BASICS

When did you first become a Facebook user?I opened a Facebook account my sophomore year of college in June 2004. We were one of the first 20 or so colleges, University of Florida, with a Facebook account and being that it was summer, not too many people were on Facebook.

Along with a couple of my friends, we spent the majority of our time looking at hot girls, and exchanging pokes (well poking girls and not getting poked back), and trying to determine if a girl was hot from her one picture; “her neck is fat, that’s how you can tell,” “if it’s just a picture of their face, that’s a bad sign,” “she lists chocolate as an interest…”.

What are your typical activities on Facebook? Now I mostly use Facebook for staying in touch with my friends that have moved on. I am still in my college town, working at a startup and find it hard sometimes to stay on top of everything. I occasionally view photos, but mostly find Facebook overwhelming.

What is the social impact of Facebook? Facebook is basically an always-on AIM, AOL Instant Messenger. Before, if you wanted to talk to someone, you had to wait for them to sign on AIM, and then you had the tentative moments of girls signing on and IMing you and you getting all excited and also having them sign on, stay on for a few minutes and you IM they as they sign off and you feel like a moron — ah, the good ‘ol days

Now you can stalk people regardless of if they’ve signed on, and you can browse their pictures and realize how ugly their friends are or how drunk they get, quite fun stuff. Also, before Facebook, nobody had an email box, so if you wanted to reach them you had to call them or hope to catch them on AIM. Now with the pseudo mailboxes on Facebook, you can drop people notes and more easily stay connected with those friends of yours that don’t use email.

FUNCTIONALITY

What Facebook features you could not live without? I think the photos are probably the key feature that I enjoy the most. It allows me to sit back, relax and either get a little emo or LOL at when you see ridiculous pictures. My friends like to use pictures as a forum as well, starting 150 long comment strings on pictures we particularly like or don’t like Also I’d say messaging and poking are two of the crucial features that truly set Facebook apart from the other social networks, with their ability to contact people in different ways.

What features do you wish Facebook had? Honestly, I wish I had more easy control over the content I receive in my news feed, and more control over the connections I have to people. Originally, when I added people as friends, I wish there were options to control my degree of connection to people. The whole ‘how do you know this person’ doesn’t sit well with my generation, and I find whenever somebody prompts me with that question, it’s almost insulting. What do you mean you don’t remember how you know me? We hooked up! …joking!

What do you think of the Facebook user interface? Facebook has definitely been improving their interface with additional use of Ajax, simplifying menus, navigation, controls. The biggest feature they should add is the ability for me to view people’s pages without the annoying widgets or whatever you call them.

How did the Facebook platform changed enhance your usage of Facebook? Facebook Platform? What’s that? The annoying applications and everything? It seems like it gave my friends more reasons to waste time and not focus on getting rich, so that’s a plus for me. Some of the applications are useful, like Picnik for photo editing and the event management stuff, but for me, I’m more of a peanut butter jelly guy than a triple mocha whipped frappaccinno. (sp?)

Do you have a lot of applications installed? How about your friends? I have like 5 applications installed, all of which were installed in the early days when I thought it would be cool to list my drinks — I chose like pina colada or something ridiculous for fun, but after being bombarded with 8,000 invitations to be a vampire, it got old real fast. I’m too lazy or it’s too hard to disable the notifications, so now I check my Facebook once a week and just clear out the messages.

My friends have a lot of applications, Jetman being particularly popular. But to me the game sucks, maybe I’m too old or “mature,” but I just feel like I’m wasting my time. By the way, I’m not too old at all, I’m young, 23.

PRIVACY

Do you trust Facebook with your personal information? What is Facebook going to do with it? If I say I like pizza in my profile, and I get 50 more offers for Pizza, isn’t that what I want? Yes. The only time things like this turn bad is when you receive stuff you don’t want, and if there’s no limit to the moderation: enter facebook applications.

What have you seen that people have shared that you found out of line? Nothing really, I’m never one to judge. I personally find it ridiculous that businesses look on people’s Facebook to determine if someone will be a good ‘job candidate’. Unless they have pictures of themselves at Michael Vick’s dog camp or waiving Confederate flags, let kids be kids and have fun. In fact, isn’t getting drunk what these executives do at their last Christmas party?

What sort of things would you hesitate to share? Your true feelings. Facebook is so sensationalist, if you post anything that offers a true picture of yourself, you can be open to all sorts of “what’s wrong, blah blah, etc.”.

ADVERTISING / SHOPPING

What do you think of Facebook advertising? Do you find Facebook ads more relevant than other online ads? Ha! Facebook advertising is the worst. However, with the integration into the feed I have found certain ads not so bad. I mainly use the ads as a way of telling what new movies and TV shows are out. Perhaps if Facebook linked new movies/tv shows up to reviews, they might be more valuable.

Facebook ads are like ads on TV, nobody pays attention to them because they’re on TV or Facebook, only if they resonate to them. If you’re seeing ads on your favorite blog, you draw a personal connection to the ads because of the medium, Facebook is just too mainstream.

Would you purchase books, movies, or music if you saw that your friends bought them? If my friends purchase something they like, they’ll tell me about it. If I see they buy a book, and don’t mention it to me, it means the book probably sucks. Consumers naturally want to tell other people about the cool things they buy, it gives them a feeling of satisfaction and is a reward in and of itself.

THE LONG TERM IMPACT

Would you still use Facebook after you graduate? I just graduated in May of 2006 and have definitely decreased my Facebook usage, but this may have to do with the fact that I have a girlfriend and all of my free time is spent with her, but with people splitting apart Facebook loses its core utility of connecting you with the people around you.

Would you be comfortable using Facebook to connect with your co-workers? Again, this goes back to my original point about employers looking poorly upon Facebook. If you want to be successful at your job, you have to get along with the people around you, and connecting on Facebook is a good start.

Where will Facebook be in 5 years? Facebook will probably never morph into Linkedin unless they can figure out a way to segment people into different groups. As of now, I look to Linkedin for people who are more business-minded and looking to network. Facebook is basically a hodgepodge ranging from the town moron up to your CEOs, but that huge range makes navigating and trying to use Facebook as a utility very difficult and frustrating. Facebook does have all of the connections I need in my personal life, so if they can find a way to interlink these connections into every application and device I use from my cell phone to my GPS, that would be pretty damn cool.

Conclusion After completing this survey, it probably makes me want to use Facebook even less as I just think about all of the stupid application requests sitting in my inbox and me trying to avoid. Oh well, Facebook, I haven’t deleted my account yet and probably never will, so rest assured, you still have a special place in my heart since the time we first met over 3 years ago <3

This list is for 2008, and should be a good resource for your operations, business development, and ad team planning out their year:

International CES, Las Vegas January 7-10 2008

CES is the end-all, be-all of the digital world. Every new tech gadget from cell phones with 10 megapixel cameras to keynote presentations by Bill Gates, anybody whose anybody is here.

Being in Vegas, there’s also a lot of fun night life and rival Adult Entertainment Expos to help you build those business development relationships over some sodas at the dance clubs.

Be sure to book your hotels early, as you might have a hard time finding a room with this massive influx of people to Vegas, and not even mentioning that early in the year is prime-time for vacations.

Ticket prices:
$799 ultimate pass
$499 full knowledge track pass
$179 single session pass

As always, discounts for advance purchase

Location:
Las Vegas, Jan 7-10 2008

CES Blog
CES RSS Feed

Demo, Palm Desert, CA Jan 28-30 2008

Demo is a launching pad for a startups looking to get the maximum amount of exposure, and unfortunately, charges startups to ‘demo’ their products, thus making it a half-endorsement. I personally prefer the TechCrunch model of giving the presenting companies a free ticket, because, honestly, companies probably shouldn’t be spending a lot of money to present their product.

Unfortunately, registration is closed for demo-ers (closed on Nov 9), but there’s always next year.

A block of rooms has been reserved for DEMO 08 attendees at a discounted rate of $274 per night, plus tax. Reservations must be made by January 2, 2008 to receive this special rate. After January 2, rates and availability cannot be guaranteed. Please note: Your registration fee does not include hotel accommodations.

Ticket prices:
$2,999 non-discounted rate
$250 for an additional companion

(There are options for promotional codes, if anyone has any, please share)

Location:
San Francisco, Jan 28-30, 2008

Demo RSS Feed

WebGuild Conference & Expo, Santa Clara, CA Jan 29 2008

The WebGuild Conference is a more intimate event than something like CES, and as a result, a better opportunity for networking. Personally I like conferences like this where you can sit next to the Marissa Mayer’s of the world and have a real heart-to-heart as opposed to the hectic chaos of a CES.

This is the sequel to the first WebGuild put on last year, and this year “will feature keynotes, panels, expo, awards, networking sessions, reception, music, and food & drinks.”

Ticket prices:
Until Dec 31:
Member $199
Non-member $299
Premier expo pass $130

Location:
Santa Clara, CA Jan 29, 2008

Future of Web Apps, Miami Feb 28-March 1, 2008

Topics to be covered include:

• What makes the next great startup?
• Open social: plug in to a new platform
• The future of web apps is beyond the browser
• Launch a web app in 40 minutes
• The problem with social networks

Feedback from the past conferences has been great with audio bites from Michael Arrington, Kevin Rose (not available yet), and Om Malik.

Tickets are really affordable, with students starting at $50 and startups at only $95 each.

Ticket prices:
$50 student price
$95 startup price

Location:
Miami, Feb 28-Mar 1, 2008

Web 2.0 Expo, San Francicso April 22-25 2008

In 2007, there were a number of powerhouses in the room, with names like, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Ballmer, Jay Adelson, Om Malik, Marissa Mayer, this isn’t a conference to miss.

Now 2008, we have the Web 2.0 Expo. This conference is for the builders of the next generation web: designers, developers, entrepreneurs, marketers, business strategists, and venture capitalists. They have a list of who should attend, so if you are on this list, get your credit cards ready !

• Business strategists
• Web and UI designers
• Product managers
• Marketing professionals
• CxOs and IT managers
• Business managers
• Developers in established companies
• Grass roots developers and hackers
• Companies and organizations tracking emerging technologies
• VCs and entrepreneurs

The conference takes place April 22-25, 2008 at Moscone West in San Francisco, California. General registration opens in December 2007 (now).

Ticket prices:
Registration begins Dec 2007, sign up for the newsletter to be notified.

Locatio

n:

San Francisco, CA April 22-25 2008

Feedback from Web 2.0 Summit, 2006:
The Best and the Worst of the Web 2.0 Summit

TechCrunch40, San Francisco, Sep 17-18 2007

The TechCrunch40 was a huge success, as the conference was originally label the TechCrunch20, but decided to expand due to the huge response they received from willing companies.

The expo was designed as a means for startups to showcase their wares, while also realizing that startups are on a limited budget, so the 40 presenting companies all got to showcase for free.

There has yet to be an announcement on the next conference for 2008, and how big that 20, 40 number will be.

Ticket prices:
$2,500 standard rate ticket price
$900 demo pit price

Location:
San Francisco, Sep 17-18, 2007
2008 Unannounced

Mobile 2.0 Conference San Francisco, Oct 15, 2007

2008 looks to be the year of mobile, with all of the technologies being poised for explosion, from iPhone with 3G, to OpenSocial, to Verizon opening their platform, we are going to be seeing a lot of progress in the mobile world in 2008, and this event should be a must-attend.

Last year, it was a one-day event that had big names from Vodafone, Nokia, Shozu, Taptu and the like.

Review of the first Mobile 2.0 Conference

Ticket prices:
$145 standard ticket

Location:
San Francisco, Oct 15, 2007
2008 Unannounced

Web Builder 2.0, Dec 2007, Unannounced for 2008

The last Web Builder conference took place Dec 3-5, 2007 in Las Vegas, and seeing how we just missed it, it makes me wish I put this list together a month ago!

This conference is tailored specifically for the development team, so get your evdo cards ready, as they suggest you bring

• Developers
• Designers
• Product Managers

This conference is a bit on the pricey side, with tickets starting at $1,295 for the 2-day standard pass, but they promise a lot,

In three days, five focused technical tracks and full-day workshops you’ll get tips and tricks on everything from AJAX to Wikis, from REST to CSS. Plus, you’ll find in-depth advice from experienced practitioners and top industry figures to help you get the job done. Attend and learn how to build solutions faster, gain productivity and enhance your entire Web experience.

Ticket prices:
$1,295 2-day conference-only package rate
$1,595 3-day gold passport

Location:
Las Vegas, Dec 3-5, 2007
2008 Unannounced

Blogged with Flock

I’ve been trying to dedicated myself to a number of my social networks that I have recently become members, and I’m really falling in love with LinkedIN.

Per the duties of my job, I have to hunt down record labels to solicit talk to them about licensing their content in our music network, Grooveshark. And part of this involves me scouring through our Billboard record label book, and also combing the Internet for any hint of an email address or phone number.

In the past, we’ve mostly been relegated to info@recordlabel.com, which is pretty much a dead-end for us. Normally, we would write these guys off until we found another connection to them, but now, we have LinkedIN.

Thanks for LinkedIN, when I’m searching for a contact at Sub Pop records, all I have to do is search in LinkedIN, and I find their General Manager, Director of Technology. And now, I have a name to put to that generic info@recordlabel.com. From there, what I’ve been doing is Googling these people, and finding whatever other information or contact portal I can for these people and from there I’m initiating a conversation.

So that brings us to the quick and easy bullet points people love:

Look for new customers on LinkedIN

If you have a particular industry you’re looking for, search for that term, and see who pops up.

Look for investors on LinkedIN

With the amount of self-promotion that goes on on this site, it’s hard to look somewhere without someone asking for $1-5 million in the Answers section, but, if you have tact, you can find the right people, and just figure out the correct approach to reach them.

Look for partners on LinkedIN

There’s nobody better to partner with than someone whose at the same stage of development as you. Besides crawling TechCrunch for the latest startups, LinkedIN is another great place to network with fellow startup entrepreneurs. Check out the Startups section of Answers and see who’s active.

Look to sell people when they come to your profile

Although it took me some time to learn this, this is definitely a valuable lesson. When visitors come to your profile, you have a chance to sell them. Whether you want them to visit your blog, buy your product, or become your friend, you only have a couple of seconds, so make sure you’re polished. Here’s my personal pitch:

Grooveshark is a music sharing community that compensates users for marketing their favorite artists. We developed our platform with the goal of competing with the illegal networks, and tapping into the over 300 billion illegal downloads yearly.

To truly compete with the illegal networks, we offer our users free, full-length streaming on any of our tracks, we give them $.25 compensation for any $.99 song they sell, and we give them the same drm-free collection they can find on the illegal networks, on our network, all while guaranteeing the labels and artists are paid.

We are actively looking to make new connections in the following areas:

* Record labels and artists looking to license their content in our community
* Complementary web-services looking to grow their user base and partnership opportunities
* Advertisers looking to expand their digital media portfolio with an innovative new advertising platform

Shoot me an email at andrew.wise@grooveshark.com

Hopefully these tips will be of help, but feel free to add any you’ve picked up.

Related posts:

Howto Use Gmail to Archive All of Your Emails
Howto Pack Light When Traveling
First Impressions Are Key for New Blogs