I’m someone who lives what they work, and works what they live. I can’t help it. I’ve always been that way.

But I know a lot of people who successfully separate their professional lives from their personal ones. As companies strive to bring more “work / life” balance  into corporate culture (and I think this is a good thing) is these lines are becoming less defined. As we, as companies, organizations and individuals, use social technologies to share and post information related to our interests or business, we inadvertently blur these lines even more.

Most recently, one of the projects that I’m involved in [and quite enthusiastically I might add] is asking a select group of employees to use their own social profiles to communicate company information and brand voice to their networks as it relates to their personal interests and ideas. Personally, I think this is a wonderfully innovative method for a company to use employees, who are already active in social media, to not only provide public relations but to also help direct customer service questions / issues to appropriate channels,  enforce go-to-market-messaging, and humanize the company overall. But this also means that traditional separation of business from personal lives no longer exist.

And this begs the question: Are we creating a culture of social invention or one that will ultimately need a social intervention? I’m not making this stuff up, folks. Trust me, as I’m writing this, I’m sitting here thinking “Yep, I qualify for a social intervention.”

Here are my personal top ten signs you might need a social intervention:

1. You know more about what’s going on in the lives of your Facebook family than you do your real life family.
2. Instead of counting sheep at night, you’re counting tweeps.
3. Your cellphone sleeps with you more than anybody else does.
4. The first thing and last things you do in the day are to check your Facebook or Twitter updates.
5. You have a complete multi-enterprise social networking system where you post in one place and it automatically populates to all of your social network profiles.
6. You take a picture of your kids and the first thing they ask is if you’re going to post it to Facebook.
7. All of your friends know that the fastest way they can reach you is by sending you a message or tweet.
8. You no longer carry a business card or curriculum vitae because you just direct people to your LinkedIn profile.
9. You hold your family, high school or college reunions via Facebook.
10. Your therapist is one of your Facebook friends.

Just food for thought here…reflective thoughts from a self-professed social media addict. If you’re a social media addict, feel free to profess it here too! And add your own “sign” of social media addiction.

Now, I have to go write on my therapist’s Facebook wall.   See you in the tweeties!

This cartoon and the commentary from its illustrator were pulled from Sonja Thompson’s editorial on Tech Republic. I just love the thoughts that are illustrated here by fellow Ohioan and Tech Republic member dcolbert. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m an early adopter of ALL things geeky / gadgety and I’m continually running the “I am not the target audience of the Apple iPad” mantra through my head! Keep in mind too, that this cartoon was released prior to the iPad launch.

Date: January 25th, 2010

At the time of this writing, the Apple Tablet has yet to be released. There continues to be quite a bit of buzz over the actual name of the new device (see Selena Frye’s lighthearted post “Apple Tablet: The name game“), but sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Here’s a comical peek at the iSlate, compliments of TechRepublic member dcolbert.

And DColbert’s thoughts on his illustration:

3.3. Jumping the Shark:

dcolbert@… – 01/26/10 So, let’s explore that. I could write 1500 words that come to the same conclusion as I’ve scribbled here. Heck, ask anyone here, I could probably write 5000 worlds that come to the same conclusion as I’ve sketched here – but in this case, instead of words, an image popped into my head, and I felt it was an effective way to convey a point I would otherwise write about.

So to clarify, in case the message eludes anyone – I’m suggesting that the over-sensationalized hype about the Apple Tablet may be the point where Apple Corporation “Jumps the Shark” – in that I don’t think this device has a clear target, purpose, or place. It is bigger than an iPhone, smaller than a notebook, but lacking a lof of the convenience built into Netbooks (and it looks to be a lot more expensive). I’m not certain it will be as good of an e-reader as a Kindle, or as good of a iPod as, well… an iPod. It is going to cost more than a game console, so it better deliver some pretty impressive portable gaming to compete there.

Apple has gotten out too far in front of what technology could deliver in the past. A relatively famous example is the Newton – which was a flop itself but delivered Palm, the PDA reveolution, and arguably, the eventual arrival of the SmartPhone.

That is really the discussion I want to see this picture spawn. Is Apple jumping the shark with their Tablet PC? Is it so overhyped that it is bound to be a let down? Could this be the point where Jobs and the rest of the lads in Cuppertino have exhausted all of their good ideas and start relying on gimmicks and good will to try and push second rate products off on the public? Jason Hiener mentions in his article at:

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?p=1890

that Steve Jobs feels that he has released several visionary products that have changed entire industries. The Macintosh, the iPod, the iPhone – and that he predicts that this product will have the same impact. I’m not sure Jobs can work his magic on the print media industry with the same skill and success that he has enjoyed with the music industry. There are huge differences between the challenges in releasing digital music devices and releasing digital print devices.

I was ahead of the curve on the MP3 revolution. I had one of the first Kenwood in-dash MP3 players (it played MP3s off of CDs and was around $2000 in 2001, and had an unheard of Aux-In). I also had one of the earliest Creative Zen Jukebox 30mb players. I had been wanting solutions like these for several years when they were released commercially, and remember when people were rigging up 12v laptops hooked up to their speaker systems in the trunks of their cars when that was the only solution available.

I generally have my finger on the pulse of what “underground technology trends” have momentum, direction and demand – and ePublishing isn’t as hot as the industry thinks it is. The Kindle and like products are a *niche*, themselves. An oversaturated niche, at that – and one which most consumers aren’t that excited about. So I don’t see how that is going to be the killer app that drives the Apple Tablet success.

So, what place is there in the gadget ecosystem for a HUGE phone, a tiny, keyboard-less netbook that costs far more than other netbooks? A portable gaming system that costs more than dedicated consoles?

The cartoon is just a suggestion. I don’t know – but I think the cartoon is a strong possibility. I think what we’ll get is a MacBook Air with no keyboard and an enhanced iPhone OS… and the Air hasn’t exactly revolutionized Apple’s product line or had the significant impact that Jobs suggested it would at release. It has actually been looked at by the industry, by tech journalists, and by consumers as an expensive “concept” PC for gadget freaks with lots of disposable income – as a product that compares unfavorably to similar, less expensive, and better equipped alternatives from competitors.

Maybe you’re right, Steven, maybe Apple actually jumped the Shark with the Air, and the Tablet is more like the endless sit-com spin offs that seem to happen once a series has jumped the shark. This isn’t the Fonz Shark Jumping episode, that already happened. This is Joni Loves Chachi.

Time will tell.

via Pacman on Twitter. Game Over. – The Next Web

Illustration by Mike Dyson

Source: 23 Signs You are Addicted To Social Media | ploked.com

Managing your social media campaign can be a full time job for most people.  However, there are tools, widgets, plugins, and more applications being developed at a rapid rate.  Even with these advances in social media management, does it really free you from getting tangled in the social media web?  Or does it simply allow you to dive deeper down the rabbit hole to realize you have alot more work ahead of you in your social media campaign?

I find that even with all the tools I use to help myself be more efficient, I still seem to spend just as much time on social media sites if not more.  So am I addicted to social media?  More importantly, are YOU addicted to social media?

Let’s take a look and answer a few tell-tale signs that indicate you are more than likely addicted to social media.

1. You update your facebook whenever you leave the computer, whether you are gone for a minute to get some coffee, or leaving the office for the day.
2. You spend more time conversing with your online friends than you do with your own family.
3. The pictures you take are not for “memories” but rather updating your social networking profiles.
4. When you hear a joke in person, you say “lol” instead of actually laughing out loud.
5. Your social media friend accounts significantly out number your real life friends.
6. You can type faster than you can talk.
7. Social networks are your main point of contact with your friends.
8. You hear direct message “pings” in your head when you are away from the computer.
9. You bought a new cell phone specifically to be more efficient in operating your daily social networking activities when away from your computer.
10. You constantly putting a “@” symbol in front of someone’s name, whether in an email, on a forum, or even writing by hand.
11. You go through withdrawals when you can’t access your favorite social media site as a result of a server down, blocked at work, or no wi-fi connection available.
12. When you meet someone new, you give them a link to your twitter account instead of your phone number/email address.
13. When asked how much time you spend on social media sites each day, you take the actual time spent and divide it by 3…so if you spend 6 hours on it, you tell others it was only 2.
14. You skip a meal in order to spend more uninterrupted time on your favorite social network.
15. For news information you use sites such as digg.com, reddit.com, or twitter search opposed to CNN, foxnews, or the WSJ.
16. You “tweet” while driving.
17. It feels good to be part of something “viral” and to help spread it.
18. You have attended a “tweetup”.
19. While attending the above mentioned “tweetup” you “tweeted” the event to others.
20. If you meet someone in person, you commonly refer to them by their online handle instead of their real name.
21. You don’t view the “fail whale” as a sign to step away from the computer, but instead an opportunity to jump over to another social media site for the time being.
22. You are reading this blog post and nodding your head in agreement.
23. After nodding your head, you decide you are indeed addicted to social media and tweet this post!

Source: 23 Signs You are Addicted To Social Media | ploked.com

put simply, you must RECIPROCATE. without this, nothing will happen for you. You can add as many friends as you want, spew out as many messages as possible, but people will just ignore you. Social media is about Establishing Relationships. This, first and foremost.

2. no more spam

bad behaviour is punished with a simple block or unfollow. Instant lifelong banishment. Goodbye to the spam of the email days; in social media YOU have control over what you see and what you don’t see. Big difference.

3. good stuff spreads. Fast.

this is like the word-of-mouth effect in the real world, except times 100. even 1000. Good stuff reaches ‘1 person’ they pass it onto 7, then 7 times 7, in a chain that ripples out in MINUTES. Stuff that is GOLD does rise to the top. Fast.

4. be real

doesn’t matter what social network you’re on, keep it real. People will appreciate this no end. Everyone is sick of reading advertising copy all over the web, show some humor, insanity, goofiness, or insight. Be different, be real. No-one is as boring as a newsreader. INJECT personality. everyone’s got it, just let it show

5. pick your avatar carefully

doesn’t matter if it’s your real face, a cartoon character, a famous portrait, or just a logo, your Avatar says EVERYTHING. It’s the first point of contact, and the first thing that people will associate with you. Even more than your user name. It sums you up … in 90 by 90 pixels. Choose wisely.

6. log on daily

this sounds like a pure no-brainer, but I have come across people that use twitter maybe once a week. BIG NO NO! the web runs at Warp Speed! Like warp 9.9, doesn’t get much faster than that! If you really want to be in a Social Network, you have to be available, and commit something of yourself to it. It doesn’t have to be hours a day (although some people take this route), but a once-a-day checkin is the very minimum. Be active, be involved, be alive.

7. ask questions, and learn

social networks are evolving systems. Everyone has a piece of the puzzle, some individual insight based on their total experience. There’s HEAPS to learn. If someone seems to be doing it better than you, just ask. It’s very flattering when someone says: “how did you do that” … and in most cases, they will share some of their knowledge. It only empowers YOU to ask questions, doesn’t make you look dumb at all. Be humble, and open.

Social Media Mistakes That Will Lose you Friends

Ah, social media etiquette. Here are some examples of faux pas that may forfeit you friends, freak out your followers and cause your contacts to cringe:

• Auto-post the same quotes, links or messages on Twitter at intervals throughout the day–every day.
• Make a Friend request on Facebook where you are trying to sell the person in the friend request. *Cringe.*
• Send automated Direct Messages to all your new Twitter followers already trying to get them to your blog or sell them something. Fail.
• Place a long signature line with multiple links at the end of every message you leave on LinkedIn or Facebook.
• Follow people without having a Twitter bio, updates or pic.
• Use the name of your business instead of your real name for your personal Facebook profile (quick way to get banned–try Facebook Pages instead).
• Follow people on Twitter and if they haven’t followed you back within 30 minutes, unfollow them.
• Mass follow people and then unfollow them once they’ve followed back (some sort of sick Twitter numbers-boosting game).
• Curse up a storm on people’s Facebook walls.
• Social bookmark your own posts and content repeatedly.
• Choose a profile picture showing you doing a keg stand.
• Decide you’re too busy to interact on social sites but still want to claim you’re “on” them. Hence, you drop in every other week to plug your new product or service but do little to provide any real value.
• Decide you’re too busy or too “rock star” to respond to any Twitter @ replies and DMs directed to you.
• Ask for recommendations on LinkedIn from anyone and everyone who you have ever worked in the same building with.
• Constantly re-tweet complimentary @ replies you’ve received without at least adding a “thanks.”

So, am I perfect? Of course not. But this post was fun to compile. How are your social graces? Anything else you’d like to add to this list?

via Social Media Mistakes That Will Lose you Friends, by Christine

Additional links:

• The Ultimate Social Media Etiquette Handbook: The Most Egregious Sins on Social Media Sites, Exposed » techipedia | tamar weinberg
• Life in The Blue Nowhere, Samir Datar
  

This past weekend was the season finale of Saturday Night Live — it was a great end to what I think was an absolutely incredible 34th season. In my humble opinion, the current ensemble cast is the best SNL has had in a very, very long time.

Here are my top 10 skits from this past season:

Madonna and Angelina Jolie Baby Face-Off [ April 4 ]

Fourth Jonas [ Feb 14 ]

Seth Rogan, the Bear Man [ April 4 ]

Vice Presidental Debate: Biden vs Palin [ October 4 ]

Palin / Clinton Opening [ September 13 ]

Couric / Palin Opening [ September 27 ]

Angie Tempura, Celebrity Blogger – First Weekend Update [ February 14 ]

Angie Tempura, Celebrity Blogger – Second Weekend Update [ April 11 ]

Behind-the-Scenes with Mark Wahlberg [ October 18 ]

Alec Baldwin Opening Monologue [ February 14 ]

A pretty witty and very accurate graph of trending topics as they appear on Twitter.

While this illustration of the anatomy of hashtag meme relevance  is based on observations of people using Twitter over time, it’s also supposed to be tongue in cheek. There’s no supporting data and this is not intended to conform to rigorous scientific principals of research. It is, however, a pretty accurate hunch and a familiar pattern to many.

This image was originally posted to Twitter with the tag #fauxiology.

Giving credit where credit is due:

I found this post on my good friend, James Poling’s, blog; however, the original post can be found here.

Source: Social Media Cartoon | Regular (S)expressions.

Source: Social Media Today

Social Media Cartoon: Flitterin = Facebook + Twitter + LinkedIn.