Hey Facebook, put that back!

Facebook officially announced its new programming systems yesterday at its f8 conference. The software will attempt to spread the Facebook platform across a multitude of Web sites with the click of the "Like" button. TechCrunch breaks down the announcement and its potential implications.

When I first heard the rumors about this announcement a couple weeks ago, I was skeptical because spreading this Open Graph program to sites outside of Facebook gives it the potential to collect incredible amounts of data on its users and to be quite honest, I don't really trust them with all that juice. But then as a marketer, I thought this could be a great way to get people to interact with a brand across Web sites that they are on anyway. And then when the consumer broadcasts the fact that she likes a brand to all her Facebook friends you've got a whole new network of people that suddenly trust your brand because they like what their friend likes.

So I was coming to terms with this Facebook take-over until I started seeing the changes on my personal Facebook page. I logged in just a few minutes ago and immediately got a pop-up screen telling me to select networks and pages that I liked, based on information I had on my page before the big switch. Now, I'm not one to take the "About Me" section too seriously, but I thought mine was clever in an only-slightly-obnoxious kind of way, and it actually was about me.

But then when I went to update the "Pages I Like" section that Facebook forced me to click on, I realized that all the funny little things I had were erased. My activities used to include "making up unsubstantiated theories about everything" and my interests used to be "puns, double entendres and run-on sentences." But since those aren't Web pages or fan pages apparently I'm not allowed to be interested in them.

I tried to re-enter the information I could remember, but when I clicked save and viewed my profile, it was deleted again! I can't even be goofy and irreverent on my own Facebook page? Everything I do has to advance the cause of Facebook graphing my every movement on the Web?

Since I don't want to give a laundry list of my favorite things to every random person from high school who friend requests me just to see if I've gained weight or had a baby, my Facebook page is left looking like this:



Empty.

Obviously, my Facebook page doesn't even come close to showing who I actually am, even when it was slightly more full than it is now, but the fact that Facebook is dictating the kinds of things I can put in sections that are about me is irritating. And that's not even taking into account the utterly creepy part that Facebook can so easily control the content that is uploaded to the site.

I'm not exactly sure yet what I'm going to do about this. Probably making a Facebook group about boycotting Facebook and then liking a bunch of I hate Facebook groups and blog articles is the best way to go. Then at least there will be record of my complaint in the Facebook database.

The internet makes us feel like rock stars

It's not out of the ordinary these days to see a television commercial end with "Find Us on Facebook" or "Follow Us on Twitter." If ever there was a question about the true integration of communication efforts across mediums these days, you don't have to look to hard to find the answers. I'm always weary, however, of brands jumping on the bandwagon into a space that I think of as personal.

But I'm a huge advocate for brands entering the social media space because I think it offers a truly unique opportunity to have a real voice in a marketplace that can be stifling for the brand and confusing for the consumer.

Professionally, I can, and have, made the argument for integrating social media into a communications campaign. But personally, I haven't really gotten there yet.

Until last night.

I was at a concert at and was surprised to find myself making this comparison throughout the show. The first act I saw, K'Naan, started telling a story in the middle of his set about a girl he was really inspired by on YouTube. Just by doing a quick search of one of his songs he was able to find this young artist's cover of his song "Fatima." He was so moved by her performance of his song that he investigated further and found that she had posted a video of her singing and playing acoustic guitar to all the songs from his most recent album, Troubadour.

But here's the amazing part -- he then brought her on stage to perform one of her original works for the packed house! This girl could not have been more than 13 years old. She stood on the stage with her guitar as the band played in the background and K'Naan provided the melodies. THEN he kept her on stage to sing a duet of the first song he saw her play on YouTube, "Fatima." AND NOW the video of their performance together is on YouTube as well.

I couldn't believe this. All thanks to YouTube.

It's true that the internet provides everyone a voice, the opportunity to be published and chance to indulge in the unique aspects of each of our personalities. And perhaps stories like this performance last night are becoming more common, but this was an incredibly concrete representation of the internet's true power for me, and I've never personally witnessed anything like it.

Before the next performer's set, a member of his...shall we say "posee"...stood on the corner of the stage with a cell phone in hand. My friend guessed that he was updating his Twitter status and hopped on over to the site from his Blackberry to check out the performer's page. Sure enough, he had updated his status to read "Live @Metro in Chicago ANOTHER sold out show!! I love ya'll Chicago."

Now as silly as this might seem, I felt such an irrational love for the artist, the venue and this city after reading that. I felt like this person who's music I appreciate was actually appreciative of me too.

This story might not make a perfect transition into an argument for social media in a board room, but this is why social media, and the internet at large, is the perfect place for brands to connect with their audiences. I felt like I was a genuine part of these artists' brands, and I liked them a lot more for it.

It might seem like an obvious relationship, because people already feel such a deep personal connection to artists, but brands and companies impact our daily lives just as much. And if the interaction is real and makes that leap across the void of one-way communication, then the connection will be strong, lasting and mutually beneficial.

Regulatory agencies can't regulate?

On April 6 the U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington D.C. ruled in favor of Comcast in their fight to control broadband connections to regulate BitTorrent use. But, as with all important court cases, the ripple effects don't stop there.

The ruling challenges the FCC's ability to enforce what they've termed "net-neutrality." The Washington Post explains that net-neutrality means "big high-speed Internet companies...must treat content that flows through their pipelines equally, whether it's digitally lightweight e-mail or hefty movie files, by pushing it all through at the same speed."

I imagine communication companies have always had the ability to influence connections over their networks. But there is a big difference between dropping a phone call and slowing down an internet connection to an interminable level. The internet is our lifeblood these days, and for better or for worse, that's not going to change. So someone or something needs to have some sort of oversight powers above these huge companies. But according to yesterday's ruling, it doesn't seem like that will be the FCC anytime soon.

Austin Schlick explained the situation over at the FCC blog. At first he doesn't seem too concerned. But then there is that little part at the end that goes something like this:

"...yesterday’s decision may affect a significant number of important Plan recommendations. Among them are recommendations aimed at accelerating broadband access and adoption in rural America; connecting low-income Americans, Native American communities, and Americans with disabilities; supporting robust use of broadband by small businesses to drive productivity, growth and ongoing innovation; lowering barriers that hinder broadband deployment; strengthening public safety communications; cybersecurity; consumer protection, including transparency and disclosure; and consumer privacy."

So just when the FCC has rolled out a plan to address huge digital issues that are perpetuating the digital divide in our country, are we stuck going back to square one, or worse, facing a lifetime of drawn-out courtroom battles?

Well, TechCrunch explains the FCC has some, potentially costly and politically dangerous, options.

Granted, this decision is no cause for mass panic quite yet, but I do think we should all be a little concerned that the once forever free and clear internet is slowly becoming, well, a little foggy.

A silly little video

I'm writing this blog partly as an assignment for my public relations writing class. Last week we were talking about writing for video. Coincidentally, I'm also taking an intro to video production class. I just finished working on a little assignment for next week, and although there aren't any actual words in this one, I did come up with the concept and filmed and edited it, so I thought it would be fun to post. Do turn your volume up, the music is really fun.