On Tuesday, we mentioned there could be some epic changes coming to Facebook in the near future (special thanks to those who gave us input). Yesterday, Facebook executives held a special press event to announce some of these major changes. The message of the event was simple… “Give the users more control.”

Facebook mentioned a few ways they plan on making this happen.  First, they are going to make it possible for users to download their entire profile (information, photos, videos, etc…) onto a zip file. The feature will conveniently be called “Download Your Information.”  Second, they plan on making the application dashboard easier to navigate by switching it from a two-screen menu to just one.  Lastly, and most importantly, Facebook is going to significantly expand its Groups feature.

Mark Zuckerberg believes that the new Groups feature will solve the “biggest problem in social networking.” It will allow users to share content and interact on a more personal level within their different social circles. You will soon be able to effectively separate your friends from family or your co-workers from everyone else.

How Do These Changes Help Your Company?

You can start by cleaning up your profile.  Anything that is currently on your profile will be able to be easily saved and stored away for your own private use. You know those pictures you have of you at your friend’s bachelor party? Or what about the video of you doing Karaoke at the bar last weekend? Well, naturally you may not want some of your potential clients to see these, but for some reason you can’t bare to remove them.  Now, you can save everything all at once with just one click to make sure that you never forget or live down those embarrassing moments.

More importantly, the Groups feature can be used as a great tool for your company. First off, and most obviously, you can create a network or group for your employees. This will allow you to chat, E-mail, and share links or presentations with each other throughout the day. It’s almost as if you have a company conference 24 hours a day through the Facebook interface.

There is also a clear difference in the way you talk to co-workers as opposed to your closest friends. Now, you can set a business status as well as a personal status and only the group’s respective members will be able to see them. Similarly, you can easily send out your invites to business events or meetings without filling your friends inboxes. Basically, it allows you to focus a proper amount of time to both your business and your personal life without worrying about the two mixing.

Zuckerberg has referred to these changes as “the future of Facebook.”  We advise you to become familiar with them now and to make sure your company is on the right road.  Because, lets face it. Where we’re going next there are no roads.

I often find it difficult to imagine life before telephone or Instant Messenger.  How could you ever know where your friends were? As I sit back and ponder this question, the new generation starts to wonder what life was like before Facebook.  How could you ever make friends? And then, how could you ever know where they were?

“The Social Network” takes us back to a time before Facebook and lets the audience peek in on the process of its creation. We see Facebook grow from its roots in a Harvard dorm room (circa 2004) into the beginning of the mega network that it is today.

Warning: The following review contains spoilers (Read at your own will).

From the moment the opening credits rolled, it is obvious that the story is going to focus on the character portraying Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jessie Eisenberg.  This is made clear from the first scene of the movie, in which we see an encounter between him and his girlfriend. Throughout the conversation, we start to realize the type of person that is being portrayed. Mark speaks incredibly fast and in an almost demeaning tone as he insults his girlfriend and her apparent lack of a future.  Mark seems extremely sharp but almost unaware of what is socially acceptable. The meeting ends with the girlfriend telling Mark, “dating you is like dating a StairMaster” and then ending the relationship as she tells him off and leaves.

The next scene further develops Zuckerberg’s character as we see him encrypting code in his dorm room. His objective is to create a website called “Facemash,” which would randomly pair two pictures of female students at Harvard next to each other and allow the users to decide who was hotter by clicking “left or right”.  Obviously still motivated by getting back at his now ex-girlfriend, he refuses to stop or take no for an answer.  After furiously figuring out the proper algorithm and hacking into various security systems within the Harvard dorm directories, he is finally able to create the site and release it to the public.  The site spread faster than he had ever imagined and within a couple of hours so many people had accessed it that Harvard had to shut down their computer system.  This of course made Zuckerberg happy as he seemingly just sought revenge and perhaps some trouble.  In addition to the fact that he was drunk during this process, he was also simultaneously blogging on his website.  It was truly an incredible feat.  It is obvious that Mark is brilliant, and perhaps even unaware of what he is truly capable of, but also that he is rather self-centered, anti-social, and awkward.  The site created outrage from all of the girls at the school and especially from his ex-girlfriend who seemed to be ruined from some of the things that Zuckerberg wrote about her on his blog.  Again, he seemed fairly unremorseful about this.

Don’t worry, I am not about to give you a scene by scene analysis of the movie. But, I chose to spend a lot of time detailing these two first scenes because I feel they are important to understand the movie’s intentions. Aaron Sorkin (screenwriter) put a lot of effort into the character development of Mark Zuckerberg so I want to relay this as accurately as possible.  It is not only the history of Facebook but also a look into common themes of human nature like greed, revenge, and friendship through the eyes of its creator.

This stunt got Mark’s name put in the paper and got him some notoriety for his work. He was soon contacted by three fellow students with an idea for a new dating service called “Harvard Connect”.  Mark accepted but seemed to have bigger ideas. He would eventually turn their idea into the beginnings of what is now Facebook.

Mark and a couple of his “friends” including Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield, who was his CFO, began to put in a series of events which would lead to Facebook’s success. From here on out the movie seemed to take off and move really fast.  But, I would guess that this is no coincidence considering it parallels an overnight success story which seemed to move faster than anyone could have ever imagined.

Things really got moving when Mark took the company out to California for the summer of 2004. This is supposedly where all the magic happened.  He took his programmers and his interns along with him leaving Eduardo behind in New York trying to find investors. In Eduardo’s absence, a new player came to the forefront of the company. Sean Parker (co-founder of Napster), played by the ever so lovable Justin Timberlake, became the face of the company. He ultimately took the company to a new level by finding investors who were willing to pay large amounts of money to get the project moving.  This character immediately bumped heads with the afformentioned Eduardo as they both kind of jostled for position to be the #2 in the company.

The rest of the story portrays the beginnings of success as well as the struggle of power between the parties involved.  Things moved really quickly and friendships were put to the test.  For the most part, they all failed. It seemed as though Facebook was the only thing that Mark cared about.

The movie is told in what seems to be flashback form. In the present, we are shown a meeting between Mark, the three students who claimed to have invented the idea, Eduardo (who is now apparently suing for his share of the company) and all of their lawyers. Through each of their testimonies we are shown the sequence of events that led them to this tension filled meeting.

All through the meeting, Mark maintained his sharp but stubborn tone.  He never once seemed to show remorse for what he had done to Eduardo, who seemed to play almost the role of the hero in this movie.  It was not until the very end of the meeting when mostly everyone was gone that Mark showed any sign of regret for how things ended up.  We were able to see that Mark did have some sort of a heart and that behind his stone cold front was a caring person. Perhaps, he was just not good at showing it.

Upon the movie’s conclusion we were shown some of the settlements that these parties reached. However, to me it was not the movie’s goal.  The numbers are not what mattered.  While this movie was based on a true story, depicting the history of Facebook seemed to be just one of the many things the movie aimed to accomplish. In fact, this was potentially the only thing that bothered me about the movie; The fact that it was hard to know what was true and what was not. But, nonetheless it did a good job of commenting on its real theme, which was how people interact when money and greed get in the way. I think the tagline for the movie actually puts it best, ““You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”

Recommendation: I apologize if there was more synopsis in there then you expected, but it was only because I did feel very strongly about the movie. I thought it was extremely well done and that you will probably see Jesse Eisenberg’s name appear somewhere on the Oscar Ballot for his portrayal of a brilliant but perhaps insecure Mark Zuckerberg. I must admit as I left the theater I was very interested to find out which aspects of the movie were true and which were false. But, I also left feeling accomplished and ambitious. On the surface it is a simple movie, but I believe it to be much deeper than that.

If you haven’t seen it yet, please check it out, because we would love to hear from you!

Hi, my name is Michael. I like long walks on the beach and $60,000 grants.  Thanks to Grouspawn, a new online dating service sponsored by Groupon, the criteria for the dating game has changed forever.  Groupon, which has become the web’s fastest growing discount site has recently announced its newest and most interesting product. Grouspawn is a baby making money taking machine.

The way it works is simple. If you can prove that your first date was a Groupon sponsored event and that this date ultimately resulted in the birth of your child with this person whom you went on the date with, then you will be awarded a $60,000 grant for your child’s college tuition.  Groupon CEO Andrew Mason announced the site and the grant opportunity yesterday at the TechCrunch Disrupt.  The deal is intended to encourage singles to find mates to share their Groupon deals with.

Couples will be required to prove that they met on a Groupon date using things such as pictures with the newspaper and date on it, credit card statements, testimonials from friends and family, and blogs among other things. They will also be required to prove that the baby belongs to the both of them (this is done using a pretty standard procedure). Lastly, they must sign a statement declaring that the money must be used for their child’s college tuition (although this is fairly difficult to prove). Grouspawn does acknowledge that this may encourage some to cheat the system. In fact, an anonymous profile already states that “a perfect match would be somebody willing to have a pretend baby with me so we can split the 60k prize.”

Grouspawn is certainly taking social media to a new level.  I thought there were other ways to get a scholarship like playing football or the trombone or even in the most desperate case, studying really really hard. But, maybe Grouspawn is onto something.  Perhaps, this is so crazy it just might work.

“If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a noise?” This question has been debated by great scholars and thinkers for what seems like centuries. In the social media industry, the great debate we have been trying to tackle is, “If I create a Facebook or Twitter account, will anyone actually see it?” I am here to tell you the answer to both of these questions is undoubtedly yes. Well, I can’t prove the first one quite yet (although I am working on it), but a recent development should help put an end to the great social media debate. Today, Twitter executives are meeting at the IAB Conference in New York to unveil their most recent product, referred to as “Promoted Accounts,” which is a similar idea to their promoted tweets product already in place.

The plan for Promoted Accounts has been in the works for about 2 months now, but will finally be released today.  The plan calls for businesses to be able to be matched with industry-relevant followers as part of the “who to follow” feature. They will be matched using an algorithm which measures interest and estimated receptiveness to a certain brand.  The business can then opt to pay for a certain amount of followers which fit into this criteria.  So, for example, a group of young entrepreneurs or social media buffs would be located and recommended to follow us on Twitter.  This should serve as an incredible tool for businesses to effectively reach their target audience.

The meeting is going on as we speak, so feel free to check in later for more details.  As the top social media minds work out one debate in New York I will continue my work on the other…TIMBERRR!

Anyone who has ever played a game of Risk knows that in order to take over the world you must start with a strong base in Australia and attack from there (Or at least that’s what my dad always said).  Well, my father was finally proven right.  Only, what he forgot to mention, was that the quickest way to achieve world domination was through the form of a “Twitter Attack“.

Yesterday, Pearce Delphin, a 17 year old kid from Melbourne, Australia became the latest to threaten the livelihood of our online identities when he exposed an apparent Twitter security flaw.  Delphin initiated the havoc when he tweeted a code that would allow websites to open up in pop-up browsers whenever a user’s mouse would go over a link. This escalated when a group of hackers discovered the flaw and used it to implant harmful and malicious content as part of a large worm attack on all Twitter users.  Before morning’s end thousands of casual users were hit with viruses as part of the attack.  Twitter eventually would announce through a tweet on its status blog that it had secured the breach, but not before the attack had caused widespread panic that could have reached hundreds of thousands of people.

Pearce, who refers to himself as, “an almost legal teen, social media whore & politics lover” admitted that he was in over his head and did not expect all of this to happen. He stated, “”I did it merely to see if it could be done … At the time of posting the tweet, I had no idea it was going to take off how it did. I just hadn’t even considered it.” Now, Pearce has become somewhat of an online sensation (perhaps the biggest Australian online sensation since the “Australian Party Guy“).  And, he seems to be enjoying his moment in the spotlight posting tweets on his Twitter page such as “”Guise, look at me, I’m Internet faaaamous! and “”I appear to be receiving some media coverage. What a great pleasure it must be, to have a friend as wonderful as me.”

SociaLink’s Stance: From this story, it is clear the tremendous impact that Twitter can have on our society, and it is crazy how quickly something can spread using this medium.  Unfortunately, in this case it was used with bad intentions.  However, this also shows how quickly Twitter can be used for good (Just look at Paris Hilton’s Twitter…her bunnies had babies today!).  So, load up your Twitter accounts and prepare to take over the world one tweet at a time.  You may be starting in Australia, Kamchatka, or here in the United States, but the only thing we know for sure is that first you must roll the dice.

-Michael

SociaLink Media officially clicked it’s ruby red heels three times yesterday and landed in its new home.  And, no, we are definitely not in Kansas anymore.  Following the likes of 3M, Target, and Charlie Conway, SociaLink has become the next great thing to officially have a home in Minneapolis. Yesterday, Martin Pesis placed the final touches which would mark the official opening of SociaLink Headquarters, Minneapolis.

The sign rests along the Louisiana exit off Highway 394, but our efforts will extend far beyond.  There are many exciting things going on at SociaLink Media these days, and the move is just a sign of things to come (pun intended).  SociaLink is now offering a wide array of new products which can be seen at SociaLinkMedia and we encourage everyone to take a look!

But, before I go, I want to explain something that has been bothering us here at SociaLink for quite some time.  That is of course, the debate over the meaning of our blog title.  Many people have asked us what SociaLink Sandbox means. We were under the impression that everyone understood its genius but I guess everyone needs a little push now and then.  So, I want to explain it now so we can have some “clarity here tonight” (check out this link if you like laughing). Seriously though, I promise you will laugh.  Anyway, back to the title.

SociaLink Sandbox is meant to represent the many online tools that we play with here at SociaLink.  Just as a child in a sandbox uses his pale and shovel to build a sandcastle, SociaLink uses Google Reader and other online tools to build our very own blog version of a sandcastle.  Get it? Ok, maybe we understand why it was so difficult…

Until next time, this is SociaLink telling you there truly is no place like a new home!

If you’re like me at some point this week you signed onto Gmail and were met with  prompt asking you to download Google Voice Chat.

For a few months now I’ve been a user of Google Voice.  Google Voice (and other services like PhoneBooth.com) allow you to register for free and get an additional telephone #.  PhoneBooth’s explanatory video (a product SociaLink sells by the way!) does a great job explaining why the service is useful – especially as a small business owner.

As an expat from Minnesota, living in Chicago, I don’t want to change my # to include a 312 area code.  I like my Twins, my pizza not deep dish and my area code 612.  HOWEVER, as a business owner I wouldn’t want to put off a potential customer by giving the idea that I’m not a Chicago resident – maybe I can’t be reached urgently if needed, etc.?  So Google Voice allows me to register a 312 # and forward all call to my existing cell phone.  At networking events, etc. I give out the 312 # and (explosion noise) no love lost.

With Google Voice, however, this service was only good for receiving calls.  But… (another explosion noise), now Gmail Voice Chat solves this problem!  The service syncs to gmail and allows free calls anywhere in the USA. – free!  Even Skype charges $0.02/minute (last I checked).

In summary, for someone with limited reception or limited cell phone minutes, this service is a gem!  It will be interesting to see how affected services – Phonebooth, Skype, and even cell phone carriers like ATT, Sprint, Verizon – react.  Google is the newest biggest player in the game.

-Danny

Are you a capable and hard-working person with Social Media experience?  SociaLink is hiring!

To see our job posting check the St. Thomas Job Board or see below:

SociaLink Media

Social Media Manager

Full-Time Job

http://www.socialinkmedia.com/

Position Detail:

About the Company

SociaLink Media helps brands find value in social media through developing company-wide strategies and innovative technologies. Working with companies to create social media action plans that drive customer engagement and monetization, SociaLink always has the customer’s overall business objectives in mind. SociaLink is looking for a Social Media Manager who will be responsible for managing multiple client’s social media accounts.

We are a company with huge growth potential for any candidate!

The Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate is an energetic, ambitious and highly-organized individual driven by a passion for social media, who loves working in a creative environment. Candidate must display a high degree of self-motivation with a proven track record working within the interactive space. Must have excellent written and verbal communications skills, and experience with social media platforms such as: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs, etc. Knowledge of WordPress, HTML and CSS is a huge plus!

Overview of the Job:

The Social Media Manager will oversee the day-to-day deployment of consumer communication across a range of social media platforms for a variety of clients, each with a distinctive voice and following.

Responsibilities Include:

*Manage a portfolio of social media accounts and engage with online audiences, both reactively and proactively, to promote the account on social channels such as blogs, message boards, social networks, video upload hubs, etc.
*Help establish an editorial calendar of social media posts and responses.
*Interpret analytics and develop performance reports for effectiveness gauging.
*Attending kickoff meeting with clients, and researching target audiences and competitors.

Qualifications:

*BA or BS in Marketing, Communications, or other relevant degree.
*Superb communication and grammatical skills.
*Excellent knowledge of Social Media/Web 2.0 applications.

Application Deadline: Tuesday, 9/7/2010

Inquiries and applications:

Please email HR@socialinkmedia.com, Subject line: Social Media Manager – with the following:

*Resume and Cover Letter listing three reasons why you’d be a good fit
*Three examples of great social media posts from around the internet and why you think they are impressive.
*Salary expectations

Martin
E-mail: HR@socialinkmedia.com

This feature was launched by Facebook last September, but it is still somewhat unknown by users.  This can be a very useful way to give a friend or business recognition to your entire Facebook network.

If you want to mention a friends name or a company in a Facebook Status update just type in the @ symbol and start typing the name.  This is very similar to Twitter, who has really redefined the “at symbol”.  Facebook will auto-generate a list of names in your network and clicking on the name will tag them in your post.  Once clicked, the @ symbol will disappear and the persons name will appear in blue text as a hyperlink.

This feature works not only for friends and pages, but also groups and events. Try it out today and tell us how it goes!

Vodburner is a new application from Netralia that lets you download and edit skype video calls right from your desktop. It also comes with video editing software so you can edit your video logs very easily. Vodburner is free and easy to install so why not give it a shot?

We have seen software that has similar functionality but Vodburner is free and is the easiest to use of any solution out there. We have found the video editing software to be very useful as well. The editor is pretty basic but that makes it easier to use, especially for someone not accustomed to editing videos on a computer.

Once you download the application, it links directly to your Skype account, a process that you go through when installing for the first time. The setup wizard is set to automatically record all of your Skype calls, so be sure to change that preference if you only want to record calls when you’d like.

Here at SociaLink, we have used Vodburner in a few different ways. We were interviewed over Skype a few months back and the video was podcasted online. We also use Vodburner for recording screencasts utilizing Skype’s screen share feature. One downside is that it is only available for the PC but a Mac version should also be on the horizon.

Let us know your thoughts about Vodburner, can you think of any other uses for it?