Find my number on Facebook - but, please don't stalk me.

Yesterday, I brunched in Murray Hill with a bunch of fabulous friends. We are a digitally connected group of girls - active twitter users, the first generation to use FB during all our college years, Youtube aficionados, and even some fellow bloggers.

Let's put it this way -- we are not afraid to put ourselves out there digitally.

However, we came across an interesting predicament -- should we put our telephone numbers on facebook? Does this answer change post graduation?

Here's what happened: The night before, we had made some new friends. Naturally, the next day we had expanded our digital circle and a new facebook friendship was in order. As some of NYC's finest single ladies, we wondered if perhaps a phone call was coming next because hello, our phone numbers are on facebook. But should they be?

We are happy to tweet and post fb pics from events and social gathering, but by truly revealing ourselves (and the easiest method of communication) are we sharing too much?

On one hand, putting a # on FB is an easy and efficient way to help communicate. I know that in college, this tool helped me several times. Friends from classes, club members etc. If I needed to contact someone the easiest thing to do is always call.

However, my friends did not agree.

Enter: the creep-factor.

The creep factor is very simple: though I like to be transparent and authentic -- I do NOT want creep-sters to contact me. Even though I am happy to share details with the twitterverse, creepy people please stay away. far far away.

So what do you think? Sure you can stalk my pics, know my favorite movie, etc -- but should I leave my phone number up?

Summer 2008: A look back through social media... Thank You Twitter & facebook

Inevitably, as we begin this labor day weekend, one question comes to mind...

Has another summer passed us by already!?

The answer is YES!

My summer (another wonderful summer) has come and gone in an instant...

But, I did something very special for the summer of 2008... or what I will now call...

Summer 2008: 2.0.

This summer, as I traveled around the country, I thought it would be a very cool thing to blog what I was doing. I decided to tweet and facebook my summer by updating where I was and uploading photos. * see picture below.

Although it was certainly challenging to find time to do this... You have to imagine & realize that we were constantly traveling from place to place... (and part of the challenge was having enough cell service in the middle of the desert or while white water rafting .. thank you AT&T )

But, rest assured, I managed to update quite a few times with my whereabouts thank you my beloved iphone! But, I already went on a rant on my obsession, so let me continue for a minute.

As I often struggled to update my whereabouts and watch my 29 campers, I often would think... Is this really worth it? Who am I really doing this for? Sure, my friends got a kick out of following me and stalking my every move. My friend and PR gal @lexandthecity shamelessly stalked me and commented on my whereabouts.

But, when push comes to shove, (gasp!) I DID IT FOR ME!

For as long as I have been blogging and reading blogs, I have been a huge fan of Chris Brogan. Every time I meet him, he is the most encouraging and down to earth guy out there! I recently read a post he wrote about personal branding and how important it can be.

When I think about it, all of my tweeting and facebooking over the summer contributed to my personal online branding. All of my connectivity lets you, the reader or stalker or friend, know a little bit more about me. I like to think that my branding isn't just extra noise, but instead meaningful and interesting...

I must admit, it was pretty cool to update my whereabouts, especially now when I look back and can see where I was and what I was doing. But the funniest part about this is that I wasn't the only person to do this. My kids were also updating their facebooks telling their friends (and anyone who would listen) where they were and what an amazing summer we were all having! Coincidence? I think not... It just goes to show you how incorporated into our lives these tools are.

A New Year... A New You? (Will My Social Media Obsession Continue?)

Happy New Year.
How is it already January 6th?
I can't believe that its been nearly a month since my last post.
And as you can imagine, I have plenty to say.

1. My social media wrap-up from last semester.
I guess due to finals and then leaving for winter break I never had an opportunity to do a "look at me now...how did I get here" post. The truth is that if you had asked me 6 months ago, I never would have guessed that I would be involved in this community. I have enjoyed learning and adapting social media into my life and my everyday routine (thank you google reader). I think that what I took away most from the class last semester was not only the friends that I made (old and new), the ability to share what I have learned , but most importantly this wonderful, smart and engaging community that I appreciate and look up to.

Now, I did say something here about being involved in this community, and I sort of feel cheap saying that. The truth is that I am not as involved as I could be. Or as I want to be. So this leads me to my next section.

2. Happy New Year... Now what's my resolution?

Like most people, I often make a little resolution for myself. Sometimes that means better organization, not just saying I will, but actually cleaning my room, or of course the infamous hitting the gym more frequently. But this year, due to my social media obsession my resolution is gonna be TWITTER.

The thing is, I need to be more active in this community. I don't think that updating my blog is enough. The problem most frequently is that I don't actually have enough time to do everything I want to, but that is why I am saying it right here right now. I want to get more involved.
boom.

(well see if it happens... but I usually am pretty true to my word... except for the cleaning my room... but its not that bad!)

Oprah expands her empire with Youtube.

Oprah Winfrey is on the cutting edge.
Say what you want about this outspoken, philanthropic, and can I mention wealthy woman; she is one smart lady. Although she certainly has hit bumps in the road, everything she touches turns to gold. She knows how to handle her life in the public eye and now is one of the first celebrities to really dive into this new social media world. Sure Rosie has been blogging since 2004, and Obama is on Twitter -- watch out world, OPRAH is on Youtube!

Cultural critic, Richie Hofmann raves "I wouldn't expect anything less from Oprah... she's so media savvy. That's why she's the queen of all media"
* My friend Richie has been itching to say something on here. A guest post will be in the works.

But the thing is, Richie is right. If there's one Celebrity that is willing to take the chance to present themselves on youtube, its Oprah. This is what social media is all about, after all. It's finding a different channel for Oprah to spread her messages. Instead of having to go through her website for exclusive info, its all being broadcast right on youtube. Already her one little 2 minute clip has over 397,842 views.

Totally interesting stuff...
Cant wait to see who follows in Oprah's footsteps.

Social Media VS Reality TV

I believe I twittered upon this idea and it really caught me off guard.

Todd Defren wrote "Is there any connection between Social Media (power to the people) & Reality TV (people as stars)? Why do I hope *not*?"

and the thing is.. I'm afraid they are somehow connected.

Now, I don't necessarily think that these two concepts are related, there are just some incredibly similar characteristics, that have similarly really shaken up the TV and PR industries.

1. Humanizing factor -- Lets be honest. What we all love about the Real World, Survivor, and American Idol is the fact that we can relate to each "character" because they are real people. We can feel their emotions and we have an easy time developing relationships with them (it only takes a few weeks with AI). It's funny that with social media, people are representing companies, instead of being hidden behind a curtain, as though their identity is a big secret. For that reason, so many major corporations have been forced to come clean, and we now identify faces and names with companies. This idea was strikingly clear at PodCamp, an event that felt so human and welcoming, where relationships were made in the middle of a hallway before a session.


2. Cheap Cheap Cheap.
Although reality TV can certainly be seen as an inexpensive way to have a hit TV show, I'm gonna have to argue that social media is NOT a cheap way out for PR people. One of the most important things about social media, is that its so new. Becasue of that reason, so many PR people have to learn about this interesting, new way of doing things. And although reality TV can be an easy way out for TV channels (no script, no acting, no set etc.) social media is NOT an easy way out for PR people becasue its time consuming and needs to be well thoughtout.

3. Were Making Real People Important!
enough said.
(or in the case of Dancing With the Stars, it can reinvent a career)cough Marie Osmond cough

What can we learn from this? Well that's an interesting question if I say so myself!
How about... PR PPl -- Don't go overboard or at least let's not try to! Althogh social media is great, which it is, we have to make sure we don't end up with anything that resembles temptation island.

I love facebook, Yes I do. I love facebook, How about you?

Today I came across this post, and it really got me thinking...

This guy claims that social media is dead.
I'm sorry Sir, but I think you're wrong... although you've make some interesting points.

He says that in recent days, there have not been any applications with substance created for various social media sites. I guess that you can always argue that nothing "important" has been added to facebook recently, the truth is that it really just depends on what the user is looking for.

Personally, I don't need all the hoopla on my page. I just want the facts. I don't need to compare friends, or any of those other useless applications. However, there certainly is merit in the music applications or other forums that encourage sharing of ideas.. since hey, isnt that what this is all about? And on the subject of facebook, should I even mention the whole google situation... will google buy FB? and what will this mean for me, and other members? Am I going to constantly be bombarded with ads? Will google find out a perfect way to actually pin point what I want and who I am?

I guess the thing is, yes... right now social media is certainly in a crossroads..
What does the future holds for these influencial, interesting and thought-provoking networks?

But to say that social media is dead? That just seems dumb.

what do you think?