I drive past and think back to all the memories I’ve shared in that house.

It was great. Carly and I lived in the finished basement. It was basically like our own apartment. Our shower was the size of my freaking Jeep. I’m not kidding you. Plus it had a built in heater right above the toilet. Talk about spoiled! The kitchen…oh the kitchen. It was HUGE! Of course, anything compared to the kitchen I currently enjoy *coughpieceofshitcough* is a step in the right direction. All in all, I loved that house. But it’s a memory now.

Clarion is a great small town. It’s safe, everything’s within walking distance and a cut/color/highlight is under 80 bucks with tip. Seriously, where else can you get that kind of service?

Our high school is really a junior/senior high school serving grades 7-12. My graduating class had 72 people. I’m pretty sure the majority of them are my friends on Facebook.

We have a Perkins.

Our grade school was supposidly built on a swamp and I’m pretty sure it’s just urban legend, but that’s the talk around town.

Everyone knows everyone.

Furthermore, everyone is related to everyone. (except for me and my family since we’re from Minnesota. So scandalous!)

We’re pretty original with names. We live in Clarion County, in Clarion township. We swim in the Clarion River, go to Clarion Elementry, then Clarion High School, and if you want, Clarion University.

It was such a great day. Now, as it’s coming to an end, it’s quiet. Claire is staying the night with Mom and having a great time as per usual when she stays there. She gets royally spoiled and sucks up every second of it. Smart kid.

Random – It doesn’t look too good for the Twins tonight. Good thing baseball is dead to me. I can thank the Pirates for that.

Now it’s time for bed and I’m hoping I can amp myself up in the morning to drag my butt to the gym. That’s another story for another day.

Educational Brainlock

Like the opening of a flower, I’m having one of those moments – a glistening realisation, or, more clearly defined; finally understanding a method of communicating certain feelings I have had locked away inside my head for years.

These feelings concern the education system.

I may only be twenty three – and perhaps this is where the problem lies, that my perception of how to conduct myself with regards to this argument is a direct result of being conditioned to think my opinion doesn’t matter in this area because of age, or experience – but I know, with every fibre in my heart that our education system is wrong.

Bluntly put. It failed me. Though I was lucky that through a series of encounters and, one might say reverse psychology, (though it is no excuse – in failing me it intensified my own wants, needs and actions) I landed on my mental feet – or at least, I believe I did. For better or for worse.

There is so much I could say, so much I have wanted to say since I was at school – wanting to blurt out opinions and information that the classroom environment just isn’t willing to accept. I enjoy learning, but my definition of that term is so very broad compared to what I was expected of and restricted to.

…so, I happily hand the reigns of this over to someone for whom the translation of thoughts into the real world in this matter is no problem.

Sir Ken Robinson.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

…ever a source of interesting discussion, this gem from TED passed me by – though thankfully I discovered it recently, on of all mediums, Facebook.

What sticks out for me is the idea that children are not being listened to, or, frankly a more direct statement, we’re not watching them enough to realise what they are trying to tell us. Impressing upon them our own individuality as adults instead of understanding theirs.

The remark about a seven year old Shakespeare rings home a little too true, and it scares me to think that such a young literary innovator could well be quelled and destroyed by the age of fifteen via todays ‘correctness’ in the English class.

So I ask, why are children being taught ‘yes’, and not ‘why?’

Often I have memories of being told, “…you don’t have to know why, just that it does…”

The ultimate exam statement – a defeatist environment whereby a lazy attitude to self-teaching and an endless search for new information is created.

Honestly I will have to stop typing on that note because the sheer amount of things I want to say on the matter may very well descend into an incoherent mash of angry emotions and effortlessly bitter thoughts about the destruction of creativity.

My own experiences aside, I find my struggle with how the education system is geared to be increasingly poignant because I see my younger brother at school and know the road he is walking and how it has changed him so far.

…so, please watch it – and if you have any thoughts, lets discuss.

I am sure there many.

Blogging Towards Our Future

Blogs and bloggers keep their web logs as we all know. I blog here and now.

Lords of the Blog lets the House of Lords have its webward say on any day.

On Politico dot com one can watch ahead of the ship of state’s own prow.

Go to White House dot gov and find someone with much to do and say.

Go to the United Nations site and it gets close to blogging too but not quite.

It is at Rotten Tomatoes one can find some critiques and hot reviews as well.

Not far from me at WordPress there are many blogs I know left and right,

Go to the search bar and type in something — what the hell! 

 

 

There are folks at space advocate blog, I know Malette is there and writes.

On HBO there are blogs by fictional folks and those who watch the shows.

We can go to the Vatican and Smithsonian and Congress’s  official sites.

And if we are skilled searchers we find where the nearby blogging grows.

Really, there is little left to complain about as many pols blog too.

Doing all  these searches and readings we could now  surely do ,

Short of time we may become for all we have to web review.

 

Our future may see new changes in the blogosphere it’s true.

Under any view we can bet that future will be wired too.

Real disaster alone will end our blogging before twenty-one twenty-two.

 

Franksummers3ba’s Blog is a frank summary  written in frequent speed. 

Until it ceases it will have a man’s viewpoint on the wire to read.

Then you can take a minute between Twitter and Facebook notes and your own blog.

Until you grow tired you could even post my link or put it in a printed log.

Really we are just blogging towards our future here and now in community.

Each of us should go and do something to make of words and our deeds a unity.

Poses.

I was browsing through some of my friends Facebook photos and noticed a pattern.

All the females in the photos were posing. What I mean by this is that they were positioning their face, body, or both in such a way that it looked appealing in the photo.

It struck me that almost all the photos I’m in, whether I’m aware of them being taken or not, I look terrible. Not just because I’m unspeakably ugly, but because I just don’t give a fuck when they’re taken. I just let the photographer take the picture and be done with it.

Doesn’t it seem kind of vain that women train themselves early on in life (and I’m talking public school) to look as appealing as possible in photos? Assuming, of course, that they are training themselves. I find it highly unlikely that women come pre-programmed to purse their lips whenever a camera’s present.

This is fucked up.

DICK MOVES

A “dick move” is defined as being any action that requires an outstanding amount of courage and a remarkable lack of forethought.

You: BOOOYAAAA! I just did my girlfriend’s sister. Me: Dick move.

Pulling a “dick move” is engaging in an egregious, selfish and usually public stunt, i.e. a cock-block or dumping a workload unnecessarily upon a friend or coworker. The exclamation of the phrase “Dick move!” in a high, nasal voice is sometimes the only socially acceptable recourse. Other common reactions include “Shenanigans!”, “Bullshit!” and, a personal favorite, “BULLSHIT SHENANIGANS!”.

John likes Cindy. Erik likes Cindy. Erik and John are friends. Erik intentionally keeps Cindy busy at a party (”cock-blocks” John). John finds out about it after the fact, and yells “Dick move!” Given the nature of their friendship, violence may or may not occur.

Sadly, I deal with an average of about 5.7 dick moves a day. (Nothing as gay as what those kids in the video were doing though) Even more sad, I probably commit about 6.3 dick moves daily so it all balances out from my prospective.

They said we should try to be like Jesus. However, some people view this as a form of committing a dick move.

I was at the barber shop once and, before I got into the chair, my barber was in a heated debate with one of the other barbers and his customer over who was better, Kobe or Lebron.

Chris: “Nigga, Kobe dropped 81!”

Rob:  “So Lebron was MVP this year!”

In the Chair: ” In the playoffs, Lebron averaged 35 points a game.  9 rebounds and 7 assist. Kobe only averaged 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists a game. Really it’s 5.5 but I just rounded it to the nearest tenth.”

Okay now do you see the difference between the first two guys and the last guy (in the chair)? Clearly this guy watches Sportscenter all fucking day so that whenever he encounters a conversation dealing with sports he can show off his statistical prowess. -Dick Move!

My car is out of commission right now, so I called my friend to give me a ride to campus. Now this guy already owes me some money but he had the daft to actually charge me $5 dollars for this. - Dick Move!

When Kanye West took Talyor Swifts shine at the MTV awards…. -Dick Move!

Sometimes Dick moves can shed light on certain things: Like the fact that Beyonce probaly should have won that award. So, in my book, Kanye's good.

I write a lot of notes on facebook about controversial topics and there is always somebody who doesn’t agree with my point of view. It’s not a dick move to disagree. It is, however, a dick move to attack other people (namely me in this case) becasue you don’t agree with thier perspective.

I wrote a note about something that bugs me one day and some guy decided to call me a jack ass in his comment. -Dick Move!

As for the first part:
How about someone had a bad day, no one was around to vent to, and they got on Facebook hoping a friend was on, but wasn’t, and with no way to vent, they chose this? It’s not pretty, but who the hell are you to judge them? I sure hope that if I ever have an engagement called off or my dog dies or a family member is in the hospital, that I get someone more understanding reading my status than you… cause your egg breakfast was spoiled by the fact that bad shit happens. Sounds more like you should either unfriend them… or mature a little and stop thinking of yourself. Other people hurt, and it’s not pretty.

As for the first rest:
I am in agreement with you….

I know this is just my opinion, but the way you opened this really misleads from the validity of the rest of your note. You have very good points, but that opener makes you sound like a jackass.

He's not a dick but you gotta admit, the caption is funny.

Of course, as i said before, I commit about 6.3 dick moves a day myself. (this keep the odds in my favor)And the only way to counter a dick move is with another dickier dick move. So I retorted with:

For the record, I am a jackass and Everyone who knows me (or more importantly everyone who was tagged in this note) is already aware of this, so that wasn’t a huge revelation. But game must recognize game. I see that you are fond of giving your opinion even when it isn’t asked for,(a real jackass move) but I appreciate you doing so because without it, as you seem to already be aware of, the world would cease to revolve around the sun and life as we know it would come to complete standstill. No seriously, I really love how you described the scenario with the loser who had a bad day and needed to vent and since there’s no such thing as Jesus, Family, cellphones, a dog, or whatever he/she turned to facebook to see if a friend was online that would listen to (or read in this case) their problems without “judging” them.(tear)
How original and at the same time pathetic.
I’m glad you agree with the note though. I’ve been a jackass for about 21 years or so and with that comes the uncanny ability to recognize another one from a mile away. But you made it too easy, leaving your sarcastic comment that is highly critical and judgemental of the “opening” of my note rather than the actual point. Way to go jackass, you just graduated from being an extreme douchebag to a novice hater.
Stop thinking of myself!? C’mon you of all people should know that we jackasses never under any circumstances think of anyone but ourselves. That’s why you put your comment and made it a point to show off your awesome critiqing skills to everyone. (another classic jackass move, I must tip my hat to you.) But you are right. Bad things do happen and they aren’t always pretty. I have my opinion as you do yours and when we voice them openly on facebook we run the risk of other people “judging”, “becoming annoyed with”, and yes even ” copy and paste-ing” them. however, it would be extremely naïve and sophmoric of us to be mad @ that. This is a social utility and no matter how many more apps the people down at facebook headquarters add to this site to make it seem more personal, it will always be just that: A “SOCIAL” networking website and if you, I, or Brittany decide to post personal feelings, views, or cynical comments we do so @ our own risk.

They decided "not" to comb my hair before this picture - Dick Move

Let’s do lunch.

How about you guys/gals? Has anyone ever committed a dick move against you? Let the world know your frustration…..

Can you suck,

A. Dick

An end to orkut Facebook Export error

As expected, Google is calling new feature that blocked users from exporting their Orkut contacts a “bug.” An update today on the Data Liberation Blog (the group we specifically called out last night when wondering what was going on) notes that while Google was in the process of “adding additional security measures to Orkut Friends Export” it inadvertently broke the entire functionality.

If that’s actually the case, here’s what I love about this:

1) Google says it was trying to add security features to improve Okrut Friends Export, yet it apparently didn’t bother to test the functionality after adding said feature. If they had, they would have immediately realized it was broken, like so many users did immediately. Google is a company meticulous about its testing of things, so that seems a bit odd.

2) The fact that Google would add additional security measures immediately following the revelation that Facebook had a tool it was promoting in India to allow users to easily import their Orkut friends is interesting. And by “interesting,” I mean suspicious. Does Facebook’s importing tool still work? Anyone in India, feel free to let us know in the comment.

I’m not saying this wasn’t, in fact, a bug. I’m just saying that the timing of said bug was interesting to say the least. And it certainly doesn’t seem like the usually careful Google cared very much about creating a bug that stopped the hemorrhaging of its Orkut users over to Facebook in India.

Sometimes “bugs” are convenient until you get called out on them. Just sayin’.

In response to George Clooney's preference for a cold-fingered prostate exam over having a Facebook page

from solarnavigator.net"I would rather have a prostate exam on live television by a guy with very cold hands than have a facebook page," US Weekly quotes George Clooney as saying in its October 12 issue.

“I would rather have a prostate exam on live television by a guy with very cold hands than have a Facebook page,” George Clooney is quoted as saying in US Weekly’s Oct. 12 issue.

I guess I can understand. I can see how being looked at virtually naked by millions of people–his body bent over an exam table with his buttocks exposed while a cold-handed man sticks a finger inside his rectum–could be worse than participating in a social networking site.

Why, not a day has gone by when I haven’t felt the need to wash my jellied, exposed, and violated sphincter after jotting notes to friends or family I rarely see because they live across the country, or clicking links provided on Facebook by, I don’t know, places like Book Wish, informing me of the importance of education for the refugees in Darfur.

Networking sites, as we all know, are for the IRL (that’s “In Real Life”,  to Mr. Clooney) socially inept. The awkward. The lonely. The desperate. The needy.

It’s because Mr. Clooney is so opposed to such nerdity that I know he didn’t create his own Facebook fan page. That the page was created to allow worldwide fans a place to comment on, and inadvertently (or even vertently) promote, his career in movies must be a constant source (or at least a sporadic source) of embarrassment. In fact, it’s such a disservice to his distaste for such websites that I’m tempted to write Facebook a letter on his behalf, ask them to take it down, take it down! Mister Clooney doesn’t want this!

His fans, the people who pay exorbitant movie theater prices to watch him do his portrayals of various fictional characters, should feel guilty flaunting his visage all over the world wide web. It is but a pastime, the web. A place to play. A place to jot “LOL” and “STFU” to people who have nothing more important to say than “FWIW” and “YMMV.”

Mr. Clooney is a serious man with a real life. Real friends. He doesn’t need silly Facebook. What is it, after all? Some cyberspace gathering for people with overflowing earwax, taped glasses, and body odor, that’s what. It’s certainly not of any real use. It can’t possibly have any redeeming social or charitable value that would possibly interest someone like Mr. Clooney, who has real concerns about things like the ongoing atrocities in Darfur.

If he had a Facebook page, he’d probably just be hassled by fans who  love his movies (unless he adjusted his privacy settings, in which case no obnoxious movie-goers could even break through to say “Dude! Thanks for being so AWESOME in ‘Brother Where Art Thou’!!!”). And surely he, like most of us, uses the phone and  email – hey, maybe even a handwritten letter – to communicate with those he loves and who love him.

Indeed. A cold finger up the ass DOES sound more appealing than using a website like Facebook, regularly used by more than 200 million people.

Well…

Unless you’re George Clooney.

“…[E]very day we don’t do something, and every day this goes on, thousands of people are dying and dying horrific deaths,” Clooney said about the situation in Darfur.  [ABC News, April 30, 2006]

But, really. What use can Facebook  possibly be for something so…well, so real?

Hm.

(scratches chin)

Lemme see…

Facebook to track Darfur suspects

Unreported Crisis Darfur News: A collection of Bloggers: Help!

Divest Nebraska! Help end the genocide in Darfur

Help Darfur now at Mira Costa

Be a Voice for Darfur

Students Use the internet to help Darfur

EMI spreading viral video in Facebook to raise awareness for Darfur

But, still.

Better to have a finger up the ass.

_____

P.S. I know you’ll never read this, George Clooney, but I want to add that I really do love your movies and think you’ve been nothing but classy in your interviews. However, what you said about Facebook warranted comment.

Videos en Facebook

En el evento oficial de este tour por Facebook, se agregaron 3 videos de The Killers en vivo, durante su presentación en el T in the Park Music Festival 2009. Dichos videos son las interpretaciones de “Human”, “Mr. Brightside” y “All these things that I’ve done”. Les paso el link para que vayan y disfruten, como un adelanto de lo que nos espera este 13 de noviembre en el Estadio Olímpico:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/?oid=278691215650

The Impact of Social Media on Customer Service

It’s Friday night and you go out to dinner at a nice restaurant that you’ve been looking forward to checking out.  Once there, you have slow service or an entrée not cooked to order and it’s frustrating.  As you’re walking out, you quickly update your Facebook status about how you won’t be going back there again anytime soon.

I actually watched this happen recently.  One of my Facebook friends went to one of the nicer restaurants in Asheville and had what she considered to be poor service and bad food.  Upon leaving, she immediately updated her Facebook status with:

“Just had dinner at XXXXXX.  Service was terrible and the food was worse.  I’ll never go back there again.”

I don’t know if the service or food was really bad, but here’s the real downside.  She has 500+ Facebook friends.  If you assume that 30% are local (conservative guess after looking a bit), that means that around 150 local people just read that update.   For a local restaurant, that’s big considering that many of her coworkers regularly consider this for lunch (within walking distance of her office).   That is real revenue gone, or at a minimum, seriously impacted.

There are many statistics available surrounding traditional customer service.  They don’t always exactly agree, but they all agree in principle.  One poor event takes many outstanding events to rectify.  The most common number I’ve ever seen is 17, so we’ll use that.   Our 150 friends above, they need 17 positive experiences in that restaurant, assuming they ever go in the first place.  That’s 2550 visits with perfect service and amazing food.  Now consider the impact from word of mouth and…well you see this isn’t going well for our small business owner.  They should be thankful this particular person isn’t a heavy Twitter user as well.

What does this mean for business owners?  The way customer service is handled must be changed.  80% of social media use comes from mobile devices.  96% percent of the Generation Y group have signed up on some social media outlet, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.  Every person must be treated with true respect and the mindset that they have real power to instantly update many, many people in your customer base with that experience, good or bad.  If you treat them poorly or outside of their expectations, whatever the business, it will be communicated to a bigger audience than ever before, faster than ever before.

Have you seen something like my true example above?  Perhaps you have left poor feedback for some business yourself?  Have you addressed your staff with this in mind?  Leave a comment about it!