By John Y. Brown III, on Tue Jul 3, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET  How social media could save your life.
(A hypothetical situation)
If you are one of those people who believe Klout is just another vanity website and waste of time like Facebook and Twitter, think again.
And please listen to how I had to learn the hard way the true value of these websites.
One night last week I was walking alone through a dark isolated parking lot worrying I could get mugged. I clenched my fists as my fight-flight syndrome kicked in.
My pulse spiked, pupils dilated and my mind raced thinking of potential weapons I could use. I first thought of my car keys…and then, in a flash of brilliance, I had my answer, if mugged, I would immediately shout out to my assailant:
“You picked the wrong guy, pal! You will really want to rethink mugging me after hearing what I have to tell you. I have a high Klout score. That’s right. Do you know what that means? Probably not. So let me tell you. Klout is a metric that measures Facebook and Twitter usage. That means I know a lot of people on Facebook and I Tweet quite frequently. Yes, Tweet! That means I will tell on you and you will get caught through modern social media tools. And if that isn’t enough to make you quake in your boots, I’m also pretty active on LinkenIn.”
At this point I plan to eerily and ominously glare at my assailant, eyes squinted, and make the sounds “Tweet. Tweet. Tweet.” (Like the guy in the movie Warriors when he says “Warriors, come out and plaaaayyyy”)
And then I am going to add, “And by the way, my female colleague is leaving the office right after me. And btw she has a pretty low Klout score.” And then raise my eyebrow as if to say, “That’s something for you to think about.”
In my scenario, my assailant lets me go and waits for my colleague.
And Klout, Facebook and Twitter, helped save me from getting mugged. At least in this made-up hypothetical situation that ends happily ever after for everyone. Except my female colleague who I spend the next year making this up to.
Maybe now you’ll think twice before you criticize these websites again….Word.
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Jun 28, 2012 at 1:00 PM ET I really enjoyed my virgin “Ask Me Anything” chat at Reddit. I responded to over 110 questions in 2 hours — from No Labels, to our national political mess, to the NBA Draft, to the baseball season, to good television, we covered the whole gamut.
If you are interested in reading a transcript, click here.
By John Y. Brown III, on Fri Jun 22, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET Facebook will slowly undermine the effectiveness of negative political advertising.
Oh, you think I jest?
Seriously, I believe there’s a connection–and that over time Facebook will slowly erode the shock impact—and therefore the political and electoral impact that political campaigns have relied on for decades by using political attack ads to help defeat opponents.
Really. I do.
Why?
Not because people will be on Facebook instead of watching political ads on TV or because the ads will somehow run on Facebook or that voters will start getting political information on Facebook—none of that. Rather, I think Facebook is facilitating an overdue cultural correction in America. Namely, making us less prudish, secretive and judgmental (of ourselves and others).
Remember Mrs Crabtree from Bewitched? The nosy neighbor always shocked at any behavior she’d spy that wasn’t befitting a model 1950s imaginary TV family? We voters have been a little like that the past 40 years–even though we would hate the think of ourselves as “Nosy Neighbor Voters” (to make up a new voting block moniker, like “Soccer Moms.”)
But I think it’s true. Don’t you–at least to some extent?
A good deal has been written about how Facebook encourages narcissism. Perhaps a little. But not nearly as much as it has fostered more open and honest sharing about how we daily think and act in all too human ways.
I mean, think about it. What would Mrs. Crabtree share about herself on Facebook? A recipe or two?
 Facebook. Facilitating, one "like" at a time, the end of an era. What's on your mind, Mrs Crabtree? It's OK, we won't tell the neighbors. Maybe over time she’d chill out and admit she’s a voyeur and getting help with weekly therapy and medication. For now, though, the Mrs. Crabtrees of the world are simply watching what others write on Facebook and telling others who increasingly couldn’t care less. And although there are all sorts of personal abuses and overshares on Facebook, in the end, Mrs. Crabtree will lose.
And when the minor faults of political candidates are overtaking the airwaves again a few years hence, instead of acting “Shocked. Shocked!” We’ll be more likely to shrug and say, “Yeah, that actually happened to me a couple of years ago. Not a big deal. In fact, I posted on Facebook yesterday about how glad I was to have that behind me.”
By John Y. Brown III, on Wed Jun 20, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Got Clout? I mean the other kind–with a “K”
I’m fascinated with analytics.
Not in how they work. I don’t really understand that.
But how they can be used as a tool for better assessment and prediction purposes. And, of course, better decision making.
But analytics may be the new statistics–in the sense of being a mysterious new numbers logic that because of its air of inaccessibility to lay people carries with it an air of irrefutably.
It won’t be long until some says “There are 4 kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, statistics, and analytics.”
OK. I guess technically speaking someone just did…but that’s beside the point.
My recent questioning of exuberant uses of analytic tools is with the website Klout. I’m sure they are on to something…but have a long way to go. True, you must find a way to measure something to fully understand it. But some things are more amendable to metrics than human relationships. Workflow processes, controlling inventory and related business tasks come to mind. How trustworthy, reliable, persuasive, likeable, etc a person is within a functional network is much harder to measure with numbers.
It’s still worth a try….but we have to realize the results are more of a fun sideshow compared to more serious analytics work.
I see it like the difference between standing on a scale for weight data versus putting on a mood ring to measure my “mood.” Sure, it’s something…but not enough to bother too much with. Otherwise eHarmony and other such metric driven dating sites would be called “marriage tools” instead of a dating tool. They may help recommend a first date…but don’t base an important decision on it.
Analytics are incredibly useful where they are truly applicable.
And by the way, Klout has so far helped me in only two measurable, concrete outcomes. It caused me to waste several hours trying to understand the new vanity meansure. And it’s provided a topic for this Facebook status update. A really useful analytics tool would have predicted that outcome in advance and saved me the trouble. ; )
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Wed Feb 1, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
How NASA solved a $100 million problem for FIVE BUCKS. [GIZMODO]
Amazon’s sales are jumping, but it’s profits are not. [ENGADGET]
Mitt Romney’s fight to win in Florida comes with a cost, polls show. [New York Times]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
The SOPA battle shows the growing political muscle of the web. [The Wall Street Journal]
It is official: Google is now evil (due to its new data-tracking policies). [Gizmodo.com]
Is the iPad cannibalizing Microsoft’s market-space? [Engadget.com]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Thu Jan 19, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
Understanding SOPA. What the internet anti-piracy bills currently pending in Congress mean, and what they may mean for you. [Gizmodo]
As more states look to online gambling, profits may become smaller. [The New York Times]
A final look back at C.E.S. 2012. [Engadget.com]
Ron Paul’s campaign to Perry, Gingrich, Santorum: “it’s over for you.” [Buzzfeed.com]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Wed Jan 11, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
Complete coverage of CES (consumer electronics show) 2012. [Engadget]
Just what we’ve all been waiting for: a new version of Dungeons and Dragons is being released! [The New York Times]
Google is now getting personal, and will begin to search your “world.” [The L.A. Times]
Twitter to Google: you just broke the internet! [CNet.com]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Wed Jan 4, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
A gadget-lover’s guide to the GOP candidates. [Gizmodo]
Is Ron Paul winning the “web primary?” [ABC News]
China will get its first 3D channel within weeks. [Engadget]
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Throw-back tech: in case you ever get lost, you need to be able to make fire. [Gizmodo]
AT&T purchases Qualcomm’s “FLO TV” spectrum. [Engadget]
Ron Paul: live by the internet, die by the internet? [Huffington Post]
|
The Recovering Politician Bookstore
|
