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A Teen’s POV of Facebook

Tracy Pattin — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:39:47 +0000

They say that teens don’t like Twitter. But they love Facebook. So much so, that this brilliant teen (Blair Horner) did a class project analyzing Facebook and its value to society. He uses low tech concepts like fire, cement truck, even eggs, to shed light on Facebook’s impact. Here’s what he wrote:

F-A-C-E-B-O-O-K

F= fire
A= apps
C= cement truck
E= eggs
B= business (wall street)
O= ocean
O= operating system (facebook blue)
K= knowledge (brain)

F: Fire

Facebook has taken part in sparking revolutions worldwide. In Egypt for example, Facebook helped start a historic revolution and spread the news throughout the country like wild fire. Had Facebook not been present, Egyptian citizens would not have been able to notify each other about the uprising, and it would not have been as

successful.

A: Apps

Facebook is not just for talking with friends and seeing their photos. Facebook has a multitude of applications that incorporate social media. Farmville for example is a farming game on Facebook in which you can farm with your friends and trade supplies. Facebook has done a great job in using entertainment to connect friends. Facebook also has it’s own application for iPhones. The app gives Facebook a mobile experience that keeps users notified about what’s happening online.

C: Cement truck

Facebook has laid and is still laying the foundation for social media. Never before has there existed a social networking site as popular and original as Facebook. With its massive database of users and worldly recognition, Facebook has laid the cement, or ground work, for future means of social media.

E: Egg

Facebook hatched as a small tool for university students to stay connected. After years of existence, Facebook developed into a revolutionary service known by all. To me, Facebook isn’t just a website that helps me stay in touch with friends; Facebook is an inspiration. Facebook’s story of going from unimportant to legendary, and Mark Zuckerberg’s persistence and hope inspires my future career in business and in my life. Facebook started as an egg, but is no chicken today. Facebook is simply extraordinary.

B: Business (Wall Street)

Facebook not only benefits people, but it benefits businesses as well. Through advertisements, “pages,” and “likes,” businesses take full advantage of Facebook and its amenities. While targeting the many youthful Facebook users, clothing companies like Pacsun are among the several companies that advertise on Facebook.

O: Ocean

Like the ocean connects all the continents, Facebook connects people all over the world. Facebook has the ability to introduce people to one another through similar “likes” and tastes. Facebook improved our means of staying in-touch, communicating, sharing, and feeding friendships. According to my English class’s survey, almost 80% of us believe Facebook reinforces our current friendships. The world should give thanks to Facebook for allowing us to stay connected with one another, whether you’re in the revolting Cairo or across the sea on the coast of Palos Verdes.

O: Operating System (Facebook blue)

Facebook has a unique operating system. It’s ease of use and modern user face entices all ages. Like Apple’s OSX Leopard and Snow Leopard operating systems, Facebook is simple yet attractive. Facebook’s blue font and “F” logo are widely known and recognized. The movie, The Social Network, for example, used Facebook’s blue color and font in the title. Viewers associated The Social Network’s title with Facebook without even having seen the movie. The looks and simplicity of the Facebook website alone remain some of Facebook’s attractions.

K: Knowledge (brain)

From the beginning, Facebook has been a source of knowledge for users. Whether its knowledge about your friend’s whereabouts, knowledge about a business, or knowledge about a revolution, Facebook is a hub for information. The interesting and unique aspect of Facebook is the way in which Facebook allows users to display this information. Wall posts, pictures, advertisements, and games are among the many ways Facebook harnesses its users’ crave for information and implicates that crave through many captivating facets.

NYC Theatrical Producer Live Streams a Staged Reading. First!

Tracy Pattin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 02:31:10 +0000

New York Theatre. Broadway. Off-Broadway. It conjures up the wonderful live, in person, entertainment experience. Now add the internet and live streaming and you have a first. Jennifer Strome took her original play, The Idealist, beyond the stage and into cyberspace last week. And it was a stellar success. It was the first time a staged reading ever attempted such a high tech distribution. “We’ve had 5 million impressions so far” says writer, producer, Strome. In this interview, Jennifer talks about why and how she did this and what’s next.

-Tracy Pattin

Start-Ups and the Thank You Economy. Gary Vaynerchuk speaks.

Tracy Pattin — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:28:02 +0000

One of the best ways to get ahead of the hi-tech, New Media, Social Media curve is to listen to Gary Vaynerchuk. He’s been at it for awhile now and has become an internet sensation with this Wine Library.TV show. A simple web video show that soared into the cyber-stratosphere. Why? Because he branded himself in the most authentic way, playing to his strengths combined with great wine content. Now? He’s about to launch his second book. The Thank You Economy. Check out this video about Start-Ups and the Thank You Economy.
-Tracy Pattin

ebooks vs. old books

Tracy Pattin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:43:00 +0000

Right on the heels of my interview with epublisher, Marci Baun of WildChildPublishing, CNN did a piece today on Borders Books filing chapter 11 and the future of books. The good news is reading is here to stay, the other news is, people are reading differently in this high tech, digital download world.

According to CNN, there were 1 billion downloads in 2010. A huge indicator that ebooks are on the rise. And, the Kindle was the top seller in 2010 on Amazon.com.

Like so many aspects of this world of expanding technology, the human touch is still key as I recently wrote about in Superbowl Commercials and The Simple Human Story. So we will always love a great story, but how we get that story is changing rapidly.

eBooks aren’t going to replace old books, they’ll just live side by side. But we can’t ignore this revolution (just like we couldn’t ignore the political revolution in Egypt). Like all rapidly expanding technology, we must be open to it and embrace it, just like a good book.

-Tracy Pattin

Superbowl Commercials. The Power of the Simple Human Story

Tracy Pattin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:21:36 +0000

With all the high tech everything these days from social media, to smart phones to the latest ebook reader, how do we really connect…with each other?

Just look at Superbowl 45 and the commercials. (always my favorite part!) Volkswagen’s Mini Darth Vader commercial was a huge hit. Many of the other commercials had super duper special effects reminiscent of the hit movie, Inception, with cities morphing into each other and lots of fast paced explosions.

Then comes this simple commercial about a little kid in a Darth Vader costume trying to make his mark. In the end his dad does a little low tech magic of his own catapulting the boy to superman status.

Mega Mogul Advertising guy, Donny Deutsch was on Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb doing the Monday morning commercial quarterbacking. He deconstructed that Volkswagen commercial to analyze why it was such a hit. And it didn’t take much deconstructing. “It’s all about the simple human story”, he says.

And that says it all. Although we love our cyber interconnectedness and the ability to email our Egyptian Facebook friends in the middle of their revolution (and that really happened to me and I’ve never met that “Facebook friend” ) it’s the human touch combined with personal stories, that make lasting connections.

Think of the internet, especially social media, as a great social stepping stone to real friendships and relationships.

So how do we balance this? By using both. The internet AND the face to face, voice to voice connecting. And of course the simple human story.

What’s your story? When you’re trying to get your message out remember to share a bit of yourself. You’ll be remembered like that mini-Darth Vader.

-Tracy Pattin

eBooks. The New Wave of Publishing

Tracy Pattin — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 02:50:45 +0000

All areas of content creation are going through tremendous changes now. For years, the publishing industry has grappled and played catch-up as technology has evolved at lightning speed. For the first time in its history, Amazon’s top seller was the Kindle. And with the kindle comes epublishing. Find out how Marci Baun, owner of epublishing company, Wild Child Publishing creates her online books.

-Tracy Pattin

The Power of Video. Get Your Message Out

Tracy Pattin — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:49:56 +0000

In the wake of this stunning revolution in Egypt, the stories and videos are coming fast and furious. My Facebook friend, @Fady-Egyptian VoiceOver, is keeping me in the loop of life in Egypt. He just sent me this video of an Egyptian song and sites of the 18 day revolution. The power of video. The power of our message. From revolutions to our own transformations. It’s all about the human story.

-Tracy Pattin

Every Revolution is a Social Revolution

Tracy Pattin — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:36:18 +0000

I’ve been watching for two weeks the amazing, emerging revolution in Egypt. Today was the most intense, the most exhilarating and the most disappointing. President Mubarak did not step down as anticipated. As I watched and waited like all the Egyptian protesters in Tahrir square, part of me wished I was there. Then all of a sudden, I got a Facebook email from a Facebook “friend” who responded to my status about Ghonim the Google executive who claims he “started this revolution” using Facebook and Twitter. He was right there in Egypt. I was able to get up-to-date info about what was happening while they were waiting for Mubarak to speak. 10 seconds before Mubarak came on state television, my Facebook Egyptian friend, wrote, “turn on your TV now.” The next second…Mubarak came on. Ahh, the power of the internet, the power of social media.

The power of social media is here and just like the Egyptian protesters’ brave fight for freedom, there is no turning back. Social Media is now synonymous with change. Not only is it change for it simply existing. Change in the way we connect, the way we live, the way we educate ourselves and expand our lives.

Now social media means social change of societies and governments. It’s truly an exciting, exhilarating, and painful time. It’s a time participate in this relatively new medium more than ever.

As President Obama said today, “We are all interconnected now.”

-Tracy Pattin

Tips for Effective Social Media Marketing

Tracy Pattin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 02:06:37 +0000

Personal Branding is about passion but it’s also about getting your message out there. One key was is through Social Media. Best to have a game plan.

Here is a great article on how to strategize your Social Media marketing:

8 Simple Steps for Effective Social Media Marketing

Creating an online marketing strategy is vital when making the decision of whether to add social media to your marketing campaigns or not. A plan required to know what steps you will need to take and to aid you in staying focused on your goals. Read More…

(Photo by MarketingFelines.com)

Flip Camera Video Tips. Sound is Important

Tracy Pattin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:47:11 +0000