So I used to think that Bill Gates would be the one to take over the world with all the Microsoft products, but now we see who the real (hopefully, not evil) world dominator will be, Mark Zuckerberg.  Facebook is at it again.  This time they are giving developers the opportunity to use a plug on the sites the developers create that allows them to pull in FB profile information.  Now, developers are using the plug-in at a rate of 300 websites an hour!

What does this mean for you?  It means that whenever one of your friends or fans or whatever they are called these days in on CNN, for example, they might see your lovely picture already there because you read the same article they are now reading.  And, you don’t have to be logged in for that to happen.  Mark wants to make the internet a more social place with Facebook being the hub for all those social interactions.  This is either the most altruistic reason ever and we’re going to be so glad it happened.  Or, we’ll be afraid to turn on our computers because now we really don’t know who is watching.

Mashable reported about this in their article, FaceBook’s New Social Plug-Ins Come to 50,000+ Websites in One Week. 

What do you think?  Should we all be concerned about this or is it harmless fun?

Well, just when we all think that social media is getting to a manageble level it happens again.  Another social networking platform, Facebook, adds a few new features that make you go, hmmm…  Now, I do like what LinkedIn changed, but I’m not sure exactly what FB is going for.

First, they have changed the way people join fan pages.  Now, we can only like each other because apparently, according to FB, fan was too strong of a word.  Also, on the fan page you now see your personal FB friends along with the people who “like” you.  The thing that I loved about facebook’s personal profile and fan page was the separation.  I liked having people who only want to see pictures of my granddaughter separated from the other people who want to talk about social media.  It’s down right frustrating, I tell you.  I’m almost afraid to teach my next social media class because while I’m explaining a feature of some social networking site it might change that very hour. 

Second, Facebook is now introducing another level of networking (I guess that’s what it is) called community pages.  So what’s the difference between community page, fan page, personal profile and group?  I don’t believe anyone know yets.  If someone does then like the Bush’s Beans dog, they ain’t talking.  For now what is known is that individuals can create a community page.  I think that the page will be owned by the one who creates it at first but once it reaches a certain number of people who like it then the community takes over and it becomes more like a wiki.  If you understand that, please explain it to me!  LOL!

So the question again becomes should people/organizations go ahead and create a community page to have first in advantage or just wait to see what happens.  How will people use the community pages?  What will having these well liked community pages do for fan pages.  Will it make fan pages obsolete?  The world is waiting for an answer. 

Here’s my biggest question:  Are the big drug manufacturers working on a pill to combat social networking chageitsis?  I might need a perscription.  In the meantime, I guess margaritas will have to be enough.

Our world is changing at a rapid pace.  Every day new technologies challenge the limits of what we thought was possible today.  No where is that more evident than in the work environment.  Our once tried and true way of going to the office, staying there for the required amount of time, then doing it again the next day is practically gone.  I’m not saying that all corporate offices will disappear, of course.  Some jobs and careers really have to be done in person.  I mean, I wouldn’t want my doctor to perform my surgery from the golf course via teleconference call.  That would be awkward.  But overall, technology has made the idea of working remotely a viable option that could fit into many types of occupations. 

I ran across this fantastic podcast produced by Business Week Small Business called, Boosting Productivity Through Virtual Collaboration.  It takes about 30 minutes but well worth the investment of time.  The two guest panelists give great answers to questions such as these:

• How do I encourage virtual collaboration in my very traditional workplace?
• How do virtual teams create effective communication?
• When should we be face to face?
• What is virtual distance and how do we overcome it?
• How do virtual workers remove the obstacle of seeming non-productive just because you’re out of sight?

The biggest fact that this video uncovers is the idea that virtual is only about telecommuters or freelancers.  Actually, if you even use a PDA, laptop, or any mobile device you work virtually.   How many of us now have to understand how to connect to or facilitate online meetings?  Quite a few I would suspect. 

So watch the video then let me know what you think? 

Do you think that understanding how to work virtually will be a priority for your career growth?

If so, do you see that as a good thing or a curse?

As a manager of virtual workers, what would be your biggest concern?

I don’t know about you but the fact that Twitter is now profitable is a weight off my shoulders. Over the years we’ve seen these companies become a major force for changing the way people communicate. So, what if Twitter were to go under, wouldn’t that alter the lives of many. You bet it would! It would alter the lives of around 58 million people. That’s the number of people who have a presence on Twitter. Let’s say only half of those people are active, that’s still over 25 million. You just can’t buy that many impressions within a reasonable marketing and advertising budget.

You can go the Business Week article to read the announcement for yourself but briefly, it says:

1. Twitter inked a multi-year deal with Google and Microsoft that is worth around $25 million
2. The deal makes tweets available to show up in searches on Google and Bing
3. This deal confirms that Twitter is a valuable entity and will be around for a while
4. Tweets will make searches even more content rich with up to the minute information from real people

The good news is that if you are using Twitter as a marketing tool your tweets might show up in Google more frequently than your website. I’m not a web analyst or anything but it seems to me that if a few thousand people are tweeting about you then that might show up in searches faster than if you are blogging or have a website. Are there any Google experts out there who can give us some insight on how tweets might be indexed?

My biggest question right now is what will happen to sites like search.twitter.com. I always advise my clients to use this type of site to search tweets. If you can search in Google and get a multi-layered result, why go through the extra trouble of having searches on other sites. It seems redundant.

The other problem that I see for business is this whole big brother (meaning customers) is really watching now. Who doesn’t use Google? Now, current customers and potential new customers might find out in real time what people think about your business. Moreover, what about people looking for jobs? Already, HR recruiters might look at Facebook or MySpace to determine if they want to hire a person. Will your tweets now be easy to obtain by recruiters just by doing a Google search?

What do you think? Could this be the best deal of the century? Or, will it be a huge headache for marketers and advertisers?

Yesterday was another good day for me!  I had the opportunity to hear from Laura Berman Fortgang, world renowned (I’m not kidding!) personal coach at the monthly CABLE luncheon.  If there is one thing that I can say that I learned from her talk it is this:  you have got to crack yourself open to get to the goodness.   In this time of change that no one really wanted, why not open yourself up to the possibility of being who you really are?

There are so many chewy, nuggets of wisdom to share but let me give you the main points:

• Change is never easy.  Even change that is wanted can be painful at times.  If you have ever tried to lose weight then you know this pain.
• There are about three ways people react when change is happening.  You can freak out, get calm, or experience a little of both.  Balance is the goal.
• There is a new skill that people need to develop in order to tackle the changes of today.  It’s intuition.  In other words, where is your spirit leading you?
• The way that people lead others is different from decade to decade.  Remember the 80’s?  Big shoulder pads, short skirts and tennis shoes with socks over stockings.  It was a time of getting more and having it all.  These days the emerging leaders will be those who have a vision that most don’t see.  They will follow their business sense guided by their intuition.
•  It’s not about what you are.  It’s about who you are deep inside.  This is a statement that never loses it’s timeliness.
• We should all be asking ourselves questions like these to make changes that help us go forward stronger and better:  What am I built to do?  How do people use me?  What is the essence of my dreams?  Or, as Laura put it, “Don’t let your identity make you poor!”  So, you were your title till your job got sliced.  Now is the time to build yourself better and in the process enjoy your life more without starving.

Now before I let you go, I have to share one other thing that really stuck with me as I was listening to the questions from the audience members.  One person asked Laura if she thought this information was too old school.  This woman is a coach who was fearful that there is not really anything new to say about how to handle change.  She felt that her clients would just see the information that she gives them as a re-hash of what you can hear on CNN.  Wow, that’s my fear.  I want to write more and share more and encourage others to use their voice via social media and marketing to accomplish their goals.  But, I’m afraid that everything has already been said and that I’ll just look like a copycat!  Heavy!  Then Laura said, never fear, you are unique!  Many people may be saying the same thing but they won’t say it the way you do.  What?!  That’s good news.

So if you would like to know more about Laura, go to her website or fanpage.  She has written a book that can help you crack through your hard outer shell to get to the sweetness, called Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction.  I’m reading it now.  I’ll let you know what I turn into in 90 days!

OK, let’s discuss it:  Laura said that intuition is a skill we should employ in more situations.  How do you use your intuition to guide your business or life decisions?  People really want to know what you think.