Online lions and offline lambs
I’ve been thinking about personality, and how it differs between our online and offline selves. There is a hope, expressed by all sorts of people, that the internet represents an easy way to understand exactly what people think. According to this argument, if we listen to internet conversations (scrape them, analyse them, Google-alert them) then we know what’s going on. It’s just a case of data reduction. I think that’s incredibly problematic, and here are three difficulties that I see with this way of thinking. 1. Online lions may be offline lambs It feels...
Read MoreWhen cultures collide: LiveJournal, Facebook and the privacy chasm
So. A few days ago, the blogging site LiveJournal announced a shiny new feature: the ability to cross-post journal entries and comments directly to Twitter and Facebook. From the tone of the post, LJ staff were clearly expecting to be showered with gratitude. For those of you who squander spend time on those other social networks, we’ve just made it easier to stay in touch with your grandparents, forgotten acquaintances, and former bosses on Facebook and Twitter without having to leave the comfort of your LiveJournal home. At the time of writing, there were 142 pages of comments...
Read MoreFaking it on Facebook
So Facebook is very much turning into the Myspace of the middle classes. I’ve set up a profile, I’ve played about a bit, I added a few personal friends and colleagues, and business friends: now what? I’m frozen with indecision. You see, I don’t mind talking to people in the communal Facebook groups that spring up and then wither away, but I’m deeply uncomfortable with the friend network. The trouble is, my real self, the self that’s tied to my real name, the one that I feel you’re supposed to communicate on Facebook, is deeply...
Read MoreManifesto
Some of us find it quite simple to put our real organisations and authentic selves online.
Others - well, let's just say that some of us can't bear to look at our own websites.
My mission is to help you transform your online presence so that other people understand and appreciate what you really have to offer. So that you can achieve what you want - whether that's better engagement, more readers, or more sales.