Video: How to Behave on and Internet Forum

I won't generally post videos on here (especially animations) but I came across this today and it's not only relevant, but just plain funny.



How To Behave On An Internet Forum

Facebook's in a "Death Spiral"?

Well, according to Lance Ulanoff of PC Magazine and FOXNews Facebook's recent opt-out feature (which allows users to erase their profiles easily with an e-mail to Facebook staff) is the first horseman for the social networking giant. Well maybe the second or third actually. You tell me.

Full Article

Google, Networking or Data Mining?

Google seems to be considering another venture into the social networking world (see NYTimes blog). From the looks of it, they might be missing the boat though. Social networking needs to be a collaborative effort on the behalf of users. User created content is the backbone of these networks and Google is going over the heads of its users and creating these connections for its advertisers without user input.

Facebook drops in the UK

The Guardian is reporting that in the UK Facebook has posted it's first loss of users (article), down 5% from December 2007 to January 2008. While certainly not a sign of the end of days for online social networking, it will be interesting to see what Facebook's response will be. Why were the nearly 400,000 members lost? MySpace and Bebo also posted user losses, but Facebook was hot on a 17 month spree gaining 712% in the previous 12 months. Could a push from more specific networking sites undermine the dominance that Facebook currently enjoys?

First Post - About me

Well, the first post is often the hardest to do, so don't expect too much:

I am a two-time graduate of New York University (B.S. 2002, M.A. 2007) and an alumnus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (2003). While in graduate school I developed an interest in online social networking, which led into a thesis project looking at the effects of these networking sites on existing offline networks and relationships. This work led to the development of a very important project for me, Project Bike. To date we have raised over $7000 for various cancer related charities including the Youngs Survival Coalition and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I have been utilizing social networking services and social media to raise money for non-profit organizations for 5 years, and I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoy what I do.

Aside from education and work I live in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn with my wonderful wife Beth and our cat Toby. My family has been in the New York metro area since the 1920's, so I think it's safe to say I'll be here for a while.

Well, it's not much but it's a start. In the future I will be posting opinions of new media communications tools and online social networking. But for now, I think I'll end before I regret it.

-Daniel