Hummingbird604.com » Facebook

Growing organically a Facebook page for Hummingbird604.com

Raul — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:30:29 +0000

Photo credit: pshab on Flickr

My dislike for Facebook and its continuous campaign to continue erosion of privacy is well known in the social media circles in Canada and worldwide. I’ve written about Facebook extensively here on my site. Regardless of my reluctance to put much effort into this particular social networking platform, it’s widespread use is well known and I finally caved and created a Facebook page for Hummingbird604.com, my blog.

While I have a Facebook page for my academic activities, I had always been on the fence on whether I wanted to have a Facebook page for my blog. I finally caved, but decided to do two things differently. First, I published it on a Saturday night after 11pm, when not many people would be online. Second, I didn’t blast it to my friends “Raul liked this page and thought you should like it too”.

Guacira Naves and Tod Maffin (very good friends of mine both) recently wrote blog posts about growing organically a Facebook page. In the case of Hummingbird604.com’s Facebook page, I am using a non-invasive approach, without blasting it to my networks. Primarily it’s another avenue of engagement. And ultimately, I want to draw my Facebook traffic to MY BLOG – I don’t want Facebook to get more unique visitors from me.

On the Facebook side of things, I also will (eventually, when it comes to my mind and I have enough concentration to do it) set up the “Facebook like” plugin too. Right now, it’s not my major priority. My book is!

On privacy, Facebook and the future of our information online

Raul — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:48:21 +0000

If privacy is outlawed, only outlaws will have privacy.
~ Philip Zimmermann

I never wanted to be on Facebook, in the first place. There, I said it.

I caved and joined Facebook on February 2nd, 2009. For the most part, I joined because (a) my nieces are on Facebook and I like having the opportunity to communicate with them in this social platform (b) a vast majority of my friends, academic colleagues and social media friends are on Facebook, and (c) now a lot of my family members are on the platform. It was kind of a no-brainer.

I resisted joining Facebook for years, as you can tell from all the posts I’ve written about Facebook. When I started becoming more involved in social media, I thought to myself “how much longer will I be able to hold off of Facebook AND still maintain a certain degree of respectability as someone knowledgeable in the field of social media”. I don’t feel comfortably preaching about the sociability and fit of platforms without actually testing them.

Was Quit Facebook Day a success or a failure?

Facebook has progressively eroded the privacy of users, and quite unsurprisingly, there has been a backlash. We all like our privacy, don’t we? At least, I do. But I didn’t quit Facebook. I recently read two very good posts from Tris Hussey and Rob Cottingham assessing the outcome of Quit Facebook Day (May 31st). A good friend of mine indeed, quit Facebook (and even before QFD was announced). I think my friend made the right choice.

On May 31st, reportedly about 30,000 people did quit Facebook (or so pledged). The QFD campaign not only raised awareness of the inappropriate way in which Facebook was handling privacy settings, but more than that, I posit the hypothesis that it pressured Zuckerberg and his team rethink how they were handling this issue. Zuckerberg has been, as most of you can tell, grilled and attacked left, right and center for his mis-management of people’s information, and for his position on privacy (i.e. that everything should be public).

Orwell, surveillance and who controls your information

We are rapidly entering the age of no privacy, where everyone is open to surveillance at all times; where there are no secrets from government.
~ William Orville Douglas

Many people worry about government surveillance, and how bureaucracies control citizen’s information. But Facebook is not a government agency, and it is not a regulated space either. It’s a free online social networking platform. One of the key issues here, being the word “free“. In the case of government agencies, citizens can pressure them and hold them accountable with their votes. In the case of corporations, citizens can hold them accountable with their money (making responsible choices and eschewing businesses that don’t respect their rights). But in the case of a free online platform, how can we make them accountable if we don’t pay for it. It becomes a sticky issue. You get what you pay for (or in this case, what you DON’T pay for). And the sad case with Facebook, is that it seems that, despite touting itself as a private social network, it seems as though it would be moving towards a business model where our privacy is protected by paying for it (EDIT – just discovered this great post by Shel Israel asking Zuckerberg to step down from Facebook CEO position, where Shel makes the point that customers/users should be first, regardless of whether you pay or not).

Facebook’s new privacy settings and the future of our information online

One of the biggest problems that I have with Facebook is that, from the start, it promoted itself as a private network where people would only have access to your information if they were your friends. By loosening privacy settings and allowing third parties to access people’s information, Facebook effectively stripped the users from the right to choose what information they share with the world. If Facebook touted itself as a non-private network in the free version and a private network in the premium version, I would not have a problem with that. Because then, those who choose to join a free version would be fully aware of what rights to privacy they are giving away when using a free network.

The problem comes when you are told that your information is safe and private and then you discover it is not. More than anything, the backlash against Facebook, I believe, is the perceived breach of trust. This reminds me of something that my friend John Biehler told me about Facebook, while we were having a Twitter chat – it’s a free service, you should expect that your information is not going to be private.

Twitter allows you to control who can see your tweets (by giving you the choice to protect them). But once you tweet, nobody stops somebody else who follows you from retweeting something that you might not want the world, but only your friends and followers, to know. These online platforms aren’t very good at giving the user the choice as to how much information they want to share with the world. So when I tweet something, I make sure it’s something I can back up and own up to.

Own your presence online, under your own terms and responsibly

After careful deliberation, I decided that I will continue to use Facebook as a free social networking platform, but I have made substantial adjustments to my privacy settings. In fact, I know that some people may not feel very happy that I haven’t accepted them as Facebook friends. Sorry. The thing is, I am (much as people see me as a public figure) in fact, a very private person. I’m private with my personal life, and I’m fiercely protective of my friends’ privacy.

I put a lot of content out there on the web, but I own the information I post (be it videos, photos, comments or blog entries). And by “own”, I mean, I am fully aware of what I post and what I don’t. I own my online presence in my own terms. I made a choice to be public, others should have that same right too. Because I have a right to privacy, and so do you.

In closing, if there is one recommendation I can make when dealing with Facebook and every other online social platform or space is – think about what privacy means to you and adjust your online behaviour accordingly. Don’t post anything you don’t want the world to know, and be aware that being private doesn’t mean you can’t have content on the web. I really enjoy how Derek says in a recent post that “he seems to have the online privacy instincts of a 17 year old” (read his recent post on Facebook, which is also noteworthy along with Tris’ and Rob’s). From what a recent Pew report indicates, it would appear teenagers ARE indeed more concerned with privacy than some older people are.

I believe in privacy, I believe in choice, and in the right to choose what information we share with whom and to what extent their privacy is maintained. Don’t expect Facebook or any other online tool to give you that right, but also, don’t let Facebook nor any other online platform strip you of that right either.

Increasing Facebook privacy settings and the Instant Personalization

Raul — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:36:31 +0000

Despite the public nature of my blogging life, I am actually a rather private person. When I decided to join Facebook in early 2009 (February) I made sure to crank up my privacy settings. I had been looking through my Facebook friends who have been sharing several posts on how to opt out of the Instant Personalization (one of them from Boxcar Marketing, the company of my good friend Monique Trottier).

I looked through my own Privacy settings, and I have them cranked to the max apparently (e.g. only my Friends can post to my Wall, etc). Still, I wish there were other features for MORE privacy on Facebook, rather than LESS. There has been a lot of debate online about how Facebook keeps making it more difficult for users to keep their privacy. My question to everyone is – if Facebook is THAT “evil”, why are we all still using it? Why not be completely democratic and demonstrate (with our vote, e.g. with our not-having-a-Facebook-account) that this loss of privacy is unacceptable?

The answer is – because not enough of us care. If the millions of users of Facebook really cared that much about their privacy, they would make the Big Brother/Sister accountable (e.g. Facebook). But in a society that is valuing privacy less and less, accountability has become an afterthought and not mainstream. Sadly, that also means that we have lost the power of protecting our privacy to commercial interests. And that’s a sad thought (and for the record, I do keep a Facebook presence, but not really by choice, but because I think it’s important for me to test all social platforms).

The creepy suggestions of new friends on Facebook

Raul — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:30:22 +0000

Credit: pshab on Flickr

Facebook is creepy. Admittedly, I’ve only been on it for a short period of time, and I’ll admit to its usefulness when it comes to creating professional presences (for businesses and services). For example, for my professional activities as a researcher, teacher/educator/instructor and consultant, I’ve created my own Facebook fan page. I had kept Facebook mostly for friends of mine, family and a number of colleagues from the social media world, academic world and so on, but I’ve slowly been adding more colleagues and friends (and even fans) to Facebook, but it keeps freaking me out when I find really strange suggestions, including people I’ve e-mailed once or twice (ever). I came across an article on MSNBC about this, you can read it and see how it relates. The fact that Facebook stored information from my email addressbook really upsets me, but at this point in time, can I really get away with NOT being on Facebook, considering how much social media work I do at this point in time? Do you feel creeped out by the suggestions provided by Facebook? I quote part of the article below.

This phenomenon is fairly unsettling for many users who’ve noticed in recent weeks that Facebook’s once laughably obscure friend suggestions are suddenly downright inappropriate. [Facebook: ‘Why not give your ex another shot?’]

As usual, have your say on the comments section – do you use Facebook’s suggestions for new friends? Are you worried about your privacy settings?

Thursday Funny – Raul joined Facebook!

Raul — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:48:35 +0000

As you may have read on my blog, I recently caved to the 2 years of pressure and FINALLY joined Facebook. It’s important for my social media credibility, it has helped me reconnect with good friends of mine, and moreover, it has helped w/ the academic connections. So, I’m not going to say that it’s not useful. It is. AND I get invited to events

I just uploaded a few of the tweets that my friends submitted when I joined Facebook. It was absolutely hilarious (at least for me) Enjoy, and see you at Twestival tonight!

Yes. I caved… I am on Facebook now!

Raul — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:45:53 +0000

Credit: djwudi

I wasn’t going to cave. I was going to resist. I was going to be “the only guy who wasn’t on Facebook and still was part of Vancouver’s social media world”. Well, not anymore. Yes, I caved. I have been assimilated. Of course, I am going to crank up the privacy settings and I hope people don’t feel bad because I don’t “friend” everyone. But it’s true – my social media credibility goes down if I’m not on Facebook. So, here I am! I have been assimilated. I joined Facebook. Resistance WAS futile

More Facebook fun

Raul — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:30:12 +0000

I linked to one of Ian’s posts recently. Here is a Best of Craigslist link you *need* to read. Since my blog is a fairly Safe-For-The-Office one, I prefer that you check the CL link yourself. Then come back and drop a comment

Should I just cave in and create a Facebook profile already?

Raul — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:42:30 +0000

I did a quick Twitter poll re: whether I should join Facebook or not. In previous posts, I have pondered whether or not I should do it. The general response is “yes, you should”. I do feel that if I create a Facebook profile, it has to be SUPER private, have pretty much NO information whatsoever, and it would probably be something like “Raul, aka Hummingbird604″ as a name (with my GMail as login). Still, I kind of want to hear options/suggestions/recommendations. Thanks

Persuade Me: Why and how should I join Facebook?

Raul — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:25:10 +0000

The content of my blog has been primarily personal. It is an outlet for me, provides me numerous chances to bounce ideas back and forth, and has become a great source of entertainment and great new friends. The next little while, as I seek to transition into a somewhat different career, I want to explore options and educate myself. That is the overall theme of some of my new material and series of posts.

Amongst the different ideas I’ve wanted to test is a series of posts asking questions where people have A LOT MORE experience than I do. For example, many people have used Pownce, and I have had this discussion with lots of local bloggers on whether having a Pownce account is useful or not. So, the purpose of the series is to help me internalize the benefits and challenges, pros and cons of doing stuff that I’ve been debating on whether I should or not do. I am also hoping that in the process, these posts will help other people make informed decisions.

So the first post in the “Persuade Me” series is a question that I’ve asked numerous times in response to the shocked face I get all the time…”YOU ARE NOT ON FACEBOOK??? WHY?“. Well, to that question I ask (and I realize that some of you might have already answered this question partially in some of my previous posts) – why and how should I join Facebook? What are the best strategies to join it? Should I create (as Kulpreet suggested) three different identities?

If you enjoy debate, and have a particularly strong view on this matter, please leave a comment And I hope this series helps start debate. I also welcome suggestions on other “Persuade Me” questions (maybe there’s something YOU need to be persuaded of, and need to hear all sides of the story). Drop me an email or follow me on Twitter (my information is on my About Me page).

Why I’m probably going to cave to Facebook

Raul — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:28:00 +0000

Photo credit: Pshab on Flickr.

I have been having a wonderful discussion with Beth Snow about the “BC colleges becoming universities” story that has been recently in the news. Beth put it in her Facebook updates (using Twitter to update her Status as she tweets). In just one day, I’ve already had more than 58 views today and about 45 yesterday (some can be due to Twitter, and some can be due to her FB page).

But as we were talking over email, there might be benefits to joining Facebook. So it seems, my dear readers, that after all these years of fighting the Zuckerberg empire, I *might* join Facebook. Possibly. Potentially. And maybe the only FB I will create will be my blogger FB (e.g. not my civilian identity, just the bloggerian one). I haven’t caved just yet for all of you who are right now laughing with evil voice “he finally caved, hahahaha”

About the Twitter

Raul — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:10:58 +0000

I’ve been on Twitter for a very short period of time (posting Tweets maybe since last week, or so?). While having lunch with Rebecca last week, I mentioned that Twitter gave me just about the right amount of openness and the right amount of privacy. I am not on Facebook (I actually REFUSE to be on Facebook) but I felt Twitter would give me an opportunity to reach a broader audience. It would also allow me to communicate with friends that I have met through the blogosphere and keep up with them on a regular basis.

Those bloggers whom I’ve now met in real life and, particularly those with whom I have hung out enough that I actually consider friends, will know that I actually do care about what they post on their blogs and their tweets. I follow this philosophy with everything. I care more about the person than the job, the blog, the position, etc. I have good friends who are now famous authors, actors, writers and renowned scholars. Yet, I am more interested in how they’re doing (personally) than I am on whether their latest journal article was cited 10,000 times.

At any rate, I was scanning recent blog posts and came across Darren Barefoot’s post on his feelings on Twitter. I left a massive comment on his blog and I still feel sort of guilty about it, so I just figured I’d post something somewhat funny and related to Twitter.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT5yCnEr8kQ&hl=en]

Rebecca alerted me about this episode of CSI on a comment she left on one of my posts. In this episode, the CSI team is reviewing the Twitter account of a dead victim who (apparently, haven’t seen the episode) was in the midst of a love triangle. Video courtesy of YouTube.

I am not sure if there is or not a lot of exciting stuff on my tweets, but I can guarantee that at least, there will be links to my new blog posts.

Living ‘The New Normal’: My thoughts on Michael Geist’s lecture

Raul — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:23:04 +0000

There are several reasons why I am publishing my thoughts on Dr. Michael Geist’s recent lecture at SJC. First, it was a really eye-opening experience, particularly as I am a non-geek blogger. I don’t code, know barely my way around HTML and (up until this morning) had no clue how to insert photos on my WordPress blog. So really, the blogosphere is in a way uncharted territory to me. Geist’s lecture gave me new insights into living a geek’s life as a non-geek (I’ll explain this below). Second, I am an academic – I analyze, challenge, question and think about things – all for a living. Geist is a well-renowned professor who does research and puts his work out for the world to hear (or read). It’s only natural that as an academic, I have an opinion on another academic’s work (even if his area is entirely different to mine). But the third reason and I think, the most important, is that his concept of “the new normal” (as coined by Michael Geist) has hit home with me in so many ways it is almost impossible to ignore. Let me explain. For the past few years, I have refused to join Facebook. Thanks, but no thanks. MySpace? Don’t think so. Friendster? No thank you. The list goes on…

However, as time has gone by, and I’ve embraced blogging more (and as it has become part of my current lifestyle), I have clued in that ‘the new normal’ for geeks is exactly the same ‘new normal’ for me (and everyone else). Yes, I know I refuse to be sucked into technology and I am happy about it. JT has a running joke that he always has the techie gadgets about four years before I do. My current TV? It’s a gift from AF and DM. Not a flat screen, nor an LCD panel. But I love it and it’s served me well. My current DVD player? A gift from my brother. Don’t own a Blu-Ray nor do I care to do so. Cell phone? I lost it a few months ago (yes, I am going to get a one whenever I get around to it, don’t worry!). And even when I had a cell phone, it was pretty basic. The new phone I’m going to buy is pretty basic too. I don’t own an iPhone, and until about a couple of years ago, had very little understanding of podcasting, Second Life, viral marketing, crowdsourcing and all that jazz. So, for me to be immersed in the techno-geek sphere is a new form of seeing the world… and quite frankly, I like it.

In his lecture, Geist described numerous examples of what Geist calls “the new normal” (Michael – if you are reading this, feel free to correct me where appropriate). Amongst the ones that resonated the most with me are:
- Using Facebook, YouTube and other tools to reach broader audiences.
- The emergence of open-access journals.
- Real-time publishing of up-to-date, online information.
- The rise of the “citizen journalism” phenomenon.
- Creative Commons and a new culture of openly sharing knowledge, information and art.
- The evolution of access to government information and privacy laws.

I could go on for pages, and pages, and I think I am going to use this first post to re-think Geist’s ideas more. But there are two points I want to pick on that are relevant.

The first one: online privacy. I have talked about this with bloggers, techno-geek friends and non-blogger friends alike. I have refused to publish my last name online except for a very small number of people, and although I post photos on my blog and on Flickr, I try very hard to keep the personal ones restricted to very few people. Other bloggers post their photos online, and some of those photos may include me in the picture. Maybe I will do the same in the (not so far) future (that is, posting photos of myself), but for now, this is the level of comfort I have. I am sure other bloggers have snapped pictures with me, and generally speaking, I don’t mind if said pictures are posted. But I kind of like thinking that I have some degree of privacy. Although after reading more about the whole Facebook debacle (where some Vancouver-based techno-geek guy was able to access even Mark Zuckerberg’s personal albums) I am somewhat skeptical about privacy. But I think this is one of the collateral elements of “the new normal”: accepting that the boundaries and limits of your privacy aren’t set exactly where you want them set. And understanding that you can set new boundaries and terms that are perfectly compatible with “the new normal”.

For example, my former students know very well that I have not joined Facebook. I have asked them to e-mail me instead to let me know what they are up to (as opposed to reading about it on FB’s Mini-Feed). Having them e-mail me gives our interaction (between the student and myself) a much more personal feel. All of my good friends know that I have refused to join FB, yet they are always willing to e-mail me separately to inform me of a certain party they’d like me to attend.

That is the whole gist of my blog post – I have learned to adapt to “the new normal”, yet I still set my own personal boundaries around what I am comfortable doing and what I am not. I took a stance with respect to FB and all of my friends have respected that stance and the boundaries that it has established it. In doing so, they are also making choices about how they relate to me, and they choose to establish communication through other means (such as e-mail invites to parties and/or updates on what is going on with their lives). Many of them, as a matter of fact, call me and/or organize meetings over coffee to catch up.

The second point I wanted to touch upon (and I better do this quickly as I am fading fast, I’m physically and mentally exhausted – have been battling a headache/migraine all day) was the use of Facebook, SEO and all that jazz to reach broader audiences. I am not going to lie. Do I enjoy the fact that my readership has increased a heck of a lot? Yes, I do, I love it. Would I be thrilled if my readership was that of Rebecca Bollwitt, Darren Barefoot or Stephen Rees, to give you a few examples? Hmmm… Maybe, maybe not. (Side note – Truth be told, I really don’t know how many people read my blog. I usually rely on BlogStats, and not sure really how to get a better number – and yes, for the record, I do love it when people read my blog, and comment on it).

Don’t get me wrong, I *love* being read. I *love* sharing my thoughts and ideas. And I *love* commenting on other bloggers’ sites. But my worry sometimes (not ALL the time) is that with growing readership, I feel that I have a bigger responsibility to my readers. What if I am caught on a day off and I blog some sort of incoherent blurb? What if I decide to just post a music review? I wonder… will readers stop coming to visit my blog? And is that something that would make me sad? I still wonder…

So, yes – I am tempted to use these tools to reach broader audiences (I even signed on to Twitter) but only to the extent that I feel that my privacy is still protected. Of course, I am pretty sure that if I tweet (post a short micro-blog update online), everybody in the blogosphere will know what I am up to. And *that* level of openness I am comfortable with. I have no problem tweeting that I have a migraine (I have had one all day long). Heck, I will not even feel uncomfortable tweeting that I am having brunch at the Nice Cafe on Main and 8th Avenue and asking whether any local bloggers/users of Twitter would like to join. That is just fine. Again, this is a sign of my own adaptation to the “new normal”. For me, “the new normal” will most likely include posting short updates of what I am up to on Twitter.

You may ask yourselves “well, how is Twittering that different from Facebooking?“. I don’t have the answer to that question just yet. I haven’t tweeted enough. I’ll let you in a few weeks/months if the whole Twitter mumbo-jumbo has worked for me.

Final remarks – even as a non-geek, I was completely enthralled by Michael Geist’s lecture. Besides, he’s very pleasant to chat with. No wonder why geeks like him so much. And it was really fun to guest-live-blog for Rebecca.

Considering Facebook

Raul — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:59:00 +0000

Everyone and their mother (or well, their brother) are on Facebook now. And I’ll admit that I’m happy to sit down with friends who have Facebook and browse through their list of friends with them, and see pictures and all that (out of respect, I wouldn’t really use my friends’ account even if they have allowed me to). But sitting with them and looking at pretty pictures is fun.

After volleyball, two of my team-mates and myself proceeded to hop on the 99 B-line as we live fairly close from each other. At first we were just discussing the reasons why we didn’t want to join Facebook … and then two other young men joined the conversation, and it became really animated. Of course, by the end of it, seven people (us three plus 4 complete strangers) were debating on the value of joining Facebook. And maybe that’s one of the benefits of Facebook. I probably could have asked them “hey can I add you as my friend?”

So the thing is, I am considering the possibility of breaking down and joining Facebook. I am just afraid of its addictive nature (see my post on the Crackbook). I think if I can stay clear until January 2008, I’ll be able to avoid caving to the pressure. So… spill the beans… what are YOUR thoughts on Facebook?

Caving and getting on to Facebook/Crackbook/Hatebook?

Raul — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 07:18:00 +0000

Before you all start saying “YES! I TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE GOING TO CAVE AT SOME POINT”… no, I haven’t caved and thus have not joined Facebook. That being said, I am somewhat addicted to having a conversation about the pros and cons of Facebook and why I don’t want to join (and everyone – yes, you heard right – EVERYONE who is on FB has told me “don’t join! it’s more addictive than crack!“… hence the running joke on Crackbook(.

Well, it seems (as it usually happens) that someone already thought of that. I present to you… The Crackbook!. Oh my God, did I ever laugh! It’s a great spoof of FB. And even if you actually are on FB, I am sure you will appreciate it. To check the website at leisure you need to click on the red links (the blue links don’t really work). I guarantee you’ll have a great laugh!

And I am not alone on the enterprise to fight the urge to join FB… Amanda fought courageously but (and she caved!). And thanks to Beth’s blog (who covered the issue about Crackbook as well), I now know about Hatebook! Want to laugh even more? Read some witty phrases (from Ian in Hamburg) you can use on your next FB wall posts

Strange how a sunny day can make me do things like this (want to post more than one essay and write some meaningless stuff). I have a couple of bakery, restaurant and coffee shop reviews but I really should be doing some more work (even though I have put in the hours today, thanks to some awesome weather).

This is why I feel creeped by MySpace and Facebook

Raul — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 23:11:00 +0000

With all due respect to both MySpace and Facebook, I am a bit creeped out by these news. One of the best friends (Keira-Anne) of a local Vancouver blogger (Rebecca) found a MySpace created by someone who used her (Keira-Anne’s) photos to pose as her, in a different country (USA) and city (Austin, TX). Both Rebecca and Keira-Anne have discussed the issue at length, so I will suggest that you mosey over to their blogs (here and here) to read the whole story.

I am sorry that this happened to Keira-Anne, and I think that this is incredibly creepy! But this is perhaps one of the many reasons why I like staying away from MySpace and Facebook (at least in my real life!). That’s why people call it sometimes ‘Facebook-stalking”!

I think that there is value to social networking sites. There is so much value that there are people like Fred Stutzman and danah boyd studying them (these are just two of the main students of the MySpace/Facebook sites, but I am sure other people out there are researching these topics).

The risk that I think we face with this type of SNS is that our privacy is undermined. Heck, even blogging can be non-private. I was just chatting with a friend a few days ago about the fact that anybody who wanted to find out who I am could easily do so with a few smart Google search strategies.

Some bloggers have managed to transform their blogging activities into profitable ventures. Some others use their blog as a platform to help them network with potential clientes. More and more, academics are writing blogs and finding ways to reach out to different audiences. The truth is that the Internet can be a very valuable resource. But it can also be a very creepy place.

I have thought about this over and over, and that’s why I sometimes have devoted countless hours to read and think about SNS. But coming across these news that local blogger Keira-Anne’s identity had been supplanted (even if only online, and probably spurred out of some bizarre adoration), I am thoroughly creeped out.

Now, will this event stop me from blogging or even – heaven forbid – cave in finally and create my online profile on these sites? Hardly. I think that there is value to blogging, there is value to Facebook and MySpace and there is value to using these tools to reach out to broader audiences. Now, if my blog could just get a few thousand hits! (I am saying this tongue-in-cheek, as I recently read an entry by Darren Barefoot where he was sort of -jokingly- complaining that only 760 readers had been redirected from the NY Times site) – as I told Darren in my comment, I am lucky if I get 30 readers a day, let alone 760! — although to be quite honest, I am sure danah boyd gets thousands of them. Perhaps it’s time to Digg or de.licious my entries, hehehe

Getting to know someone

Raul — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:31:00 +0000

I don’t think I ever reflected on dating in my teens or early twenties. I was too occupied with sports, arts, my studies and volunteering to have time to think about relationships. Love? What’s that? So you mean I actually have to consider loving someone in a romantic way?

It wasn’t until I moved to Canada, and started dating again that I actually thought about something that has recently struck me [yet again] as the process we follow to fall in love. It all starts (apparently) with getting to know someone.

I used to believe that people fell in love magically, that somehow sparks just flew between two individuals and voila! – now they’re in love! Through time, my own experiences and the privilege of witnessing other friends’ evolving romantic relationships, I have come to appreciate the value of getting to know people.

And this idea does not apply only to romantic relationships. It applies to all sorts of relationships. I pride myself in being a good friend and in having amazing friends as well. And if I have to reflect on how my great friends and I came together, I am pretty sure it all started with trying to get to know each other. It was the amazing process of discovering the person that I had met at a conference, at a friends’ party, in my dorm, at my school, through another friend, over the internet (yay Facebook, MySpace and blogs!), etc.

And now that I do know these people in a more personal way, I am amazed at the fact that this idea (the value of getting to know someone, regardless of whether you want to date them or just be friends) was so neat. To my loved ones (friends and family), thank you for giving me the privilege of getting to know you.

UPDATE – Yes, someone has actually thought about the psychological process of getting to know someone!

Strategies for Blogathon 2007

Raul — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 15:57:00 +0000

When I told him I was entering Blogathon 2007, H suggested that I choose a theme for my blog posts. At first, I toyed with the idea and thought “oh yeah, I should do that”. He suggested looking at some environmental issue in a different time zone than mine. And then I thought “well, to actually write a meaningful post I’d have to really do some research”. And once you start the Blogathon, let me tell you, there’s really very little time in between posts. You think “oh yeah, I got 30 minutes until the next one” and then all of a sudden, you find yourself scrambling to gather some thoughts and write a meaningful one.

I think other bloggers had been better prepared than I have – some at least sketched some ideas beforehand, came up with a theme, etc. In my case, it was a really last-minute decision. Had I thought about this more, I would have

Contacted a few local blogs such as Beyond Robson, Metroblogging Vancouver, etc. and asked them to link to my site.

Contacted A Loving Spoonful much more in advance so that they could advertise my efforts.

Contacted my friends who are actually on Facebook and asked them to post a link to my blog.

Thought about the theme for my posts.

Prepared a few ideas in advance.

But … I didn’t. So I’ll just have to go with the flow. There’s really nothing I can do about a, b, and c (though Miss604 was very gracious and nice by linking to my blog on hers, so I am hoping some of her readers will go through mine).

As for d and e, I think that the best thing I can do is to follow H’s advice every hour. That is, starting at 9:30am Pacific Standard Time, I will be posting on environmental issues every hour (10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, and so on). This post does not count because this is the one that explains what I plan to do.

Then, every hour on the hour I will post about what I usually post – my random thoughts, some restaurant reviews (yes I eat out a lot and no I don’t feel guilty about it), some music reviews, and some local content that is not food-related, but still is Vancouver-centric.

I also thought that I should post a link to the “Sponsor Me” page on every post so that you don’t need to scroll up and down to find where the link is. Hope you are enjoying the posts, that you’re feeling in a giving mood and that you sponsor me (or other bloggers, for that matter. We are all doing it for a good cause). Come by, leave a comment…

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Is Facebook decreasing the relevance of MySpace?

Raul — Mon, 28 May 2007 07:10:00 +0000

I received a new invitation to join Facebook today (it’s been about 20 in the past month) and the site seems to keep growing. Many of my friends are on Facebook right now, and former colleagues and associates keep inviting me to join. For the longest time, I thought of MySpace as the dominant social software/social networking site. But apparently everyone is on Facebook right now. Even 24Hrs recently published a two-page spread on Facebook, issues of privacy, etc.

This is not my area of research [I will leave that to Fred Stutzman and danah boyd] so anything I write here is just my own thoughts. Two things come to mind right now.

The first issue is data privacy. I noticed that Facebook requires you to give up your e-mail password so that it can get into your email account and find other people who already have Facebook accounts. This is somewhat troublesome. I wonder if doing that basically gives pretty much anyone access to your e-mail records.

Moreover I certainly don’t know if I want to have my friends see everything I do and the people I hang out with. Those are just issues that are too private for me.

The second thought is that of monitoring. I read somewhere that college officials and employers can monitor Facebook to check your employability or what you do at school… The question is … how would they monitor Facebook without having an account there? And how would you know that a college official/employer/potential stalker has a Facebook account?

The last issue that one could raise is whether these social software sites are decreasing each other’s relevance. I have been told that MySpace has 80 million or something accounts where Facebook is only in the 2 million or whatever (I have never checked the statistics). But it makes me wonder… what is next?

Blogging, social networking and other thoughts

Raul — Thu, 03 May 2007 06:29:00 +0000

I have been really sick for the past three weeks, but as soon as my health improved I wanted to get online and publish a few things that I had been mulling over while I was out. One of them was a (hopefully) short self-reflection on blogging and the responsibility that it brings with it.

As a researcher, I am naturally inclined to ask questions and to inquire about things. I have an investigative nature and thus it is only natural that I do what I do for a living. I have always been fascinated by the use of new technologies, particularly when younger generations adopt them. Recently, the broad themes of social networking and social software became part of an interesting conversation I had with H on blogs and social networking spaces. We were commenting on how different people use them as data (researchers), as a forum to express emotions/feelings and thoughts (the general public), and as places and spaces to meet.

All these discussions arose from much earlier discussions on how people adopt new practices for socializing and creating networks. I, for example, have been invited to join Facebook just about a hundred times. Friends, students, colleagues, everybody wants me to get on Facebook. The story is the same for MySpace (‘why don’t you have a MySpace?‘). So people keep asking me “don’t you want to re-connect with old friends, keep in touch with your students and former students, colleagues and former colleagues?“. Truth is, I do. But I am not 100% sure I want to join these sites just yet. I am happy to have a blog, and I am happy if my blog’s readership increases. Sometimes, I even think about putting up some witty title that people will be Googling so that they come to my website. But I don’t think I want to increase my presence in the online sphere much further than blogging.

Do I want to read about the research that is being conducted on MySpace, Friendster, Facebook? For sure. Do I want to do the research myself? No, most definitely not. Do I want to be part of their dataset? Not really. Am I excited that people are learning the patterns of adoption of Facebook, MySpace, blogging, etc.? For sure! If there is something I’m naturally inclined to is research. I know of the work of danah boyd at University of California Berkeley who has studied MySpace, Facebook and Friendster for some time now, and I also know of the work of Fred Stutzman at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and his study of adoption patterns of Facebook. Since I do have a fairly solid understanding of ethnographic research, and have learned some statistical analysis, I can understand pretty well what danah and Fred are doing (I am sure there are other researchers studying social software, but these two stuck on my head). Their findings are important particularly for an increased understanding of the impact of technology on society. But then again, I don’t want to be part of a dataset just yet (although I am sure I am part of a dataset in kind of a warped way).

Lastly, I have a blog for several reasons. The first is that a friend of mine got me hooked up on it. I read her blog (she has closed it since long time ago) and her writing was passionate, exciting, mature. So I thought “heck, why not”. I started blogging about my random thoughts (hence the title of my blog). Then it evolved to become more of a repository of restaurant/music/bar/coffee shop reviews. I have lived in Vancouver long enough that I think I have some understanding of the comings and goings in this city. So that’s why I kept blogging. Lately, I also blog to keep my writing skills sharp. And, since my readership has increased thanks to some good friends who link my restaurant reviews or my blog URL, I keep writing because I like to provide commentary on what I enjoy the most (music, restaurants, coffee shops, environmental issues).

I have seriously considered to ask to be linked to some local Vancouver blogs to increase the readership and try and reach more people. But truth be told, I don’t blog often enough to warrant this type of linking. I am grateful to my friends who’ve linked me to their blogs, but I will not make much of an effort to increase my readership other than say “hey have you checked my blog lately?“. So, to those of you who grace my blog with your online presence, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.