Facebook makes you think about the future of social networking

This is a very nice article I found,on social networks author unknown.The original idea of Facebook was good because it served a real purpose in a normal environment for a niche group of people. But it wasn’t long before the company got lost in the network effect and everything turned into a storm of virtual critters inviting me to bite my friends. Now that’s a good time, especially when the critters can get to me before my email messages. Wrong order of operations for the “social utility that connects you with the people around you.”
More astounding is the fact that fun dominates the Facebook playhouse and is making it incredibly difficult to stay around and wait for the real value of the service to emerge (for the user, not the business). MySpace pioneered social networking mayhem. With all the crazy profile features and advertising I’ve never been able to feel at home. LinkedIn on the other hand targets an audience through a niche service and feels more welcoming than both MySpace and Facebook, leading me to believe they will walk away victorious.
The sad truth is we’ve all been pointing at Facebook, but the numbers are an indication of the world we live in and the ways people utilize their time, which has nothing to do with Facebook other than they offer users a place to do it. Fun is not a bad thing at all and of course fun is part of any business that becomes successful, but I’d like to think that for the sake of society, fun means something different. Go outside, run around. Don’t bite people.
The first time anyone signed up to join a social network it was fun because it was new and made it easier to connect with lots of people from all over the world. Consider that at some point the developed world will be full of people who were born into social networks. The dynamics of the game will have evolved and at that point, Facebook and MySpace will hold less purpose because they fail to pinpoint a niche audience and it will have become distasteful to see so much at once.The social networks that survive the changing times will be niche sites like LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and FriendFeed. Think of niche social networks as TV channels. What are the characteristics of TV channels? You watch one channel at a time (LinkedIn business contacts channel, YouTube video channel, Flick photo channel, Twitter messaging channel) and one special channel serves as a guide to all the other channels (FriendFeed channel guide). I want my Internet like my TV - a proven and logical format.
Data portability is the key to unlocking this freedom. The way Facebook and MySpace try to bring so many features onto one screen is overwhelming and there’s been a lot of problems because of it. I’m voting for channels and decentralized authority. Facebook will never be the mecca of my digital life and I think other people feel this way too. What do we really need it for? To bite people..
LinkedIn + YouTube + Flickr + Twitter + FriendFeed - MySpace - Facebook = my recommendation for an improved social networking experience.

Another interesting article on Google me the movie

I found an interesting article written by Janet Meiners on the marketing pilgrim.Jims movie is really getting known fast!!An Google vanity search launched a movie idea for a filmmaker named Jim Killeen. He searched Google on his name to see what came up. This was two years ago and Killeen’s life was feeling empty. He was 38 and single. So after taking interest in the other Jim Killeen’s of the world, he decided to contact them and make a movie about what he learned.
He put everything on the line to make documentary about his journey which is now showing on YouTube and called, “Google Me The Movie.” Killeen doesn’t say how much he spent traveling and filming the documentary, only that he almost went bankrupt doing it. Making money doesn’t seem to be the point anyway.
Google is part of the movie - it uses Google Earth and he got permission to use Google’s name. He even has footage of Google employees response to his movie in the film. But what he was really after is a connection with others. Google might give information but it’s actual human interaction that makes that information meaningful.
We may tell all on our personal blogs but in real life be lonely and that is news in our society. This story about revealing your personal life online, made the front page of The New York Times. Google Me’s story made the Washington Post.
Killeen’s journey was sort of like live blogging. He convinces seven other Jim Killeen’s to share personal details of their lives on camera. Then he flies them all to Texas for some male bonding.Killeen has the perfect name for his idea - not too common or too obscure. It’s surprising the variety of people Killeen meets - from a priest (who has enough decorum to avoid questions about the type of underwear he wears) to a swinger (who is quite open about his lifestyle).
What have you found when you Google your name and what was your response. I’ve used it to remember my accomplishments and as a pick me up. There aren’t any other “Janet Meiners” that I know of. So I’m going to have to seek connections another way - like blogger lunches. Like Killeen I meet a lot of my new friends first online - then in real life.

Google Me The movie

What a great movie.Jim Killeen did a brilliant job with making this film,if you missed it you can watch it on youtube you will be amaized about how powerful this tool really is in todays world.You can also listen to his interview with Jim Cobb on blog talk radio just click on the blog talk radio button on my blog.

Google Me Talk Radio Jim Killeen

Jim Killeens adventure through the search engines of GOOGLE to the far corners of the Earth have given him a knowledge one can only obtain throughout the journey.
Computers are now a focus of our daily lives not just an addition to the tasks we perform each morning or evening while at home. Not just for checking our occasional emails has become a thing of the past. Bringing the computers out of the den and into the main living area of the home for researching information, watching videos and sometimes gathering advice on the many websites available through the world-wide web. GOOGLE has produced the greatest impression and has enabled web users to connect, seek, and ultimately locate each other.
GOOGLE Me The Movie, Jim Killeen, and Blog Talk Radio are mergingtogether for a one night event on GOOGLE Me Talk Radio! Thursdaynight April 24th at 8pm ET. This will be an exciting evening withthe host of GOOGLE Me Talk Radio, Jim Cobb and The GOOGLE Me Manwith the plan, Jim Killeen. Be sure to spend some time athttp://www.googlemetalkradio.com/ for the entertaining evening.

Video and the internet

The first time television became available to the general public was around 1930.In fact there are more television in use today than seventy five years ago and still going strong.Video on the Internet can be considered a transition from television. Will people ever stop watching tv? Maybe, But that’s highly unlikely.The power of video can not be denied. It influences people unlike any other marketing channel available.At one time videos were only available on televisions and at movie theaters,because of the internet that has all changed.The cost of advertising on television can range from a few thousands of dollars to as much as you want to spend. The cost to advertising via video on the Internet is free.What a difference this can make on your marketing campaign.What this means for the internet marketer?its an incredible opportunity to use video marketing to increase your traffic, leads and sales. At one time when internet connections were very slow this type of marketing would be almost impossible,who wants to sit around and wait ten minutes for a video to load.As internet connections get faster and faster I think videos will become the number one choice preference for information distribution.Most people would rather watch a two minute presentation about a business opportunity on video, than read five pages of information on the same thing.This is where marketers have a viral edge.If you want to promote a product, service or whatever, Internet video marketing is an excellent route to take.As an Internet marketer, you must incorporate video marketing into your arsenal because videos are not going away any time soon there only going to get better as technology changes.A perfect example is the video on my blog that was created by Jim Cobb for http://www.myvmteam.ning.com/

Why social marketing is a must

Social marketing leverages your business with video, audio, and text. A perfect example is blogging. For anyone who has an online business, and is willing to commit to its process may find this to be, one of the most ingenious marketing strategies that one can use in todays online marketing. Social marketing is a popular and effective way of getting information that you need, that is essential for your online business. Unlike standard marketing that can cost alot of money, social marketing is an easy and affordable way of directing traffic to your online business. Social media websites are only beginning to realize their full potential and are quickly offering improved advertising opportunities for business and personal use. A perfect example of a site catering to both business and personal use. I think the main reason social marketing can be so effective is that you are developing relationships with potential customers and on going business partners. This way of marketing gives buyers or opportunity seekers a way to interact with each other before making any commitments.