Yes, it’s 2:30 in the morning and I’m still awake. I took a nap today for the first time in easily six months – and now I’m paying for it because I am WIDE awake. This afternoon I was leaving one job and heading to another and realized that if I didn’t take a nap, I would probably pass out en route.

If it’s 2:30AM and I’m still awake, I do a couple of things:

1. Watch SNL digital shorts
2. Watch old TED talks
3. Clean

I am doing the 2nd of the three. And although I have seen this particular TED talk a gazillion times, I learn to appreciate it more each time I rewatch it.

I love J.J Abrams for two reasons:

1. He gave me the show LOST
2. He’s brilliant

AND this particular quote from his talk is my biggest takeaway:

“No community is best served when only the elite have control.”

I think it’s such a simple yet profound statement, thought, idea. There’s all this talk of “community” going on – whether it be in technology, improv, the town you live in, your country, whatever. Yet, do all of us actively participate in our own communities? Whatever community that may be. Are you an active or passive member of your community(ies)? Do you complain when things don’t go your way or do you work to change them?

People are put in charge for a reason, yes. But for the most part, they are put in charge by the people who, well, put them there – i.e. the members of the community they serve. (Does that even make sense? It makes sense to me, but it is now 2:40AM, so it could be Esperanto for all I know).

There’s nothing that irks me more than people who sit back, are so cavalier and laissez faire about everything, and then when things aren’t exactly the way they want them to be, all they do is whine. You don’t like your situation? You don’t like things the way they are going? Change it. Work harder. Engage with passion in your own life.

QUESTION(S): Thoughts? What does Abrams’ statement say to you? What does it make you think of? I want to know.

By the way, I’m hungry.

Word.

Be jealous: I went to Las Vegas a week and a half ago. 

But even when I am on a short (but awesome) vacay, a part of my brain doesn’t leave work/writing mode. Well, I’m not a gambler and I have much more interest in partaking in spa services than any of the other “activities” that “sin city” has to offer. But the one thing that continually impresses me about Las Vegas is their use of social media and the way they use it to engage residents, visitors, and potential travelers.

Everywhere you go in The Vegas, social media follows. Almost every resort, spa, casino, and store has some sort of “get connected” signage encouraging people to… well, get connected. (Example to the right).

Even a mention of Vegas on Twitter and you’re going to be followed and @replied by a few casinos and/or shows that might want to help you out.

When I checked into Planet Hollywood on @FourSquare (a location-based social media application), a nearby special popped up. Just for checking in on FourSquare, I got a free drink from the bar at KOI, an uber-nice Japanese restaurant inside Planet Hollywood. (Screenshot to the left.)

If you have Vegas-related questions about discount show tickets, hotel reservations, restaurants, whatever, there is going to be someone in the social media space to answer it for you.

I had a huge breakfast mishap the first morning I was there. I tweeted to them about it, I was taken care of, and @PHVegas checked in with me on Twitter about it.

It was nice to know that if I had a problem or a question, there was going to be an answer, in real time, no matter where I was.

Vegas does social media right.

I know Vegas isn’t the ONLY city that uses social media to such heights, but it sure is a great example of how it should be done.

Need more examples? Look at some of the MANY Vegas venues on Twitter:

• @VegasConcierge
• @zappos (BTW: if you ever go to Vegas, DEFINITELY do the Zappos tour. It’s awesome.)
• @LasVegasHilton
• @PHVegas
• @CaesarsPalace
• @PalmsLasVegas
• @PalazzoLasVegas
• @HardRockHotelLV
• @EverythingVegas
• @VegasCom
• @WeddingsLV
• @HootersCasinoLV
• @MyVegasScene
• @Cirque
• @Vegas_Hotel

By using these tools, Las Vegas is able to reach out to an international audience. People come from all corners of the world to The Vegas and Vegas needs a way to connect with those people. And they do.

Question(s): What other cities do you think utilize social media tools as effectively as Las Vegas? Have you have a negative experience with Vegas social media? Do you think they could improve? What do you think engages you the most when a city uses social media? I would love to hear your thoughts and/or other examples.

Word.

I came down with a pretty bad case of the flu this weekend, so my thoughts have been a little more difficult to organize. But as I was lying in bed, drinking 30+ cups of orange juice, and watching yet another Audrey Hepburn movie, my mind wandered to the people in my life. Of course I began thinking about my family and close friends, but then I started thinking about this whole idea of a personal “network.” In my humble opinion, your personal network is really consisted of those meaningful, professional relationships that you have developed in which you can call on those people for references, advice, career opportunities, support, etc.

In the “old days” your personal network was developed solely in person. By attending leads groups, BNI groups, networking events, churches, PTA meetings, school, whathaveyou… for the most part, your network was built by one-on-one, in-person contact – or with a personal introduction from/through someone else.

Now today, with the onslaught of social and online networks (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter), the development of a personal network has evolved and how we meet people and foster relationships has completely changed.

Within our social networks, there are those we communicate with often. We know them by name, we comment on their content, we engage on a regular basis. We have developed a working rapport with these people.

Then, in our networks, we have the “lurkers.” The “lurkers” are those whom we are friends with, or follow, or are connected to, that we never, ever, ever, engage with. (I’m 100% guilty of this, too. We all are. So let’s not go pointing fingers.) These are people we ran into or had a brief conversation with way back when, and since then, we have dropped that connection. We don’t chat, talk, or connect at all.

SO, my social media tip of the week this week is: Make Better Connections (and renew old ones).

Find those people that you follow on Twitter, are friends with on Facebook, or are connected to on LinkedIn and spark a conversation with them. Renew that relationship. Make that connection worthwhile. You never know when you might need that person!

And the next time you follow someone, friend someone, or make a connection with someone, make it personal. Find a common interest, share a personal story, ask a question. Whatever! But make it substantial.

Rid your network (and your life) of those “lurkers.” Lurkers are creepy, anyway.

What do you think? Do you think those “lurkers” are always going to be there? Have you found a way to make your network more worthwhile?

Word.

Every one has their own style. No two people are exactly the same. (Except for maybe the Olsen twins. They are eerily similar). There are different styles of writers, bloggers, marketers, advertisers, teachers, bosses, CEO’s, standup comedians, and improvisers.

Sure, to someone who isn’t familiar with the church of Improvisation, it might seem like improv is all the same. It’s a bunch of people on a stage getting strange suggestions and hamming it up to an audience. I assure you, this is not the case… most of the time. Styles of improv even vary from city to city and theater to theater. One theater might support an “organic” style of improv where you start slow and gradually find the crux of the scene, or figure out what the scene is out. Whereas another theater might be all about playing the game of improv – fast-paced, quick edits, an absurd world. and big bold characters. The latter is my world. And I love it. I’ve only been doing improv for a little over three years, but I know what is fun for me and what gets my adrenaline pumping. And that is no nonsense, take-your-breath-away improv. But each style is tied together with a few (or single) philosophical or abstract threads – make people laugh… now.

Similarly, in the world of marketing and media, there are completely different styles of how people want to connect and engage with their audience. Some companies are going to be way more in your face with product placement or “YOU MUST BUY/ACT NOW” deals. Others are going to use more passive marketing techniques – warming you up with nice words and pretty images, and THEN proposing their deal. And again, each style is tied together with a single (or few) similar philosophical threads – make money… now.

Whether we are talking about the world of improvisation or the world of marketing, the truth is, the big, bold choices tend to be more successful than the passive, laissez-faire, approaches. If I want into an improv scene hesitant, coy, and non-chalant, the audience is going to not trust me and check-out pretty quickly. But if I walk into that scene playing to the top of my intelligence, making a bold, strong choice, the audience is immediately going to be engaged with everything that I am doing.

If you try to market your brand, your idea, or your business by just resting on your laurels, you are bound to fail… eventually. But if you make a strong, bold, choice – differentiating your brand within your niche, making it stand out, and engaging with your audience, you have immediately set yourself up to succeed.

When I perform, I want to make people laugh. I’m not going to do that by just standing off to the side letting things “happen.” I make them happen. I play the game. I go in strong.

When you own a business or you are promoting a brand, ultimately it’s about money and recognition. Make things happen. Play the game. Go in strong.

Question: What experiences have YOU had with a successful brand? How were they successful? How did they engage you? How did they stand out? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts?

Word.

photo credit: peterastn

These people are awesome and I am sorry that I haven’t given them a shoutout sooner. They are rockstars in my eyes and you should totally check them out. Not in that way, well, maybe in that way. If you want it to be in that way. I’m sure some of these people are single and could use a good checking out. Maybe? I don’t know. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore. I’m going to move on from this point and get to the #FollowFridaying. (By the way, that is totally a verb).

@jakrose: Bio: Where we’re going, we don’t need roads… - Website: http://jasonkeath.com/

Jason Keath is such a rockstar that the level of his rockstarness should almost be illegal. He is a social media man, entrepreneur, community engager, blogger, speaker, and creator of SOCIAL FRESH (http://socialfresh.com/). Social Fresh (and Jason) brings amazing speakers, facilitates incredible conversations, and gets people together to collaborate and learn from each other. His content is solid and consistent. Oh, and he works his butt off.

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@sarkatbur: Bio: My joys of southern living as a PR/marketing professional include family, friends, music, laughter, fashion, sports and a black lab. - Website: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahburris

I first met Sarah Burris at a #TLWT (Triangle Ladies Who Tweetup) and she was such a great person to talk to. I didn’t know very many people when I first arrived and she immediately started talking to me and we got along really well. Since then I have been following her on Twitter and she is one of the most engaged people I follow. She retweets awesome content, is a conversationalist, engages in the space, and creates great stuff of her own. She adds a personal touch to everything which I think is awesome.

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@ElizabethPW: Bio: Elizabeth Potts Weinstein: Speaker of Truth. Lover of Passion. Video Blogging Addict. Tweetup Connoisseur. People Loving Introvert. Truth Evangelist. – Website: http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com/

This woman is easily one of the most inspirational women on Twitter (and, arguably, in the social media space). I read her blog regularly and she is no bullsh*t, in your face, honest, and transparent (even when she doesn’t want to be). She video blogs, she writes, she inspires. This woman rocks and I really hope to meet her someday.

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Tell me: Who are YOU #FollowFriday’ing this week?

Word.

Creepy phisherman.

My social media tip of the week this week SHOULD be common sense, but apparently, and alas, for some people, it is not.

STOP CLICKING THAT LINK!

You know the link I’m talking about. The link in your Facebook inbox, the tagged photo meme, your Twitter DM’s, etcetera, etcetera…

Here are some examples of what I am referring to and these are cut and paste DIRECTLY from my Twitter and Facebook inboxes (No worries, I have broken the links so that they don’t infect you):

• Hey, I just added you to my Mafia family. You should accept my invitation! Click here:http://www.playmobsterworld.com/?refuid=32617401&source=friends_
• We Only Have Space for 1000 Participants and Each Week We Are At Full Capacity So Don’t Delay and Register Right NOW! http://bit.ly/27vX3V
• If Guy likes it, I will try it! RT @Guykawasaki I just tried this service… and it works! http://bit.ly/315yHe
• Thanks for following me. Start making more money in 15 minutes: http://bit.ly/19nQze
• “Hi, this you on here?”
• “Your friend’s booty looks gooood in this video.”
• “I found your old pictures from high school!”

No, you’re booty doesn’t look good in that video. No, your friend did NOT find your pictures from high school. And if they did, they wouldn’t just DM you a creepy link. These are what is known as PHISHING scams. No, not ploys to get you to listen to old Phish albums. Phishing scams are defined as (via Wikipedia):

In the field of computer security, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging,^[1] and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one.

Essentially, when you click that link that you SHOULD NOT CLICK, a tiny virus gets into your computer system and spreads that virus to all of your contacts (or sends a similar link out to people in your network hoping THEY, too, will click the link). And so on and so forth. That virus can steal ALL of your vital information, logins, usernames, passwords, and even credit card and personal information (like addresses, etc.)

Also, if you get an email or a direct message that asks you to change you password, put in your information, or update something, DON’T DO IT through that link. Some links sent to us look VERY real using real graphics, correct information, etc.

The FIRST thing you should do is manually access the website in question – meaning, click out of whatever window you are in, shut down your browser all the way, open up a new browser window, then type in the web address manually. Once you have accessed the site in question, if you REALLY do need to change something, it should say it when you login legitimately.

Also, the FTC has a great site on ways to protect yourself from confusing phishing scams.

So, EVEN IF you trust the person who has sent you the link, double check with them to make sure it is legit. I question my friends all the time just to be sure.

But seriously, stop clicking that link that says, “ROFL, is this you?! [insert spammy link here].” OF COURSE IT IS NOT YOU. Seriously, people? Who is clicking these links.

So, for the sake of all of us. Stop clicking that phishing link. You know the one I’m talking about.

Question: What examples have YOU seen of “good” phishing scams? And by “good,” I mean, they seem legitimate, but end up getting you. Why do YOU think people are clicking the links? What’s your opinion?

Word.

photo credit: pyromarketing

Sure, all of us have spent many an hour perusing YouTube for that hilarious video of kittens on a roomba, or a dad getting hit in the nether regions, or that SNL sketch we all loved… And I’m sure some of you know about the advent of “career YouTubers” – people who are literally making a killing just by putting up YouTube videos.

Many people love incorporating video into their campaign, or message, or event, or whathaveyou. But you can’t just create a YouTube video or a YouTube channel and expect it to go viral in 24-hours. You can’t expect to become a YouTube celebrity overnight. Sure, creating video content is great, but if no one is watching it, then why do it? I’m by no means claiming that I am an expert. I love video blogging and putting up videos on YouTube, but my videos get a couple hundred views, maybe 1,000 views at best. I continue to do it because I love the work I do and frankly, it’s practice. I want to get better and the only way to get better is to screw up. [At the Social Media Business Forum I attended in October, I attended a panel on creating video content. Zach Ward wrote a great blog post about it to sum up.]

Well, “YouTube Celebrities” have become an entire niche and an entire industry. So, I just wanted to share a couple of the Rockstar YouTubers I, personally, follow and why I think they are so successful.

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PS22 Chorus – AGreggOfSociety

Subscribers: 16,983 - Videos: 294 – Channel Views: 499,053

Who: Okay, so the PS22 chorus isn’t making money through YouTube, because they are a bunch of 5th graders. They are phenomenal singers and are so incredibly inspiring. I just wanted to give them a shout out here because I think they rock. PLUS I wanted to share one of my favorite videos they have done.

Community Channel

Subscribers: 494,071 – Videos: Too many to count – Channel Views: 24,268,468

Who: Natalie is an Australian video blogger and YouTube personality. She talks about anything and everything. She does all her own filming, editing, writing, etc. She is the #1 most subscribed YouTuber in every category in Australia and she is in the Top 10 Most Subscribed on ALL of YouTube in the entire world.

What makes her so successful: Aside from her sick Australian accent, her appeal is definitely in her charisma and her charm. However, she is savvy and knows what works. Her videos are solid and consistent, she puts a lot of work into the quality of her videos, and she engages with her community… She ends EVERY video with a shoutout to her fans, she’ll feature fan questions and give answers, etc. She is involved. She also generates a ton of content – thus, getting people hooked and bringing them back again and again.

Why I like her: Of course I think she is really funny, but what I like best about her is that I try to learn from her. Obviously I don’t have the camera or editing skills that she does, but she is incredibly creative in that arena which is an arena I am not as comfortable in. I gain something new every time I watch one of her videos.

JuicyStar07

Subscribers: 165,589 – Videos: 122 – Channel Views: 8,441,025

Who: Blair “JuicyStar07″ is a 16-year-old (yes, 16) beauty guru. I had no idea until recently there is an entire niche on YouTube of “beauty gurus” who do make up tutorials, share products, do reviews, etc. It totally makes sense. But anyway, Blair is 16-years-old, and is a beauty guru. She posts a video anywhere from every day to twice a week. I just happened upon one of her videos one day, watched it, and actually learned something. (I am totally not ashamed to say that I learned something from a 16-year-old. By all means, she knows more about this stuff than I do. Teach me!)

What makes her so successful: She has only been on YouTube for a little over a year. She posted her FIRST beauty tutorial in July of 2008. Wow. She really became almost an overnight sensation. She has been featured in Seventeen magazine and in the New York Times. She is adorable, quirky, and honest – which I think are 3 attributes that make her appealing to a crowd of teenage girls (and quasi-makeup-inept 20-somethings) who want to know what the must-have eyeshadow for Fall is. She creates a ton of content and keeps her content fresh. She is now getting sent free makeup and hair products and Coach bags from different companies to review and talk about in her videos. She is a 16-year-old entrepreneur and incredibly smart. Way to go, Blair.

Why I like her: What I think is interesting about her is that she is not afraid to admit when she doesn’t know something about a product. She doesn’t claim to be an expert which I think is really admirable considering the world we live in where people are afraid to admit defeat. I think the other reason I like her videos is because she talks about something that I really know nothing about. And every girl secretly wants to be super girly. Yeah, I love to write. Yeah, I love comedy, Yeah, I love social media. BUT, I’m also a girl and I love to do my hair, and I love makeup. But I want someone to teach me how to do it. (Totally not ashamed in the least).

Sxephil

Subscribers: 775,325 – Videos: He posts one every day Mon-Fri for like 3 years. So, a lot. – Channel Views: 27,375,711

Who: Philly D is a video blogger who creates short (2-5 minutes), fast-paced, news-like videos. He talks about the headlines, celebrity gossip, his own life, anything. He is frank, abrupt, honest, and doesn’t take sh*t from anyone.

Why he is so successful: Aside from the fact that he posts SO much (like I said, he posts a video every day Monday-Friday), he is hilarious. His content is original, fun, and incredibly insightful. But he get straight to the point and doesn’t sugar coat anything. He isn’t afraid of offending anyone… he just tells it like it is. And I think that whether people love him or hate him, people respect him.

Why I like him: I’m not going to lie, I get a lot of my news from Philly D. What I also love is that he keeps his videos short and sweet. Sometimes I am way too lazy to sit and watch a video that is 16 minutes long. I like that I can count on Phil’s video to be less than 5 minutes, funny, and get me up to date on the latest headlines/news/gossip/stories/fun. And I like the standard-issue  monkey poster in the background.

iJustine

Subscribers: 290,525 – Videos: Again, a lot. – Channel Views: 6,772,209

Who: iJustine is a video blogger, YouTube personality, internet geek, APPLE LOVER (she seriously LOVES Steve Jobs), techie, and all around rockstar.

Why she is so successful: She has an awesome balance of quality content, hilarious videos, and originality. She lets her personality shine through in every video or blog post she does. (She also loves to dance). She found her niche: she loves Apple products, Steve Jobs, dancing, technology, photography, social media, and videos. So she takes all of those things and makes them her own. Again, consistency is key.

Why I like her: In a totally non-creepy way, I want to meet her and be friends with her. I think we’d get along. I’m fun. She’s fun. I’m cool. She’s cool. I’m saying, together, we could do some serious damage (in that we would crush the business world with our genius powers… or something like that). But in all seriousness, her content rocks. When I mentioned earlier that I wish I were better at creating videos and editing (etc.), I have learned a lot of easy to implement techniques from her.

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And no YouTuber blog post would be complete without mentioning… Fred. I am not officially including him in my list. I am simply going to link to his channel and let you decide for yourself. Fred is the #1 most subscribed YouTuber of all time on all of YouTube. This is a link to Fred’s channel. I want to know: why do YOU think he is so successful?

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TAKEAWAYS: So all of these YouTubers are not alike, yet they are all video rockstars, and all for completely different reasons. BUT there are a few common threads:

• Quality content = people will want to watch your stuff
• Consistency = the more you post on a consistent basis, the more people will return
• Subscribers = the more people subscribe, the more they will keep coming back
• Quantity = the more you post, the more there is for people to find

‘nuf said.

So, what do YOU guys think? Why do you think some of these people are totally rocking YouTube? What makes them so successful? Are there any YouTubers you, personally, follow? Why do you like them?

Tell me about some of the rockstars you love.

Word.

I like to write. A lot. And sometimes 140-characters are just not enough characters for me to describe why these rockstars are so rockstary that you should follow them.

@ChuckHester – Chuck is the Communications Director for an e-mail marketing company, iContact. He is a ROCKSTAR on LinkedIn and facilitates an awesome meetup called LinkedIn Live! He provides great content, great commentary, and great insight.

@wellsonemedia - Steve Wells is a local sales and marketing specialist located in the Triangle region of North Carolina. He is awesome because he really engages in the community. He provides quality content, promotes the hell out of other people, and is hilarious. I really appreciate everything he says.

@thepitbbq - I have never even been to The Pit BBQ, but I am planning a trip out to Raleigh just so I can put a “face” to a “name.” I have been following them on Twitter and watching how they are totally owning the social space. They engage their customers, they engage their audience, and they do it right. @1918, Phil Buckley (no relation), wrote a great case study about how The Pit is using social media in a positive way. Businesses can learn a thing or two from The Pit BBQ.

@glowbird - Lisa is a speaker, writer, and awesome mom. I first met her at a #Triangle Ladies Who Tweetup. Since then I have been reading her blog and following her tweets and this woman is the bomb dot com. She really knows how to balance between sharing, generating, and commenting. She rules.

@Seiden – I just got an uber exclusive (well, I don’t know about uber exclusive, but I like to think it is) copy of Jason Seiden’s new book “How to Self-Destruct.” He is a speaker, author, coach, and awesome dude. I’m pretty pumped to learn how to self-destruct.

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Who are you #FollowFridaying this week?

Word.

December is here. We are less than 30 days away from the year 2010. Holy crap. Where did 2009 go? My thought is 2010 is going to go by even faster. What are we going to do with the time that flies?

So here’s my idea/tip of the week: Instead of making “New Years Resolutions” how about setting “Big Life Goals”? Let’s be honest, I’ve found that most New Years Resolutions aren’t really ever kept. Well, at least I’m bad at keeping mine.

So take the time to think about the things that you are looking to accomplish and set your goals high. Very high. My theory is the higher you set your goals and the more you work to achieve those big goals – the more rewards and achievements you will get along the way. Think of each little step you take to achieve that big goal, as a little goal in and of itself.

For example:

Do you like to write? Set a big goal of publishing a book. You might not publish your book in 2010, but you can take the necessary steps to get there.

Are you looking to get in shape? Set a goal of running a marathon. Sure, you might not be able to run the 26.2 miles, but I guarantee you’ll find yourself in better shape just by trying.

Do you want to buy a house? Maybe you aren’t necessarily in a financial state to buy a house yet, but by taking small steps to get rid of debt and putting a little bit in savings each month, you’ll get there sooner than you know it.

My point is, don’t sell yourself short. Don’t make a resolution that you’ll only keep for 10 days. Set a goal that will change your life. Dream big.

Let me ask: What goals are you going to set for yourself this year?

Word.

photo courtesy of ANU.

If you have logged into Facebook at all this evening (and by evening, I mean the evening of December 1st. I am writing this at 11:30PM), then you have most likely seen the message from Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. I won’t recount the whole thing here, but being that I love Facebook and I write about social media, I figured I would at least put in my two cents.

The big over-arching message is that Facebook has now reached 350 MILLION users. That is a lot of poking. And that with such a large growth of the network, the privacy concerns and needs of its users are going to change and evolve. Facebook prides itself on being a walled community that allows its users to completely customize privacy preferences and be able to CHOOSE who gets to see what information. So, with that being said, Facebook has decided to do away with regional networks and create a more basic “Friends” – “Friends of Friends” and “Everyone” network and preference system.  Here is an excerpt from Zuckerberg’s letter regarding this decision:

“The plan we’ve come up with is to remove regional networks completely and create a simpler model for privacy control where you can set content to be available to only your friends, friends of your friends, or everyone.

“We’re adding something that many of you have asked for — the ability to control who sees each individual piece of content you create or upload. In addition, we’ll also be fulfilling a request made by many of you to make the privacy settings page simpler by combining some settings. If you want to read more about this, we began discussing this plan back in July.

“Since this update will remove regional networks and create some new settings, in the next couple of weeks we’ll ask you to review and update your privacy settings. You’ll see a message that will explain the changes and take you to a page where you can update your settings. When you’re finished, we’ll show you a confirmation page so you can make sure you chose the right settings for you. As always, once you’re done you’ll still be able to change your settings whenever you want.”

I remember when I signed up for my Facebook account when I was a sophomore in college – this was Fall 2004, RIGHT when Facebook came out. Everyone at my school was so excited about this “new thing.” I think back and Facebook was so basic. When I first joined you couldn’t even upload pictures, let alone tag them, definitely no video, and there was DEFINITELY no Farmville. At the time, Facebook was this “cool thing” ONLY for college kids. Then they let high schoolers join. College students felt like under-agers were showing up at the party and totally ruining it. And so on, and so on.

Obviously things have changed.

Zuckerberg himself probably could never have anticipated the rate at which Facebook would grow and the impact that it would have on the world. Yes, the world. Facebook has completely changed the world. [Big bold statement, but you know it's true].

I actually had notices a few weeks ago that I was no longer listed in the Raleigh/Durham network. After poking around, it turned out a lot of people had been “removed” from their respective networks.

I understand the intention behind Zuckerberg’s decision to remove regional networks, but I have to disagree. I like being able to search for people in my “network.” It gives me a sense of connection and I’m able to reach out to people “locally.” It makes it easier to share local events, I can send out messages only to my friends in my network, I can contact friends in another network, etc. etc. etc. Not everything that I post is going to be relevant to ALL my friends. By being able to break my connections down by network, I’m able to make my relationships more personal and more meaningful.

I will be very interested to see how it works once it is all laid out and the new “network” (or whatever you want to call it) system is officially in place. It could end up being great. Who knows?

What do you think? Do you think Zuckerberg’s decision to remove regional networks is a mistake or a good thing? Do you like that it will be a “simpler” breakdown of “Friends” “Friends of Friends” or “Everyone”? Or do you think it’s no big deal? I want to know what you think…

[Just my two cents.]

Word.