Nearly 200 million people in the US share their address and phone number in phone books — this is roughly equivalent to the number of people who publicly share personal info on Facebook.
In both cases, sharing private info is a personal choice.
Forget the Numbers: Manage your mentors on social networks
July 26, 2010 By 1 Comment
Many people still view their connections on LinkedIn as a numbers game: The more connections they have, the more influence they think THINK have.
But they’re wrong.
Effective social networking isn’t about HOW MANY PEOPLE you connect with: It’s about HOW WELL CONNECTED with each individual you are that matters. That is why LinkedIn’s core networking philosophy is that users should send connection invitations only to people with whom they have a prior relationship.
Coffee still fuels my social networks
July 13, 2010 By 2 Comments
Social networking has been around for hundreds of years — well before the advent of Facebook, YouTube and wireless networks. It just used to happen face to face: over a cup of coffee.
During the 18th century coffeehouses throughout Europe were popular meeting places for artists and socialites. Today, they remain hubs of social activity… but a lot of it happens online. Coffee shops patrons are paired with laptops or smart phones instead of human companions — which makes coffee shops much much less interesting than they used to be.
On the weekends, 80 to 90 percent of tables and chairs in my favorite coffee stops are taken up by people using computers. Some patrons camp out at the best seating locations for six to eight hours — without buy anything and without interacting with anyone else around them.
The Two Faces of Facebook: It’s Boom and Bust for Developers
July 7, 2010 By 1 Comment
What can drive the fastest growing website in the US in one month and obliterate it the next? Facebook.
Using a free development platform has its costs. In December, 2009, FamilyLink.com was rated by ComScore as the fastest growing website in the US. In January, 2010, the site attracted 17.7 million monthly active users and 1,000,000 daily active users. The site was ranked in the top 100 Web sites in the United States.
Law of Scarcity: Woot! offers an uncommon value to Amazon
July 1, 2010 By 3 Comments
It’s no surprise that America’s largest online retailer acquired Woot! this week — Amazon has an eye for culture.
Woot!, the irreverent retail site that sells one item per day (with shirt.woot, wine.woot, kids.woot, and sellout.woot spinoffs) is an e-tail wonder. Despite it’s limited selection, the site has been recognized as one of the fastest growing private retailers in the US.
Woot’s success is built on a foundation of scarcity and culture.