The Spin Within

Facebook has been in the news a great deal lately, primarily focusing on its IPO filing and the fact that billionaires and millionaires seem to be dropping from the sky. 

I doubt that Mark Zuckerberg and his college buddies dreamed that Facebook would become such an integral part of society and that they would become the richest group of 20-somethings in the world. 

Even more, I’m sure they never dreamed their social networking/photo-sharing creation would also become the source of life-altering events…in a negative way.

In … Continue Reading

When travelling by air, everyone has their own in-flight persona. We’ll call it sky style. There are the chatters, the nervous ones, the kicking-toddler types, the over-served boisterous ones, the snorers, the loud talkers and the quiet worker bees.

I would classify myself as a quiet worker bee. If I’m on a business trip, the in-flight time is perfect for catching up on email or working on a presentation. For personal travel, I spend my time reading or doing crosswords and Sudoku. I’ll give a smile and the courtesy of a “Hi” when … Continue Reading

Zynga's response to the Baldwin-American conflict

Alec Baldwin’s recent run-in with an American Airline flight attendant triggered one immediate need as I read of the unfolding events live on Twitter: I must learn more about Words with Friends!

For those who have been in quarantine or off the grid, here is the super-condensed version: Baldwin got in trouble for playing the game Words with Friends while his plane sat delayed on the runway. A disagreement ensued (tweeted live) and before the star of “30 Rock” was forced off the flight, … Continue Reading

Every now and then we see something that causes us to shake our heads, let out an audible sigh and think to ourselves, “why didn’t I think of that?!”

IWearYourShirt.com is the latest one for me.

Former web designer and marketer Jason Sadler launched the site in 2009 as a business based solely on social media.  It’s a ridiculously simple concept. Each day, he wears a different sponsor’s t-shirt, makes a YouTube video about it, then adds tweets and Facebook posts promoting the company of the day.

That’s it. That’s his full-time job. … Continue Reading

Last year 14,000 computers were logged in to celebrate the Jewish High Holidays with the first and largest contemporary online synagogue, OurJewishCommunity.org. For the upcoming holidays this year, (Rosh Hashanah Sept. 28-29, Yom Kippur Oct. 7-8), thousands more are expected.

For the first time ever, the online congregation will also tweet the High Holiday services. Hundreds of tweets will be sent out from the Twitter accounts of the online congregation (@JewsOnline) and one of its rabbis, Laura Baum (@rabbi), during the evening and morning services. The … Continue Reading

Over that past couple of days, many news organizations have been reporting on a story that could forever change our world…our life as we know it…our existence.

This history-altering story?  Kill Facebook. (insert terrified shriek here)

According to an article on cnn.com, members of Anonymous, “the shadowy collective known for its politically motivated Web hacks and attacks are targeting Facebook for what they claim to be the social-networking giant’s misuse of personal information.”

Anonymous became synonymous with support of WikiLeaks and a failed attempt to take down Amazon (which, in and of itself, is testament to the group’s level of rational … Continue Reading

I used to love RateMyProfessor.com in college. When I was scheduling my classes and had an option between two professors, I’d log on and get all the information I could ever want – the ratings of the professor’s overall quality, helpfulness, clarity and easiness. I could also look for the little pepper symbol if I wanted to choose the professor who would provide a little more eye-candy.

It seems like this program has taken off because now in Germany, you can rate your priest.

Hirtenbarometer, translated … Continue Reading

Earlier today Google disclosed plans for what appears to be a new bid to take on Facebook in the the social space with a service for helping Internet users communicate with family and friends. But is Google too late to the party? Will you give Google+ a try or are you happy (or simply too entrenched) with Facebook?

Google+ is the Internet giant’s second try in the social networking market. Google’s first major foray into the social networking world came by way of Orkut, a service that has seen … Continue Reading

At the onstage introduction of Twirlr, a new social-sharing platform, someone forgets to silence their cell phone. And then … this happens. (Song by Scott Brown and Anthony King; edit by Nathan Russell.)

(Improv Everywhere is a New York City-based prank collective that causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places.)

Allow me to introduce you to my latest internet obsession (aka time waster) Pinterest. Have you heard of it? I just discovered it a few weeks ago when it was still in beta test. I actually had to apply and be accepted in order to be one of the early participators. Now, it’s open to everyone, so you can check it out.

Pinterest is a virtual pin board where you can organize all the cool, interesting and beautiful things you find on the web. It’s free…you just sign up and start making your own boards … Continue Reading