Okay, so my title is a bit misleading. I don’t condone in anyway the stalking of people on Facebook. However, I’ve been guilty of it on an occasion or two. I think everyone has searched Facebook for an ex that dumped tehm years ago. You want to see if she’s as pretty now as she was your junior year in college. (Although you secretly hope she’s not.)

Twitter's Geolocation feature

The point is Facebook stalking is going on whether we like it or not. It appears that it’s going to get a lot easier on Facebook and Twitter as they both roll out new geolocation features. Twitter’s went live briefly yesterday and is expected to be announced at the SXSW conference on Friday.

Facebook updated their privacy policy last year to cover themselves when the location feature went into effect:

Location Information. When you share your location with others or add a location to something you post, we treat that like any other content you post (for example, it is subject to your privacy settings). If we offer a service that supports this type of location sharing we will present you with an opt-in choice of whether you want to participate.

Some of you may not want your location broadcast across Facebook. You might be somewhere you don’t want people to know about, like a farmer’s market or comic book convention. Be on the lookout for this feature because you know the minute it goes active Facebook will start broadcasting your location. They say it’s opt-in but I’m skeptical. Facebook has a long history of thinking you should opt-out of features rather than opt-in.

Some exciting news is coming out of the GOSO office today. Everyone is pumped about the release of GOSO’s Dealer Inventory Facebook App. Essentially the app allows automotive dealers to showcase their inventory directory onto their Facebook page.

BMW of Minnetonka became the first dealership in the world to deploy GOSO’s new application, which was just added to their suite of web and social media products for auto dealers.

The Facebook App is only a small part of the suite of tools. But this is a big step for dealers looking to create a strong Facebook presence. Social media is not new to the automotive brands themselves.

Ford has had great success with both their Fiesta Movement and Fusion 41 social media campaigns but their hasn’t been a lot of big news for individual car dealers. The GOSO announcement today is a big step in including the dealer’s in the social media movement.

It’s pretty easy to see the updates on the LinkedIn’s new iPhone app. You might even get confused at first and think you’ve opened your Facebook app. The two have a very similar layout.

I don’t want to hold it against LinkedIn for designing a new app like Facebook’s current app. The Facebook app is  popular and very efficient. So why not design one that is similar to it? It makes it easier for users to understand the update which is a far cry from the bar navigation at the bottom.

Out With the Old

One of my favorite new features is In Person. The feature uses your Bluetooth connection to exchange contact information with another LinkedIn user. Sadly this feature is also taken from another iPhone app: Bump. Another nice change is making profiles a separate category. From there you can add profiles to your favorites for easy reference later.

In With the New

Everyone is a movie fan. Some people like pretentious arthouse films. Other likes explosions. While some still love a good romantic comedy. And sure most of us don’t listen to the critics; we do however listen to our friends and families.

In the world of Twitter, a 140 character movie review is often enough to help movie lovers decide whether to rush out to the local cineplex or wait until the DVD release.

Twitter was given large credit for the word of mouth success of films like District 9 and Paranormal Activity. It was also given partial credit for the demise of Bruno.

Avatar is the must see film of the holidays and it is dominating Twitter and YouTube. The $300 million film has been out less than two days but it has conquered the web. Advertising age has reported that fans have posted over 42,200 fan videos on YouTube. Just search “avatar movie” and you’ll see the cache of videos. Twitter had more than 30,000 Avatar tweets on Wednesday, a day before it’s release.

The Avatar explosion isn’t a surprise. The film has been on a marketing blitz for months. Part of that blitz is provided by the fans themselves through sites like Twitter. Of the 30,000 tweets on Wednesday, I guarantee several thousand were countdowns until showtime.

Our very own Adam Boalt posted his ticket purchase and excitement for the film, although he has yet to say whether he liked it or not. These countdowns and pre-release word of mouth gave a good little push for the film as well.

Boalt Tweet

Hopefully these 140 character movie reviews with ensure quality from Hollywood from now on. Probably not though.

How much has Twitter influenced your decision on buying a product or going to a movie?

It’s the holiday season. A time when everyone gets to be a kid. A time when most kids look to the big guy in the North Pole to answer their holiday wishes. I remember sitting down and writing my letter to Santa. I gave it to my parents expecting jolly Saint Nick would read it in front of his fireplace but times have changed.

Santa on Facebook

Of course writing a letter to Santa is an important part of every child’s life but nowadays most kids are on Facebook. So what is Santa doing to stay up to date with kids today?

A quick search on Facebook brings up none other than Santa Claus and his 950,751 fans. (Which to me seems a little low for a man that delivers gifts to billions of children a year.)

Santa’s wall in plastered with messages from children from all nationalities. From Spanish, to Russian, to English, to French. It’s all there. A truly global village. Children of all ages have embraced social media to ask Santa for Wiis or to confess their never-faltering belief in him.

Once you’ve posted your wish list on Santa’s Facebook wall, jump over to the NORAD Tracks Santa. North American Aerospace Defense Command has provided Santa tracking information for more than fifty years. Just this year NORAD has expanded their Santa tracking abilities. NORAD is now on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, TroopTube.mil and OnStar.

NORAD tracks Santa on Twitter

Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr once said, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” It holds so true today. So what if kids are posting there wishes on Facebook. Sure they might not be handwriting a letter but it’s nice to know they still believe wishes will come true.

The news today is full of stories about the dangerous side of social media. Facebook is being linked to two disturbing stories.

The first is a story about a 12 year-old boy who was beaten because he was a redhead. Investigators are researching a link between the beating and a Facebook group encouraging people that Friday was “Kick a Ginger Day.” The post is thought to have been inspired by an episode of South Park.

The other story comes from Canada. Nathalie Blanchard is claiming that her insurance benefits were cut because of photos of her on Facebook. Blanchard had been on medical leave because of depression. Her Facebook profile photos showed Blanchard smiling, leading her insurance company to conclude that she was no longer depressed.

Facebook is growing in such leaps and bounds that it is important for people to realize the power of Facebook and other social networking sites. Privacy and safety are of the utmost importance to everyone on social media networks. But there are things you have to do yourself to make sure you’re protected:

1. Read the Terms of Service for every site you join. Understand what information will be available to the public and how it will be used.
2. Think before you post. You might have a great photo of youself doing a keg stand at a party over the weekend. Who’s going to see that photo? Your boss? College recruiters? Your insurance company? Or worse yet, your mom? Do you really think these people need to see that?
3. Be aware of consequences. A lot of people do silly things online. And most of those people don’t assess the consequences before they take action. It’s easier to rethink before posting than it is to clean it up after you’ve already posted.
4. This may be redundant but I think it is important to be very clear: DON’T DO STUPID SHIT! Telling someone to beat up redheads falls under the category of stupid shit. Don’t do that or anything like it. It may seem funny at the time but someone out there might think it’s a good idea and beat up a redhead.

Social media is supposed to be fun. It’s about creating a community for people to connect. Not to connect to commit violence. It’s also not designed as a way to spy on people. Sadly, it appears as if some people don’t understand either of those statements. Unfortunately it’s harder to get idiots like these away from social media sites than it is for us to be a little more vigilant. Sorry, but the smart people like us have to pick up the slack.

Now, more than ever, businesses are realizing the importance of interacting with their market. Social media platforms present a perfect setting for businesses to engage their consumers in conversation and vice versa.

The consumer has changed and one-way marketing will no longer make the cut.

David Kramer, President and General Counsel at Castle Title, LLC simply put it, “If social media is not a large part of your future, then your company does not have a future.”

Marketing strategies need to reflect a new generation of more accessible customers.

Kramer welcomes change and believes in innovation.

“So many people complain about the market, but if you keep doing the same thing, you will get the same results,” Kramer said.

Ken Montville, Associate Broker and Realtor at RE/MAX Advantage Realty, has spent 10 years in real estate. He also realizes the need to evolve with the consumer.

“The internet is a constant flow of information. So, consumers do their research first, and then they contact realtors when they have more focus,” Montiville said.

Marney Kirk of Keller Williams Excellence Realty agrees that the consumer has changed but she points out that the flow of information Montville speaks of is not always valid.

“The consumer does have an opportunity to be more knowledgeable, but it has become more important to educate the consumer because of the misinformation on the web,” Kirk said.

For Kramer, this is where blogging comes into play.

“Effective blogging is about being an effective source of information; when people are informed transactions are smoother,” Kramer said.

Sarah Stelmok, Associate Broker at Coldwell Banker Elite agrees with Kramer. Stelmok write real estate blogs for three different sites.

Like Stelmok, all of these realtors spend valuable time on social media platforms and they believe their social media strategies are a top priority. Why?

Kramer, who spends 4-5 hours a day online branding himself and his company, explains that there is an increasing expectation for availability.

“You’ve got to be putting stuff out there and letting people know you are there, because if you’re not there doing your job, someone else is.”

Kramer has taken blogging to the next level and is “putting stuff out there” in a video blog. He started working on Castle TV in February and went live in May. Kramer encourages feedback on his videos as he welcomes any comments, positive or negative.

“I want it to be an interactive experience,” Kramer said.

Kirk also spends a few hours a day utilizing her personal website with her blog. She also uses Twitter, Facebook and Active Rain to reach her customers.

Montville, who uses the same sites as Kirk, says that social media ranks only second to traditional real estate internet marketing such as Realtor.com and real estate specific sites.

Stelmok integrates her time spent on Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, and her aforementioned 3 blogs into her schedule. “It’s part of my daily routine. I would say 10 minutes out of every hour at work.”

So, what is the payoff to these forward-thinking realtors?

Well, Kramer sees a couple hundred hits on each video that he posts for Castle TV. But, he explains that he has two entities to brand. “I am cognizant of two brands: my company and myself.” So, he finds that Twitter is a great way to brand himself. “I love Twitter for its simplicity.”

Kirk measures the success of her social media plan by referrals. “I do not have any official tools that I use [to measure], but as the medium costs mostly time and not money, and I have some referrals in process from the sites, I find it to be very useful and a great ROI.”

Stelmok explains that she and her clientele find it most convenient to converse through social media. “Most of my clients are under 45 years old. If I want to reach them quickly, I go to the social media outlets. They are on, all day– it’s the easiest way. She also states that social media is a great way to acquire clients. “Many of my clients from the past year actually found me through social media.”

Montville, like Kirk, points out an extremely significant benefit of social media, while it takes time it is virtually free. Montville says that not only has social media enhanced his business but it has also contributed to his personal life. “Social media gives me a feeling of connection with real flesh and blood.” He explains that his social media connections give more importance to conferences such as ReBar.

Stelmok says she has met amazing people through social media. “I have grown and become more confident because of my social media interactions. In truth, I’m a better Realtor.”

So, whether you are looking to enhance your business or personal life, get with it and get to know social media platforms.

Kramer’s final advice to keep up with the times is priceless. “It’s about latching on to what’s big and becoming an expert, a function of keeping up with the Jones’, standing out and being different.”

Bing first woke the sleeping giant and now it looks like Facebook is going to take a shot at them too with the development of a real-time search. Yesterday was a big day for Facebook. They announced the acquisition of Friend Feed and then made the announcement of their new real-time search for Facebook users. Google immediately took notice and the only thing they could do was make an announcement of their own.

On Google’s official blog yesterday they unveiled “Caffeine,” their super secret search update. On the surface very few can see the difference between the old version and the new version. The version they released is just a developer’s version and there are still a lot of features to add, so I’m sure there’s a lot to come. Right now they’re simply looking for feedback on the differences between the versions.

As for Facebook, the search is available to Facebook users right now. In reality the search seems to target Twitter. The Facebook search is very similar to the Twitter search in that it sifts through all of the public posts on Facebook. However, with their purchase of Friend Feed they may have other plans for search beyond Facebook.

At this point we can’t say much about Google, or Facebook’s plans. So right now we’re just waiting to see the next step for both of them.

UPDATE: Facebook also reporting problems with DDOS attack. Twitter is now running fine and Facebook problems are intermittent. Source of the attack still unknown.

Twitter is blaming today’s outage, ongoing since 6 a.m. this morning California time, on a DDOS (distributed-denial-of-service) attack. Partial recovery was made but the attack continues.

It is unclear where the attack is coming from. Due to the popularity of the social media network and recent hacks to Twitter employee’s email, it was only a matter of time before the site itself was compromised.

Currently Twitter is running slowly and in some areas it is completely inaccessible. So I guess everyone will have to wait to hear what Ashton Kutcher had for breakfast. I know I’m dying to know.

Mark Zuckerberg's lame corporate profile shot

We all know that Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire but the big question that I have is, did he sell his soul to the devil getting there?

I’ve been a big fan of Facebook since its inception.  However, in recent days, it’s become more evident that their approach to success is selfish and user security and privacy is slowly becoming less of a priority.  I see more and more users getting hacked and sending out crazy emails that bait you into some sketchy malware website – urgh.  I even got fooled the other day by some crazy message.  Where’s it going to stop. (not to mention Facebook is done a good job at keeping this out of the media)

I liked the days where Facebook had a targeted niche of well rounded individuals that didn’t play dirty.  I feel like its become a centralized highway of unsolicited crap that I get on a daily basis which I have to weed through to actually hear from my friends.  It’s getting annoying.

I’m a big fan of opening up the application development but there has to be some sort of quality control, some of these apps are just plain ridiculous and all they want you to do is click on ppc links.

So is the house of cards going to collapse?  Probably not, but it’s due for a major correction.  Current market conditions are making the few surving online advertisors smart and this will eventually catchup with Zuckerberg.  I think he needs to stabilize his growth and think about quality and not quantity.  Advertisers would be happy to pay more to have better conversions.

Call me crazy but I see this as the beginning of the end of the 10 billion dollar valuation.  Facebook is here to live on forever, but I think Zuckerberg is in for a big suprise.