Monthly Archives: June 2008

BlogHer Irony

Posted on June 26, 2008 | 3 Comments

I’ll be attending the BlogHer Conference at the Westin in San Francisco from July 18 – 20 with a few of my colleagues. I was perusing the site this morning and stumbled upon a rather ironic ad being served on their site for WeightWatchers.

Seems odd to me that an event who’s vision includes ‘creat[ing] opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community, and economic empowerment’shouldn’t succumb to serving ads focused on weight loss and doubting one’s self image.

I’m no feminist – seeing this banner ad elicits more of a giggle than blind rage – but I still found it rather sad that the event producers, proponents of female communities, are serving up targeted ads like these.

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , ,

‘You’s on MySpace?’

Posted on June 25, 2008 | 1 Comment

Working in the social media space, I feel like I sometimes interpret situations differently than my peers. To prove this point, I’d like to share a little MySpace anecdote.

I was walking around downtown near Civic Center a couple of weekends ago, and a young guy, I’d say he was about 17 years old, came up to me and started walking alongside me. He asked me three questions:

1. ‘What’s up with you?’

2. ‘What’s your name?’

3. ‘You’s on MySpace?’

When he delivered the third question, I got the giggles and starting thinking about what a cultural impact social networks are having on young people and mused over how I wanted to incorporate this conversation into a blog post.

He was obviously trying to figure out a way to connect with me, and contact through a social network is a great way to check someone out. You can read their profile, view photos and discern their likes and interests. I found it interesting that he didn’t ask me for my phone number, which is a much more direct point of connection, whereas MySpace provides a softer connection.

I then realized that he was still waiiting for me to answer him.

I smiled and told him I wasn’t on MySpace, and he seemed to take the hint that I wasn’t interested in him. I carried on walking and marveled at the cultural impact the Web is having on the way people communicate with one another.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Social Web

Tagged , ,

Firefox 3! Oh, a Google Toolbar

Posted on June 17, 2008 | Leave a comment

It’s here! Firefox 3 is available for download. In fact, today has been deemed ‘Download Day’ by Mozilla, and they’ve been encouring users to set the record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours. Hopefully I’ll help put them over the edge.

I like what Mozilla stands for. The open web is a noble thing. They are a self-described global community that’s committed to improving the way people experience the internet. It really gives me the warm fuzzies.

But when I see the Google toolbar hovering in the right hand corner of my slick new browser, I feel a bit puzzled. In the spirit of openness, wouldn’t it be more prudent to opt in for the toolbar? I understand that the Mozilla Foundation’s deal with Google has provided a valuable revenue stream, allowed the organization to hire talent it might not otherwise have afforded, but it still irks me.

Firefox includes Google as the default option for users wanting to search the Web directly. Their default start page is also hosted by Google. This is understandable, but the real bummer is that localized builds can’t change the default search engine. There’s been a lot of rumblings about Google’s recent loss of innocence, and the Federal Trade Commission has raised concerns over a search market monopoly. The DoubleClick acquisition raised lots of eyebrows and barely squeaked by the European Union’s approval.

It’s a shame that my glowing review of Firefox 3 has to be tainted by the Google association.

Here’s to being a public benefit organization.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Social Web, That Damn Word Again - Community

Tagged , , , ,

The Information Super Highway

Posted on June 16, 2008 | Leave a comment

I always thought that was such a ridiculous descriptor and I’ve been meaning to title a blog post with it for some time. Although it makes me cringe, it’s a pretty apt term. It’s the whole digital enchilada.

Now more than ever, enterprises want a big bite of it. The two primary questions a company should ask themselves are:

1. How do I become digital?

2. How do I become global?

The first issue actually provides guidance on how to solve the second issue. With the advent of technology, SMBs can begin to level the playing field and compete with large enterprise, while keeping costs and resources in check.

Take Facebook for example.

Their infrastructure is running on about 10,000 servers, which is costing them between $7 and 9 million dollars per year. As a company with 500 employees and over 80 million active users, plus revenue projections for 2008 around the $750 million marker, Facebook is a SMB leveraging the Information Super Highway in all the right ways.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Social Web

Tagged ,

Blurred Distinction

Posted on June 6, 2008 | 1 Comment

Blogs are popular. To start writing a topical web log you are assuming that your voice is worth hearing, your experience and opinion can contribute something valuable and your entry or article is able to spark discussion.

Most people’s favorite topic is themselves. It’s a subject matter one is very familiar with. You are a true expert on you.

And if your experiences include starting a web company, it makes sense to begin writing about the industry you’re a part of. Bloggers are technically a part of the media. An important part for sure.

Following this line of thinking, if you’re writing about the space on a regular basis on a personal or company blog, does that qualify you as a member of the press? Even if you title is CEO? Or CIO? The distinction that separates the press from non-press is blurring.

There are two parallel threads of thought that a tech blogger will come to repeatedly.

1. What am I doing on a personal level within my organization to make that company prosper? What are the challenges associated with that task?

2. As a part of a social industry, what does this contribution make to the bigger conversation? What’s the cultural impact and implication of my efforts?

If you’re exploring these themes in your blog, and if this is general criteria is used to define your job function, a CEO could have a firm leg to stand on and declare his/herself a part of the press.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Media 2.0, Social Web

Tagged , , , ,