Tag Archives: Facebook

An Investment You Can Afford – Empire Avenue

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Here's Another Site that Will Consume Your Time!

While lunching yesterday with fellow social media strategist/blogger Tim Tyrell-Smith he told me about this social media adventure called Empire Avenue. According to its website,“Empire Avenue is the Social Media Exchange, where you can buy and sell shares in any social media profile, meet new people, unlock Achievement badges, and earn boatloads of virtual cash by being active and social online! Buy shares in your friends, your followers, people with similar interests, brands you love, celebrities – anyone! All using a virtual currency and all for free!”

Tim was really excited about this social ranking website, mostly because it has a game-like component to it.  He wrote an in-depth blog post about it here and you should definitely take time to read it.

So, I had a few minutes yesterday and decided to check it out for myself.  And it’s really quite fun and I could see that for some social media types – Empire Avenue could be addicting. That is if you are one of those who is concerned about how you rank as a social media influencer. I don’t know about you, but for some reason I am concerned about my scores on Empire Avenue and on other such social media measuring sites like Klout and Peer Index. And I’m not too proud of that fact and would like to send this warning. Don’t let these sites trip you up so that you consume too much time or cause you to change your communication plans.

There are ways that you can increase your scores through little tricks like posting more on Facebook and sending more tweets to ratchet up your scores. I would like to forewarn you not to get caught up in all that. But in the end, does it really matter? These are not official rankings and not a true measurement of one’s success.

JOLLY GOOD FUN

There some things about this site which are impressive. The site exudes quality in every sense and presents numerous options to keep one interested.  It resembles the stock market and as such, it fun to buy and sell and evaluate stock in other humans, places and things. And the best part is that it’s not real money. You’ve got nothing to lose. It’s like a Monte Carlo event for online. And if you’re feeling really generous I’d love you to invest in me…the ticker symbol is THE RONZ.

Even though I’m not making money, Empire Avenue is. Empire Avenue has cleverly integrated advertising onto its site by allowing “investors” to earn more shares by engaging with products on its Shop Section.  Empire Avenue’s currency is called “Eaves.” You can earn additional Eaves by twittering and posting on Facebook and by shopping through its store.  Eaves can be acquired free or through real money.  You can watch videos, buy magazines, take surveys and purchase some through PayPal.

What I also like about Empire Avenue is that it allows me another opportunity to network online and become better acquainted with others I know.  I was really excited to invest in TRADERBECK, an advertising reporter friend of mine, and a few others fellow bloggers.

I was pleased as to how effortlessly Empire Avenue connected all of my social media activities into my profile. I was able to add in my blogs in the profile too and others are able to endorse them. As a blogger, I love that it helps spread my efforts to a new network of social media friends.

So the connections are good. The site is polished. And if I consider my time on Empire Avenue to be used as break from work, then its worthwhile.  If I think of it as a game, then I don’t feel as guilty investing my time.

But…there are some things on the other side of the coin that I have to look at like…

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT

Finance is not my strong suit.  When it comes to the stock market and portfolio management I have a pro who looks after mine. So, I wanted to check this out with a friend of mine who’s a financial wizard of sorts. He loves the thrill of buying and selling and does a great job of it so I wanted him to tell me his opinion. When I called him to ask him about Empire Avenue he said that he doesn’t participate in such activities that resemble the stock market for fun. He said that there are other sites that represent this area and those sites are chock full of ads from investment firms and funds.  He said the main reason these sites exist is to help others start to understand the stock market and become more comfortable enough with it so that they start real online accounts. I do see his point. I don’t think this is the case for Empire Avenue – but, clearly this site is about earning a profit. If you dig a bit deeper in the “Shop” area, you will see that’s an integral part of the site…to buy sponsored products.

We all need to make money and that’s how Empire Avenue collects their paycheck through its Shop section.  They hope that a participant gets so excited about buying and trading that they will want to earn or buy more Eaves. And if a user engages with a advertiser they probably get a take of it as well.  And although, I’ve noticed this…I do appreciate that our home pages on Empire Avenue are commercial free.  The advertisers are only seen when you visit the Shop Section.

Empire Avenue also has a foursquare component to it where the user earns badges.  On foursquare it is quite difficult to earn badges, but not so on Empire Avenue. In 24 hours I’ve earned 55 badges. That’s a bit too much don’t you think?

A Partial List of My Achievement Badges Earned in Less Than 24 Hours

Also, every time you earn one of their achievement badges, they want you to tweet it out. If you do, you get three more Eaves.  Because of  this, Empire Avenue can become the Farmville of Twitter.  I tweeted a bit too much about this stuff wanting to earn Eaves before I realized how I was cluttering up my brand on Twitter and potentially infuriating my followers.

I did not intend for this post to be a downer about Empire Avenue. I really think you should check it out. But, in doing so, just be careful not to get too carried away by your personal score or by over-messaging to increase your “unofficial” social media ranking.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about such social media measurement sites. While they are fun…are they really not anything more than a waste of time? What’s your thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOU CAN WATCH THE MOVIE ON MY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

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Facebook is becoming the new generation of TV sets.

Very shortly, you won’t be hearing this question much longer–”Which movie theater do you want to go to?”  That question will be replaced with — “Whose Facebook account do you want to use to watch the movie?” Crazy isn’t it!!! But, its real and its happening now.

Facebook will become the next movie-house, and in my humble opinion, this utility will make a dent into businesses like Netflix as well as Hulu and the other companies who stream movies directly into your homes. The only difference between Facebook and the others is its available library. It will only take a matter of time for Facebook to cut similar distribution deals like it did last Wednesday with Warner Bros. And sooner than later, you’ll be purchasing movies to watch off of Facebook on a regular basis.  So is Facebook becoming the new TV set? Yes.

THE SOCIAL MOVIE EXPERIENCE

I still can’t fully wrap my head about this idea and I personally need to see it in action. I do watch video now on Facebook through services like Ustream or Livestream.  And I have to admit those images are grainy, but that’s because they are live. When I watch posted videos on Facebook, the video is picture perfect, but the video lags and I have to wait for the video to catch up with the streaming…which is annoying.

So I am unsure as to how movies will play out on Facebook. I do have to endure commercial interruptions on broadcast and some cable TV, however, I don’t know if I will be able to tolerate long lag times while watching a movie.  For when the video stalls over the Internet, one is never certain of when it will return. Will be a matter of seconds? A minute or maybe two? And you can’t control when the lags will occur. I’d hate to have the movie stall at a crucial moment in the action. But, I do think that these transmissions will improve over time and that Facebook will become the new choice for movie screenings.

Fewer and Fewer People and Muppets will Patron Movie Theaters, Once Facebook offers more Movies. Flickr Credit: Positiviely Puzzled

FACEBOOK WILL REPLACE GOING TO THE MOVIES

Right now I use the services of Redbox to rent recent movies. I like the price (a mere buck) and the number of locations where I can find the rental units.  I do pay for a number of premium cable channels and through that distribution platform I do get my fill of movie choices and movie watching.

But, it doesn’t take a fortune teller to predict the future of movie theaters. They have just out-priced themselves. It has to be a spectacular movie for me to fork out $12 for two-hours of entertainment at a theater. I’d rather wait the 16 weeks for the DVD window. One month after that, it’s everywhere for rent. With the current sub-par movie fare I can wait that long and pay a buck.

But this is huge idea of watching Facebook movies and how you would watch them..on what device.  I do have a 27″ iMac screen, but I do not have an Internet ready television set yet. I could probably seat three comfortably in my office to watch a movie on Facebook, but the thought never crossed my mind to make my office function as a movie theater as well.

In fact, there really isn’t a room appropriate in my current home to transform into a movie theater-like setting. However, with movie theaters fading into the sunset, this new requirement will be need to be in every home. I have seen it done. I have visited two homes recently where the owners have transformed one of their existing rooms into a home theater.  And it was a great room in the house.

Home theaters will be replacing the family den.  They are the new den, where all the games and electronic gadgets are housed. And if I was going to purchase a new home now, I’d make sure that if it didn’t have a home theater, then one of the rooms could be transformed into one.

Now this is a Home Theater! Credit: jdesigngroup

If I worked at one of those home improvement cable networks, I would start producing a show on how to transform an ordinary space into a home theater “den” and of course, I’d emphasize cost-efficiency. This is going to be a real boom. I can just see it.

But this does come with a warning. If you are one of the first to have a home theater, then you must also love to host gatherings at your home. For it may be some time before your friends will be able to reciprocate and invite you over. You are welcome to come here and watch a movie on Facebook with me, but you’ll have to not mind my cramped office quarters er office/home theater.

Oh, how the times are changing.

In closing, I’ve got a few questions for you as I wrap up this post.

How do you plan on watching movies on Facebook. Over your iPad? Mobile phone? Home computer?

Do you have a home theater? If not, do your plans call for one in the future?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Cindy

 

 

When Did I Become a Sponsor?

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How do you like these Facebook apples?

Here’s an article I read yesterday morning from Geoffrey A. Folwer in the WSJ and it was alarming.  The first sentence says it all.

“Some of what Facebook Inc. users post to the social network will soon start showing up in ads aimed at their friends.”

What? When did I become a sponsor and an unpaid sponsor at that!!!

I'm not a Fan of the Facebook sponsored stories. Flickr Credit:roadkilltshirts

The article went on…”The company, as part of an effort dubbed “sponsored stories,” plans to allow advertisers to buy and re-publish Facebook messages that users voluntarily post about brands—such as a check-in at a local coffee shop for which a user clicks the site’s “like” button. The sponsored posts will get plucked out and posted again on the top right-hand column of the home page next to other ads. Sponsoring a post increases the chance friends will notice it, since new postings in the news feed push others down and off the page. The user’s name and photo appears in the ad.”

Again…what the heck? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a shill for the places I check into. Just because I like something, it doesn’t mean that it’s the only place I recommend.  Since when does Facebook think it has the right to draft off of my reputation for their gain? Oh, yeah, I forgot that they are taking over the world right now, so I guess they have the right with over 600 million users!

PROTECTING MY RIGHTS TO “LIKE”

Because I am Facebook Inc. user, I will have to roll over and let them use my likeness to push products.  I don’t want to give up Facebook and up until this point, I’ve never had a complaint, but this little news does make me mad. I feel its a violation of my rights.

As a PR practitioner, I am hyper sensitive to my alignments. And from this point on, I do know that I will make adjustments to my “like” strategy.  I often support others who are starting up businesses and therefore “like” their pages.  However, as an example let’s say I help out a friend by”liking” their assisted living facility.  Even though I “liked” it, I don’t want my photo to be on my friends pages saying that I sponsor their efforts!  That’s just crazy.

Sadly, from this moment on I may not “like” anything anymore.  This is total baloney.

Also, I want some of my friends to “like” my business page for Social Spread Media. But, I don’t mind if they “like” other PR agencies too.  But, with these ads our friends will think that we are advocating that sponsored story as our top choice for the product.

I’m not too happy about this and I would “like” to hear your thoughts on Facebook sponsored stories. Right now I’m FF’d (frustrated with Facebook!)  Zuckerberg you let me down, man!

Cindy

A Sleek and Exciting 2011

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I love the look and feel of these new Vizio products.

Isn’t the New Year exciting?

Yeah, I know it was tough getting back to work today, but man, with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and the Television Critics Association in Pasadena both starting Wednesday, the world will not be short on news and innovations. Talk about starting out the year with a bang!

During this morning’s read, the papers were full of digital and electronic announcements. I mean have you been noticing how Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Samsung, Verizon and AT&T are in the news every day. These companies are now being covered like the rest of the Fortune 100 businesses. Pretty fast movement, I’ll say…it just took Facebook a little over six years to become one of the hottest companies around.

As a voyeur of news trends, I also couldn’t help noticing over the holiday break how much mobile and ebooks were being discussed. Those topics and computer tablets pretty much controlled the space – that, and the rise and fall of consumer shopping. Oh and the weather too.

VIZIO’S VISION

But, the best news that I believe that will be coming this year deals in the advancement of tablets and phones and their integration with flat screens. Today, Vizio gave us a sneak peek into their efforts with the announcement of its own Via tablet computer and Via Phone. What I like about what Vizio’s strategy is that each one of their devices will have the same look and feel. And better yet, they will be less expensive than the competition. Vizio so gets what consumers want. They want the latest electronic gadgets, but at affordable prices. They also want them to be user-friendly.

I mean my Apple computer has a different operating system than my DirecTV DVR and my Blackberry phone. Sure, I could buy Apple TV and an iPhone for integration, but there are reasons why I don’t. I am holding out for the day when Verizon offers an iPhone and then my Blackberry will be DOA.

I also like what Google is up to with its Android system. They too are making that system user-friendly and are working with numerous manufacturers to create universal operating devices. I like this approach a lot and am keeping eye on what Google is up to, especially when it comes to self-publishing.

FOLLOW CES AND TCA TWITTER STREAMS

I love that our electronic world is getting easier to use and understand.  That just helps out everyone. Remember the days of programming your VCR and how impossible that feat was?

As a news junkie, this week is like the Super Bowl with these two conferences in session.  If you want to be up to speed on what’s being developed for the next year and observe breaking trends and news makers, then here’s my advice to you. Be sure to follow the twitter streams for #CES and #TCA.  By doing so, you’ll know what to expect this year.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. The energy is invigorating and full of hope and promise. I  hope you can feel it too.

Cindy

Foursquare Needs Some PR and PC Cleaning

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Foursquare is getting a potty mouth

How were you punished when your mom caught you saying a “not so nice” word? Did she make you wash your mouth out with soap? Did you get sent to your room or were you grounded for a week?

FOURSQUARE’S BLUE-NESS

As I was using the geo-tagging, hyper-local service Foursquare today, my eyes stumbled upon names and words that I normally do not like to read – and I was offended.

I know some peeps will call me old-fashioned with this post – and I do understand freedom of speech – but I never expected to see what I read today and the volume.  For you see, I simply wanted to check into my local grocery store this afternoon on Foursquare and in doing so I had to scroll through so many crazy dumb names before I landed on Vons.  Such places were listed like “Whore House,” “Sexy room,” or the “Sex Cave,” etc., etc., etc. I even noticed that someone in my vicinity listed her home as “the town drunk lives here!” What’s wrong with people?

I’ve noticed this happening for some time, but it wasn’t as prevalent as it is now.  Try searching the word “whore” on Foursquare and you’ll be astonished what comes up! You will see what I mean.

There's Always Some Rotten Apples that Taint A Good Thing

With potty mouth taking over this platform, I would like to recommend Foursquare start to enforce some policies where certain terms (i.e., whore) are not appropriate and thus are banned from the service.  Other services do watch what’s posted, like Facebook and myspace. Sometimes we have to police people for themselves.

I do like Foursquare and have enjoyed it, but if it continues to get more and more vulgar, I will stop and recommend others do so as well.  It’s getting quite the potty mouth lately.  Have you noticed it too?

FOURSQUARE MAY NOT BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS

I have a been a giant fan of the application and think it is a tremendous service for businesses. I would hate for it to become a place where childish blue humor hangs out.  I’m all for creativity…but seeing ho and drunk and sex all over the place isn’t good for business. For what business wants to be listed being near “the town drunk?”

Note to Parents: In addition to checking in on your kids Facebook comments, also check about how they have listed your crib on Foursquare.  You may be surprised what they’ve labeled your lovely home as and more specifically, their bedroom.

I wish Foursquare would issue a badge for good behavior on Foursquare! Now that’s an idea I would endorse.

Cindy

A Peek Inside is Good PR

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One of my favorite television shows is CBS’ “Undercover Boss.” The main reason why I like the series is that I find it fascinating to have access to an “insider’s” peek into the operations of familiar companies.  One episode that caught my attention was when they profiled “Subway.” I eat there regularly and was astonished to see how fast they make the sandwiches and the precision…I mean they list how many pickles are in each sandwich.  In another episode, I enjoyed seeing how DirecTV’s customer service is handled and another about how “Lucky Strikes” bowling centers came into being.

Need a PR Boost, "Undercover Boss" wil Help

Tonight I got another insider’s look..this time from the award-winning CBS news magazine “60 Minutes.” Reporter Lesley Stahl interviewed Facebook Founder  Mark Zuckerberg, and as such, we got a few shots inside the operations of that company.  And since they did show us how the company is set up, I absolutely loved it. I mean they showed us that Mark sits out in the open in a bull pen of tables.  No corner office for him.  It was pretty cool seeing how massive the company has become and watching how incredibly fast all the coders or “hackers” type.

As a social media consultant, I was thrilled to watch the segment and learn that they are launching a new look tomorrow. Zuckerberg wants Facebook connections to learn more about each friend and thus, has revised the front profile page to include more features.

To learn more about the new features, this “60 Minutes” piece will describe them for you.  To view it, click here.

This “60 Minutes” piece also got me thinking about how brilliant a PR move it was for Facebook to let the public have an inside look into a service which is very personal to its users.  In fact, I would say that every company should allow “Undercover Boss” to feature them in an episode.  Why? Because it’s great PR.  By watching these episodes, I feel like I “know” the company better. Like I’m a former employee. I now feel like I have vested interest and I root for them.

And I must say, with all the problems that Facebook has had of late with privacy issues, this interview that “opened up” the company to the public’s view was brilliant. Kudos to the corporate PR team.  By seeing Mark’s office surroundings, it did help make the company feel a bit more personal and well, human, since there’s no phone number listed for the company.  It’s almost impossible to call Facebook.

That’s it for now.

See ya on the Book!

The Importance of Controlling PR Messages

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PR, staying on message

When Changes are Made, Is Everyone Aware that Needs to be Aware?

How many people at your company are allowed to directly communicate with the media and customers?  For some corporations that possess customer call centers the numbers can be in the hundreds.  And perhaps for you, the answer is just one.  You’re the chief cook and bottle washer – and that’s OK — for this post today addresses the need for clear communication no matter the size of the company.

Communication Messages Need to Be Planned Ahead

With that, I would like to address the need for every sized company to have a six-weeks communication plan in conjunction with your media strategy.

What’s a communication plan? A communication plan is document that spells out what messages you want to promote for the next six-week period.  For instance, in the case of timeliness, the next six weeks in real-time includes Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas events. Therefore, a company that provides services should plot out in advance what discounts, promotions, special offers and other such things are to be conveyed to the customers via advertising, PR and/or social media during that period. This plan helps your company stay on track or stay on message.

As an example, if you offer spa treatments as your service, perhaps on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) you could offer a 25% discount on foot massages for weary shoppers.  Or on the day before Thanksgiving, you could offer $10 off on a pedicure, so your customer’s hands look wonderful as they stuff the turkey!

These messages are important to your business and as such, should be a part of your marketing and/or business plans.

Now the next question is, how do you convey these messages to those who interact with your customers? Is every layer aware of your objectives so that they can clearly communicate the message?

Don’t Forget the Layering Effect of Messages

When you are the decision maker it’s very easy to switch gears and make changes without thinking about how it effects the rest of the company.  What may seem like a good idea to you, make not to your head of marketing. The head of marketing has a very involved media plan that she’s implementing that is in motion.  One change could absolutely topple a beautiful, synergistic launch of a product.

Per the diagram below, I’ve outlined how many layers go into communication departments.  In most companies, PR and/or Corporate Communication departments have substantially less staff than does marketing.  And when dealing with social media, depending on which department is responsible for its duties, either PR or Marketing, it’s imperative that a plan is in operation that can quickly filter down any changes in messages to all involved in interacting with the public.  One bad message can shoot down the best intention of efforts. Therefore, it is crucial that the persons involved with implementing the messages are always kept informed.

Stay on Message - PR Tips, Cindyronzoni.com, social media

It's Important to Remember to Alert Everyone Involved of Changes in the Message

Stay on Script

On movie and television sets, there is a person who’s main responsibility is congruency. This person makes sure that the set is the same, the clothes, the hair, the lighting, etc. matches from take to take.  For instance, if there’s an apple in the scene and at the end of the scene it has two bites out of it…the head of congruency makes sure a fresh apple is in this particular scene for every take and that at the end two bites are taken out.  A script supervisor does the same. That person makes sure that the script is followed word-by-word and that any changes in it are recorded thusly.

And that’s the new job you must do if you are engaging with customers over such things as Facebook. You must make sure that the staff responsible for answering comments on Facebook is aware of your script.  They must know that your $10 discount on pedicures is only for one day only and not offer it the entire weekend. You are in charge of congruency and the script up keep. You can do it for the only way to be a great communicator is to communicate.

I’d love your thoughts on this topic.  I do plan to address the need for a communication plan tomorrow when I speak on a panel at ProductCampSoCal. The panel is called  Social Marketing Panel: The Social Spectrum- Social Strategies for Both Large and Personal Brands and I be on the panel with some of the industry’s best brand practitioners, including Scott Schang of Broadview Mortgage; Stacey Harmon of Harmon Enterprises, Kirsten Wright of Wright Creativity and moderator Mel Alcaro, author of The Social Media Marketing Essentials Guide For Small Business Professionals.

Mari Smith – A Great Social Media Role Model

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Mari Smith is a Premium Brand

Mari Smith is a Premium Brand

There are so many great elements associated with Social Media, but one of the best examples of how wonderful it can be is being in the presence of Mari Smith. I first became aware of Mari Smith through Social Media Examiner when she would supply posts providing practical tips about Facebook. From that, Social Media Examiner featured her on several webinars and and although, we never saw Mari, we heard her. Not only is she beautiful with a great smile, her voice is interesting as it mixes in Canadian and Scottish accents with San Diego California speak.

But, because her branding was so strong and well done, I knew what she looked like and what her personality was through all my interactions with her. I’ve asked her questions on her Facebook wall and she’s helped me immensely. I’ve listened to her webinars and have grown my skills exponentially.

But, I was finally able to see her at the Blogworld Expo a couple weeks ago and once again she was spot on perfect knowing who she is and what her brand is. No wonder they chose her to headline the session “The Brand of You.”

I attended over two dozens sessions at this three-day conference and I must say Mari’s stood out for the following reasons.

1) She was the only speaker who introduced herself to everyone attending her session in the minutes before the presentation began. That was classy. She walked over to each person and introduced herself, asked what our name was, shook our hand and then gave us a “branded pen.”

Mari's Branded Giveaway

2) She conveyed her personality by using her favorite color “turquoise” throughout the session. Now, I will always associate that color with her brand.  The pen she handed us was that color and she decorated the dais with a boa that color. She also used turquoise in her presentation and wore a turquoise jacket.

3) She is a great communicator for she comes across, friendly and helpful and makes anyone who asks her a question feel special.  Not only is she a great Facebook resource, she communicates in a practical manner and as a result, her information is useful. She is a great teacher.

So, if you are not familiar with Mari, I suggested you become her fan on Facebook and look up her articles on Social Media Examiner.  You’ll be much smarter by having her in your life, especially on Facebook.

GOOD PR STARTS AT HOME

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The Best PR Starts at Home

Do People Feel Welcome Working With You?

Imagine knocking on a friend’s door and your friend just opens the door for you to walk in. They don’t say hi to you nor call you by name, they just let you in and walk away. No, hellos. Nice to see you. Thank you for coming over. Nothing.

This is what happened to me recently when I volunteered at a major conference. I volunteered to work the event for a rather long time period. For this duty, the volunteers would be furnished lunch…it all sounded good to me and I was happy to be of some help.

But….as soon as I reported to duty things went awry.

I was told to be there very early in the morning and thus, was the first one on the scene. The staff I reported to showed up a hour later. And if that wasn’t enough, they never said hello, or thanked us for volunteering nor did they even care to know our names. And lunch, forgetaboutit. One of the volunteers had to remind them of their offer so they ordered a pizza.

This poor experience reminded me of this hard fact - the best PR starts at home. Here’s what I mean by that.

1) When working with volunteers – it is imperative that you make them feel welcomed and valued. They are as important to your event as the event. Without them, you would not be able to produce the event on a shoestring budget. So do your best to make them feel special.

2) PR people need to be friendly. I am embarrassed that I even have to write this statement. But, I am mortified to meet other colleagues that are not friendly to the press nor to people around them. Being relational in this field is a must.

Are you really Friendly

Are You Friendly or Just Appear to Be?

So, this little lesson isn’t just applicable to working with volunteers, it also applies to your Facebook page, website and reactions to the media.

Therefore, when people visit your Facebook page – do they feel welcome there or do you turn your back on them? Do you know their names? Do you not only listen to them, but do you truly hear them.

When a visitor lands on your website, how are they greeted? Can they easily access the information that they need most like how to contact you. Is your phone number prominently displayed or are you just selling them something?

As you can see a friendly welcome will go a long way in life and business. Check your attitudes online and in-person to make sure you are putting your best foot forward.

There’s no risks involved in being friendly and it all starts at home. Make sure when you put your feet on the floor to start the day, that you remember a warm hello and greeting will go a long way.

Thanks for reading and I hope you know that you are always welcome to leave messages or comments or can contact me directly. If I can ever be of any assistance, I hope you know my door is always open. You will always be greeted!

Thanks for the read.

Cindy

There’s A Lot to Like About Sony’s The Social Network Movie

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Facebook started out as Facemash.

Broken hearts have been motivating factors for years.  Whereas, some of the broken-hearted have become motivated to lose weight, change hairstyles or get married as fast as they can to show the dumper what he/she missed - Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of the social networking site Facebook.com, started a multi-billion dollar company as a knee jerk reaction to rejection by a girl.

Hard to imagine a world without Facebook, right?  But, needless to say, if Zuckerberg did not want to seek personal vengeance against his former girlfriend, Erica Albright, Facebook as we know it, would not have existed.  The world would have had a sloppy second called ConnectU, with a whole different set of founders, but alas all Harvard grads.

Well, I think these facts are right…but, I’m not too sure. Movies that are “based on a true story” often contain content that is not entirely correct. Therefore, the statements made in this review are based on the movie and not actual events in real life. The Social Network is based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, and the film’s screenwriter was  Aaron Sorkin.

In keeping with Facebook comparisons, Sony’s “The Social Network“ which premiered across the country today is a movie viewers will “LIKE” for a number of reasons.  The movie is well acted, directed, produced, written and edited.  It’s extremely relevant and relatable and Sorkin’s script is easy to follow even if you are not a tech geek yourself. I took my technology challenged 82-year-old mom to the movie and she had no trouble following its story line.

Facebook, now used by over 500 million people worldwide, has come a long way since its early beginnings at Harvard’s Kirkland Hall.  It was there that Zuckerberg, expertly played by actor Jesse Eisenberg, along with roommate Eduardo Saverin, (Andrew Garfield), put together a site in a matter of minutes that rated which girls at Harvard were hot or not. This site, called Facemash, literally crashed Harvard’s servers in a mere four hours of use.

From there, Zuckerberg became famous around Harvard and thus caught the eye of a triad of popular college-mates who asked him to develop a site for them that connected Harvard students.  Zuckerberg said yes, but never developed that site. He then started to work on something called TheFacebook.com on a mere $1,000 investment by CFO Saverin.

These occurrences and transactions all lead to the impetus to making the movie – the movie which centered on a book – focused on two separate yet simultaneous lawsuits  that were levied against Zuckerberg regarding Facebook’s true ownership.  Saverin, Zuckerberg’s only friend, brought a suit against him for devaluing his stock options and Harvard students Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra sued Zuckerberg for stealing their student connection idea.

Zuckerberg's intelligent arrogance does him more social harm than good.

Zuckerberg is one of those rare technology geniuses who are actually too smart for their own good.  What I mean from that statement is that such people who are tech smart, often are not human smart at key times.

For a true review of the movie, please read one of the thousands online at sites you regularly read.  For what I am going to write about here is the danger of these super-smart Zuckerberg’s in this world and the need for people like him to be mentored or groomed by an elder statesman.

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