Internet Geek Girl

Today is Blog Day. I found out this morning, and here it is almost 10 pm EST. Due to the fact that I don’t want to publish the post TOMORROW – I will keep it simple. First off – I just want to say that there are so many wonderful bloggers out there (check out my Blog Roll, yo). I celebrate all those fine individuals who put their positive ideas out into the universe! It takes a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I support that. I hope to see all you great bloggers at BlogWorld Expo in Vegas on November 8 – 9.

[BTW - Save 15% on Registration at BlogWorld Expo - use GeekGirl15 promo code!]

Happy Blog Day all…here are my fab 5 6 7 8 (I couldn’t pick just 5!!). I’m proud to call these bloggers my friends, but more importantly, I thank them for their contributions.

BigFiveNines

They Big! Well, not really but they are one cool crew of 3-people who think big. Whether it be Ruby development, Facebook projects or Firefox extensions.. these are your geeks. The blog is an exploration of topics, including: social web, the facebook platform, web services, making firefox extensions, social networking tips and tricks, web development, Ruby on Rails, scaling web applications, developing with SEO in mind, and the next generation of instant messenger. PLUS – they do it all ninja style, and most importantly with good karma front and center!

DogBalls Blog

The social observations, adventures and sliced tee shots of Marc Levin. Bloggin’ up a storm on the course and at Yahoo, Marc is all about building the community of Yahoo publishers and beyond. Marc intrinsically understands Influencer Marketing, because he is strategic, authentic and connected. He leverages that knowledge for clients, customers and users. He is passionate about flickr, tools, buttons, badges and widgets that encourage community and interactivity… oh yeah, and golf.

Deborah Schultz

Deb reminds us that “Technology changes, humans don’t.” Incorporating a deep understanding of the user and consumer marketing, Deb evolves social media strategies that work. In addition to bringing great energy everywhere she goes, Deb is the person to speak to about cultivating community evangelists and understanding how these new marketing channels are changing organizations.

Web Strategy by Jeremiah

Jeremiah Owyang, Web Strategist, doesn’t need an introduction. His passion for the PEOPLE that make up this industry and for driving the vision forward is undeniable. This week’s news of his new job at Forrester is another sign of legitimizing the blogosphere. We all wish you well Jeremiah, and hope you continue to educate and entertain. Also, his Web Strategy Group on Facebook is a “must-join!”

P.R. 2.0

Brian Solis is Principal of FutureWorks, an award-winning PR agency in Silicon Valley. Solis blogs at PR2.0, bub.blicio.us and regularly contributes PR and tech comments and articles to industry sites and publications. In addition to his awesome photography and spot-on Twitts, Brian consistently enhances the community convo. If you are in San Fran next week, don’t forget to check out Office 2.0, a conference Brian help put together. Oh yeah, plus every attendee gets an iPhone.

Aliza Sherman Rants and Raves
I’ve known Aliza for over 10 years. She’s come a long way (baby) from her Cybergrrl days in NYC. Now, an author (many times over), a mom, wife, Alaskan, SecondLife diva, Blogher speaker, and dog lover – Aliza’s rants and raves are insightful, well-written and entertaining! I also need to give props to Aliza for inspiring me to get into the Internet industry back in 1994. An article she published in Ms. Magazine in 1995 was the basis for my Masters Thesis on Women and the Internet. I am very grateful for that connection.

Chris Brogan

One of the true gurus of social media, but why….because he really cares. Chris challenges us daily with his questions, queries and quizzes. He gets the conversation started and keeps it going with his energy, enthusiasm and smarts. Founder of PodCamp and evangelist at Pulvermedia, Chris should be your friend on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, etc. Oh wait – he probably already is.

Fabu Daily

Shop till ya drop baby. Props to my favorite super affiliate – Fabulous Savings and their new blog Fabudaily.com. Of course, you can find coupons for all of your online shopping excursions, but my favorite section is the daily list of silly holidays. (Cmon – have you ever heard of National Trail Mix Day or Global Forgiveness Day?!?) Love it!

Ok – so I went over 5 and did not keep it too simple. Figures… I’m not one to follow directions!

This week proved to be quite exciting at the DoubleClick Performics Client Summit, hosted at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. For two days, an intriguing mix of multi-channel retailers, emerging technology companies, affiliate publishers, search gurus, Performics staffers and industry leaders gathered to discuss the “Age of Ingenuity.” Regardless what you may think about web2.0, there is no denying that there is an abundance of ingenuity driving our industry right now. Kudos to DoubleClick Performics for leading by example, not just words.

David Rosenblatt, CEO of DoubleClick, and Stuart Frankel, President of DoubleClick Performics, both provided road maps and inspiration for the audience and emphasized their dedication to staying on the cutting edge. [Check out the DoubleClick Nerve Center to learn more about their year ahead and see some groovy video!]

In addition to panels on affiliate marketing, search optimization and mobile marketing, DoubleClick Performics had presentations from motivational speakers, academics, and authors, such as Lisa Fortini-Campbell, Steven Levitt of Freakonomics, and Robert Spector. The Second City troupe also stopped in to provide some comic relief. On a personal note, I really appreciated the 6:30 AM yoga session on Tuesday morning which I attended with a handful of other brave attendees. You know who you are.

One small note on being green. Those of you that know me know I care about our environment and do my best to live green (could be better, but I’m trying…). The Tuesday afternoon mid-day snack / networking break delighted both my environmental and aesthetic sensibilities — green food — ranging from melon and apples, edamame and broccoli, guacamole and spinach dip. A clever hat tip to the new performics logo.

In a recent Facebook Note, Dave McClure of 500 hats, reflected on his Gnomedex experience last week:

just reflecting on the past week & pleasantly realizing how much i’m impressed by technology & the people who make it happen, all the wonderful HUMAN things we have the potential to do with it. simply amazing. and, reassuring

really love the people & the world i’m living in. it’s a blast.

I couldn’t agree more. I love being in this industry and working with such cool, smart people. Last night in the President’s Club at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, surrounded by business travelers waiting for delayed flights, I reflected on the effort we put in to travel and meeting up with our colleagues across the country and the globe. Social media and online networking will never replace the knowledge, connection, and synergy that comes from real life conferences and events. Personally, I’m a big fan of both!

Big thanks to Chris Henger, Kristin Hall and their fine staff for the hospitality, inspiration, and for bringing us all together. Don’t forget to check out the “flicka” pics!

Happy Facebook Birthday to you. Happy Facebook Birthday to you. May your wall grow with well wishes and free gifts too.

I first noticed how cool birthdays were on Facebook on Esther Dyson’s Birthday. On her wall she wrote,

Facebook adds a whole new dimension to birthdays! I have never gotten quite so many greetings…. And, with all respect to all of you, I think Frank Paynter has it closest – all of France and all of Facebook! What a day!

yes, I am going up to a party in Sebastopol… stand by for some Flickr pics.

And she does have some very fine pictures up there. Chock-full of our industry’s best and brightest. I especially like the one of Anne Wojcicki, Martha Stewart and Sergey.

During last night’s New York Tech Meetup we had a great group of people discussing “Influencer Marketing.” It was an unconference format, and I was excited to lead a conversation about how social media is impacting personal brands, corporate brands, and marketing strategies in general. A big shout out to some of the rock stars who participated in the conversation: Laura Allen from 15SecondPitch, Jay Bryant of LiveWorld, Tajee Tajima of Voice-Bank,Inc., Barbara Osach from Entrepreneurs NOW, Inc., Esther Park at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Matt Arnold from W.W. Norton & Co., and Jim Davoust from whonk.

Have an awesome time at Gnomedex Tajee! Big hello to all my friends out in Seattle. I anxiously await your Twits.

So as Andy (no business card) picked up on: Yes, I’m really into Facebook. It sure helps me wish my friends Happy Birthday. But more importantly, it is (at least for now) a great platform for business networking, personal branding, online marketing, charity fund-raising, news, entertainment and political discourse. Oh yeah.. and making sure your niece and nephew are being good citizens.

Network on!

P.S. – Save the Date – October 3rd. I’ll be celebrating Birthday 2.0 (actually 3.7), on Facebook and at a big bash in NYC. Details coming soon!

A recent New York Times article pointed out a phenomena which I’ll call the cellular divide. It seems that some people, especially the young (or Yutes as we say in New Jersey), tend to restrict their cell phone usage to those inside their network, thereby saving money and minutes. The article sheds light on how these nasty little customer acquisition tactics are unraveling our social fabric: it seems we are unintentionally breaking off relationships with friends on competitive networks and forming “faux friendships” with those with the same carrier! Aghast!

According to the New York Times:

That is most true for people younger than 25 because they are the ones who see the cellphone as an extension of themselves. They are constantly sending text messages, making calls, checking the time, scheduling appointments, calculating math, taking photos, playing games or looking up something on the Internet.

That.. and oh yeah, they can’t afford high monthly plan fees. Believe me, I realize I’m lucky. I have an amazing rate (competitively speaking) on a SprintPCS plan that gives me 2500 anytime minutes, free nights and weekends starting at 7 pm and unlimited text messaging (who could live without that!). I’m glad I’m not on a college kid budget anymore. But $$ aside, I find it fascinating that kids today look at those cell phone networks, much in the same way I look at my friends on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Flickr! The fact is, I believe in networking and all the tools that help us do it. Scoble has it right.

And, by the way, I do try to keep up with the kids. The reporter, Angel Jennings, also dug up some great stats:

Those who talk the most on the phone are ages 18 to 24, according to a study of cellphone use by Telephia Inc., a San Francisco research firm that follows cellphone trends. In the first quarter of 2007, this group sent and received on average 290 calls a month, the study found. Text messaging was highest, Telephia said, among 13- to 17-year-olds, who averaged 435 messages a month. By contrast, cellphone users 45 to 54 years old spoke on the phone 194 times, on average, a month and sent only 57 text messages.

It seems I out “text message” the average 13 – 17 year old by over 50%. My Jun 15 – Jul 14 statement says I had 673 text messages. Yeah.. I’m cool!! Um.. I also logged 675 calls (that’s 132% more than you’re average 18 -24 year old). Thank goodness I’m too tired to figure out how many emails, Facebooks, Twitts, IMs, etc I sent during that same time period. How do you stack up?  Check out your bill from same or similar time frame and let me know.  A small prize will be awarded to the commenter with the most text messages in equivalent time frame (verified of course).

Fake Steve Jobs thinks the cell phone companies suck and has great sympathy for the average Joe/Jane consumer. He envisions a world where we won’t have to wax sentimentally about our long-lost friends on other cellular networks, or have phones that are exclusive to 1 network (Perhaps Daddy Google will save us?). However, he’s a bit harsher than my Zen language patters will allow, but I liked the sentiment:

Honestly, this is why Google wants the FCC to free up the wireless spectrum and let customers put any phone on any network. Well, okay, that’s not really why Google wants that. But anyway. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Cell phone carriers suck. They’re orifices. They’re yet another example of an industry that thrives only by exploiting customers and treating them like shit. Lock-in, two-year contracts, screwing you on every little feature. Damn. Someday, I hope not too long from now, we are going to look back on this era of wireless telecom in horror, not believing we ever had to put up with such bullshit.

There is some good news here. Despite our hyper-communication habits and crumbling friendships, academics and experts assure us that text messages are actually, “symbolic gestures of friendship.” There is love underneath all this… LOVE.. that’s what I’m all about man!

I dedicate this blog post to my “text message friends.” You know who you are. Thanks for helping me to “stay gold.” I thank you (day and night via text message), and my cell phone carrier thanks you!