Facebook is the new morning paper

For years, I've told people that the internet was my morning newspaper. I don't read the newspaper as much as I used to - all the news i need is online, be it CNN.com, NY1.com, or any of the other endless sources of 24-hour news that exist on the 'net.

But in the past year or so, Facebook has been my source of news info. When I wake up, I *need* to know that Kristen is rooting her heart out for the local Roller Derby team or that Jimmie is looking forward to vacation with his family or that Dylan is working hard on the latest project at his job.

This is what news has become - it has become updates of the people we care about, not some stranger who was rear-ended on the Bronx River Parkway last night or shot in a trailer park in Tyler, TX.

And when *my* Facebook status indicated that this was how my day started now, the sheer number of responses from friends who did the same thing surprised me. Apparently, this really is where things have come, and where they are going.

One friend remarked "That is exactly why I like FB. I love knowing — however strange, banal or brief — how everyone is doing."

Another stated "Lol! Me too! But it's still reality and they're people we know so it's like catching up with a few hundred of your closest friends and family each day! So cool!"

And a third remarked "It is so bizarre but I do it, too. Then I blow through the NPR twitter feeds and email. All before my shower or speaking to another human."

On and on the responses came, all similar in sentiment.

Facebook has become the go to place for information about people in our lives - both personally and professionally.

Aside from the fun and relatively frivolous updates from our friends, seeing updates on your professional contacts may help you get that slight edge you need to close that sale, get that contract, or whatever it is you're trying to accomplish.

Social Media - when does your company get on board?

I recently read an article that discussed debunking the myths that Social Media was fast, cheap, and easy.

This touches on a solid point. That point being that a lot of companies hear about the next big thing - or the current big thing - and in an effort to get aboard, don't plan properly.

Rarely is anything that is put into place to reach a goal or accomplish something is fast, cheap, or easy at the beginning.

However, once the pieces are in place, Social Media can be quite cheap, can be very easy, and is without question very fast.

But building something takes time, costs money, and is often met with challenges that must be overcome.

If you want to go fast, cheap, and easy from the onset, the odds are good that whatever you're building will come tumbling down fast and easy, and the clean up won't be cheap.

Last month, I discussed with a marketing company in Texas their Social Media plan, and getting it up and running for them. Ultimately, they decided they weren't quite ready.

While I am a firm believer that companies need to be on the ball with Social Media and absolutely not let it pass them by, no one knows these companies better than themselves.

And if a company decides that now is not the time, then that is obviously a smart choice, as long as they begin to take the necessary steps so they can get involved with Social Media sooner, rather than later.

It is a train worth boarding. Don't let it leave you at the station.

Blogging - Invading our own privacy?

Blogging still baffles a lot of people. I've been doing it since the turn of the millennium over a decade ago, over a variety of platforms.

From political rants and stories of some minor health issues on Blogger to
lamentations on broken hearts and East Texas bars on Myspace to a
rambling on and off blog on my life to this one about the business I've begun, I've been putting my thoughts out on the internet for years now.

But why does blogging still seem to confuse and even scare people? Why are they reluctant?

Part of it, I am sure, is laziness and a lack of time. Heck, I just went more than a week without updating this blog, because, well, time got away from me. It does happen - no doubt. Sometimes, we lose track of time, and sometimes we really are too busy.

For the most part, however, I think we all really do have the time. Even if we only update a couple times a week, we're at the most losing, what, an hour of web surfing time? I would imagine that most of us could spare that time, and not be any worse for the wear.

So, if that's not the bigger reason, what is?

And the masses screamed "privacy!"

For some people, it's not an issue. Their life is an open book. For others, they struggle completely. And then there are those who's lives are an open book. I've got a couple friends who are sometimes called "mommy-bloggers", and they often find themselves straddling a fine line, protecting the privacy of their partners and children while writing about them at the same time.

Privacy is what you make it. When you blog, you're in complete control. You can discuss what as much, or as little, as you'd like. Your blog can be deeply personal, or superficial. It can be professional. It can be political. It can be a mixture of all three, or really, anything you want.

Blogs are just another tool of this information sharing era. They're a way of sharing information.

From a business point of view, it's a way to spend an hour a week potentially letting millions of people know about your business, at little or no charge.

It is virtually free advertising, and a simple Google search on nearly any topic will likely net you several blogs from people who are discussing that very subject. From social security lawyers to pilots to accountants, people in all sorts of careers blog.

Every one's doing it. Whether folks are involved with birds, bees, or educated fleas, everyone is blogging.

It is a way to possibly reach a nearly limitless number of people, and since you've got complete control of the content, it would be harder to find a more cost-efficient way to spend an hour a week.