Listen. I don’t have a problem with the world of “social media.” I have a problem with the carpetbaggers inside of it. This video better explains the type of person I’m referring to:

And lest you forget, “social media” was once referred to as “new media.” Any guesses as to what the next label will be? Hopefully, it won’t be “douche media.”

So, are you a social media douchebag? Here’s a checklist:

1. You haven’t done anything but regurgitate what other people have done.
2. You can call yourself a “Social Media Expert” without giggling.
3. You suggest everything is a “fail” before you’ve moved out of your parents’ house.
4. You think the world begins and ends with one or two blogs.
5. You once had “marketing” or “PR” splashed across your business card.
6. You make liberal use of the word “conversation” when nobody is talking to (or about) you.
7. You only attend events that provide professional “opportunity” advancement.
8. You have no industry perspective or prowess, yet you offer it.
9. You use the term “Web 2.0″ without knowing what it actually is.
10. You think this list doesn’t really apply to you.

And before you point a guilty finger in my direction, Gnomedex was covering blogging and RSS back in 2001 before half of you assclowns had your own feed. In 1996, WordPress and Twitter and Facebook didn’t exist – but that didn’t stop some of us from sharing information with the world.

To the best of my knowledge (and understanding of history): it’s IMPOSSIBLE to define or label an era until we’ve passed through it completely. Nobody was wandering around during the “Dark Ages” talking about how they were living in the “Dark Ages.” Web 2.0 is a conference – not a technology or period of time.

Do you realize just how ridiculous some of you sound?

Top 10 Signs That You’re a Social Media Douchebag

The World is buzzing with talk of the release of Windows 7 at long last. Heck, even I spent my evening talking to the community about their thoughts on the new OS, including a nice long convo about the security of 7 with my assistant, Kat. Everywhere you look online, people are talking about Windows 7. It’s all over Twitter. It’s on blogs. It’s on both Lockergnome and Geeks. It’s even in the news. So, what are people saying?

It’s an awesome thing to see that much of the response is very, very positive. After the disaster that was Windows Vista, Microsoft has rebounded very, very well. I am enjoying using Win 7 myself, so much so that I have already written and published an eBook full of tips and tricks. I am using it on my Mac via Parallels, and even upgraded my HP TouchSmart to Windows 7 tonight, as well! I’m happy to report that Kat was right… the drivers are all updated on HPs website to make the Touch features work in Win 7!

So… let’s have it. What are your thoughts on Windows 7? Do you have it yet? If so, what do you think so far? If you don’t have it yet… are you planning to upgrade anytime soon? Why – or why not?

Windows 7 isn’t the only thing our community has been discussing lately, of course. On any given day, you’ll find blogs and discussions on any number of topics, ranging from health to politics to religion to computers and technology… and all the way to education, likes and dislikes and anything even remotely Geeky! If you aren’t contributing to either site yet, we’d love to have you. Even if you don’t feel you have anything to say, why not take some time to read what others are up to? You just may be surprised at the fact you can learn something new, or even gain a different perspective than you otherwise would have about something important.

• How can you tweak Windows 7 to your liking?
• Are you an Anime fan?
• Is IBM ready to make Ubuntu your default desktop?
• What are your thoughts on Google Wave?
• Trillian is waiting for Apple to catch up.
• RedHat has outdone Microsoft’s stock price.
• Do you need tips on making your own web site?
• Can you summarize your day in just three words?
• With the advent of the eBook, more people are actually making the time to read.
• The OneShot Video Editor is blowing away people who are trying it.
• To safeguard your privacy when using Firefox, enable “private browsing”.
• Pre-orders for Windows 7 in the UK has beaten out even that of Harry Potter.
• Do you know how to be professional?

As always, be sure to check out what Apps are on sale and hot off the presses in our downloads center! The team is finding some excellent deals for you every day.

Windows 7 – Thumbs Up or Down?

Reading a thread this evening on Geeks got me thinking. It talked about how if there were Heaven on Earth, what a wonderful place it would be for us Geeks! Can you even imagine? No more slow computers. No malware, nor any need for malware protection. No more parts that go bad, or become outdated in a matter of months. Ah, the life.

Close your eyes for a moment, and picture it. Now – leave me a comment, and tell me what it is you see in your Geeky Heaven on Earth.

When you’re finished, don’t forget to check out what others in the community are up to, as well!

• Yahoo is still buying – seriously!
• Can you define the success of Linux?
• Could the eReader be a Kindle killer?
• Amazon is now in the shoe business!
• GamersFirst has announced the launch of ourWorld.
• Is Dell giving up on Linux desktops?
• Windows 7 is here!
• Will the current dissatisfaction with AT&T make any difference?
• What ringtone do you have on your phone?

Heaven on Earth – Geek Style

Earlier, I read a thread on Geeks about Trent Reznor, the Nine Inch Nails frontman, deleting his Twitter account. Trent embraced Twitter quite awhile ago after discovering what an amazing outlet it can be. He quickly recognized the excellent means of communication Twitter provides. He helped raise over a million dollars via Twitter for a fan of his needing a heart transplant. He talked about the band’s upcoming tours and album, and reached out to fans. Trent loved the fact that fans got to know the “real” side of him, and that they learned there is more to him than just being “the NIN singer”.

Trent told the truth as he saw it on Twitter. He wasn’t afraid to say what he thinks about anything or anyone – positive or negative. However, this created some “hate tweets” from users. Reznor wasn’t happy when people lashed out at him for something he thought or said. He withdrew from Twitter for awhile at one point, and posted about his hatred of the site on his own blog. He returned recently for a short while, but it didn’t last. The account is now completely gone. He has stated that “idiots rule” on social networks.

My advice to Mr. Reznor is to grow a thicker skin. When you are in any type of spotlight, you are going to have critics and haters. Heck, I’m not even famous, and I have my share of people who leave idiotic, hateful or rude comments on each and every social networking site I’m on. You just let those roll off your back. If someone gives constructive criticism – learn from it. If they are simply a troll, ignore them and move on with your life. There are thousands upon thousands of GOOD people on social networking sites, ones who support you. They are the ones who buy tickets to your concerts. They are the ones who purchase your CDs. They are the ones whose opinions you should care about.

There are always going to be trolls, idiots and haters. Why let people like that rule your life, how you conduct yourself, or how you perceive yourself? Why would you judge all people on social networks based on the idiocy of a few? Isn’t that a bit much?

This wasn’t the only good story that caught my eye in our community today, but it is the one that spoke to me the most! All of you have been posting some excellent things on both Lockergnome and Geeks. I hope you take the time to check out what others are doing, as well.

• Clearwire is finally supporting OS X.
• How do you handle indecisive people?
• Convert your car to electric to save money.
• The Microsoft EU e-store collapsed during the rush of customers wanting to pre-order Windows 7 at a discount.
• The DoJ vs Google – is this another Microsoft fiasco?
• Don’t count Yahoo out just yet.
• Airlines are winning – and keeping – customers by using Twitter.
• Keep malware – and naked reporters – off of your computer.
• Say goodbye to the F-22 fighter jet.

You Need a Thick Skin to Participate Online

What does the World need now? I’m talking tangible objects here. What more can we possibly need? This question came up recently in a discussion on Geeks, and I found it to be quite thought-provoking. If you were able to choose the next big invention, what would it be? Would it be something in the technology field? What about something that could save lives? Think carefully, and then reply to this post and let me know what you think the world needs!

While you’re thinking… be sure to see what else is being talked about in our community today!

• Are you ready to buy an SSD?
• Samsung’s SSD hardware is stupid fast!
• Is the XP mode of Windows 7 anything but a reaction tool?
• How do you bridge the technology gap between young and old?
• What all-in-one instant messenger should you use?
• A new technique that scrambles light may lead to sharper images and wider views.
• What is the breakthrough in advanced Cellulosic Biofuel?
• Cuil is clearly a non-starter.
• What is your Windows index base score?
• Are you looking for a deal on Pinnacle Video Capture for your Mac?
• One million people in Oklahoma are at risk of being victims of Identity Theft.
• 192GB of Ram? Who the heck could even use that much?
• If you’re looking for something special for your Mom for Mother’s Day, consider checking out Kiyonna’s!
• Check out the Diaper Dash game for hours of fun.

What the World Needs Now…

No, I didn’t go to BlogHer – for a few good reasons. It has nothing to do with me being a “him,” though. Largely, I stayed at home for Ponzi’s benefit. I didn’t want to take away from her experience at the event, as the BlogHer conference is ultimately about women in blogging – and she’s a woman who blogs. If I went, I’d do nothing more than (inadvertently) impose my own perspectives on the experience. I really believe she had a chance to learn more without me there.

Ponzi started blogging after watching me do it for a while – but she’s not a geek. I often drag her (term used loosely) to tech-centric events that she doesn’t care much about. BlogHer is a chance for her to mix and mingle with people who don’t eat, sleep, and breathe technology – and yes, those kinds of people really do exist! She’s a very independent thinker, and I have no doubt she’ll come home with several useful ideas and fun stories.

“Gnomedex” is starting to appear in a few BlogHer posts – a couple of them related to how Ponzi and I handle sponsors. Microsoft’s Conference Marketing, Part 2 and Definitely Femtastic should take a look at Microsoft Rewrote the “Rulesâ€Â? of Conference Sponsorship. It’s not easy to do a conference – but I must congratulate the entire BlogHer crew for pulling it off. I’ll be picking up Ponzi from the airport at Midnight tonight.

On BlogHer

In his latest “State of the Blogosphere” report, Technorati founder Dave Sifry finally conceded defeat to spam from BlogSpot and .info domains. His team of developers will be issuing Technorati 3.0 SP1 within a few weeks to address this climate shift.

The impending update will transmogrify Technorati.com from a hub of live Web content into a portal where only the latest spam posts and splogs are indexed and displayed. All junk entries, all the time! It’s a market that’s gone largely underserved until now.

A-List mortgage and erectile dysfunction bloggers were not available for comment.

Source: Technorati.com
Domain: Technoerrati.com

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Tagging Technorati

I’ve had a few people ask me what to tag their posts as for Gnomedex. I say (and have always said) just tag things “Gnomedex” and leave it at that. If you wanna get fancy, you can also do Gnomedex6, Gnomedex06, Gnomedex2006, or SirNotAppearingInThisFilm. For maximum flash efficiency, stick with “Gnomedex” and call it a day. The only other tag we’d like to recommend is “GnomedexDiscussion” – for the times when you’d like to make a comment on something that’s being said at the conference – specifically when we run out of time for a discussion on-site. If you want to watch what’s happening with any of the keywords, you can import any of the following into your news aggregator from TagJag:

• http://tagjag.com/blogs/gnomedex/opml (Recommended)
• http://tagjag.com/all/gnomedex/opml (Large!)
• http://tagjag.com/blogs/gnomedex/rss (Single Feed, Beta)
• http://tagjag.com/all/gnomedex/rss (Single Feed, Beta)

TagJag outputs OPML and RSS without you ever needing to visit the site! Plus, it combines tag search directories (fresh, like Flickr, Technorati, or de.l.ici.ou.s) with traditional search directories (static, like Yahoo!, Ask, or MSN).

Tagging Your Posts for Gnomedex

BloggerCon was awesome. I only have a few regrets, all of which are my fault: (1) This was my first BloggerCon experience;(2) I had Windows Vista on my laptop, which drained my battery at an alarming rate; (3) We had to leave early and miss the final Hokey Pokey. Dave says he’s going to quit blogging soon, but I hope he doesn’t stop doing BloggerCons.

BloggerCon was Awesome

Confirmed Gnomedex Discussion Leader: Halley Suitt. Her first name rhymes with “rally,” her last name sounds like “suit” – it’s Halley Suitt! The original Alpha Female Blogger is honoring us with her presence on stage. Her mind works a million miles a minute, which is why she’s perfect for the Gnomedex crowd. This will be Halley’s first Gnomedex, and we hope not her last. She blogs, but she’s also driving Top Ten Sources forward into the future. I can’t think of a single person who doesn’t know who Halley is – except for my dad, but he doesn’t count. Halley is really sweet, but she’s really Suitt.

Halley Suitt