Thoughtpick: A unique perspective of the Web and social media...
A unique perspective of the Web and social media...

January 8, 2010

Obama Warns: Facebook is a BIG BAD Wolf! [video]

Privacy is not something that I’m merely entitled to, it’s an absolute prerequisite.” Marlon Brando

I, too, believe in privacy as being an absolute perquisite; one which must exist in order to be able to practice and reach real freedom and, accordingly, self development.

Yet, and since Web 2.0 and social media have become major elements in our life’s routine, our privacy is slowly receding, like an old man’s balding head! Day after day, we are finding ourselves more exposed to the world outside and people we have never met. It seems that everyone knows each other across this big world, as sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube becoming more and more inhibited!

In the two videos below, Obama warns about posting pictures or personal information on Facebook, stressing that this might come and haunt you in the near future! Whether this is this another PR stunt or not, is not clear to me however it seems that even Obama has been stung by Facebook just like Zuckerberg was a few weeks ago!

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December 28, 2009

5 Web & Internet 2010 Funny Predictions – Photoshopped & Illustrated!

The only constant thing is change!

Therefore, and to make sure that we capture the changes in social media for the coming year, we have prepared for you a funny list of our own predictions for ten social media tools and sites for the year 2010! Make us smile, and share them :)

1. Twitter Explosion

1twitter

Twitter Explosion

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July 30, 2009

I Want My Twitter Fix And I Want It Now! Overcome the Censors

Are you a Twitter addict that happens to be stuck in China, the U.A.E., Iran, or even the White House? Then chances are that you won’t be able to get your Twitter fix, but worry not for as long as there is an internet connection then there is way. We will be going through some of the ways to bypass the blockage of Twitter and help you get your fix.

Bypass Twitter's Blocking and Censorship

Bypass Twitter's Blocking and Censorship

1. Use your instant messenger: If you are using Gtalk, Msn or Yahoo add the user “imified@imified.com”. As soon as you start chatting with that user(bot) you will be provided with a menu and it will create an account for you on imified. Select the “My Account” from the main menu by typing 4(default) and you will be redirected to the imified website and there you can add the Twitter widget and add it to your account menu. So when you access it you will be able to get notification and update your status. This will allow you to easily update your Twitter timeline from anywhere you can access your IM, even on a phone. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of what you can do with imified!

2. Use your email: Browse to twittermail and enter your Twitter credentials and they will supply you with an email address. By using that secret email address you will be able to send and receive tweets using your email account, the message body of the email sent will be the tweet.

[read full article >>]

March 24, 2009

Facebook protesters, you’ve got punked!

DO NOT write more articles about the redesign of Facebook, you’re playing right into the trap. The trick Facebook is using on us is an example of the art of reverse psychology. They tie us and our friends with a great service; annoy us with a forced redesign, which in turn forces us to rebel through the social media. We think we got back at Facebook, but in reality we were recruited to do free word of mouth advertising! Read on for my train of thoughts…

I’m no writer like Beirut and Fadi, but I do like to day dream and come up with weird theories, so to speak :).

We talked about Facebook’s redesign and our realization that Zuckerberg has a “God Complex”. Well, maybe not! Maybe he’s just a smart ass marketer with a psychology background, using his knowledge of human emotion to capture our time and attention. Maybe even manipulate us for no other reason but money!

My theory is based on the following factors:

  1. At this point, we, the users, are trapped and pressured to stick to Facebook. We cannot just simply click the ‘deactivate account’ button, because: Nearly all of us have tens or hundreds of “friends” on our Facebook accounts, and Facebook offers a great personal and social value for all of us.
  2. If a business owner, my drycleaner for instance, provokes me, I’d usually just seize dealing with him and his business. But in Facebook’s case, I do not (or can not) just stop using it simply for the reasons mentioned earlier. The normal outlet for my frustration would be to complain to others!
  3. Finally, as we all know, advertising is expensive, but word of mouth is cheap.

Now, to illustrate the trick Facebook plays on its users, I’ll put the pieces together under a story line:

One day, you wake up to check out what’s new on Facebook. You’re stunned that things are not where you recall them, and then you read the announcement of the new design. You want the old one back, the one you’re used to… but tough luck, it’s gone!

The value of Facebook’s services mean more to you than the fact that your opinion did not matter in a decision that directly affected you. You want to rebel, but the list of pros and cons are heavily tipped towards the pros of Facebook. So, you decide to bottle up your feelings, and just get used to the new design.

After a couple of days of being lost around the new site, you decide to rebel and complain to your blog followers as a way to vent your frustration. That’s it! You’ve fallen for Zuckerberg’s trick! You’ve just advertised his brand to your followers and the social Web.

I know what you must be thinking; this is some bad press! Keep in mind, that a new comer will not share your and my frustration from the redesign. He was never used to the old design, so he’ll just get used to the new one. This means that the tens of thousands of articles and comments posted in frustration about the new design will not leave a big negative impact on a non-Facebook user. It will just lead to curiosity to see why this design is such a ‘bad thing’, and leave an impact that: “Wow, 3 million signed this petition; it must be one hell of a social network. Let me join and see what’s the fuss about!”

To fight back DO NOT get tricked like we did, DO NOT post any more articles about the Facebook, just ignore it! I just hate feeling used, don’t you?

I’m looking forward for your comments… speak up below!

Filed under: Deductions and Realizations — Tags: , , , , — Amer Kawar @ 7:03 pm

March 23, 2009

The Zuckerburg God Complex: We Sympathize But We Will Never Empathize!!!

This article is dedicated to the sole purpose of demonstrating pure empathy for Zuckerberg and genuine care for the Facebook community in efforts to try to correct the numerous mistakes that are being made in the name of social networking!

Ranging from Facebook’s thrive to make more money using the Facebook beacon and moving on to the “automated stalking” news feeds and ending with the biggest joke of all: Facebook’s forced redesigns, Marc Zuckerberg seems to be proving, day after day, the fact that he suffers from what psychologists call “The God Complex”.

As defined by the Urban Dictionary: “The God complex (funny video) is a psychosis based in uncontrolled narcissism, inflated arrogance and a perceived need to subjugate and/or ridicule other individuals deemed to be inferior or unworthy. Some believe that “God complexes” are particularly common in arrogant, highly educated, worldly, or powerful people.”

In one of my previous graduate marketing courses discussing “Marketing Mistakes and Successes”, it was evident that the 3 C’s: Conceit, Complacency and Conservatism were and are still the main three reasons why great corporations might be drawn towards failure. Looking at Zuckerberg’s approach to changing and continuously making additions and new platforms introductions, we can safely say that he is as far away as possible from complacency and conservatism. But what about conceit? Is conceit taking over the way things work at Facebook?

Since conceit is directly related to The God Complex I have defined earlier, it seems that Zuckerberg is drowning in shallow waters!

Disregarding the fact that 94% of Facebook users “hate” the new Facebook redesign and the fact many articles were written and Facebook groups were created to attack what I’d like to call the “God-like position” Zuckerberg upholds by doing as he pleases and even more severely disregarding user’s needs and arguments repetitively, and finally exploiting users’ data for personal gains and adding options that only compromise privacy, all seem to point towards one direction: Zuckerburg’s pure and unarguable obsession with power!

Zuckerberg: We feel with you, we really do, but honestly we are not ready to surrender to your will, not yet at least! I believe that most bloggers know exactly what they are talking about when they say: “The Facebook’s new design sucks” and “It is time you listen to your users!”. I’d like to think that I have read enough articles and case studies that can show you the way to “social networking redemption”! With a little effort, you can easily do what large social networking sites such as Google, Yahoo and others have done by utilzing Beta development to gain better insights about whatever changes you are planning to introduce in order to give your “smart” users more options and breathing room!

I just want what is best for us, the people who count: the users who have made your success possible! And since your profile indicates that you’re a Harvard graduated and we all know that you are currently Facebook’s CEO, which in turn gives you power, I believe that you fit the profile of a person suffering the God Complex! Thus, since part of finding a solution is realizing the problem, I just thought I should pinpoint you to the right direction

Wishing you a speedy healing and a hearty come back!

March 12, 2009

Facebook vs. Animal Shelters!

We can find a community almost everywhere! Nature is a great example of a wide range of different communities; take beehives as one example and a herd of sheep as another… But what factors transform a community into a social network?

While pondering on the idea of social networking, over and over again, I found this thought to be interesting: Animal shelters and how similar they are to our social networking environments, especially when comparing it to Facebook!

The following table explains it all!

Animal Shelter Facebook
Animals hunted and captured by Animal Control Users hunted and captured by peer pressure and the desire to “fit in”.
Animals stay because they are trapped in a cage and need to find a home & to be fed People stay because they are trapped in the metaphorical cage of needing to find love, friendships & entertainment
The cleanliness of the shelter is necessary for the well being of the animals The user-friendly platform is necessary to attract people to subscribe to the network & use it constantly
One size fits all cage, made from the same material to retain all animals Customized “cages” depending on what the user chooses his/her privacy settings to be! Example: Facebook and limited profile.
Building uncommon relationships between animals of different breeds. Example: Youtube clip Initiating unusual relationships through networks such as dating sites, crossing geographical and ethnic boundaries
Can animal shelters reserve animal rights and not be regarded as property, or used as food, clothing, research subjects, or entertainment? Will the future give us more examples to how some social networking sites treat us merely as page views and marketing sheep (maaaa)?
There are many type of shelters such as Open door centers, animal sanctuaries and such. Many different social networking sites are available such as dating websites, Facebook, LinkedIn etc.
The sad element is when no one claims or tries to adopt the animals The sad element is when people lose hope when they finally realize that most of their online relationships are of weak ties (on thin ice), and very few are of real value!
Animals are injured, diseased or even die sometimes from overpopulation Will greed or overpopulation end the era of Facebook?

So, did Facebook really become a prison/cage? And are single users able to break this chain by simply deciding to not use Facebook? Can peer-pressure keep playing its role in trapping users into Facebook’s social maze?

I urge you to think about that!

(written by Beirut)