21 posts tagged “social networking”
I'm falling in love with Twitter. Again.
I've dabbled with Social Media for years. RSS feeds for news, a blog here (Blogger), or there (LiveJournal), started a MySpace that didn't really excite me, all - nice - but nothing really exciting. I loved learning new technologies, systems - but my real passion was testing productivity applications and services (much more fun than that looks written down here).
Then came Twitter. I joined in Dec 2006 - don't remember how, although I blame/thank Daring Fireball - and I was instantly hooked. Love at first Tweet.
I wasn't completely faithful. I was one of the people that followed Leo Laporte the night he left for (and broke!) Jaiku. Then came Pownce. I'm enjoying my Powncing and my friends there, but Twitter is still where I end up.
I also like the Twitter crew. They use their own product, are smart, they work hard and seem to treat their employees (and others) with respect. Not just because they gave them all iPhones (although that didn't hurt). I wish them much success.
Twitter has opened me up to an entirely new sphere of influence. It has introduced me (not actually - in a stalker-kind of way) to developers, strategists, bloggers and personalities that I'd have not met (easily) elsewhere. Through these contacts and 'friends" (in the social networking sense) I have expanded my knowledge, made significant contacts, started two blogs, changed jobs, have been asked to speak on Social Media and also contribute to a book.
In a very real way, Twitter changed my life.
Is Mark Zuckerberg the New Bill Gates?-- bub.blicio.us
When you're 23 and getting billion dollar offers for your company, people will crawl out of the (legal) woodwork. bub.blicio.us has a great post about all this Facebook Drama. ConnectU, houseSYSTEM...many of us who lived through the 1st Bubble (NOT that this is a second...) have seen this before.
We'll see who has a case and who doesn't-but there's no denying that Mark Zuckerberg was able to bring it to market first and surround himself with the right people. Which is more than half the battle.
(Via bub.blicio.us.)
Social Media White Paper - "Tracking the Influence" (Factiva of Dow Jones)
Jeremiah Owyang has graciously shared a white paper he co-wrote with Mike Toll of Factiva of Dow Jones. It discusses Social Media Measurement and anyone who has an interest in launching a social media program should read it. Also - read the post which has the link to the white paper. It's chock-full of links to the roundtable event this paper is based on. I also enjoy keeping track of the comments for each of Jeremiah's posts - some very smart people engage in conversation there.
I'm excited about all the new social networking ad network possibilities, and this article talks about a couple of the initial candidates. I was especially excited to see Videoegg - earlier this year I worked with someone from the company on a local political campaign - and was really impressed during our conversations and observations about the space. I'm meeting with them early this week.
Website Magazine : Social Media: From the Drawing Board to the Board Room
This is a great introduction on how to get starting analyzing new media (and selling it as a value proposition to senior management). Jeremiah writes about social media from a consultant's point of view - whether on his blog, this article, his Twitter feed or his Facebook. His writing never makes me feel condescended to, just included. I constantly pick up new things to share with my team, clients and management. And (hopefully!) my comments on his blog add some value.
(Via Jeremiah Owyang.)
Advertisers find new headaches in lawless world of social Web sites - International Herald Tribune: "By Doreen Carvajal"
Great story in the Internation Herald about the advertising challenges in the Social space (ie. What happened in the UK with Vodafone, Virgin Media, First Direct and others temporarily leaving Facebook).
I think these challenges are good, it's like beta-testing for ad networks. This new culture is rich and growing. It's going to take time to see what works, who gets control over ads and how new networks will be implemented. Really exciting.
The Future of Communications - “ A Manifesto for Integrating Social Media into Marketing
I was reading PR 2.0 - Silicon Valley (AdAge just named it one of the Power150) and Brian Solissent me this link. He also posted it on his Facebook.
In his manifesto (a must-read!), Brian talks about how all of these social tools are affecting Public Relations as a medium (I'll add Marketing also!) and how conversations are the messaging of today/tomorrow.
I love the line, "Monologue has given way to Dialog".
I'm a big believer in this line of thinking. My experience on Twitter and Facebook has opened me up to a new level of conversation with people who are creating the tools and services enabling this dialogue/messsaging. Brian talks about a new layer of influencers (my examples - Scoble, Winer) who are able to lead people to new tools and services (virally) because of their accessibility and exploitation of these applications.
(Via PR 2.0 - Silicon Valley)
I'm a huge fan of Marc Andreessen. His blog is one of the first things I read daily. He's a success story from the wild, wild west days of the Dot.Boom and has gone on from Netscape to start (sell) and focus on new companies. He started Ning (with a partner) in 2005, which I think shows that he still has a critical eye for what the next net commodity will be. I've set up a couple of Ning Networks for clients and am trying to get motivated to work on one that focuses on Mac software, services and developers.
After Selling Opsware, Andreessen Turns to His Third Startup, Ning
TECH BIZ : START-UPS
After Selling Opsware, Andreessen Turns to His Third Startup, Ning
"When Hewlett-Packard acquired Opsware for $1.6 billion in cash last week, it changed the reputation of serial entrepreneur and web pioneer Marc Andreessen forever.
Andreessen was the golden boy of the internet's early days, but Microsoft eventually pummeled his first company, Netscape Communications, into a decidedly secondary market position. When he launched Loudcloud in 1999 without any immediate or obvious payoff potential, Andreessen's critics had a field day."
I think that Facebook is completely open to people (using their API) figuring out how to monetize their platform. It's not a closed system (like MySpace), it will make Facebook even more valuable in terms of being bought. And it helps the company develop quickly without having to do the usual heavy lifting by itself!
Facebook - The Race to build a Platform within the Platform is on!
"Facebook application APIs signal the beginning of the second movement of the Platform “Big Bang,” which I think you could think of as the “Platform within the Platform” rush. Applications with millions of users will soon enable APIs that offer other developers the opportunities to extend their applications and gain distribution in an attempt to become a kind of “platform” themselves."
(Via Scoble's Link Blog - Twitter.)
This is a great article that focuses on growing your social networks in terms of relationships and not just numbers. Sometimes in the midst of adding new "friends" or "followers", we forget that these are actually people with lives (hopefully) outside of their computers/networks. It's great to find out what else you have in common!
Improve Your Social Network : [chrisbrogan.com]:
"Sometimes we forget that social networks are more than just software. We forget that beyond a bunch of friend-adding, and asking for links or votes, that there’s more to building online communities and keeping relationships. A strong social network requires some tending and care, just the way real live relationships need attention and deliberate effort. Here are some ideas on how to tend your digital networks and reach the people on the other side of the screen."
