Google+ and The Entropy of Social Media

First there was order, then chaos. The universe was born in near-perfect order: small, organized and perhaps even serene. Over time, the universe expanded and became messy, diverse and beyond comprehension. Chaos reigned. This effect is called entropy, the process by which order decreases in a system over time. This is admittedly a simple description,Continue reading “Google+ and The Entropy of Social Media”

Being Connected Isn’t the Same as Being Social

I’m connected to my extended family – cousins, an uncle and assorted other relatives beyond my immediate biological circle. I know some of them. Others I couldn’t pick out of a crowd. Nevertheless, we are connected. But we are not social. We don’t hang out. We don’t call or write beyond the annual holiday nod.Continue reading “Being Connected Isn’t the Same as Being Social”

Blogging and the Memory Preservation Society

The key to popularity in our digital world is being in the know. Whoever has information first is revered and re-tweeted; they are the thought leaders turned newsmakers and armchair analysts. Being in the know is better than being in the known. This latter state of perspective and history, however informative to current events, isContinue reading “Blogging and the Memory Preservation Society”

Social Media, Milkshakes, and Life After Death

Once in a while, less often now than before, someone asks about my dad, and I tell them I never knew my father. He died when when I very young, I say, and therefore I never knew him other than in faded pictures and fractured stories. I’ve said this so many times for so manyContinue reading “Social Media, Milkshakes, and Life After Death”

Blogging is Stupid, Twitter is Lame and Facebook is Dumb

My daughter doesn’t think I’m cool. She thinks I’m a geek — not in the good Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs way, but rather in the “who gives a crap whether Picard or Kirk was the better Star Trek captain and besides isn’t the captain played by Chris Pine now?” This used to bother me.Continue reading “Blogging is Stupid, Twitter is Lame and Facebook is Dumb”

A Social Media Sanity Check: Six Ways to Slow Down

I’ve had to take things a little slower lately, which for me means going from working about 70 hours a week to only 60 hours. Nevertheless, there’s great value in slow. Going slower makes you think faster. Slowing down can make you more productive. Slow works but doesn’t get enough credit. My colleague Steve RubelContinue reading “A Social Media Sanity Check: Six Ways to Slow Down”

A Social Media Prayer

Our user profiles, who art online, hallowed be our names. Thy check-ins done, thy badges won, on Earth as they are on FourSquare. Give us this day our Facebook updates. And forgive us our overuse of emoticons and exclamation points, as we forgive those who tag us in old high school photos. And lead usContinue reading “A Social Media Prayer”