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via socialmediaexplorer.com

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via business2community.com

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via time.com

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via johnpaulaguiar.com

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via blog.twitter.com

New book for non-profits. But no Kindle edition—what's up with that?

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via blog.foursquare.com

New feature by Foursquare allows you to "share the places you love" with Foursquare lists.

Sounds similar to Twitter lists, but is it?

What do you think?

Will this attract new and old users to Foursquare? Will it be a top feature? Will it only be used by everyone, or just anyone on vacation?

What do you think the intent is of Foursquare by releasing this feature?

Is it, perhaps, to compete with Twitter or Google+?

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via web-strategist.com

FYI - Download the report!

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via mashable.com

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Today’s trending topic on Mashable, touched upon the recent study conducted by Larry Rosen, a professor of psychology at California State University which revealed how the obsession with Facebook amongst today’s teens may be leading to the development of psychological disorders such as antisocial behavior, narcissism, character flaws and a several other negative behavioral side effects.

Rosen shared his findings during a presentation titled Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids at the American Psychological Association’s 119th Annual Convention. His quantitative study results combined information taken from 1,000 urban adolescents who participated in a computer-based survey and a 15-minute observation of 300 teens in the act of studying.

Along with the above mentioned effects, the research also revealed the presence of aggressive tendencies, lower school performance and reading retention rates. However, what I also found interesting was how the Facebook era has also help developed “virtual empathy”, a behavior that stimulates positivity and behavior. In the long run, this behavior will help impact their social accountability and virtual currency.

In assessing my personal and professional circles, I believe in general amongst all age groups, cultures and social-economic levels, the obsession with social networks has stimulated the ADD/ADHD in us all. I oftentimes, secretly survey my peers by gauging the length of time it takes for them to redirect their attention from a meeting/project to their mobile devices (i.e. mobile phone, tablet and/or laptop). It never fails, most of the group becomes preoccupied within the first five minutes. I would venture to say that social networks harm us all! What are your thoughts?  

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Google Plus: Do You Need Another Social Network?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/talk/2011/08/06/138828455/google-plus-do-you-need-another-social-network

by SCOTT CAMERON

AP

Google Plus makes it easy to group friends into "circles" and share information with only specific people. The million dollar question: Will enough people try another social network?

Fitness coaches like to say that if you repeat something consistently for 3-6 weeks, it forms a habit you'll likely stick with. Google Plus turned 5 weeks old this past week. So, is the newest social media network certifiably habit-forming?

In an incredibly unscientific poll of @TOTN followers on Twitter, 6 respondents said they use Google Plus — and all six also regularly use Facebook to varying degrees. One said he uses only Facebook and 2 said they use neither. If this is a budding romance, Google Plus landed the second date but it's not love yet.

The Google Plusers who responded said they like the drag-and-drop ease and real-life organizing principle of adding friends to social "circles." Everything you post can then be easily shared with only specific groups of people — bffs, family, baseball team, students, co-workers — or with everybody.

Many said they like the sense of better privacy controls compared to Facebook and less "extraneous junk." Several also appreciate the lack of FarmVille updates (though that raises a provocative question about how men and women use social media differently and I'll get to that later). A sentiment shared byNewsweek tech editor Dan Lyons, who wrote that not so long ago, Facebook was considered cool, too:

Now Facebook is the place where your mom and even your grandparents have accounts. Throw in all the creepy spammers, annoying ads, and cheesy Zynga games aimed at bored housewives in the Midwest, and suddenly the club doesn't feel so hip and special anymore.

Google Plus is clearly cool. It's shiny and new. More than 20 million people already signed up, by many estimates. That doesn't mean Facebook users are ready to ditch their accounts — something they'll need to do if Google Plus hopes to compete in the long-term. Most of the people I talked with still use Facebook. They say Google Plus feels empty.

The most common complaint I've heard about Google Plus was best described by Katherine Boehret in the Wall Street Journal. "Google+ is designed to compete with Facebook, but judging from my non-techie friends' reactions over the past two weeks, the initial setup can be confusing. Plus, many of them aren't eager to build another social network."

Basic connectivity these days means Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. FourSquare and other location sites are growing. There's Tumblr and Plaxo and, for now, MySpace. And many, many more. If Google Plus hopes to create new habits, it needs to overcome sharing fatigue: Who needs one more social network?

The obvious answer for Google: be better than everybody else. Early reviews indicate Google Plus has done that in limited ways. The main page is uncluttered and easy to navigate. Drag-and-drop circles are simple to create and delete. Chats and video chats open with a click. Plus, people generally like Google, while most complain about Facebook.

"Better," though, means different things to different people, a point blogger M.M. Faulkner thinks the Google Plus developers should pay more attention to.

If Google wants to compete with Facebook, and I think their design of Google Plus clearly indicates they do, they are going to need the insight of more women. Tailoring a product based on predominately male feedback is just not smart if the market mostly utilized by women.

Faulkner argues that women are major drivers of social networks and she wants to see more of them on Google Plus. That, she says, will likely mean more FarmVille updates. Something the snarky (and often male) detractors, including Newsweek's Dan Lyons and his "bored housewives in the Midwest", need to get used to.

While the stereotype may be true, that more women like Farmville (a Zynga game), the comments got under my skin this week as people spouted over and over that Farmville's addition to Google Plus will ruin it — claiming streams will be clogged with "Jane just won a cow. Click to get a Free Cow".

If these people's Facebook news feeds are full of Farmville updates, all they have to do is select "hide Farmville" from a drop down menu ... simple. I find it frustrating that someone else's lack of setting-knowledge means women aren't supposed to enjoy a game if she chooses to do so.

Tom Anderson also shared some unsolicited advice with Google Plus on TechCrunch. You might remember him as the former president and founder of another social network: MySpace.

Here's a few things I'd do right now, if I were Google.

·         Start seriously courting the journalists, tastemakers, and celebrities that are using and/or pontificating about G+. During MySpace's run-up, journalists continually got their facts wrong about MySpace. They wrote story after story about how Facebook was bigger than MySpace when in truth Facebook wasn't even 1/10th the size of MySpace. Why? Because the journalists' Ivy League educated children were using Facebook, and journalists have deadlines and other things to think about. Popular opinion will shape every aspect of people's G+ perception.

·         Exhaustively think through the privacy issues and tie up any loose/ends that G+ has on this front. I don't believe Privacy is a real issue to most people, but most people think it is a real issue to them.

·         Hire the best product executors & visionaries in the world, something that clearly has not been Google's forte in the past. Though I love G+, some parts of G+ are really a mess right now, and two that are incredibly important at this stage are in need of much work: onboarding & photos.

·         There must be one ring to rule them all. One leader making decisions.

Another cautionary tale came from tech blogger Brian Shaler who warned that Google Plus risks making one of the same major mistakes as Twitter by treating all posts equally. "If someone posts about eating a cracker—hey, maybe it's a really good cracker—that post is treated with the same importance of a post about a death or a divorce—a real one, not the celebrity kind."

One way to cull the cacophony, he says: Take a lesson from Facebook. "Facebook has a chronological news feed and a "Top News" view. It's simple: If a post gets a lot of comments or likes, it bubbles up to the top. Facebook's implementation is far, far, far from ideal, but it's a great illustration of what can [easily] be done."

Google Plus surged at launch, picking up users faster than most expected. But the novelty may be wearing off. Experian Hitwise reported that total visits dropped about 3% for the week ending July 23rd compared to the previous week. Average time spent on the site was also down, about 10%. Not a huge drop, but likely to catch the attention of Google developers.

Google wisely rolled out Plus by invite only. It's easy to be the cool kid on the social networking block with a big virtual velvet rope limiting access. Now, though, people like me have stormed the circles and raised new expectations for the site. If Google hopes to compete with — and perhaps one day replace — Facebook, Plus must now attract a much wider, and in some ways less forgiving, general audience — and ensure that we make a habit of coming back.

Google Plus' biggest drawback may also be its secret weapon: it's untested and unfamiliar. Or full of "mystery and potential," asLos Angeles Times columnist Meghan Daum noted. "Like the allure and do-over possibilities of moving to a new town in ninth grade ... It's so new that it has no identity and therefore no stigma."

Pressing a big "reset" button on your social-network-self carries appeal — but also risks. Like many early users, most of Daum's friends haven't yet made — and may never make — the plunge to Google Plus. Still, she says, "For now I have to admit I kind of like it."

Given the choice between the homecoming dance (Facebook) and this awkward new dance that is Google+, I'll choose awkwardness.

Besides, right now all anyone's doing is getting drunk in the parking lot. And that can be the best part.

Tags: Google+, Google Plus, Facebook, social media

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Is social media devouring individual privacy rights? Of course, you might say, that’s the point. Yet, do people even consider privacy as something of value any more or what it really means to give the right away? Consumers willingly share their identities, thoughts and interactions to participate in social media without hesitation or really knowing long-term repercussions. 

Alexis Madrigal of The Atlantic raises valid points about privacy and disclosure of identity in social media as users reveal themselves in this world, where expression isn’t fleeting, contextual or forgiving. Madrigal explains that marketers, in the name of what they do, want as much data that they can collect to understand preferences and behavior. On the contrary, he argues that consumers shouldn’t simply accept what the largest social media companies ask them to do. 

Should you have to use your real name online? It's an issue that's long simmered among social media critics and supporters alike. On one end of the spectrum, there's 4chan, where everything is anonymous. On the other, there are Facebook and Google Plus. Both have drawn fire from for categorically preventing people from using pseudonyms. This week, a new site, My Name Is Me, launched to make the case to allow anyone to use any name they choose.

Madrigal’s piece made me wonder what consumers’ threshold will be for giving away too much of a basic right. What is the value of privacy--will the benefits of social media engagement outweigh it for long? Will the FCC one day be required to provide a “Warning: disclosing your identity limits your right to privacy and may cause … ” statement as part of registration? 

Privacy is easy to give away but difficult to get back. Along with security, privacy seems to be one of the biggest issues moving into the foreground as people realize the long-term consequences of what they’re giving up. What does or doesn't trouble you about your own privacy in social media?

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via mediabistro.com

Learning’s
Keeping your social media presence squeaky clean has never been more important. For those of you who still believed that “social” means an informal gathering that promotes communal activity, is not aware of the new FTC ruling which allows companies like the “Social Intelligence Corps” to run social media background checks on potential employees on behalf of companies/organizations.

Although prospective candidates are required to provide consent, the screening allows Social Intelligence to search through all of the candidates social channels including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Linkedin, to name a few. The companies search through photos, videos, and groups to determine an applicant’s social media history dating back seven years. Companies are screening for positive and negative offenses such as racist remarks or activities, sexually explicit photos or videos, and illegal activity such as drug use. Positive examples include charitable or volunteer efforts, participation in industry blogs, and external corporate recognition.

For those of you interested in taking preventive care of your social profile, check out MindFlash, an online training firm that recently developed an infographic that reviews ways in which employers are using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs to screen employees.

As highlighted in this article, a 2009 CareerBuilder survey revealed 45% of companies use social sites to screen potential hires; 18% of the employers found positive content on social sites that influenced their hiring decision, while 35% found negative content which influenced their decision against hiring candidates. The leading positive decision was gauged by good feelings of the candidate’s personality, while the leading reason why employees opted out of hiring employees was listings of provocative/inappropriate photos and/or information.

Question
Why would anyone believe in this day and age that online posts are private? Has “Weinergate” and “Tiger Woods Scandal” not provided substantial enough reasons why technology and personal business should never be integrated?

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So, my Droid told me today that I needed a Facebook update…in a really sneaky way.  It showed up at the top of my news feed. Like Facebook was one of my friends. I checked throughout the day, and there it was.  Always at the top of my news feed.  Thinking it might never go away, I relented and downloaded the update.

At first, I thought, “Wow. This is a lot better.”  It’s so much faster, and so much more like Facebook on a regular computer.

Facebook for Android  got a long overdue update tonight (perhaps the final push was Mark Zuckerberg’s installing the Android app himself last week?), after playing second fiddle to the iOS version for far too long. The updated app gains some of the iPhone’s client look and feel, but also adds a draggable Notifications drawer and a new photo reel showing pictures and videos from friends.

The new client for Android supports more actions from the main screen. You can now respond to friend requests in the app, for example. There’s also a one-touch button to post a status update, support for Events — including RSVP in the app — and the new photo reel along the bottom. A Facebook spokesperson told me via email that the new client now supports in-app video playback that uses H.264 encoding, although I haven’t tried videos just yet. None of my friends are camera-happy today, it seems.

Android device owners that already have Facebook installed will see an update in the Android Market now. There’s still room for improvement here — I’m thinking support for Facebook chat and contact groups — but overall, the overhaul is welcome. And the Notification shade is a nice play on the native Android notifications, allowing Facebook users to be informed, but not overwhelmed with new information from their friends. After missing the fuller-featured app when I moved from iOS to Android in January, I’m ecstatic that I now have a richer Facebook experience — consider that a warning to all of my Facebook friends that I’ll be annoying them far more often now.

Many of the updates seem designed to keep users in the application longer. That’s not a bad thing — I personally prefer to stay in apps instead of bouncing out to the web for related features. Though like other Facebook mobile products, the new Android client doesn’t yet have ads, Android’s massive growing user base combined with increased engagement could make a killer platform for mobile revenue opportunities.

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The topic of the week that stood out the most was how Social Accountability is now becoming the new trending currency. An article written by emerging media specialist John C. Havens for Mashable, http://mashable.com/2011/07/28/social-media-influence-accountability/  touched upon some interesting points:

Learning’s

Accountability Based Influence (ABI), an idea that a person’s reputation is based on their commitment to “doing good” and can be measured by sites like www.DailyFeats.com who allow users to self-badge their actions to help increase their overall Life Score (a reflection of your daily good deeds).

Accountability at Work, highlights how your place on the organization chart is less important/influential then how you interact and manage your relationships with your peers. Companies like Ripple, help employers build performance goals, provide constructive feedback and recognize employee accomplishments which in-turn helps build/strengthen their career's reputation.

Accountability to Customers/Fans, with platforms like "CrowdTwist", brands are able to identify, interact, segment and incentivize brand advocates which ultimately enables brands to increase their ABI

Accountability on Potential, is measured by sites like Lenddo, xx which allows users to utilize and leverage their potential and reputation to ignite currency exchange (i.e. Bank Loan Approvals) and encourage good will.

Accountability on Values, is by far what gauged my interest the most. With emerging global industry leaders like “Hub Culture”, founded in 2002 with a mission is to help reveal, enhance and expand collective consciousness while helping to build community worth.

It’s the world's first socially operated company that uses technology to enable collaboration between its members which in-turn help drive high value deals. The concept is built around three pillars: Ven (digital currency) Knowledge Brokerage (deals and tools) and the Pavilions (places for meeting and collaborations).

o        Ven, first appeared as a Facebook application in 2007 and is now used by Hub members to buy, share and trade knowledge, goods and services. The currency trades against other major currencies at floating exchange rates and is backed by currencies, commodities and carbon futures. In 2008 it became the first tradeable online social currency to anyone with an email address, making it the first currency to move from an online social network into the real world.

o        Knowledge Brokerage, are tools and services available to the community that include accounting, graphic design and consulting, amongst others.

o        Pavilions, are “Cloud Collaborations” a suite of services that allows Hub members to collaborate based around groups, discussions, event management, content and video feeds, file storage, micropayments, news production and project management.

Question

What happens to the “Spectators and Inactives” of the social community? How will VEN affect them from interacting in the real world? Will it affect them in the workplace, with family/friends and personal opportunities? Will their lack of VEN or VEN inactivity classify them as less ambitious and less bankable? Social media has definitely taken on a life of its own. When do we draw the line?

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