Week 4 Using The Social Web For Social Change - Elluminate (#bgimgt566sx)

Using the Social Web for Social Change Week 4 – Elluminate Session C October 12, 2009: 7pm PT

Week 4: Putting It All Together – Personal Brand, Proﬁles, Social Networking & Blogging Opening Circle Review Last Week & Upcoming Week Quotes from Personal Learning Journals Agenda Review of 5 Student Proﬁles Personal Brand & Your Keywords Social Network Theory – Basic Concepts Recap Dunbar Number, etc. Social Network Services Types & Demographics MySpace, Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning

What have we tagged? There are 25 students: Tagging 786 bookmarks in our network, up from 301 two weeks ago Average 33 bookmarks per student

What have we tagged? There are 25 students: Tagging 786 bookmarks in our network, up from 301 two weeks ago Average 33 bookmarks per student Average dragged down signiﬁcantly by 6 people with under 10 bookmarks Collaborative Discovery works best when shared at least bookmark your other classes it will help with blogs

What have we journaled? Personal There are 25 students: Learning Journals 72 personal learning journal entries in 3 weeks Some students are adding helpful and encouraging comments

What have we journaled? Personal There are 25 students: Learning Journals 72 personal learning journal entries in 3 weeks Some students are adding helpful and encouraging comments Average is less then 3, and 5 of you have 1 or 2 (not including the audit students) By now you should have 4 You can’t do this later This is 10% of your grade Combined with lack of participation you may fail

Week 4 Putting It All Together – Personal Brand, Proﬁles, Social Networking & Blogging

Readings & Media Very light readings this week No required readings, Suggested Readings added over week

Assignments Finalize your Personal Brand Know your keywords and key phrases Update your profiles The Channel, Google Profile, Blog Profile Get advice from Personal Brand Buddies Create your Blog Pick a name that fits the topic and your Personal Brand Choose keywords and keyphrases Post 1 thoughtful post, 1 comment post, 1 link post, plus 2 comments in other blogs

Assignments (continued) Sign up for LinkedIn Add you fellow students Update your Proﬁle Sign up for Twitter Either with Personal Brand name or blog name Follow fellow students on Twitter Search for people who write on same topic as you and follow them Post when you new stuff related to your topic or when you post to blog Minimum 3 Twitter posts this week

Personal Learning Journals Selected Quotes

A purpose Last weekend at intensive, we did a journaling exercise in Creativity and Right Livelihood class. We built up through the questions, "What do I consider my personal identity?" and "What are my core competencies?" to the ultimate question of, "What is my purpose?" Yes, that general. Purpose. Beth By the time I go to that question, I knew exactly Breisnes what to write, so I quickly wrote down my response and shut my notebook. "My purpose in life is to learn and to share."

A declaration Today I revisited the proﬁle, and noticed, after our exercise in branding, that while accurate, it was still less than complete. Taking a deep breath, I added the declaration: I am a passionate, creative leader. Utterly true. Bonnie J Wallace

An identity At ﬁrst I was a little hesitant about ﬁnding my personal brand, it sounded almost shallow. I've come realize that it's completely the opposite. Your personal brand has to be your authentic self or people won't buy into it. Finding your personal brand is just another way of delving deeper into Miriam who I am. I am excited about all of the ways I am Easley able to explore who I am this quarter.

A passion I use to see my life as a series of incongruous events. From street peddler in the ghettos of Philadelphia to artist of the elite, from gardener to business student, from dysfunctional insider to foreigner to small town outsider to community organizer and mom, these experiences were Julie neatly tucked away in my mind's dusty shelves, Mihalisin pulled out only now and again for a good story. For the ﬁrst time, I am beginning to see how they are working to inform the passion that is building inside me.

A surrender I am learning how much I do not know. Letting go of whatever I thought it would be (meaning somehow "I will get on top of all of this soon") is a great start. I am there. There is no "on top of it" – it's impossible. No battle; only Carol Schreitmueller surrender!

A question I am having a hard time ﬁnding Reader relevant because of this. How does Google Reader help me if I don't read blogs? Elyn Heyn

An intent This goes for being effective as well. In the effort to create change, trust and consistency are key cornerstones to the networks you can build. To build trust, you must have a reliable stream of information and thoughts that express both unique opinion that is clearly backed up by good reading and resources. Being Justin the social web, sharing is key too. Without the ability to Fenwick actively and frequently share information to the right networks and individuals you have little value. Next, consistency, this speaks for itself. Be regular, eat your intertubes ﬁber, and start pushing a consistent and dynamic message.

A concern Danah Boyd's "The Not-So-Hidden Politics of Class Online" talk was stunning. She was spot on about the "white ﬂight" from the ghetto of MySpace to the ivy league of Facebook. I wonder if everyone in the audience felt as uncomfortable as I did listening to her talk. Because she was basically describing me. As much Karen as we all talk about how technology can build bridges Goat between classes and cultures, are we actually building these bridges? Or are we just using technology as another way to segregate?

Discover Your Brand “The Future You”

Know Your Keywords Given the important words from your personal brand and identity exercises: What related words are possibly more evocative? Try Thesaurus, OED, roots What other words are often paired with those words.Try Google Suggest What adjectives or adverbs can you add to both make you more unique and more evocative? Is their any pairing of words worthy of a blog name?

I’ve mostly worked in entrepreneurial Initial words startups, so this was these were the ﬁrst words I looked up

I right-clicked (option-clicked) the word Mac Dictionary “startup” to look it up in the Mac Dictionary

This is the deﬁnition of “startup” Mac Dictionary in the built-in Mac Dictionary.

Mac Dictionary The root word for “startup” is start

I looked up “start” using the Mac Thesaurus built-in Mac Thesaurus

I just grab any word that is evocative or has More words some emotional context attached to it

“eager” was the root of one of the more More words interesting words, so I looked that up further

“eager” had a latin root, so I looked up that Latin Dictionary in the Lewis-Short Latin/English Dictionary

These are the results of looking up Latin Dictionary the word “eager” in the online Lewis & Short English/Latin dictionary

alacritas looked familar, Latin Dictionary similar to the word alacrity

Mac Dictionary I liked the basic deﬁnition “cheerful readiness”

I liked the evocation of positive emotions Mac Thesaurus in almost all of these synonyms

Google Search: http://www.google.com/search?q=deﬁne:alacrity deﬁne:alacrity

I looked up the domain Domain Lookup http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/selectDomain

Unfortunately, alacrity.com was not Domain Lookup available, so I needed a longer domain name

Google Suggest is the feature where you begin Google Suggest words and google suggests the most common pairings. Useful for ﬁnding important pairs.

Google Suggest used to give numbers, but there Google Suggest #s are third party tools that still do: http://tools.seobook.com/general/keyword-information/

Once I had some words, I tried pairing them in Pairing Words different ways, different combos, until one stuck

I can also be useful to check the username KnowEm.com http://www.knowem.com

What makes a word evocative? A word that brings to mind a Evocative memory, mood or image. The best evocative words have an emotional context. However, be very aware of emotional context, as it may not be what you think. Evocative does not mean provocative

It is possible to go too far. If there is a choice between Authentic an evocative word and authentic one, pick the authentic. However, humor can make a big difference: I was tired of the title “CEO & President”, so on one of my old game industry business cards I said instead “CEO & Herder of Cats”. It showed I was boss, but not stuffy, a useful image.

Build Your Brand “The Future You”

Finalize Your Username Now is the time to ﬁnalize the username you are going to be using for some time, possibly the rest of your career. Decide on either your name, a nym, or a pseudonym, and have a backup Max 15 chars, no punctuation Use KnowEm.com Use CamelCase when registering Pick a good face avatar that you can be comfortable with for some time

CEO of Your Own Brand You are the CEO of your own career What is a title for your career now that is likely to be true in 2 years? Mine now is “Entrepreneur, Advisor & Technologist” What is the best one sentence introduction of your professional self? “I am a long-time technologist focused on the opportunities found in the social web, online trust and online communities, which I write about in my blog Life With Alacrity.”

Update Your Profiles Starting with your Channel profile, update your profiles to your new Personal Brand Ask colleagues and friends for their impressions – it is difficult to judge your profile yourself Think about your profile’s audience: The Channel: fellow students, teachers LinkedIn: future professional colleagues Google Profile: generic Blogger Profile: your blog audience

Don’t Fill Out Everything Just because a website asks you a question, you don’t have to answer Why answer “My superpower” or “Something I can’t find on Google” or “Where I grew up”? Answer only those questions that support your Personal Brand Interests is often useful profile field Keep a text file with your standard profile answers

Social Network Theory Basic Concepts

What is a Network? A network is a set of relationships A B the nodes the connections between the nodes Connections can be one-way A B (asymmetric), two-way (symmetric), and can be multiplex (multiple ways) 1 2 The network distance between A B C nodes are called steps B The maximum distance between A C many nodes is the diameter dia=3 G E D

Types of Networks? Ego-centric networks B C connected with a single node, e.g. my A friends, companies that do business with E D Apple B Socio-centric networks A C where the centrality is not clear, but are completely described. “in the box” F E D Open-system networks B boundaries are not clear, are not A C completely described, not “in the box” F E D

Connections Propinquity Nodes are likely to be connected if they are geographically near each other Homophily Nodes are likely to be connected if they A share one or more social characteristics C D For individuals, the they are more likely B to be connected the more characteristics E they have in common For collectives, this may not be true GM may not be connected to Ford

Mapping Social Networks The maps are called sociograms The distance between nodes is determined by size of the ﬁrst order of nodes extent to which the nodes overlap barriers between nodes agency (acting on behalf of others) exercised between nodes First order zone is the interpersonal environment (number of people known), second order out from there

Max Subgraph Ratio A subgraph is a group of people that interact with each other more then others In this 14 person network, all the members play World of Warcraft together in the same guild Strong ties are people who played often at the same time and same place, weak ties are people who interacted less There are 5 subgraphs, 4 of two people, and 1 of 6 people The max subgraph ration is 6/14=0.43 The max subgraph ration is a measure of group cohesion

Six Degrees If there was zero overlap in ﬁrst order interpersonal zones, then you could reach the entire population in the US in three steps Experiments by Stanley Milgram estimate actual steps to be six (reached through ﬁve intervening persons) Thus “Six Degrees of Separation”

Small World Networks The property of “six degrees of Ordered separation” is an example of a small Network Random = 0 world network, also called a scale-free network A small world network is connected almost randomly, yet the “diameter” of Small World Network the network is very small Random >0, <1 Small world networks are very efﬁcient, and robust against damage Small world networks have been found Random in many other places: in brain, Network proteins, genes, ecology, markets, etc. Random = 1

Hubs Analysis of small world networks shows that there are many hubs Often called connectors or mavens Milgram and others originally believed that hubs could be discovered Thus marketers thought they could be found and inﬂuenced Milgram has since discovered that hubs are not predictable

Strong Ties The strength of an interpersonal B connection is a combination of A amount of time emotional intensity C E intimacy (mutual conﬁding) D reciprocity (mutuality of services) Those with large interpersonal connection are considered to have a F “strong tie” G However, networks of only strong H ties are not efﬁcient nor robust I

Weak Ties Studies show that information B diffusion is more efﬁcient through A weak ties More jobs come from weak ties C E More relationships come from weak ties D Strong ties breed local cohesion, however, lead to overall fragmentation F Weak ties, often denounced as G alienation, are the key to large H communities I

Value of Weak Ties Your strong ties already have the same friends, same resources, and know the same things you do. Your strong ties are vulnerable to group think or “echo chamber” effect One of most valuable reason to maintain a network of strong ties is to have access to their network of weak ties

Social Capital A person with social capital has the ability to draw on the resources contained in their network Social capital depends on the extent and shape of one’s social network, and resources available to that network However, the ability to know how to make connections is important Social capital is sometimes called “whufﬁe” from an SF story

Tipping Points Information is not propagated through a social network in a linear fashion Instead, once a certain criticality of propagation is reached in one subnetwork, the information is spread to the rest of the network This threshold of criticality has been popularized as “The Tipping Point” All small-world networks have these thresholds

Unstructured Trust Intuitive, unconscious trust Emotional, intimate, often irrational Your “monkeyware” for trust

The Dunbar Number Limits on the size of “unstuctured trust” based groups

Social Channel Capacity Limit to your ability to have an emotional connection

People you go to in times of severe stress Support Circle Core of your Intimate Social Network Typically 3-5 people

People you go to for sympathy Sympathy Circle Or whose death would devastate you Typically 10-15 people

People whom you share a mutual Trust Circle “intimate” emotional connection - strong ties Ranges widely, typically 80-120 people

Non-mutual emotional connection - weak ties Emotional Circle Also called “social channel capacity” Multiple studies show average 290

People in Emotional Circle Weak Ties but not Trust Circle are weak ties New opportunities are more likely

Dunbar Number ≠ Social Channel Capacity

Dunbar Number, Social Channel Capacity & BGI

Social Networking Services Types & Demographics

Social Networking Over 400 several years ago Services Many more today

Types of Social Networking Services Friend Networking Sharing MySpace, Facebook,Twitter, Flickr, Dogster, Home Exchange, Orkut, Ning Couch Surfer Business Networking Mobile, Location & Presence LinkedIn, Spoke Dodgeball, Plazes, Doppler, Common Interest Twitter Classmates, DeanSpace, Small Dating Planet eHarmony, Match.com Face-to-Face Facilitation Meetup, Upcoming, Eventful

Different social networks services serve Different Identities different parts of our personal identities

Different Cultures Different social networks have different cultures

Social Media Matchup Chicago Tribune 2009-10-09 MySpace, Facebook & Twitter http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-twitter-graphic-oct07,0,1689342.graphic

International Social Social Network Services are not just used in the Network Services US, nor are they using predominately US services

International Social Usage patterns differ outside the US Network Services Very important in Korea & Brazil

Orkut leads in the Indian subcontinent, as well as Brazil. Facebook is stronger, internationally, than MySpace, with surprising strongholds in the Middle East. hi5.com is the most international of all the social networks, leading in Peru, Colombia, Central America, and other, scattered countries such as Mongolia, Romania, and Tunisia. Both Bebo and Skyblog follow colonial patterns, the ﬁrst strong in smaller English-speaking countries such as Ireland and New Zealand, and the latter in Francophone countries; Friendster, the original social network, leads all across Southeast Asia. Fotolog, a photo service defeated in the US by Friendster, has re-emerged as the dominant social International network in Argentina and Chile.

Amount of time spent using social networking is Demographics – Age highly dependent on age. However, > 50% of MySpace users are over 35

Demographics – Age Usage patterns differ slightly over age

Demographics – Gender Slightly more women use social networks

Demographics – Gender Some are as much as 2/3rds female

There is substantial overlap between different Demographics – Gender social networks, however social network fatigue is becoming more common

The Connection The “friends” connection is the unifying characteristic of all social networks Is not always called “friends” but sometimes “connections” or “contact” It is often further qualiﬁed “met”, “aquaintance”, “family”, etc. Is not always mutual Typically are “explicit” connections, however, “implicit” connections are often more valuable. Inviting friends serves the network’s interest more then the users going viral is rarely in your interest

The Proﬁle In the long run a user’s proﬁle is probably more important then list of friends Is a place to show your identity including interests, values Also shows your connections Group connections can also be important Often contain ephemeral “presence” information Can have big privacy issues Typically defaulting semi-public, which is in the social network’s interest Not very good with contextual privacy

Status Updates Most social network offer easy ways to view changes and updates of friend’s profiles Most offer easy ways to update your profile “presence” or “microblogging” Often looking at friend’s profiles is a social action pokes, comments, endorsements Looking at friend’s of friends profiles and status updates is a common behavior

Major US Social Network Services MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning

Facebook Originally organized around colleges, later by workplaces & locality, now open Tries to be a central social “portal” All connections are mutual – both parties must agree Reconnect with old friends and family For colleges today, central to social life Oriented toward professionals and white-collar

MySpace Until recently the largest social network Originally launched as an alternative music centric social network Friend connections are mutual, but very light – bands can be friends Proﬁles are very customizable, and allowed for more personality Beginning to class segment against white-collar and professionals

Twitter Never marketed itself as a social networking service Connections are asymmetric Focus is on byte-sized chunks of information The 140 character limit is ideal for texting, thus has large penetration in unusual market segments Open protocols give Twitter an edge in ﬂexibility, search is very powerful Great for social networking during events and crises

Comparison MySpace “wandering the halls of high school befriending all you see, with a boombox on your shoulder” Facebook “like a large family wedding or class reunion” “is for those you know” Twitter “is for you those you don’t know” “mingling in the conference of life”

LinkedIn The “professional” social network Focused on professional connections, the links are not called friends, and until recently no avatars Has an introduction mechanism However, in my personal experience not very useful beyond 2 degrees Strongest point is the 21st-century resume in the professional proﬁle Endorsements very powerful I have 360°of endorsements: investors, coworkers, employees, colleagues, etc.

Ning Offers “private” “customizable” social networks For existing groups, can give the group for more control and ﬂexibility However, critical mass is an issue for niche social networks With over 5,000 different social networks, it is difﬁcult to connect to people outside of niche

Using Social Networks

Choosing a Social Networks Your ﬁrst personal social network should be the one where you have at least 6-7 people you have a strong emotional connection with Be aware of your social context – Facebook and MySpace in particular are very personal, LinkedIn is very professional, and Twitter in-between Facebook is for sharing the people you know well, MySpace is to show off your style, LinkedIn is for your resume, and Twitter is for people you don’t know

Invite Etiquette Never bulk request friends It is always in the social network services interest to do so, but it is spam that reﬂects badly on you I suggest you only invite those already using the service Always personalize invites Do one at a time Remind them why they might want to connect Focus on those you have an emotional connection

Questions? Feedback? ChristopherA@LifeWithAlacrity.com Next: Elluminate Session D Social Video,Viral Media & Memetics October 19, 2009: 7pm PT

Week 4 Using The Social Web For Social Change - Elluminate (#bgimgt566sx)

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