The inspiration for this post came from Jason Huebel, having written about leaving FriendFeed behind for Google+ engagement.

Google+ is the new black.

So, is anybody else abandoning FriendFeed, Empire Avenue, Facebook, etc. for Google’s latest social effort? Do you see yourself decreasing the amount of time you spend on any other platform over the coming weeks? To me, I suppose, it’s a balancing act – and each silo has its merits. No doubt, I’m very happy with Google+ right now.

Twitter – “Everybody” is there, but every tweet is a flash in the pan. It’s always been next to impossible to establish a conversation there (and I’ve always resented people who called Twitter a conversation). It used to be a great way to drive attention, but that attention potential is watered down with every person who joins. You could have a million followers and less engagement than someone with a thousand.

Facebook – “Everybody” is there, but not all of your updates are seen by those who “Like” you. The privacy policy seems to change every other month. If you can look past the pokes and app invites, there’s nothing particularly agitating about Facebook (enough to drive millions away in droves). It’s also important to note that Facebook is like a data roach motel – you can get it in, but good luck getting it out.

FriendFeed – “Nobody” is there anymore, but those who are sticking to it are really active. Google+ reminds a lot of people (myself included) of the FriendFeed heyday, and it didn’t shock me to learn that Jason’s finally putting this network behind him. I took this screen shot of a Google+ Hangout with Jesse Stay this afternoon – another fan of FF:

Google Buzz – If you think about it, Google Buzz is / was really close to FriendFeed. People pumped-and-dumped their feeds into it and then abandoned the platform when “nobody” was actively using it. That said, Buzz isn’t dead yet – it’s still there as a Google+ sub-tab at the moment.

Empire Avenue – I really think Dups and his team really need to adapt their model very QUICKLY. It’s been great for discovery and engagement, but to increase awareness, they need to surface the social media engagement intelligence they’re collecting in a more cohesive fashion (allowing people to see their scores without necessarily putting themselves on the Market). It’s done a lot for my engagement and discovery acceleration, but the learning curve is still too high for the average user (who really would fall in love with the underlying statistics that EAv can bring).

MySpace – Well, let’s just see what Timberlake does with it. ;)

Which brings us to…

Google+ – “Everybody” will be here, guaranteed. With the right integration, your resonance-prone activity will be seen by more people. They need to address the noise, accommodate conversation threading, eliminate content duplicates, and a lot more – but they’re off to a damn good start.

Your thoughts on where Google+ sits in today’s social media landscape?

FriendFeed vs Twitter vs Facebook vs Google+

There is a lot of noise on the Internet. We are inundated with photos, videos, music and words to the point we have to start filtering some of it out or go insane. I’m starting to wonder, though, if we are driving ourselves crazy in the process. Are we going deaf and blind? How much good content are we missing out on when we tune out and turn off? It’s obviously not feasible to read/hear/watch everything out there. The key is going to have to be to balance what we’re consuming online – filtering out the noise while taking in the important stuff. How the hell do we pull that off?

Decide what’s really important to you. What is it you want to get out of social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook? Take the time to decide which types of things you feel add value to your day and which just provide background noise. Make a point of weeding through your lists and get rid of anyone who just seems to be there for the heck of it.

You may feel important when you follow a lot of people, but what good is that really doing you? Are you learning anything? Have you gained any type of knowledge, insight or satisfaction from each of these users? Do they at least make you laugh once in a while? Why do you keep following those whom do nothing more than annoy you when you see their constant drivel wind its way through your timelines?

Filtering out noise will keep you a whole lot more sane, I promise. I’m not saying you can’t have fun and follow people who make you laugh. Watch videos that are comedic in nature only. Listen to your favorite tunes or the newest smash hit from that unknown artist. You don’t have to completely cut yourself off from the “unimportant” things and people… you just need to find a better way to balance that with the things and persons who will add true value to your day and your life.

Is Social Media Driving You Crazy?

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Dave Peck, a force in new media since 2004, has been behind some of the biggest social media campaigns in the industry. In this interview, he discusses how celebrities are connecting with their fans through social networking, and how productions have benefited from live tweeting.

Dave considers himself as working in interactive PR. He’s been fortunate to interview some pretty cool people lately, including Antonio Sabato Jr, Jerry Ryan, Kenny Loggins and Lou Diamond Phillips. These celebrities are learning the power of social media and connecting with fans via Twitter. While their respective television shows are on, the actors leverage Twitter to connect with their followers during air time.

I happen to be friends with Survivor host Jeff Probst. One of the things that helps keep his site so insanely active is the fact that he live Tweets during shows. He engages the community with questions – and by answering their queries. The traffic on his website spikes into the ozone every time the show airs… and Jeff’s direct involvement in social media is one of the largest reasons. It proves once again that celebrities can and should be using the power of services such as Twitter.

When a celebrity shares themselves online, they are making themselves less of a “star” and more of a human. It allows them to make real connections with people, and it reminds all of us that no one is “above” us in any way. We’re all on the same level, y’all – every one of you is just as human as anyone else. Using social media can help level that playing field.

Ashton Kutcher believes in the power of social so much that he went out and developed his own Twitter client. Aplus was created with Adobe Air, so it works cross-platform. It’s a solid piece of software – even if you aren’t a fan of Ashton’s. You have the option to remove the information about the man himself, and use the app in the ways that work for you.

Why Should Celebrities Use Social Media?

Someone asked me this earlier on Twitter. You would think it would be simple one to answer. After all, social networking is still in its infancy, right? Wrong! Social networks have been around since before the Internet was actually – well – the Internet. Stop thinking that these words only encompass sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Once you do, many of you will realize that you’ve likely never lived a moment of your life without some form of social networking.

As defined: “A social network is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called “nodes”, which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.” Of course, these networks exist offline, as well. For the sake of this post, we’re going to pretend we are only referring to things found on the Web.

Back in the late 70s through the early 90s, you could connect with others online via a BBS. This is nearly FORTY years ago these things started becoming popular, y’all. The service was used to upload and download software or data, read news and bulletins and exchanging messages with other users. Oh, and there were also games to play against yourself and other members. Hm… this sounds an awful lot like an early version of nearly every social site out there today, doesn’t it?

Social networks are evolving, sure. Sites are coming up with new features and better ways to connect. That supposed innovation comes with a price, though… a huge lack of any form of privacy. We have evolved into a generation of people who claim to care about our privacy yet who continue to post nearly every aspect of our lives online for the world to peruse. We check in and tell others where we are every moment of the day. We send out statuses and messages telling them what we’re doing, who we’re talking to and where we may be headed next. We share nearly everything.

To me, this is the main difference between networks of today and the ones from 30+ years ago. It’s not about the difference in platforms. WE have changed. Yup – Facebook looks slick as hell compared to an old BBS. Twitter is faster and simpler to use. But at the very core of each type of service – where are the true differences – the real innovations?

You should stop asking yourselves what life would be like without social networks. They’ve been around for many more years than you thought, and they aren’t going anywhere. What you should ask yourself, instead, is “How am I going to change the way I use these services throughout my life?”

What Would Life be Like Without Social Networking?

I hadn’t heard about the proposed SB 242 bill in California until reading about it on TechCrunch a few moments ago. As I quickly ran through the article, I prepared myself to see a whole lot of angry comments at the end. I wasn’t disappointed… people are angry. However, every single commenter is missing the bigger picture in my mind. How – exactly – is Facebook supposed to determine parental rights should they receive a takedown request?

As it is written, the bill would ensure that:

“A social networking Internet Web site shall remove the personal identifying information of a registered user in a timely manner upon his or her request. In the case of a registered user who identifies himself or herself as being under 18 years of age, the social networking Internet Web site shall also remove the information upon the request of a parent of the registered user.”

I understand where they are trying to go with this, really I do. The HUGE problem I see is that there is absolutely nothing written about ways in which “the social networking site” is supposed to figure out who the parents really are. Without exact guidelines, any person would be able to claim they are someone’s parent and demand that information be removed. Perhaps Johnny has divorced parents and the father isn’t allowed any rights at all. Should that father then be able to request Facebook remove something from the young man’s page? What about a teen who has no “parents,” and instead lives with grandma? Does that mean he can post whatever he likes, without the grandmother being able to do anything about it?

The bills as written begs for trouble. In order to make demands of this nature, there has to be clear-cut guidelines. There is simply far too much grey area here… too much room for abuse. I’ll go so far as to say it: there’s even potential there for stalking and harassment of minors. Katie could have a friend in high school who is out to “get” her for some reason. Said “friend” creates a new Facebook account and pretends to be Katie’s mom… do you see where I’m going? Where is the burden of PROOF? Do we even want to delve into the creepy factor here? I think not. You can figure that out for yourself.

I agree that there needs to be better ways to protect the privacy of teens on social networking sites. I disagree with all of the people screaming that parents need to parent their children better. If a parent cannot understand the complicated and convoluted privacy settings on Facebook, what hope do they have of keeping track of that of their child? Facebook – and sites like it – need to step up to the plate and make things much simpler on everyone involved.

Who Controls Your Child on Facebook?

There are about ten million blog posts that discuss how you are supposed to “do” social media. You’ll find perhaps two million people who label themselves as experts, gurus, and rock stars. These individuals will tell you the right way to use Twitter or Facebook. They’ll help you learn the ropes in order to grow your business. Everything you read is about what you can do for social media. Have you ever wondered, though, what social media is doing for you?

You know that tapping into the power of a social network can help you reach a larger number of people. You’ve realized that your business simply cannot survive without being seen on the various platforms and services. Heck, you even understand that you will eventually gain a lot of “clout” simply by being a good little social media student. Is that seriously all that’s in it for you?

Embracing social networks can help you grow as a person. Meeting people from all over the world will expand your mind. You’ll be able to make connections that you otherwise never would have, which can help you to become a better you. If you aren’t using your Twitter stream and Facebook Wall to learn from others, you are missing out on a fantastic opportunity, my friends.

I’m not going to bother trying to list the things you can gain through these channels. The possibilities are endless, to be honest. I’m not talking about trying to figure out how to speak Chinese through a few tweets. I’m telling you that you can literally change your life by opening yourself up and allowing the world into your mind.

I’ve read tales of people who have had their confidence boosted after becoming active within social networks. We’ve all heard stories of those who were inspired in some way and went out to do amazing things. Every day there are new tidbits floating around the Web that talk about all of you out there who are changing the world. We can each leave our mark for future generations to look back upon. Why can’t we get a jump start through the various social channels that we have available?

Reach out to people who you feel are the movers and shakers in whatever avenue you wish to pursue. Listen more than you talk. Take action when it is necessary, and tell others about it. Participate in conversations. Learn how to be smarter, stronger, and more well-rounded. Let your community help you to become a better you.

What Are You Getting out of Social Media?

We’ve heard stories of completely ridiculous lawsuits in the past. Do you remember the McDonald’s coffee suit? What about the case of a burglar breaking into a lady’s home, hurting himself and then successfully suing the homeowner? There are thousands of cases on the books, and they are often won in a court of law – to the tune of a lot of money. Unfortunately, the trend doesn’t seem to be fading away, as evidenced by three recent separate filings. Each case is nearly identical other than the defendant.

Twitter, MySpace and Facebook are all being sued for sending confirmation messages to a cellular device. In each case, the plaintiffs chose to activate the text-message feature within the service. At some point later in time, the three people each changed their mind and replied with “stop” so that they would no longer receive the communications.

As with any other service out there, the three services all then sent back a confirmation message. This is standard procedure, folks. It’s been done forever, and I’ve honestly never seen someone complain. However, these three individuals have seen the opportunity to make a few bucks, and are pointing to a violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. This Act was designed to prevent unsolicited communications to cellular devices. It’s used when companies are spamming people and when you have cases of harassment, even. It shouldn’t apply to something that you signed up for willingly and then changed your mind about later on.

I don’t know about you, but I am glad I receive confirmation messages. Imagine you want to receive these little tidbits on your phone. Another person is using your device and decides to play a prank on you by replying “Stop.” Or… perhaps you accidentally do so. Whatever the case may be, it’s good in my mind to have that extra little layer of security in place. The companies are simply making sure there was no error. They don’t continually harass you and try to get you to stay signed up. They don’t send message after message. You receive ONE confirmation notice. Why is that so wrong?

Personally, I think this is a load of hogwash. What are your thoughts?

Crazy Lawsuits Should be Outlawed

Normally, using someone isn’t a very nice thing to do. The negative connotations surrounding that word tend to make us shy away from allowing ourselves to remember that it can be a positive thing, as well. Yes, you need to give more than you take and the social space is no exception to the rule. However, there’s nothing wrong with using your network when you need to.

Are you thinking of buying a new product? Use your network! Throw out a quick message on both sites and ask for opinions. The people in your community who have used or owned that item will be quick to tell you the pros – and cons. You’ll get real feedback in real time. What better way could there be to help make a buying decision?

Another way to use your network is to reach out and ask for recommendations the next time you plan pretty much anything. Your contacts will jump at the chance to tell you where the hottest clubs and hotels are, which airlines cost the least to fly on and where you should be eating or shopping. You can get quick advice about anything and everything – including which Elvis impersonator is the best.

Thousands of people are out of work and having difficulties finding a new position. Use those networks, people! Let others know you are on the hunt and ask if they know of openings in your field. Make sure you’ve signed up on LinkedIn and fully filled in your your profile. Give that link out any time you hear of a promising lead or whenever you inquire about an opening someone may know of.

Your network can be used for education research and finding out the latest information about breaking news stories. I suppose these examples wouldn’t be classified as using the people in your community as much as it would be expanding your mind thanks to them. Are you stumped on a homework question? Ask your friends for help. If you have Google’d your fingers to the bone and still cannot find answers you need for a project at work, the people you surround yourself with online may have a clue. When you hear sirens coming from every direction in your neighborhood, a quick hashtag Twitter search will likely yield the fastest results. Quite often, you can find out what’s what on your social network ten times faster than you would via your local news station.

The ways in which you can use your social network are virtually endless. Keep in mind what I said in the beginning: give more than you take. The next time someone asks for help you can offer, don’t ignore it because you are too busy. Take the time to help someone and you’ll be repaid tenfold.

What others ways do you use your social network?

How to Use Your Social Network

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Klout CEO Joe Hernandez hosted an awesome party at the Klout Krib during SXSW this past weekend. We were able to catch up with him for a few moments to see what he’s been up to, the challenges he faces in leading a fast-growing social measurement company and how things have changed within the Klout ratings themselves.

Klout brands themselves as “the standard for online influence.” A Klout score doesn’t tell you who the “A-list” people are. It measures the influence of anyone – and everyone – on Twitter and Facebook. The service uses more than 35 different variables between the two social sites to measure your True Reach, Amplification Probability and Network Score.

Your True Reach is the actual size of the audience you engage. It’s based on the people in your friends and followers who listen and react to what you’re saying. The Amplification Score tells you what the chances are that your thoughts will generate some type of action, such as a reTweet, @ message, Likes and comments. This is measured on a scale of 1 – 100. Your Network Score lets you know how influential your engaged audience is and is also scaled from 1 – 100. The total Klout score directly relates to clicks, comments and Tweets.

Joe indicated the company is hard at work on a new version of the website, which is due out in the near future. He is quick to point out that they are constantly updating site features and figuring out more ways to connect influencers with brands.

Just a few weeks ago, a new measuring algorithm was introduced into the mix. The company felt that they were starting to see what they called inflated scores, mainly amongst people who are using Twitter as though it is a chat room. That type of back and forth conversation definitely isn’t an indicator of strong influence. Therefore, the company changed the way different things are weighted in order to attempt to come up with a more accurate score.

The problem with Klout is that it isn’t always accurate. During the interview, Joe mentioned that they are determining your score based on “meaningful conversation” instead of chit-chat. I’m not quite sure how the heck an algorithm can determine what is actually meaningful. He even throws out the whole “if Ashton Kutcher reTweets you, that’s pretty important.” But WHY is that important?

There have been stories about people who have been turned down for speaking gigs and jobs due to not having a high enough Klout score. As much as I like the company and its service, I feel that it is absolutely ludicrous to base someone’s viability as a presenter or employee based on their so-called influence score. As Kelly plainly pointed out in her article a few weeks ago, the scores are often dreadfully inaccurate. However, those inaccuracies aren’t apparent to anyone other than the person they belong to.

Klout is on to something good, there’s no doubt about it. It will be interesting to see where the company heads in the future as they figure out more ways to make their scores foolproof and measure the true indicators of influence.

What are your thoughts? Do you feel that a Klout score is something to covet and throw around? Or is it a novelty that will quickly wear off as some other method of bragging rights comes to town?

Does Klout Measure Your Influence?

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Veronica Belmont from Tekzilla shares some fancy Facebook shortcuts for power users. Learn how to navigate all the major functions on the Facebook homepage in any browser straight from your keyboard.

Every operating system and browser combination will have a different identifier. Following are the ones you will need, depending on your configuration:

Combine your identifier with the following keys to perform the shortcuts:

• Identifier + ? moves your curser to the search box
• Identifier + m launches a compose new message window
• Identifier + 1 takes you to your home page
• Identifier + 2 launches your profile page
• Identifier + 3 opens your friend requests
• Identifier + 4 opens your messages menu
• Identifier + 5 opens your notifications menu

Using the identifier plus the numbers 6 – 0 work as well, but Veronica wants to leave something for you to discover!

I’m glad she took the time to create this tutorial. I honestly didn’t even know these particular shortcuts myself. For those who spend a lot of time on Facebook, knowing these quick maneuvers can SAVE you a lot of time. Thanks, Veronica and the Tekzilla team!

Do You Know the Secret Facebook Keyboard Shortcuts?

Facebook rolled out several new changes to their Pages today – and I’m quite happy with most of them. One of the coolest new features is the ability to browse Facebook as your Page instead of yourself. For instance, I can check out the Page for Peet’s Coffee and leave a comment from the ChrisPirillo Page, instead of from Chris Pirillo the man. This creates opportunities for companies and celebrities to endorse – or critique – each other. Status updates from each of the Pages your Page visits will now show up in your News Feed – yes, Pages get News Feeds now, as well!

Whenever you are logged into your Page, the notifications window will show you each time people leave a comment. The old friend requests button will tell you how many Likes you’ve received since the last time you had signed in. And Page admins can now receive updates via email whenever people interact on the Page in any capacity.

We are introducing new opportunities for Pages to share. We recently launched a new Profile design, to give users more ways to tell their stories with people they care about. Now, Pages will benefit from many of the same enhancements. Starting today, you can feature photos of your Page’s most recent experiences at the top of your Page. You can highlight other Pages you are connected with as well as the people who are managing your Page.

Facebook is excited about the new opportunities they have created for Pages and their fans. The “Everyone” filter on the Wall will give a way for everyone to see the most interesting posts first. There’s a place for you to discover the friends and interests that you may have in common with a Page, as well.

The company feels that these changes will bring a lot more “humanity” to Pages and allow for a significantly higher amount of interaction between you and your followers. Do you agree?

New Facebook Page Changes

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My Mom finally decided to create a Facebook account for herself. She plans to only use it to keep in touch with family and close friends, so she was worried about choosing the correct privacy settings. This is something that many of our parents are facing. They want to have Facebook so they can keep track of us, but they don’t want the world to see their information. Do you know how to guide them through setting everything up in a way they are comfortable with?

Obviously, we added all of the normal information to begin with, such as name and location. We learned that Facebook doesn’t “check” passwords against each other when setting up an account to make sure they are correct. We had to take a picture for her profile, and she decided to grab a picture with Wicket and Pixie – her grandpups!

When it asked her to find connections, that was simple. Mom is the last of our immediate family to give in and get a Facebook account. I helped her add my Dad, my brothers and myself.

Have you ever helped a parent (or grandparent) set up an account on Facebook – or another social media site? Did you find it challenging to make sure that they felt comfortable with the privacy settings?

Are Your Parents on Facebook?

eHow is a site dedicated to helping you figure out how to do things. From videos to tutorials to forums, the site is full of tips and tricks to get your tasks accomplished quickly and easily. There are many thousands’ of dedicated users on the site, all of whom are about to find themselves without an account. In a move that doesn’t seem to be very smart, eHow has announced that they are suspending the normal login in favor of Facebook login. All current user accounts will be deleted and the forums will be shut down.

There has been nothing formal posted on the company’s blog, but an email about the switch alluded to the fact that if you’d like to keep your connections then you had better friend them on Facebook. I’m not sure that someone I took advice from once on a site such as eHow should be added to my personal list of friends and family on Facebook, but the site doesn’t agree. They are very flippant and casual about who our connections should be – and where they should be. The site members don’t agree.

Inside Facebook’s Josh Constine predicts the ultimate demise of eHow, warning that “other websites should learn a lesson from eHow.com’s seemingly unwise decision.” I happen to agree with Josh on this one. Yes, eHow and other sites should absolutely have Facebook Login as an option for their users, but it definitely shouldn’t be the only way they can connect.

What do you think? Is eHow going to kill itself in the long run with this move?

eHow Switching to Only Facebook Login

Yesterday morning, the blogosphere was abuzz with news of the “hacking” of Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook Fan Page. Experts and amateurs alike argued over whether anything was actually hacked into – and who could have done it. Reading the stories all day long proved entertaining… the conspiracy theories never fail to amuse me. According to Facebook, though, nothing was taken over or hacked at all. Instead, a simple bug was to blame. “A bug enabled status postings by unauthorised people on a handful of pages, The bug has been fixed,” an official statement read. “It was a handful of public Facebook pages and no personal user accounts were affected,” it added.

The Guardian still feels it has solved the entire case – mostly. They point to “evidence” gathered from the bit.ly link used in the mysterious posting and a Wikipedia edit. They tracked the IP address of the Wiki editor to the US Department of Defense in Williamsburg. Of course, there’s absolutely no proof that this is the same IP of the person who “hacked” the Facebook page, if such a thing had actually happened.

I’m not sure honestly which story to believe. On the one hand, The Guardian’s story sounds very plausible. Facebook claims that nothing happened beyond a strange glitch. It strikes me as odd that someone happened to figure out that this bug existed in a small number of pages and took advantage of it to talk about the Hacker Cup.

Whichever scenario holds true, Mark is likely walking about with some red in his cheeks this morning.

Was Zuckerberg’s Facebook Fan Page Hacked or Not?

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A survey that was posted in the Consumerist stated that 27% of Facebook users update their status in the bathroom. What’s even weirder is the breakdown: women are 54% more likely than men to spend time on Facebook while, ahem… doing their business.

Lamarr thinks this can potentially be pretty disgusting, although he wonders if the iPhone would have an “app for that.” When you think about it, it really is pretty gross. Do you wash your hands BEFORE touching that screen – even while still sitting on the pot? Of course you don’t. Do you take some Lysol wipes to the screen AFTER you are finished? Likely – not.

I’m willing to bet most people have never thought of this before. We’ve done articles in the past about germs spreading in the home – and home office. The bathroom is pretty germy. Do you seriously want your phone in that room where “those” germs are flying around?

Are you one of the guilty parties?

Do You Facebook From the Bathroom?