While I’m a strong supporter of occasional social “friend” trimming, I’m not sure the new holiday will catch on. For those with sizable lists of friends, it’s a time-consuming process to manage. Multiply that by all the other social networks you may be active on and you can quickly be engulfed by a mountain of followers, contacts, connections and tweeps.

What do you think? How often, if ever, do you edit your list of Facebook friends? What does someone have to do to be unfriended by you?

I was lucky enough to take in an advanced screening for SMBMSP members earlier in the month have had some time to let the experience sink in. I still stand by my initial under 140 character review on Twitter:

My main takeaway was just how darn enjoyable the film was on virtually every level. Casting, script and score (by Trent Reznor!) were all worthy of note. The characters, even minor players, were complex and anything but the stereotypes they could have been. Some may not be a fan of reverse storytelling via flashbacks, but I think it worked well in this case. Watching the birth of Facebook unfold through small private moments while being so familiar with the current version of the site in full glare of the the public eye creates a marvelous tension for the viewer.

It’s far too limiting to say it’s a just movie about a social network. It’s about those rare moments in history when a person, an idea and and a culture converge to create something infinitely bigger. It’s really about the birth of a movement. The main difference here is how quickly it caught on and the incredible scale it achieved.

So my rating should be no surprise:
one pixelated thumb up. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist)

It’s easy to discount the “best movie ever” praise oozing from every corner of cyberspace, but this movie is something special. Here are more reviews from some of my peeps:

• Cydney Wuerffel on Idea Peepshow
• Judy Grundstrom on JustJudyJudyJudy
• Kay Roseland on Shareology
• Katie Little on the SMBMSP Blog

Some related videos…

My favorite “official” trailer
While it doesn’t appear in the film, the chorale-like version of “Creep”
backing this preview really sets the mood.

Mark Zuckerberg’s version of ‘The Social Network’
Even funnier after you’ve seen the film. Be patient, this player shows
an advertisement before the clip. (via Bombi(llo))

Greatest Hits of Zach Galifianakis’s Between Two Ferns
Recut As the Social Network Trailer
I had to include this. The parody features clips from Galifianakis’s hilarious
Funny or Die web series. (via Vulture)

Animated News of the Day: The plot of The Social Network
summed up in (just over) one minute
Taiwan’s premiere animated tabloid by Next Media Animation. This is definitely
funnier after seeing the film. The subtitles are epic.

Simply click the link next to the copyright notice at the bottom of any Facebook page, then choose English (Pirate).

Then prepare to be boarded as your entire Facebook experience is transformed before you can say, “shiver me timbers!”

Here’s my presentation:

If you were online over the past few days, you probably heard about Facebook’s attempt to change it’s terms of service and the ensuing uproar this caused. They have since rescinded the changes pending further review.

The sticking point seemed to be a combination of who “owns” the things users put on Facebook  and what rights of use that ownership permits. This raises some interesting larger questions about the impacts and repercussions of simply using free social networks. It also shed some light on how few people tend to read TOS in the first place.

As someone with a fairly large digital footprint, as well as a strong supporter of Creative Commons, I’m used to my stuff (photos, tweets, posts) being shared and popping up in unexpected places. In exchange for an attribution of some sort, I’m pretty comfortable “losing control” of my content in this sense.

I think this most recent controversy reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of Facebook (and the web). If you think the things you’re doing, saying, creating online are completely private then you should think again. This isn’t a bad thing, although it can be in the wrong companies’ hands. It just different from the way many of us are used to communicating. In fact, Facebook has made some impressive advances over the last year in beefing up their user-customizable privacy settings.

This all boils down to that fact that we just need to be smarter about the things we put online.

How do you feel about this? Which side of the Facebook Wall are you on? Do you share smartly?

1. I just don’t get the appeal. No offense intended to the multitudes of my Facebook friends already on this bandwagon, but how is this any different than that old, oft-forwarded email “how well do you know me” survey? I didn’t like that either.
2. I’m pretty used to talking about myself online already. Maybe that’s where I’m having difficulty with the concept of this being anything new?
3. It’s sort of spammy. Technically speaking, this isn’t that different from the type of email I filter from my inbox everyday.
4. “You’ve been tagged in a note.” No way? Really, a text-based note?!? I do have all these pressing Lil Green Patch invitations to deal with… but count me in! Seriously, folks, passing text files around online is SO last millenium. Why not just fax it?
5. After being tagged, I’m supposed to tag another 25 innocents. It’s only missing the threat of quick death or tragic luck if I don’t comply.
6. I hate being told I have to do something. Not the best way to motivate me.
7. Tagging isn’t even an appropriate term. Tagging, especially on Facebook, implies the person is included in the item (like a photo or video). Targeting is more accurate.
8. If you want comments on stuff you write why not start a blog? I guarantee it will be more fulfilling.
9. I like Artist/Celebrity/Politician X. This isn’t that different from the stuff in the rest of your Facebook Profile. It’s also not a “random” fact about you.
10. I don’t like Artist/Celebrity/Politician X. See #9.
11. Most of the lists break down after the first 10 things. Then it’s all downhill.
12. It takes too much time. Let’s say that composing this thing and choosing who to tag takes an average of 10 minutes. That’s a conservative estimate. Time reports that an estimated 5 million of these notes (125 million facts) have appeared within the past week. That’s about 800,000 hours wasted!
13. Can’t we find a better use of our time? Pick up litter, play catch with an orphan, fix the economy… Anything?
14. It’s hard work. Memes are supposed to be fun and easy to replicate. That’s why they become memes in the first place.
15. I don’t use Facebook for this sort of thing. Outside of the bounds of certain Facebook Applications, I don’t really us the network to communicate with small groups of people simultaneously. Notes sent to a handful of people (compared with just posting it to your profile for all to see) are a sloppy way to share information. To paraphrase George Michael, “Facebook is natural. Facebook is fun. Facebook is best when it’s one on one.”
16. It doesn’t leave much opportunity for further discussion. What am I supposed to say, “Wow, I didn’t know you got arrested for THAT? Cool.” Despite the ability to comment, it’s still a fairly one-sided exercise.
17. TMI. I really don’t need to know some most of this stuff.
18. It blurs the already blurry line between professional and personal followers. Haven’t we learned about the pitfalls of sharing too much on Facebook? After carefully removing all the photos of your college keg party adventures, do you really want a written account of intimate, personal confessions for future employers to find?
19. Why is this even being called a meme? Simply because millions of Facebook users are doing it? Does that mean status updates and profile pic changes are memes too? Perhaps we’re overusing this very specific term.
20. If 25 of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you follow suit? Didn’t think so.
21. OK, I’m looking for filler now.
    
22. I got tagged in 5 more of these things while writing this post. Honestly.
23. This is exhausting.
24. Seriously?
    
25. 25 things is a lot. Who came up with that? Whatever happened to the good-old top-10 list?

What do you think? Comment below, then copy and paste into a word processing document, photocopy and hang on every telephone pole within a 10 block radius of your primary residence.

UPDATE 2/7: I’m not alone here. It seems more coverage of this phenomenon is starting to emerge. Case and point: ValleyWag (’25 Random Things’ Lists Are Last Vestige of American Literacy), Washington Post (We Never Do Random Things. Until We Do), Baltimore Internet Examiner (25 Things – The modern day chain letter), and the Dallas Morning News (Millions expose themselves online with ’25 random things’).

Hasbro finally took out Scrabulous today. The incredibly popular Facebook application had been dancing on the toy company’s intellectual property for almost a year now, so not many were shocked. It was a play straight from the book. The problem is that the book has been out of print for years.

Don Reisinger at Mashable makes the excellent point that one of the real issues here is that two brothers from India accomplished something that mega-company Hasbro failed to do — generate interest and excitement in Scrabble. Lots of interest in fact. I never really enjoyed the game until I discovered Scrabulous. With a daily average of half a million users, Scrabulous was one of Facebook’s most popular applications. Hasbro, you don’t sue people who do that for you. You hire them!

It bears repeating, 500,000 people a day were playing Scrabulous. Hasbro’s response to this surge of interest in their dusty old brand was to say, “Sure, we’ll engage with you. But on our terms.” Did Hasbro really think that crowd would respond favorably when they pulled the plug? Did they think we’d greet them as liberators?

Let’s not forget the catalyst in this clever scheme. Hasbro waited to file suit until the day their shiny new Facebook application launched. Scrabble Beta took almost 8 months to develop. That’s almost as long as it’s taken to rebuild the collapsed I-35 bridge in Minneapolis.

Here’s where they dropped the other ball. Scrabble Beta is clunky, needlessly animated and sports a crowded, busy design. Compare this to Scrabulous’s clean, fast, simple interface. I would go so far as to call Scrabulous elegant in comparison.

There’s no excuse for this. Hasbro had the resources, time and motivation to make Scrabble Beta the ultimate Facebook application. Hell, they could have just copied Scrabulous. Wouldn’t that have been ironic?

Brands need to pay more attention than this. This is an example of the fundamental difference between the old way and today. The rules have changed. Companies like Hasbro missed the memo.

The next time half a million people raise their hand and want to engage with your brand, what will your response be?

It took a while, but Spring has finally come to Minnesota. So, squinting in the sunlight and gasping the fresh air pouring through newly opened widows, my thoughts turned to cleaning, de-cluttering and purging all the stuff that has piled up around here. Then I started to think about the state of my social networks (of course). After all, the potential audience exposed to my garage is fairly small compared to my varied online nooks and crannies. It’s also more fun to blog about this than organize my closets.

Perhaps your own social networks could use a bit of tidying up? Here are some ideas:

• Blogs – Just like that scary kitchen drawer that accumulates all the stuff that doesn’t have a home, blogs can become cluttered as well. Does your sidebar need sweeping? Too many badges and widgets can really distract users and slow down your page’s load time. How about under the hood? Are you using the most current version of your blogging software? If you’re a WordPress user, this is a snap (one click after installing the WordPress Automatic Upgrade plugin) Speaking of plugins, are yours up to date? Again, WordPress makes this simple with the plugin auto upgrade feature built into version 2.5. Finally, give your blogroll a once over. Links working? Still want to include everyone? Any new additions you’ve been putting off?
• Other Social Networks – If you’re like me, and join every new social site that catches your eye, you may have a collection of seldom (or never) used accounts on your hands. Now’s the perfect time to let some of these go. Why leave unused profile pages lying around waiting to be indexed by search engines? Also consider the impression users of that network will have of you if your page looks abandoned. More and more sites are making the cancellation or deletion of accounts a simple process. Take advantage of this and weed your social garden. You should also tend to those networks you do participate in. Is all your information current on your various profiles? How recent is your buddy icon or photo? Do you really need all those Facebook apps? Is your profile page an accurate reflection of how you want to be portrayed?
• Feed Readers - How many RSS feeds do you subscribe to? 20? 100? 500? Its easy for your reader of choice to get out of control (although Garrick Van Buren is doing some interesting things to combat this with Cullect.com). Take a few minutes to revisit the sites in yours and do some pruning. Chances are, there are more than a few that no longer have value to you. A little breathing room will also help the feeds you do care about rise to the top (and blossom, if you will)

Devoting just a few hours to eliminating your online clutter will yield long-lasting results. Your social network presence will sparkle. You’ll feel better and so will your subscribers, fans, friends and contacts.

Now if anyone needs me, I’ll be in my attic.

There’s something about this post from Minneapolis Metblogs earlier today that fascinates me. It’s not the subject matter per se (a scoop on the latest venture of a recently fired local weather man) it’s the story’s sources. They cite a tweet by local blogger and entrepreneur, Graeme Thickins (go Graeme!), and the meterologist’s LinkedIn profile.

Twitter and LinkedIn? Why not? Both can be valid sources of certain types of information, both are public, and, most importantly for journalists and bloggers alike, they are readily accessible.

I see this a trend that will continue to grow as more people become engaged in social networking. It wasn’t that long ago that the the New York Times shared information about Eliot Spitzer’s high-priced “escort” gleaned from her MySpace page. I remember watching CNN coverage of the mob of reporters camped-out in front of the woman’s NYC apartment building. In liew of other story developments, they turned to social networks once again. One correspondant had it on good authority from someone “inside MySpace” that she had logged in recently but made changes to her profile.

If CNN and The Times consider the social web a worthwhile source, can we be that far away from other industries taking advantage of this information? It’s not uncommon for employers to Google potential hires. Isn’t searching social networks a logical escalation of this practice? Even current employees are at risk. What about checking FriendFeed for any activity on a sick day? Are we close to a day when law enforcement won’t consider someone a missing person until their Facebook status hasn’t been updated for at least 48 hours?

As we put more of ourselves out there on the web (which I strongly support), are we really thinking about the implications this could have on our real life interactions down the line? Bigger question: What do you think of social networks as news sources?

I had the privilege of hearing Joseph Jaffe speak tonight. Jaffe (marketer, consultant, author, blogger extraordinaire) was the fourth speaker taking part in the Conversations About the Future of Advertising series.

His presentation (and the theme of his latest book, Join the Conversation), focus on the refreshing concept of brand engagement with customers as a conversation. One that involves give and take, not just push and pull. He had lots of examples of how this can create real engagement with companies, especially those reaching into the social web space. He also spoke of the pitfalls when initiatives are not supported longterm or companies refuse to truly listen.

I was struck by a story he shared about how he uses his personal social networks. By just promoting it on his blog, Twitter and Facebook he orchestrated quite a successful bumrush on the Amazon charts for Join the Conversation. It’s a great example of the focused power social networking can wield.

His blog, Jaffe Juice, has become one of my new favorites and is packed with tips and lessions about this brave new world of marketing and advertising we find ourselves in. I’m looking forward to reading his books and finding ways to help my clients start their own conversations.